Our lives are entrenched in secrets — the average person, apparently, keeps as many as 13 of them at any given time. They’re largely regarded as bad for us.

But maybe secrets, like us, are more complex? Is there a time when a secret can be harmless, or even good? Can a secret save lives? And how many people can be involved in one before it all topples down?

GUESTS:

• David Robert Grimes: Scientist and science writer
• Raneta Lawson Mack: Professor of law emerita at Creighton University School of Law
• Michael Slepian: Researcher who studies the psychology of secrecy, as well as an associate professor at Columbia Business School; he’s the author of The Secret Life of Secrets

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired August 9, 2023.

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