Why are brains superstitious? Would you wear a nice sweater that belonged to a murderer? What does this have to do with lucky socks, ghosts, our interpretation of coincidences, why kids often need their special blankets, and what any of this has to do with the brain? Join this week with guest Bruce Hood to learn why it's so natural for brains to take incomplete data and infer causes.

Why are brains superstitious? Would you wear a nice sweater that belonged to a murderer? What does this have to do with lucky socks, ghosts, our interpretation of coincidences, why kids often need their special blankets, and what any of this has to do with the brain? Join this week with guest Bruce Hood to learn why it's so natural for brains to take incomplete data and infer causes.

Neuroscientist and author David Eagleman discusses how our brain interprets the world and what that means for us. Through storytelling, research, interviews, and experiments, David Eagleman tackles wild questions that illuminate new facets of our lives and our realities.

Neuroscientist and author David Eagleman discusses how our brain interprets the world and what that means for us. Through storytelling, research, interviews, and experiments, David Eagleman tackles wild questions that illuminate new facets of our lives and our realities.

Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

Ep119 "Why do brains believe in the unbelievable?" with Bruce Hood

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/38d85d64-df95-47be-be4b-b34b001fc1d9/transcript

Why do people sometimes buy into ideas that seem obviously false from the outside, as with conspiracy theories? Is this kind of misbelief a universal feature of human brains? Does it offer clarity and belonging when reality feels chaotic and threatening? What would it take for you (under the right emotional conditions) to begin believing something that your past self would find unbelievable? Today we’ll speak with behavioral economist Dan Ariely, who has thought a lot about misbelief: for him it's a scientific question, but also an interest that started very personally.

Why do people sometimes buy into ideas that seem obviously false from the outside, as with conspiracy theories? Is this kind of misbelief a universal&nbsp;feature of human brains? Does it&nbsp;offer clarity and belonging when reality feels chaotic and threatening? What would it take for you (under the right emotional conditions) to begin believing something that your past self would find unbelievable? Today we&rsquo;ll speak with behavioral economist Dan Ariely, who has thought a lot about misbelief: for him it's a scientific question, but also an interest that started very personally.

Ep133 "Why do people hold misbeliefs?" with Dan Ariely

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/752367c9-66b7-41e1-b7f4-b3ad004686e5/transcript

If AI can do everything from writing novels to designing proteins, what remains that only humans can do? What's the human advantage in a world where machines can outperform us at almost any measurable task? What does any of this have to do with Stephen King’s nightmares, Tom Cruise’s stunts, the first shoeshine caught on camera, the shortage of air conditioner repairmen, and why hyper-capable AI might actually increase the demand for unexpected jobs? Today we speak with author and technologist Andrew Mayne.

If AI can do everything from writing novels to designing proteins, what remains that only humans can do? What's the human advantage in a world where machines can outperform us at almost any measurable task? What does any of this have to do with Stephen King&rsquo;s nightmares, Tom Cruise&rsquo;s stunts, the first shoeshine caught on camera, the shortage of air conditioner repairmen, and why hyper-capable AI might actually&nbsp;increase&nbsp;the demand for unexpected jobs? Today we speak with author and technologist Andrew Mayne.

Ep132 "What will AI mean for the economy?" with Andrew Mayne

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/14ca40f0-d9bb-4102-97a7-b3a60044bac0/transcript

How do societies work their way out of polarization? And what does the answer have to do with broken trucks, the Apollo program, the movie 'Watchmen', Iroquois Native Americans, a new idea for social media algorithms, moral taste buds, and how we can take advantage of the common threads that bond us -- coming to see each other again as fellow travelers improvising their way through the same noisy world?

How do societies work their way out of polarization? And what does the answer have to do with broken trucks, the Apollo program, the movie 'Watchmen', Iroquois Native Americans, a new idea for social media algorithms, moral taste buds, and how we can take advantage of the common threads that bond us -- coming to see each other again as fellow travelers improvising their way through the same noisy world?

Ep131 "What do brains tell us about politics?" Part 2: Rehumanization

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a6868960-9ab8-465a-99b5-b39f004a34af/transcript

Ep119 "Why do brains believe in the unbelievable?" with Bruce Hood

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