Can Mindfulness Help You Quit Smoking?
Psychiatrist Judson Brewer describes how patients who practice simple mindfulness techniques can kick unhealthy habits.
Brain Candy
Should We Stop Telling Kids They're Smart?
Carol Dweck finds that the words adults use to describe kids' progress affects the children's belief in their own potential.
How Can A Nudge Save A Life?
We have the treatments to end health problems like infant diarrhea. Sendhil Mullainathan says the "last mile" nudge is to encourage people to use them.
Can Coding Help Girls Take Risks?
Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani offers a creative solution to gently push young women into making bold decisions. Her program aims to close the gender gap in computer science.
How Are Health Workers Putting An End To Guinea Worms?
Professor Richard Thaler returns to the show to talk about how a nudge has essentially eradicated guinea worm disease in Africa.
The Science Of Why Onions Make Us Cry
Sure, their beautiful, multilayered complexity has moved poets to weep. But the real answer is more practical: A bulb's gotta keep the baddies away. We get the lowdown from a chemist.
Celery: Why?
Considering humans' millennia-long struggle with famine, it's surprising anyone spent time or resources cultivating low-calorie celery. But the vegetable's original use had nothing to do with food.
What Can Great Writers Teach Us About Growing Up and Getting Old?
We all stumble across similar ideas as we age, and some of these revelations have passed into the books we love. Journalist Joshua Prager explores the stages of life through quotes from great writers.
What Wisdom Can Adults Learn From Kids?
When Adora Svitak was 12, she gave a TED Talk on what grownups can learn from children. Now at age 18, and a sophomore at UC Berkeley, Svitak reflects on the message she shared.
What Wisdom Can We Gain From Nature?
South African writer and conservationist Boyd Varty has spent his entire life among wild animals. He describes how he discovers "new old ways" by observing the natural world.