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"When we cannot engage doubt, there are all kinds of phases in the decision-making process...that we can inadvertently shortchange or rush through. And when we're able to engage doubt, when we see it as a signal for learning, we don't rush through those stages.” We generally

“Doubt is like the burn we feel when we're working out at the gym on rep eight or nine. If we were to give up in that moment, we'd be foregoing actually getting stronger. I think about doubt as that burn. It's a signal that I'm about to become much more capable.” This week, we

The Hidden Brain tour continues! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at

This week on My Unsung Hero: In 2007, Larry Maxfield helped his brother Marty move to Utah. Marty had terminal cancer, and he and his wife wanted to be near family in the final days of his life. When they arrived, neighbors and church members — strangers — had transformed Marty’s

From a young age, we’re taught to be patient, sit still, and wait quietly. Hold off on eating one marshmallow in order to enjoy two. Later in life, when we’re free to have as many marshmallows as we want, patience often falls by the wayside. This week, we continue our You 2.0

“When we practice patience in these daily hassles, not only does it improve that moment, but I also like to think of it as good practice for bigger life hardships.” In a world that rewards failing fast and recovering overnight from illness, injury, and setbacks, patience can

The Hidden Brain tour continues! Join Shankar at one of our upcoming shows in Philadelphia or New York – more info and tickets at https://t.co/UevJCsZUFh

This week on My Unsung Hero: After her husband died, Connie Sherburne received unexpected advice from an insurance agent: when people offer help, "let them." https://t.co/ay3QvjBy7T

“Everyone essentially in at least one respect is stuck. But they also say that it feels very lonely, and they imagine that they're the only ones in that position.” This week, we revisit a conversation with Adam Alter about the science of getting unstuck. Plus, psychologist

This week on My Unsung Hero: At age 6, Tom Sinclair wandered away from his family’s campsite and spent a cold night alone on the Lake Superior shoreline. A stranger walked through the dark to find him.

We tend to think of courage as a personality trait – either you have it, or you don’t. But what if courage is more like a muscle that you can strengthen? This week, we talk to behavioral scientist @RanjayGulati about how to live a more courageous life. https://t.co/0aMPXca9uB

“Courage is a choice. And it's a choice you make in the face of fear.” Why do some people act bravely in a crisis, while others flee or freeze up? Today, we bring you the second part of our You 2.0 series on the mental obstacles that can block us when we’re charting a new path.

A single event can change the course of our lives. This is great when that event is a happy one, like landing a dream job or meeting the love of your life. But what can we do when a single event sets off a domino effect of disasters? Psychologist Greg Walton explains how our

“You go from a question to a belief to an almost axiom.” Ever have a tiny voice in your head that asks, “do I belong here?” And when you try to quiet that voice, does it just get louder? This week, we talk to psychologist Greg Walton about the psychology of spiraling. And how

“Awe is encountering vast mysteries that we don't understand.” —psychologist Dacher Keltner This week, we revisit an episode on a simple source of joy — one that’s all around us.

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“I think one of the deepest mysteries...right now in the social sciences is, why does music speak to us and why does it speak to our soul?” What happens in the mind when we feel moved by a really good song, a beautiful view, or even a simple but lovely walk? This week, we

“Awe quiets this egoistic self-focused sense of personal identity and opens you up to the big things that you're connected to.” Many of us rush through our lives, chasing goals and just trying to get everything done. But that can blind us to a very simple source of joy. This