It can feel like people in disagreement just aren’t listening to each other. We read a study showing disagreement significantly reduces our perceptions of being listened to, regardless of how well our audience does listen. We discuss takeaways for exhibiting active listening behaviors that reduce the effect.

Later, we read a review of research on aphantasia (or the condition of not seeing concrete images in your mind’s eye). We reflect on how this dimension of neurodiversity is connected to differences in a variety of human outcomes.