Best Michael Sonnenberg Podcasts (2024)

1
285 - What Do You Mean? - Celeste Kidd (rebroadcast) 48:50

4d ago48:50

48:50

Is a hotdog a sandwich? Well, that depends on your definition of a sandwich (and a hotdog), and according to the most recent research in cognitive science, the odds that your concept of a sandwich is the same as another person's concept are shockingly low. In this episode we explore how understanding why that question became a world-spanning argume…

1
284 - Awe - Dacher Keltner (rebroadcast) 54:18

19d ago54:18

54:18

In this episode we sit down with psychologist Dacher Keltner, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of emotion, the man Pixar hired to help them write Inside Out. In his new book – Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life – he outlines his years of work in this field, the health benefits of awe, the evo…

1
283 - Cultures of Growth - Mary C. Murphy 1:05:07

1M ago1:05:07

1:05:07

In this episode we welcome psychologist Mary C. Murphy, author of Cultures of Growth, who tells us how to create institutions, businesses, and other groups of humans that can better support collaboration, innovation, performance, and wellbeing. We also learn how, even if you know all about the growth mindset, the latest research suggests you not ma…

1
282 - They Thought We Were Ridiculous - Andy Luttrell 1:09:15

2M ago1:09:15

1:09:15

In 1974, two psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, as the New Yorker once put it, "changed the way we think about the way we think." The prevailing wisdom, before their landmark research went viral (in the way things went viral in the 1970s), was that human beings were, for the most part, rational optimizers always making the kinds of ju…

1
281 - More Chat, Less Bot - Jeremy Utley, Kian Gohar, Henrik Werdelin 1:10:52

2M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Jeremy Utley, Kian Gohar, and Henrik Werdelin sit down to discuss the surprising results of a new study into what happens when groups of people work together to brainstorm solutions to problems with the help of ChatGPT. Based on their research, Utley and Gohar created a new paradigm for getting the most out of AI-assisted ideation which they call F…

1
280 - Supercommunicators - Charles Duhigg 1:14:43

3M ago1:14:43

1:14:43

Our guest in this episode is Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and writer for the New Yorker Magazine who is also the New York Times Bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better. His new book is Supercommunicators, a practical and approachable guide to what makes great conversations work. In the episode we di…

1
YANSS 279 - Pluralistic Ignorance (rebroadcast) 1:25:48

3M ago1:25:48

1:25:48

There are several ways to define pluralistic ignorance, and that’s because it’s kind of a brain twister when you try to put it into words. On certain issues, most people people believe that most people believe what, in truth, few people believe. Or put another way, it is the erroneous belief that the majority is acting in a way that matches its int…

1
278 - An Admirable Point - Florence Hazrat 1:00:07

3M ago1:00:07

1:00:07

On this episode we learn about the history of the exclamation point, the question mark, and the semicolon (among many other aspects of language) with Florence Hazrat, a scholar of punctuation, who, to my great surprise, informed me that while a lot of language is the result of a slow evolution, a gradual ever-changing process, punctuation in the En…

1
277 - Visual Thinking - Temple Grandin (rebroadcast) 47:58

4M ago47:58

47:58

Temple Grandin didn’t develop speech until much later than most children, and she might have led a much different life if it hadn’t been for people who worked very hard to open up a space for her to thrive. In this episode we discuss all that as well as her latest book, Visual Thinking, about three distinct ways that human brains create human minds…

1
276 - How to Stand up to a Bully - Andrea Chalupa 54:09

4M ago54:09

54:09

In this episode David McRaney is interviewed by Andrea Chalupa about the psychological research covered in How Minds Change that could help if you expect to spend time with a family member this holiday who can't wait to pull you into an argument about politics, a wedge issue, or something else buzzing in the zeitgeist over which they'd love to star…

1
275 - Blight - Emily Monosson 47:18

4M ago47:18

47:18

How likely is the fungal infection in The Last of Us? The one that takes over human brains and brings humanity to the brink of extinction, could something like that really happen? In this episode we sit down with Emily Monosson, an expert on deadly fungal infections, and discuss the handful of fungi (we know of) that are today, right now, causing c…

1
274 - Cascades - Greg Satell 1:10:40

5M ago1:10:40

1:10:40

In this episode we sit down with Greg Satell, a communication expert whose book, Cascades, details how rapid, widespread change can sweep across groups of people big and small, and how understanding the psychological mechanisms at play in such moments can help anyone looking to create change in a family, institution, or even nation, prepare for the…

1
273 - The Conspiracy Test - Jesse Richardson 58:52

5M ago58:52

58:52

In this episode Jesse Richardson tells us all about ConspiracyTest.org, a new project designed to be a weird, fun, and cleverly educational way to explore just how skeptical you are (and could be) about a variety of conspiracy theories. The whole thing is designed to be very sharable and very viral, and it's launching right before Thanksgiving 2023…

1
272 - Quit! - Annie Duke (rebroadcast) 59:24

6M ago59:24

59:24

I recently sat down for a live event and Q&A with the great Annie Duke to discuss her new book, Quit: The power of knowing when to walk away. This episode is the audio from that event. Quit is all about how to develop a very particular skill: how to train your brain to make it easier to know which goals and plans are worth sticking to and which are…

1
271 - Survival of the Richest - Douglas Rushkoff (rebroadcast) 1:01:24

6M ago1:01:24

1:01:24

In this episode we sit down with Douglas Rushkoff, a media scholar, journalist, and professor of digital economics who has a new fire in his belly when it comes to the world of billionaire preppers, which comes across in his new book Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires – inspired by his invitation to consult a group o…

1
270 - Defining Genius 1:12:25

7M ago1:12:25

1:12:25

In this show you'll hear the first episode of a documentary series I made for Himalaya, an audio service devoted to inspirational and educational content that asked me if I had any ideas for a book that I had yet to pursue, and sure enough, I did. The series is all about the difficulty of defining the word "genius," and out of that launching point …

1
269 - Deconstructing How Minds Change - Michael Taft 1:04:42

7M ago1:04:42

1:04:42

In celebration of How Minds Change, my new book, turning one-year-old, in this episode Michael Taft interviews David McRaney about how minds do and do not change, the process behind writing a book about that, and what he has learned since writing and promoting it. Michael is a meditation teacher, bestselling author, and a mindfulness coach – and he…

1
268 - The Status Game - Will Storr (rebroadcast) 1:16:23

8M ago1:16:23

1:16:23

In this episode we welcome back author Will Storr whose new book, The Status Game, feels like required reading for anyone confused, curious, or worried about how politics, cults, conspiracy theories communities, social media, religious fundamentalism, polarization, and extremism are affecting us - everywhere, on and offline, across cultures, and ac…

1
267 - Do Your Own Research - Sedona Chinn 41:53

8M ago41:53

41:53

Sedona Chinn, who studies how people make sense of competing scientific, environmental, and health-related claims, joins us to discuss her latest research into doing your own research. In her latest paper she found that the more a person values the concept of doing your own research, the less likely that person is to actually do their own research.…

1
266 - Project Alpha - Brian Brushwood 1:06:03

9M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

We sit down with Brian Brushwood to discuss how he put together this most recent season of The World's Greatest Con, his podcast about incredible scams. This season is all about how two teenagers pulled off an incredible hoax called Project Alpha, a con job and a publicity stunt, meant to improve scientific rigor and methodology when it comes to st…

1
265 - Chess Queens - Jennifer Shahade (rebroadcast) 58:29

9M ago58:29

58:29

In this episode we sit down with Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, author, speaker, and professional poker player whose new book, Chess Queens, is the true story of the greatest female players of all time interwoven with her own experiences as a chess champion. Jennifer Shahade’s Website Jennifer Shahade’s Instagram Jennifer…

1
264 - Nobody's Fool - Dan Simons and Christopher Chabris 48:46

9M ago48:46

48:46

In an era in which we have more information available to us than ever before, when claims of “fake news” might themselves be, in fact, fake news, Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, authors of The Invisible Gorilla, are back to offer us a vital tool to not only inoculate ourselves against getting infected by misinformation but prevent us from sp…

1
263 - The Truth Wins - Tom Stafford (rebroadcast) 45:48

10M ago45:48

45:48

Deliberation. Debate. Conversation. Though it can feel like that’s what we are doing online as we trade arguments back and forth, most of the places where we currently gather make it much easier to produce arguments in isolation rather than evaluate them together in groups. The latest research suggests we will need much more of the latter if we hop…

1
262 - If It Sounds Like a Quack - Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling 49:58

10M ago49:58

49:58

At the peak of COVID-19, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling set out to write a book about the widespread pushback against masks and vaccines as away to discuss the rise of the medical freedom movement in America. But after meeting a series of people within that movement his efforts took a sharp turn into the motivations, tribulations, and personal lives of t…

1
261 - Hack Your Bureaucracy - Marina Nitze 42:01

10M ago42:01

42:01

Marina Nitze is a professional fixer of broken systems – a hacker, not of computers and technology, but of the social phenomena that tend to emerge when people get together and form organizations, institutions, services, businesses, and governments. In short, she hacks bureaucracies and wants to teach you how to do the same. - Hack Your Bureaucracy…

1
260 - The Science of Stuck - Britt Frank (rebroadcast) 49:27

11M ago49:27

49:27

Feeling stuck? Can't build momentum to escape all the loops keeping you from moving forward? Our guest in this episode is professor, author, therapist, and speaker Britt Frank, a trauma specialist who treats people with unique and powerful techniques and approaches which help clients to get out of the feeling of being stuck. In the show, we nerd ou…

1
259 - Think Again - Adam Grant (rebroadcast) 55:41

11M ago55:41

55:41

How to manage procrastination according to Margaret Atwood, how to work around your first-instinct fallacy, the upsides of imposter syndrome, the best way to avoid falling prey to the Dunning-Kruger effect, how to avoid thinking like a preacher, prosecutor, or politician so you can think like a scientist instead – and that’s just the beginning of t…

1
258 - Under Alien Skies - Phil Plait 1:08:34

12M ago1:08:34

1:08:34

Astronomer Phil Plait joins us to discuss his new book, Under Alien Skies, in which he describes what it would be like (through human eyes and real physical experiences) to actually travel to Saturn, Mars, asteroids, and distant stars. Also, we discuss the recent surge in UFO sighting as well as his famous talk at The Amazing Meeting more than a de…

1
257 - What Do You Mean? - Celeste Kidd 49:14

1y ago49:14

49:14

Is a hotdog a sandwich? Well, that depends on your definition of a sandwich (and a hotdog), and according to the most recent research in cognitive science, the odds that your concept of a sandwich is the same as another person's concept are shockingly low. In this episode we explore how understanding why that question became a world-spanning argume…

1
256 - The Persuaders - Anand Giridharadas 1:10:23

1y ago1:10:23

1:10:23

This is the third episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is also…

1
255 - Good Arguments - Bo Seo 1:04:27

1y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

This is the second episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is als…

1
Fandom Part the Second ft Special Guest Kristy Riegel 44:30

1y ago44:30

44:30

Mike, Andrew and Kristy continue their conversation on what it means to be a fan and the joys and disappointments that can go with it. In this episode they discuss cosplay, gatekeeping, and how to move amongst the haters and just love what they love.By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
254 - I Never Thought of It That Way - Mónica Guzmán 51:50

1y ago51:50

51:50

This is the first episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is also…

1
Fandom ft Special Guest Kristy Riegel 45:05

1y ago45:05

45:05

Mike and Andrew welcome their good friend Kristy for a conversation about Fandom, both the good and bad. We discuss DnD, Parenting as fans, and some of the ups and downs of navigating modern fandom.By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
ChatGPT and AI Art 51:09

1y ago51:09

51:09

Mike and Andrew a laymen when it comes to AI and some of the recent developments that have come about with ChatGPT but that doesn't mean there isn't philosophical and ethical implications in terms of how AI could redefine the way we communicate and relate to one another. Is AI the creator, or is it a tool for creation. What does the future hold? Wh…

1
253 - The World's Greatest Con - Brian Brushwood (rebroadcast) 53:10

1y ago53:10

53:10

In this episode, we sit down with famed stage magician and infamous instructor of the school of scams, Brian Brushwood, whose new podcast explores the world's greatest con artists and con jobs from World War II to modern game shows. We cover everything in this episode from why you can't con an honest person to the power of shame and fame to folk ps…

1
Album a Day Review 51:28

1y ago51:28

51:28

On January 1st Mike and Andrew embarked on a resolution to listen to an entire album a day from Monday to Friday during 2023. In this episode they talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of what they have heard so far, and the joy of listening to music.By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
Story Building - Expanding the Cryptid Prompt 48:27

1y ago48:27

48:27

Mike and Andrew, inspired by the prompt generated in the last episode, taker a crack at building a long form story from the cryptid hunter idea. As they dig in they discuss audience, genre, characters and plot points that may become an actual novel someday.By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
252 - Procrastination - Britt Frank 41:36

1y ago41:36

41:36

It’s February. It’s that time of year when we start to wonder if we might not follow through with our New Year’s resolutions. It’s that time of the year when procrastination becomes a centerpiece of our psychological concerns. Our guest in this episode is professor, author, therapist, and speaker Britt Frank, a trauma specialist who treats people w…

1
251 - Come up for Air - Nick Sonnenberg 44:07

1y ago44:07

44:07

Nick Sonnenberg doesn’t believe there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. That’s because when his business was in crisis mode, he developed a framework for eliminating inefficiencies and preventing the sort of metawork – working on working – that leads to scavenger hunts and meetings that could be emails, and for that matter…

1
Cryptid Hunters & Match Wishes 39:01

1+ y ago39:01

39:01

Mike and Andrew take a crack at creating two new stories from writing prompts, this time in the Young Adult Fantasy realm. Andrew pitches a tale of a father and son on a cross country road trip where Dad reveals that they belong to a line of specialists who hunt cryptids, who themselves are protected by women who have sworn to keep them alive... bu…

1
The Worst of 2022 and the Hope of 2023 42:55

1+ y ago42:55

42:55

Mike and Andrew look at some of their disappointments for movies and media in 2022, but cast their gaze forward into 2023 and discuss the projects they are hopeful about.By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
250 - Awe - Dacher Keltner 54:18

1+ y ago54:18

54:18

In this episode we sit down with psychologist Dacher Keltner, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of emotion, the man Pixar hired to help them write Inside Out. In his new book – Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life – he outlines his years of work in this field, the health benefits of awe, the evo…

1
Best of 2022 31:28

1+ y ago31:28

31:28

Mike and Andrew discuss a few of their favorite things from 2022!By Michael Sonnenberg & Andrew Craig

1
249 - The Power of Surprise (rebroadcast) 1:00:38

1+ y ago1:00:38

1:00:38

In this episode, Micheal Rousell, author of The Power of Surprise, explains the science of surprise at the level of neurons and brain structures, and then talk about how surprises often lead to the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, the different personal narratives that guide our behaviors and motivations and goals, and, perhaps most impor…

1
Throwing Tomatoes 42:08

1+ y ago42:08

42:08

Mike and Andrew focus on Rotten Tomatoes, the popular internet review aggregator. They discuss the difference and value between qualitative and quantitative reviewing along with the other pros and cons of RT. Should we trust audience reviews? Are the conspiracies real? Why doesn't RT seem to care when people get riled up?…

1
248 - Visual Thinking - Temple Grandin 47:58

1+ y ago47:58

47:58

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 at a time when words like neurodivergent and neurotypical had yet to enter the lexicon, at a time when autism was not well understood, and since she didn’t develop speech until much later than most children she might have led a much different life if it hadn’t been for people around her who worked very hard to open u…

1
Critical Criticism 43:44

1+ y ago43:44

43:44

What is the responsibility of a critic? Mike and Andrew discuss the art of critique, some of their favorite critics and what makes criticism worth reading. They also discuss some of the myths and misinformation that go along with modern criticism and how to discern valid thoughts on a work vs someone just saying it's stupid.…

1
247 - Narcissism (rebroadcast) 56:51

1+ y ago56:51

56:51

In this episode we explore what narcissism is (and what is most-definitely is not). There is a form of narcissism which has been, up until now, confused with psychopathy. But a new paper, the result of years of experiments, suggests narcissists are not psychopaths, and psychopaths are not narcissists. In the psychological literature, narcissism com…

1
Mythical SciFi 47:53

1+ y ago47:53

47:53

In this episode Mike and Andrew tackle some mythical science fiction writing prompts. In the first Mike deals with an ancient prophecy that led to Earth's near total destruction and the humans who managed to escape returning 1000 years later. In the second Andrew tells a story of a pantheon of planets trying to deal with what to do with the pesky h…

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