Social psychologist Batja Mesquita talks about why feelings differ from culture to culture — and why shame can be good.
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Why a cult survivor was drawn to the military
Daniella Mestyanek Young talks about being raised in The Children of God religious cult, her escape to build a new life, and what her later career in the military taught her about herself.
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What it’s like being autistic in a neurotypical world
Devon Price talks about his own experience with neurodivergence and delves into the lives of people who feel ignored and invisible.
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Say less: Your teens listen more than you think
Terri Apter discusses teenagers and their changing emotions, how to better understand their emerging identities, and ways parents can strengthen relationships.
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Are evil people born that way?
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen joins us to discuss the neuroscience of narcissism and psychopathy and the reasons someone might lack the ability to care.
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The boy who survived a men’s prison
Ian Manuel joins us to discuss his crime, his quest for forgiveness, and why, he believes, we should not judge an entire life based on one’s worst day.
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There IS such a thing as too much pleasure
Dr. Anna Lembke, a medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine, joins us to discuss the neuroscience of pleasure, why our bodies crave it, and the consequences of overconsumption.
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The benefits of being in your feels
Susan Cain discusses bittersweetness – that mix of sorrow and comfort – and why embracing it can lead to creativity and unlock empathy for one another.
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How Covid changed your children’s lives
Education journalist Anya Kamenetz explains what happened during the pandemic when schools could no longer offer safety net programs and the lives of people across the country who were affected.
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BFFs: The science of building friendships that last
Marisa G. Franco is a professor at the University of Maryland. She talks with us about the latest science on friendship, why it’s essential to our health, and ways to use your own strengths to forge lasting relationships.
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How Latino culture can make it hard to talk about mental health
Olga Rosales Salinas is the managing editor for San Francisco Bay Area Moms and she joins us to share her sister’s mental illness and her Latino family’s reactions.
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Can you trust your mental health diagnosis?
Writer Sarah Fay discusses her many diagnoses and offers an examination of psychiatry’s main tool, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—the DSM— and the history behind it.
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