The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane

This week: why the need for intimacy is vital for our wellbeing and has helped us survive as a species.

For most of human history–before mirrors and cameras–we had no idea what we looked like. So how did the face become so central to our identity?

We all know that eating fruits and vegetables, engaging in regular exercise, and getting a good night’s sleep are critical to our well-being — whether we do them is a different story. We are also bombarded with ads for supplements, fad diets, cleanses, and detoxes, all promising an easy route to wellness.

But what about going to a concert or museum, taking up painting or dancing, joining a book group, or going to the movies? Does that improve our health? This week, we explore our need for creative expression.

Award-winning scientist Daisy Fancourt tells us why engaging with the arts is good for our mind and body, backed by multiple studies using neuroimaging, wearable sensors, molecular biomarkers, and cognitive tests. She is the director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Arts and Health and the author of the new book, Art Cure.

As we get ready to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, we are still struggling to reconcile deep-seated disagreements over policies, beliefs, and values. There are many ways to define those differences: red and blue, urban and rural, male and female, young and old, native and immigrant.

Historian Colin Woodard says our geography has long shaped our views about what it means to be an American and about the role of government. His new book, Nations Apart, shows how early colonists, with their conflicting views of individual liberty and the common good, created “an awkward federation of distinct regional cultures” that still exists today. He writes that it’s these 11 regions, with their unique narratives and traditions rather than the 50 states that drive our current conflicts over authoritarianism and democracy.

Colin Woodard joins us to discuss what’s pulling us apart and how we can create a more perfect union.

We explore how the pursuit of happiness has evolved in America with constitutional law scholar Jeffrey Rosen and cognitive scientist Laurie Santos.

In 2015, Serena Williams was preparing for Wimbledon and struggling with self-doubt. She was questioning her ability to compete, especially at the net. Her coach was worried about her crisis of confidence and made a risky decision. He told her that she was winning 80 percent of her net shots, which was a lie. He tricked her to derail her expectation of failure. She went on to win the tournament and upped her net game.

That’s one of the stories Nir Eyal recounts in his new book, Beyond Belief, where he explores how our assumptions drive our behavior, for better or for worse.

He says beliefs aren’t just thoughts and feelings. They’re practical and provisional, giving us enough certainty to act and enough flexibility to adapt when we get new information. Nir Eyal joins us to talk about the power of belief.

In her new book, For Better and Worse, historian Stephanie Coontz digs into thousands of years of marital history to help explain how the tradition has evolved.

Ferrer’s story about how her family was torn apart by the Cuban revolution, their migration to the United States, and the brother they left behind.

Philadelphia is known for its thousands of beautiful and bold murals. They are everywhere!

While creating these canvasses involves a team of artists, organizers and local residents, for the last forty years the mastermind, the mover and shaker, has been Jane Golden, the founder and Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia.

She is a force to be reckoned with, utterly devoted to the power of art to change lives. After some serious soul-searching she has decided to retire, a huge decision for her and for the city.

Marty sat down with Jane Golden for an interview at WHYY with an audience filled with Jane fans. We’re playing that conversation on this week’s show.

Diane Button is an end-of-life-doula. She has spent countless hours with people in their last days as they share their regrets, hopes, desires and dreams.