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Big Think
By bigthinkEducation
Big Think episodes
- Why great thinkers ask divergent questions | Natalie Nixon
Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions in order to foster innovation and creativity. She believes that inquiry and curiosity are crucial for driving innovation, as they can bridge information gaps and encourage expansive thinking.
Nixon introduces the "Taxonomy of Questions," which includes divergent questions ("Why?", "What if...?", "I wonder...?") that promote big picture thinking, and convergent questions ("What?", "Where?", "When?") that provide tactical guidance. To thrive in an ambiguous world, we need to balance both types of questions, embracing creativity as a uniquely human trait that sets us apart from technology and automation.Nixon suggests becoming "clumsy students" of something new in order to build confidence in asking questions and seeking help. By practicing this discipline of inquiry, we can develop our ability to think differently and drive innovation.0:00 Asking better questions1:11 Inquire and be curious1:47 Two types of questions: Divergent & convergent2:30 Creative questions = surviving automation3:39 How to practice better questions----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Natalie Nixon:Dr. Natalie Nixon is the Creativity Whisperer to the C-Suite, helping leaders achieve transformative business results by applying wonder, rigor, and foresight. A magnetic keynote speaker, Nixon shares why creativity is not a “nice to have” but a “must have” and leaves audiences with practical techniques to upgrade their organizational and individual creative capacity in the midst of ubiquitous technology and hybrid work environments — always with an eye on innovation and the future of work. Marketing guru Seth Godin has said that Nixon “can help you get unstuck and unlock the work you were born to do.”As CEO & Creativity Strategist at Figure 8 Thinking, Nixon is a highly sought after global keynote speaker & advisor, author of the award-winning book The Creativity Leap and editor of Strategic Design Thinking. Real Leaders named her one of the "Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World," and her clients have included Google, Salesforce, META, New Balance, and Deloitte. Profiles on Nixon as well as her writing have been featured in Forbes, INC, and Fast Company. She earned her B.A. From Vassar College and her Ph.D. From the University of Westminster in London.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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8 min - How to date, mate, and find fulfillment | Helen Fisher & more
**Love Isn't a Phase—It's Hardwired in Your Brain 🧠❤️**
Anthropologist Helen Fisher reveals that sex drive, romantic love, and attachment aren't fleeting feelings—they're distinct *brain systems* rooted in our biology. Sex starts in the brain, not the body. Love activates the brain’s dopamine circuits, lighting up like an addiction, especially when love is lost. In fact, heartbreak activates pain and craving centers, proving that love, in its highs and lows, is as primal as hunger or fear.
To maintain long-term love? You must nurture all three systems:
- **Sex drive**: Have regular, enjoyable sex to keep the desire alive.
- **Romantic love**: Seek novelty together—new places, new routines.
- **Attachment**: Stay physically connected through touch and togetherness.
Meanwhile, author Louise Perry warns that despite modern tools—like the pill or the internet—our Stone Age brains haven’t evolved to handle radically new mating models. While polyamory is gaining ground, she argues monogamy offers stability, especially for women and children. Drawing from evolutionary and cultural history, Perry emphasizes that monogamy, though imperfect, may be the most socially sustainable system.
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32 min - The brain myth that won’t die | Lisa Feldman Barrett
Plato famously described the human psyche as two horses and a charioteer: One horse represented instincts, the other represented emotions, and the charioteer was the rational mind that controlled them. Astronomer Carl Sagan continued this idea of a three-layer, “triune brain” in his 1977 book The Dragons of Eden.
But leading neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges this idea of the brain evolving in three layers, instead revealing a common brain plan shared by all mammals and vertebrates. The development of sensory systems led to the emergence of the brain, and hunting and predation may have initiated an arms race to become more efficient and powerful predators.Despite advances in neuroscience and genetics, the question of why the brain evolved remains elusive. But Feldman Barrett’s fascinating exploration of the brain’s evolution offers insights into the most important functions of this complex organ, and invites us to think more deeply about the origins of our own intelligence.0:00 What a brain costs0:21 The triune brain (aka lizard brain) theory1:24 Plato, Carl Sagan, and the making of the myth2:35 Debunking the ‘lizard brain’ theory3:39 How the first brain evolved5:49 The brain’s ultimate job----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Lisa Feldman Barrett:Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world, having published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr. Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of psychology at Northeastern University with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. She is the recipient of a NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for transformative research, a Guggenheim Fellowship in neuroscience, the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and from the Society for Affect Science (SAS), and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA). She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and a number of other honorific societies. She is the author of How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, and more recently, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.---------------------------------------------06:30-17Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 min - Is it too late for us to slow climate warming? | Hannah Ritchie, PhD
“I think the key point is that doesn't mean game over. That doesn't mean we're flipped into a world, and to a point of no return.”
**🌍 The 1.5°C Climate Goal Might Be Slipping Away — But It’s Not Game Over**
The once-ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C? It’s likely no longer within reach, says a climate expert. But that’s not a reason to give up. Every fraction of a degree matters — and fighting for 1.6, 1.7, or 1.8°C still means reducing risk, damage, and loss.
The Paris Agreement aimed to keep temperatures "well below 2°C" and ideally at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. While 1.5°C now seems nearly impossible due to the sheer scale of emissions cuts required, staying under 2°C is *still* feasible — *if* countries hit their current targets.
What needs to change? Four key sectors:
**1. Energy** – Replace fossil fuels with low-carbon sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and especially **nuclear**, which has the *lowest land footprint*.
**2. Transport** – Shift to electric where possible, using decarbonized electricity.
**3. Food** – Reform agriculture, which uses *half* of all habitable land.
**4. Construction** – Build greener, more sustainable infrastructure.
The shift to renewables is now *economically viable*, with solar and wind already cheaper than coal or gas in many places. Land use fears? Overblown. Solar needs <1% of global land; even wind’s impact is mostly *visual*, not physical — and farming can continue around turbines. Nuclear, meanwhile, needs just 0.1% of land to power the world.
🌱 **The message is clear**: We may not hit 1.5°C, but every bit of progress still counts. The climate fight isn’t all or nothing — it’s a long game where every decimal degree saved can mean lives, ecosystems, and futures protected.
About Hannah Ritchie:
Dr. Hannah Ritchie is Senior Researcher in the Programme for Global Development at the University of Oxford. She is also Deputy Editor and Lead Researcher at Our World in Data. Her research appears regularly in the New York Times, The Economist, and the Financial Times, and in bestselling books including Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now. She is the author of Not the End of the World.
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9 min - What are the chances of YOU existing? A biologist explains | Sean B. Carroll
**🌍 Earth’s History Hinges on Chaos — and You Are Its Luckiest Accident**
What if your existence was only possible because of two massive cosmic collisions — and one lucky sperm?
Biologist and author **Sean B. Carroll** unveils a breathtaking truth: the evolution of life on Earth wasn’t a planned journey but a **wild series of accidents**. A 6-mile-wide asteroid struck the *exact* spot on Earth with just the right chemical mix to wipe out the dinosaurs, giving mammals — and eventually humans — a shot at dominance. A second monumental collision — India slamming into Asia — sparked the Ice Age, a trial by fire that forged our **big-brained, tool-making ancestors**.
And your individual life? It’s a 1-in-70-trillion genetic fluke — a cosmic lottery win shaped by **chance mutations and timing**. There has never been, and never will be, another you.
🧬 Life isn’t destiny — it’s improbability, stacked on improbability.
**So what else in your life could be hinging on a single moment of chance?**
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16 min - Try psychedelics. Access transcendence. | James Fadiman
- **Psychedelics and Perception**: Using psychedelics is compared to being catapulted to the top of a mountain, rapidly expanding your awareness. It enhances your understanding of life’s complexity and challenges the limits of perception, much like learning new skills or traveling to new places. 🌄🌌
- **James Fadiman's Insight**: With over 60 years in psychedelic research, Fadiman discusses transpersonal psychology, a tool for exploring consciousness. It goes beyond conventional psychology, helping expand human awareness and understanding. 🧠🔍
- **Psychedelics as Tools for Growth**: Psychedelics open up consciousness by breaking patterns and allowing different parts of the brain to communicate. This can result in enhanced creativity, clarity, and a deeper understanding of relationships, especially in therapeutic settings. 🌈🎨
- **The Risks and Rewards**: Like any powerful tool, psychedelics can be dangerous if misused. Without support or understanding, the overwhelming expansion of consciousness can be terrifying. Caution and careful use are essential. ⚠️
- **Integration and Support**: After a psychedelic experience, the integration process helps individuals make sense of the overwhelming information. This is similar to helping someone adapt to a new culture, turning confusion into clarity. 🌱💡
- **Community Impact**: Psychedelics can enhance how individuals connect with others, breaking down personal barriers and fostering a greater sense of unity. Fadiman emphasizes that the experience of psychedelics is transformative, widening one’s universe. 🌍💬
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9 min - The #1 thing we’re afraid to talk about | Your Brain on Money
We’re afraid to talk about money–and that costs us.
Talking about money, especially how much you earn, is often considered taboo. But talking about money can sometimes be a good thing.It’s not exactly known why talking about money is taboo, but one hypothesis is that it highlights inequality or causes resentment.Depending on the culture, the comfort level of talking about money differs. Some companies are looking to open up the compensation conversation more.0:00 The money taboo1:59 The neuroscience of taboos4:30 3 steps for breaking money anxietyThe 3 steps:1. Be truthful about your budget; don’t overspend to fit in with your group.2. Investigate your feelings about money through journaling or in conversation with trusted friends or family.3. Follow or join online groups that talk about aspects of money you are anxious or uncertain about.------------------------------------------06:30-17Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 min - Michael Watkins: You can’t afford to be a dinosaur | Big Think+Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes
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13 min - Jewel: Clear perception is the way to psychological strength | Perception Box
@jewel says denying the truth cost her years of her life. This is how she shifted her perception to see truth more clearly and regain her strength.
“My number one job was to be a happy, whole human — not a human full of holes.” Jewel Kilcher, singer-songwriter, and visual artist, opens up about her childhood, the start of her career, and what makes Jewel, Jewel.After being discovered during a coffee shop gig in the 1990’s, folk singer Jewel began the life-long endeavor of being a performer. Jewel went on to gain worldwide recognition for her talent and creativity. But who is she at her core? What are her greatest fears, her deepest aspirations?In this interview, Jewel shares the personal struggles and triumphs that have shaped her, the importance of truth on her life and well-being, and the lessons she's learned along the way. Through this conversation, Jewel offers an up-close look into her journey, revealing the experiences and hard-won insights that have shaped her as both an artist and a person.-------------------------------------
About Jewel:Jewel Kilcher, known mononymously as Jewel, embodies the quintessential story of resilience and artistic integrity. From her humble beginnings in the rugged landscapes of Alaska to her rise as a multi-platinum recording artist, Jewel's journey is a testament to the transformative power of art. Homeless at 18, she honed her craft performing in coffee shops, blending folk, pop, and country influences with her ethereal voice and introspective songwriting.Her debut album, "Pieces of You," captured hearts worldwide, achieving remarkable commercial success while delivering profound, soul-stirring messages. Beyond music, Jewel's talents extend to poetry and acting, with her literary works and performances reflecting her deep empathy and authenticity.Jewel's commitment to social causes, including mental health advocacy and her foundation, the Inspiring Children Foundation, underscores her dedication to making a positive impact. In a world often dominated by transient fame, Jewel stands out as a beacon of enduring creativity and compassionate leadership.Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes
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14 min - The science of managing emotions without losing yourself
Emotions are ancient, but your method for managing them doesn’t have to be. Psychologist and author Ethan Kross shares how modern science has given us surprising tools to manage our emotional reactions. From talking to yourself in the third person to building an ‘advisory board,’ Kross explains how small shifts in your regulation process can make a big impact on not just your own life, but on society as a whole.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Ethan Kross:Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor and bestselling author in the University of Michigan’s top-ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About The WellDo we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.Together, let's learn from them.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17----------------------------
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12 min
About Big Think
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Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster.…
Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life.
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