How important is it to have friends?  Loneliness has reached epidemic levels in many countries, with research suggesting that it’s harder than ever for us to make and keep friends. And according to Marisa Franco, the issue isn’t trivial. “ Loneliness is as toxic for our bodies as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” she says.

This is our unabridged interview with Shankar Vedantam.  We all like to believe that we live our lives rationally, deliberately, consciously. But what if our conscious decision making is just the tip of the iceberg?  “ I feel like I have a full picture of what's happening inside my own mind,” says Shankar Vedantam. But

We all like to believe that we live our lives rationally, deliberately, consciously. But what if our conscious decision making is just the tip of the iceberg?  “ I feel like I have a full picture of what's happening inside my own mind,” says Shankar Vedantam. But it turns out “there is a large portion of our mind that'

This is our unabridged interview with Meghan Sullivan. What does it mean to live a good life, and how do we start?  On our show, we make it a habit of repeating our tagline: “Exploring what it means to live a good life.” But in this episode, we address the issue head-on, with the help of Notre Dame Professor of Philoso

What does it mean to live a good life, and how do we start?  On our show, we make it a habit of repeating our tagline: “Exploring what it means to live a good life.” But in this episode, we address the issue head-on, with the help of Notre Dame Professor of Philosophy Meghan Sullivan.  We discuss her book “The Good Lif

This is our unabridged interview with Malcolm Gladwell and Tracy K. Smith  To prepare for family dinners and political conversations this holiday season, two guests offer us new ways of being humble and curious.  First, well-known thinker and author Malcolm Gladwell reveals why we must learn humility if we are to under