Curiosity Weekly

What Makes Your Brain Happy — and Why You Should Do the Opposite

Listen Later

What your brain wants and what your brain needs aren't always the same. In fact, the shortcuts our brains take can lead to biases and distortions that make us our own worst enemy. Science writer David DiSalvo, author of "What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite," discusses our brain's shortcomings and how we can identify and conquer them. 

More reading from Curiosity:

  • Confirmation Bias Makes You Ignore What You Don't Agree With
  • The Backfire Effect Says When You Hear Contradictory Evidence, Your Beliefs Get Stronger
  • The Framing Effect Shows How Simple Word Swaps Can Secretly Trick Your Brain
  • Bad News Isn't Everywhere—That's Just Your Negativity Bias At Work
  • Survivorship Bias Makes You Focus On Successes When You Should Remember Why Others Failed
  • Motivated Reasoning Is Why You Can't Win An Argument Using Facts
  • Trash Talk Makes You Work Harder — but There's a Cost

    • Additional resources from David DiSalvo:

    • "What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite"
    • "Brain Changer: How Harnessing Your Brain's Power to Adapt Can Change Your Life"
    • "The Brain in Your Kitchen: A Collection of Essays on How What We Buy, Eat, and Experience Affects Our Brains"
    • David DiSalvo's website
    • David DiSalvo on Twitter @Neuronarrative
      • ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      Curiosity WeeklyBy Discovery
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6

      4.6

      915 ratings

      More shows like Curiosity Weekly

      View all
      TED Radio Hour by NPR

      TED Radio Hour

      21,987 Listeners

      Radiolab by WNYC Studios

      Radiolab

      44,035 Listeners

      Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

      Freakonomics Radio

      32,307 Listeners

      Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

      Hidden Brain

      43,606 Listeners

      BrainStuff by iHeartPodcasts

      BrainStuff

      1,649 Listeners

      Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

      Big Picture Science

      946 Listeners

      Science Vs by Spotify Studios

      Science Vs

      12,153 Listeners

      Discovery by BBC World Service

      Discovery

      977 Listeners

      Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

      Science Friday

      6,472 Listeners

      Something You Should Know by Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media

      Something You Should Know

      4,222 Listeners

      Life Kit by NPR

      Life Kit

      4,863 Listeners

      Short Wave by NPR

      Short Wave

      6,575 Listeners

      People I (Mostly) Admire by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

      People I (Mostly) Admire

      2,063 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,318 Listeners

      The Economics of Everyday Things by Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett

      The Economics of Everyday Things

      1,662 Listeners