619: Superstitious

Are you superstitious? About what? Full episode script Superstitions are not a purely human phenomena. Almost surprisingly, it’s one of the things I’ve done a lot of research on that nobody argues is a particularly human experience. That’s largely thanks to the research done in the 1940s by B.F. Skinner. Skinner found that when you […]

600: Be Brave

Is there anything you wish you had been braver about? Full episode script I tried – for a very long time – to find a good working definition of bravery to use for this episode. Instead what I found was one of the most complex interplays of cultural, social, emotional, psychological, and physical acts and […]

559: Something Nice

What’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you? Full episode script Kirsten McEwan a Research Associate at Cardiff University in 2014 wrote in The Conversation, quote: It seems intuitive that many of us would fear and avoid emotions such as anger and anxiety. But some people fear positive emotions such as happiness and […]

517: Doing Scary Things

What was the scariest thing you did as a kid? Are you glad you did it? Full episode script In 2016, a survey of 1,003 UK parents by online bookseller The Book People found that 33% would steer clear of books for their children containing frightening characters. As The Guardian wrote: Asked about the fictional […]

254: In Public

Your thoughts on public speaking?

51: Fear

How do you handle fear?