The Story of Stories

Have you ever had a flash of insight that hit you when you least expected it? How did it change your life? Psychologist Anthony Klotz studies the "jolts" that shake us out of our routines, and how these moments can help us make more intentional decisions about the people we want ...  Show more

From childhood, we're taught that honesty is the best policy. Yet in everyday life, we hedge, soften our words, and leave things unsaid. This week, we talk with psychologist Steven Pinker about why indirect speech is such a fundamental part of human relationships. How long can yo ...  Show more

How close can words get you to the truth and feel and force of life? That's the question poking at our ribs this hour, as we wonder how it is that the right words can have the wrong meanings, and why sometimes the best translations lead us to an understanding that's way deeper ...

What is thirst? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind series, Robert and Joe dive into the biological, cultural and mythological answers to this broad question. (originally published 02/01/2022)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss whether the mass of scientific understanding and knowledge we have accumulated has destroyed our sense of poetic wonder at the world. Has our sense of awe at how the world works obscured our desire to know why it works the way it does? With Richard ...  Show more

Humans are amazing storytellers. It allows us to connect with each other, entertain each other and empathize with each other. But problems arise when the stories that we create in our minds grow beyond our current reality. Today, look out for times when thoughts are spinning out ...  Show more