The research is pretty clear that to live a happy life, we’ve got to connect deeply with other people. Robert Waldinger is professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital and cofounder of the Lifespan Research Foundation. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why friendships, marriages, even book groups, form the basis for a more meaningful existence, and why it’s never too late to form new, lasting bonds. His book, written with co-author Marc Schulz, is called “The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.”

After the excess of the holidays, Dry January is a popular way for people to experiment with sobriety and reset their habits. Richard De Visser, Reader in Psychology at Brighton & Sussex Medical School and the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits of abstaining from alcohol, who participates and why, and if the practice really produces a healthier relationship with drinking in the long run.

James Bond has escaped many a sinister plot to kill him, but how many of those methods could actually work in real life? Kathryn Harkup is a scientist-turned-author, and she joins host Krys Boyd to explore the wild world of 007 – from whether gold paint could really kill you to the feasibility of volcano lairs for bad guys. Her book is “Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond.”

Conversations about death are difficult, but with a child, they can be especially hard. Elena Lister is associate professor of clinical psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and senior consulting analyst for grief at Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how parents and educators can talk about grief with a child in a nurturing way. Her book, co-written by Michael Schwartzman, is called “Giving Hope: Conversations with Children About Illness, Death, and Loss.”

As we begin 2023, it’s time to look into our crystal balls and anticipate what the coming year will bring. Tom Standage is an editor at The Economist, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the top 10 issues the magazine predicts will make the biggest headlines this year, from Ukraine and China to inflation to what might be a bright spot in combating climate change. The series of articles is “The World Ahead.”

When twin girls are adopted out, one remaining in Vietnam and one moving to America, notions of family are challenged. Erika Hayasaki is a professor in the Literary Journalism Department at the University of California, Irvine, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss two sisters raised worlds apart and the questions that arise about transnational adoption. Her book is “Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, but there’s still more work to be done. Ben Mattlin is a journalist who is also disabled, and he joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the progress the disabled community has made to raise awareness about opportunities for increased access. His book is “Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World.”

When Rabia Chaudry’s family immigrated to the United States from Pakistan, they embraced all things American—including our love of fast food. Chaudry joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about how the fat-filled and processed foods of her childhood have gradually given way to a love of Pakistani recipes – and how concerns about body image transcend the immigrant experience. Her book is “Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist who helps us find our place in the universe. The director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and host and cofounder of the podcast “StarTalk” joins host Krys Boyd to make a case for the rationality of science – and to help us look at global challenges in new ways. His book is “Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.”

Imagine if we all just embraced our anxiety rather than trying to seek to eradicate it. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Hunter College, the City University of New York, where she directs the Emotion Regulation Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, she says, anxiety is tied to hope, and why linking it to disease is an outmoded way of thinking. Her book is “Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good For You (Even Though It Feels Bad).”