Why It's So Hard to Stop Intrusive Thoughts—A...

You might assume that people who study happiness for a living have it all figured out. But even happiness experts struggle to follow their own advice. They know the science behind feeling happier, managing difficult emotions, and building healthier habits — but putting that knowl ...  Show more

For most of human history, we only had one way to talk to one another: our voices. Today, we have more ways to communicate than ever before. We can text, call, send a video message, reach out over social media, et cetera. And we often choose whichever option seems easiest or leas ...  Show more

Do you find the more you try to stop thinking about something unpleasant, the more those unwanted thoughts keep popping up in your brain? Whether you're trying to quit thinking about an ex after your breakup, or you want to quit rehashing that conversation that didn't go well ear ...  Show more

Have you ever had a disturbing thought pop up into your head? Thoughts that are distressing, repetitive and unwanted are called intrusive thoughts. NPR's senior Visuals producer LA Johnson talks with a therapist and a researcher to figure out what these thoughts mean, where they ...  Show more

We talk to psychologist Ethan Kross – a world expert on controlling the conscious mind – on how we can harness the ongoing chatter in our heads, the ongoing internal conversation, to silence streams of self-doubt from our inner critic. From how ruminating on negative thoughts imp ...  Show more

How do we reframe our thinking to believe good things can happen, how do we spread good in such a difficult time and how can we manage our mindset to stop us drifting into negativity bias, especially in such an uncertain period? Neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart talks us through the p ...  Show more