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28 March 2024

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The Mind Report

Cognitive scientists from Yale University converse with a wide array of thinkers, exploring the latest findings on how we think, feel and behave.

Dec 2, 2012 — Tamar Szabo Gendler & Andrew Solomon
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On The Mind Report, Tamar speaks to Andrew Solomon, author of the new book, Far from the Tree. Andrew explains how his eyes were opened to the rich linguistic culture of the deaf community. Tamar asks him if he thinks schizophrenia or anorexia should be valorized as identities. Next, Andrew tells the moving story of Clinton Brown, a dwarf who exceeded all expectations, and two stories about parents of transgender children in radically different communities. Finally, Andrew has some closing words on identity, illness, and parenting.
Nov 24, 2012 — Paul Bloom & David Pizarro
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On The Mind Report, Paul talks to David about his recent TED talk about the politics of disgust. Paul asks David for a theory of why we connect repugnance and wrongness, and they argue about whether we pass moral judgment on a baby with a dirty diaper. Both Paul and David agree that disgust is not a good guide to morality. They next consider the dismissal of reason as a trend in academic psychology. Paul and David close by explaining how the lessons of social psychology can help with everyday life.
Nov 17, 2012 — Laurie Santos & Dan Ariely
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On The Mind Report, Laurie interviews Dan Ariely about his recent book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty. They explore the psychology of cheating and lying in competitive cycling, at Harvard, and in business. Dan explains how non-human animals are more rational than we are, and Laurie asks whether the media has contributed to people cheating more lately. Dan reveals how his research on dishonesty has affected his personal life. In closing, Dan offers some tactics to fight the eroding trust that threatens society.
Nov 10, 2012 — Joshua Knobe & David G. Rand
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On the premiere of The Mind Report, Joshua talks to Dave about his research on whether people are innately selfish or cooperative. It seems intuitive that thoughtful people would be kinder—but is this so? What’s the psychology behind being nice or mean to a stranger? Joshua and Dave analyze whether cooperation is part of human nature or mediated by culture. Could Americans teach cynical Romanians to be more cooperative? Finally, they consider the true source of our values.

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