Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

Study the science of how we think, feel, and act, with insights that help you better understand yourself and others.

A model of a human brain and a heart are shown side by side, connected by circular arrows indicating a relationship or interaction between them.
6mins
You've heard of the mind-body connection. But have you ever actually tried to understand your own? Three scientists break down the feedback loop running your brain and body — and what becomes possible when you learn to use it.
Unlikely Collaborators
A digital illustration of a human head in profile showing a highlighted section of the brain with a bright light beam focused on a specific point inside the brain.
6mins
The voice in your head feels like your own, but it’s actually constructed by neurological processes. Three experts explain how this system shapes both perception and identity.
Unlikely Collaborators
A blue-walled hallway with white trim features several doorways in a row, with large fluffy clouds filling the rooms beyond.
4mins
Have you ever woken up after a dream and thought to yourself, “That made absolutely no sense”? According to modern neuroscience, there’s a reason why dreams feel so abstract and bizarre. Two sleep experts discuss.
Unlikely Collaborators
An older man with a beard sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop, with yellow neuron-like patterns on a black background surrounding the scene.
1hr 7mins
Members
Neuroscientist David Linden sheds light on the biology behind phenomena that medicine has long struggled to explain, from voodoo death and broken heart syndrome to the placebo effect, and why grief shows up in autopsy results
A cross made from various denominations of old U.S. paper currency is fastened together with brass tacks, set against a brown background.
4mins
Americans believe they can outthink suffering. Historian Kate Bowler explains how our obsession with self-help, optimization, and positivity became a kind of secular religion.
Bald man in a blue shirt gestures with both hands in front of him, palms facing each other, against a plain white background.
7mins
Jim Al-Khalili explains how the past and future are more fluid than we may think.
Bald man in a dark button-up shirt gestures with his right hand while looking at the camera, against a plain white background.
13mins
Jim Al-Khalili introduces the technologies emerging from the second quantum revolution.
A woman with long blonde hair sits on a chair against a plain white background, wearing a tan jacket and gesturing with both hands while speaking.
18mins
Abigail Marsh unpacks what defines psychopathy, how it differs from antisocial behavior, and why terms like “sociopath” only add confusion.
Bald man wearing glasses and a peach shirt sits on a chair against a white background, gesturing with his left hand while talking.
19mins
"I call it a tyranny of attention because there's so many demands on our attention coming from so many different directions that we are simply overwhelmed and we don't have the mental bandwidth to cope with it."
A woman with flowers in her hair holds a white mask near her face and smiles, wearing a ruffled pink collar.
3mins
Toxic positivity isn’t optimism. It’s denial. Historian Kate Bowler explains why our obsession with “good vibes only” is making it harder to cope.
A bald man wearing a black sweater sits against a plain light background, gesturing with his right hand while looking at the camera.
58mins
Alain de Botton argues that our romantic lives are shaped more by the emotional patterns we learned in childhood than by destiny.
A young child with curly hair and a blue shirt stands in front of a cloudy sky with two floating soap bubbles and a pink fabric draped behind them.
6mins
Happiness collapses the moment hardship arrives. Joy doesn’t. Historian Kate Bowler explains why joy can coexist with pain — and why that makes it a stronger, more fulfilling emotion.
A woman sits on a chair against a white backdrop, gesturing with her hands, with a dynamic black background and white abstract swirl surrounding her.
53mins
Members
“Our conscious awareness is everything. And the fact that it's still so mysterious to scientists and to all of humanity, the fact that it's still one of the great unsolved mysteries makes it something that everyone can be excited about and that inspires awe in everyone.”
A woman in a blue outfit and red heels sits on a chair in a studio with a white backdrop, flanked by stylized images of a person's face looking at a phone.
1hr 23mins
Why social media is the perfect recipe for kids to become addicted to their smartphones.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a tan blazer over a dark shirt sits in front of a plain white background, looking at the camera.
7mins
Members
We tend to trust our intuitions about consciousness because they feel immediate and personal, but feeling convinced is not the same as being right. Annaka Harris explores what happens when […]
A man sitting in a chair.
25mins
"I continue to believe that in the long run, boys, young men will believe their eyes more than their ears."
Illustration of a human head made of cracked material with bandages, set against a cloudy sky background.
25mins
"The big question then is why are most people resilient and why are some people not resilient?"
An older man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a modern, brightly lit room with colorful pillows and minimalist decor.
16mins
"Being connected to another person makes us feel safer and keeps our bodies at a kind of physiologic equilibrium that promotes health."
A silhouette of a person in profile thinking, juxtaposed with a close-up illustration of a synapse releasing neurotransmitters in blue light.
2mins
Our brains weren’t built for the amount of info we deal with now. That’s why scientists have made the case for a “second brain” — a place to dump ideas so you can actually see how they connect later.
Unlikely Collaborators
Close-up of a whale's eye underwater, showing textured skin and small white spots.
12mins
Ninety million years after our lineages split, humans are beginning to listen to whales in a new way. Marine biologist David Gruber shares the work that has become his life’s pursuit: learning how to hear the planet’s largest mammals.