Think from KERA

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that tells our brains we want more of something. It’s what motivates us to act, but if not properly managed, it can push us to addiction and depression. Dr. Robert Lustig joins us to talk about how marketers have learned to activate dopamine in our brains – making us crave their products and leaving us empty in the process. His new book is called “The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains” (Avery).

Canadian sketch-comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall kept early ‘90s audiences in stiches with its off-kilter humor and extended list of recurring characters. Members Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald join us for a conversation about humor while they’re in town to accept the Ernie Kovacs Award from VideoFest.

True leaders shine brightest when the stakes are highest. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn joins us to talk about exceptional leaders throughout history and why they prove that the greatest of leaders aren’t born – they’re made. Her new book is called “Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times” (Scribner).

The student loan industry theoretically exists to help young people finance higher education. The country’s mounting student debt, though, is calling into question the industry’s priorities. Reporters Daniel Rivero and Laura Juncadella join us to talk about how predatory lending practices are keeping some graduates from ever crawling out from under student loans. Their yearlong investigation, “The Naked Truth: Debt Trap,” aired recently on Fusion TV.

Roger Hodge’s family has made a living for nearly two centuries ranching in Texas. And like other families, his is learning to adjust as the cattle business becomes less of a force. He joins us to talk about pieces of Texas cultural history that are fading away in the 21st Century, which he writes about in “Texas Blood: Seven Generations Among the Outlaws, Ranchers, Indians, Missionaries, Soldiers, and Smugglers of the Borderlands” (Knopf). He speaks tonight as part of Author’s Live! at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

When Lisa Fain published “The Homesick Texan Cookbook,” she became a hero to Texans searching for the tastes of home outside the Lone Star State. She joins us to talk about the flavors specific to Texas – and about her latest book, “Queso!: Regional Recipes for the World’s Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip” (Ten Speed Press).

In the last decade, thousands of entrepreneurs have turned profits while also creating businesses that serve the greater good. Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus joins us talk about how we can improve capitalism – and the world in the process – which he writes about in “A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions” (PublicAffairs).

With “The Da Vinci Code,” Dan Brown entered the rarified air of J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and John Grisham – authors whose newest books are guaranteed bestsellers. He joins us to talk about his latest, “Origin,” the fifth in his Robert Langdon series. He speaks tonight as part of Arts and Letter Live! at McFarlin Auditorium.

At 24, David Litt became one of the youngest White House speechwriters in history when he joined the Obama administration. He joins us to talk about the delicate process of writing jokes for the president – and about how Obama used humor to communicate with the American people. Litt writes about his experiences in “Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years” (Ecco).

As commander of the International Space Station, Terry Virts spent more than 200 days floating above and below Earth. And during that time, he took more than 300,000 photos. He joins us to talk about looking at the world from this unique vantage – and about everyday life in orbit. His new book is called “View From Above: An Astronaut Photographs the World” (National Geographic).