The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane: Recent Episodes
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Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on her life as a transgender women and the ongoing fight for acceptance and rights.
Psychology professor Tessa West on why job satisfaction doesn’t mean you have to love for your work. Her new book is “Job Therapy: Finding Work that Works for You.”
It’s not easy to say no or to speak up if you disagree with someone or object to something that someone has said or done because it’s wrong. It often feels easier to just comply, to go along to get along, to defer especially when dealing with people in power. Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah says we pay a big emotional price when we do things against our better judgement.
Dr. Sah was a self described “good girl” growing up and has spent her professional life studying defiance, ethics, advice and authority. In her new book, Defy, she writes that defiance is not always about rudeness or disobedience, rather “it’s about acting in accordance with your values when faced with the pressure to do otherwise.” Of course that means knowing what your values are.
On The Connection this week: when defiance is better than compliance…how to speak up when it matters.
Marketing companies can be pretty sneaky when trying to get new customers. Instead of straightforward sales pitches, they’ve turned to manipulative tactics used by cults.
Do you dread wintertime? Learn how to love it. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz explains how to cultivate a winter mindset to cope with cold days and the dark times in life.
Do you feel blah? Does your life feel drab and unexciting? Do you have a vague sense of emptiness? You could be languishing…and you’re not alone.
Jamie Wyeth comes from a family of artists. Besides his famous father, Andrew Wyeth, there is his grandfather, illustrator N.C. Wyeth. Jamie, like his family, has strong ties to the Brandywine River Valley and to rural Maine. And while he inherited his family’s gifts, he has carved out his own artistic vision. It hasn’t always been easy.
In this edition of The Connection, a conversation with Jamie Wyeth about his journey to find his place in the world, the ghosts that haunt him and why he thinks painting is an odd thing to do. Also joining us is filmmaker Glenn Holsten, whose new documentary is “Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye.” His previous film about Andrew Wyeth was featured on PBS’ American Masters.
A Pew Research Center poll in 2023 found that 65% of Americans were exhausted and 55% were angry about the state of our political system. And that was before the 2024 election!
Even though the election results are official, the political polarization and partisan antipathy have not cooled down. The divide between people with different political opinions is as wide as ever. They increasingly view each other with mistrust and ridicule, which can lead to never ending conflicts and estrangement. Is this any way to run a democracy?
This week on The Connection, learning to disagree better and connect across our differences. Our guests are clinical psychologist William Doherty and political scientist Lia Howard. Bill is one of the founders of Braver Angels, an organization that works to bridge the partisan divide. Lia heads up the Political Empathy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.
How often have you heard the phrase, “Oh they’re such a narcissist!”?
It’s word that’s become part of our common lingo, describing someone who feels entitled, needs constant praise and attention, is grandiose, manipulative and extremely sensitive to criticism. Chances are, you know someone who fits this description.
This week on The Connection, we explore the dangers of having a relationship with a narcissist. They are skilled at manipulating others by seducing them with affection — then undermining their wellbeing and sense of self.
Our guest is clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula, an expert in understanding the abusive patterns of narcissistic relationships, how they begin with “love-bombing” and end up in “gaslighting.” Her latest book is It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People.
We are living in a time of sexual upheaval as evidenced by the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, attempts to ban books with LGBTQ themes, the fight over trans rights, the election of the first transgender member of Congress, the easy access to pornography and rising popularity of polyamory.
Historian Rebecca L. Davis says we have been here before, because the tension between erotic liberation and prudery has been with us for 400 years. She says there has never been a golden age of sexual stability in America.
Her new book, Fierce Desires, traces the evolution of sexuality from a reflection of one’s social and religious status to one of individual identity. She joins us to discuss what history can tell us about today’s political conflicts over gender and sex.
Generally speaking, when we use the word intelligent, we are referring to IQ or cognitive strengths. That’s the ability to process and understand information and use it to generate new knowledge.
But what about EQ or emotional intelligence? That’s the ability to manage and express one’s feelings and recognize those feelings in others. It turns out there are different kinds of intelligence.
This week, we talk about what it takes to recognize, understand, express and regulate your emotional life. We’ll look at how it connects you with yourself and others and how we can use it to make a better world. Our guest says that being an “emotional scientist” is a good place to start.
Psychologist Marc Brackett is the founder and director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University. He’s the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Our Selves and Our Society.
What makes you angry? Being disrespected, ignored or interrupted? Feeling powerless, threatened or betrayed? Being cut off in traffic or put on hold? People talking in movie theaters? People constantly on their phones? Noisy leaf blowers? Long lines?
We’ve all gotten mad about something, whether it’s important or trivial. That’s just part of life. But how we experience and express our anger is where things get complicated. Some lash out at others while some turn their anger in on themselves.
What is our anger telling us, when is it justified, how does it lead to aggression and how can we channel it for the good of our relationships? Our guests are psychologist and anger researcher Ryan Martin and clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior.
How’s this for self-help advice? You’re never going to be sure about the future. You’ll always have too much to do and not enough time. You’re never going to sort out your life. You’re not perfect!
That’s taken from Oliver Burkeman’s new book, Mediations for Mortals. It’s about how embracing your limitations, not overcoming them, can lead to a more meaningful existence. Burkeman wrote a popular psychology column for The Guardian and discovered that self-help rarely works. His advice is to learn to celebrate our imperfections and the unpredictable messiness of life. He draws on philosophy, psychology, literature, religion and his own life, to push back against the popular message of relentless self-improvement, productivity and control.
Leonardo da Vinci was more than a great artist, famous for The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. He was a draughtsman, an engineer, a scientist, a sculptor and an architect.
He had a voracious curiosity and believed that real understanding was best found in nature, not in a musty library. He didn’t complete half the paintings he started and left behind thousands of pages of drawings.
A new two-part Ken Burns documentary about Leonardo da Vinci airs November 18th and 19th on WHYY. It explores the lively mind of da Vinci, finding connections between art and science, imagination and elements in the natural world.
Filmmakers Sarah Burns and David McMahon, who lived in Florence where Leonardo lived, join us today to tell us how they brought this 15th century genius to life. Also with us is Jack Hinton, curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
There’s a lot of talk about fascism as we count down the final days of a contentious and consequential presidential election. Members of former President Trump’s administration have told journalists that Trump has fascist beliefs, admires dictators and has contempt for the U.S. Constitution. Trump has promised he will prosecute his enemies and order mass deportations, if elected.
Our guest Timothy Snyder specializes in the history of authoritarian governments and the Holocaust. His 2017 book, On Tyranny, offered lessons for protecting democracy against the threats of 20th century totalitarianism. His new book, On Freedom, asks Americans to expand our understanding of liberty by embracing a more inclusive freedom that connects us rather than divides us — that builds bridges not barriers.
On this week’s edition of The Connection: tyranny, fascism, freedom and democracy.
‘Tis the season for ghouls, goblins, witches and ghosts. Halloween can be traced back to the Celts who marked the start of the cold, dark winter with bonfires, costumes and ritual celebrations to ward off the dead.
Coming up, why do we like to be frightened? Why do so many of us enjoy horror movies and roller coasters, devour crime stories and read fairy tales to our kids and grandkids. Our guest is behavioral scientist, Coltan Scrivner, who studies morbid curiosity, organizes zombie crawls and runs scary film festivals. He says scaring ourselves can have evolutionary and psychological benefits. It can even make us more empathetic.
Psychologist Joshua Coleman was estranged from his young adult daughter after his divorce, remarriage and the start of a new family.
She said he had let her down and she didn’t feel like a priority in his life. She cut off contact, which Coleman said was the most painful experience of his life. They did reconcile after a few years and now Coleman treats families who are estranged.
Families are complicated. They can be the source of boundless love and support, and the cause of emotional pain and suffering. This week on The Connection, what drives parents and children apart, what it takes to make amends and rebuild the relationship, and how to grieve and move on when reconciliation becomes impossible.
Coleman’s book is Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict. Also with us is psychologist Lucy Blake, author of No Family is Perfect: A Guide to Embracing the Messy Reality.
Millions of people share their lives with dogs, opening their homes and hearts to their canine companions. It’s a partnership that goes back thousands of years. We love and care for them, feed and groom them and they give us joy, loyalty and what feels like unconditional love. Today we examine the dog-human connection from both perspectives and look at what makes it so unique and fulfilling.
Our guests are Alexandra Horowitz who studies dog cognition at Barnard College and is the author many dog books including, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know, and Our Dogs, Ourselves, and Clive Wynne, who heads the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University and is the author of Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You. (originally aired April 5th, 2024)
Psychologist Jamil Zaki explains how to avoid cynicism and why most people are better than we think.
Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the NIH and the Human Genome Project, on finding common ground and the role of science and faith in his life.
Belonging is a powerful need for us human beings whether we’re a sports fan, a member of a book group, part of a neighborhood clean up crew or a member of a political party.
Men hold most of the leadership roles in American politics with majorities in governorships and the U.S. Senate. College presidents are mostly male, and men dominate the business world. And they still beat out women when it comes to the gender pay gap. But there is a jarring disconnect when looking at boys and men in America. They commit most of the homicides, are most likely to be victims of violent crime, are more likely to die by suicide compared to women and have shorter life spans.
Our guest, developmental psychologist Niobe Way, has spent decades listening to boys and young men and says they are experiencing a crisis of connection, driven in part by our narrow view of masculinity. Her new book is Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture. She joins us to talk how “boy” culture, which values thinking over feeling and independence over dependence, hurts boys and the rest of us.
Stress, exhaustion and negativity can lead to workplace burnout. Kandi Wiens explains how to become more resilient and reset your relationship with work.
Human beings are built for sleep. It’s a normal, natural process and yet many of us have a troubled relationship with it. How can we make peace with sleep? And what are the best ways to get a good night’s rest?
We’ll dive into the fascinating physiology of sleep and explore what our brains and bodies are doing during these “off” hours. We’ll also discuss how sleep affects our memories and mood, how our daily activities affect our sleep cycles and what we can do to get restorative shut eye. Our guests are Duke University sleep medicine specialist Jade Wu, author of Hello Sleep, and Penn Medicine sleep specialist Indira Gurubhagavatula.
What are you? That’s a question that people who are biracial get asked all the time, either directly or indirectly. Are you Black? Are you White? Are you Latino?
If you are mixed race in the U.S., you are part of the fastest growing segment of the population. The presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, has put a spotlight on the issue of identity and race, just as Barack Obama did in 2008 when he ran for president.
On this week’s edition of The Connection, what do you call yourself if you are mixed race? We’ll talk about the challenges and advantages of having multiple racial identities, especially with our country’s troubled past. We are joined by three guests. Psychologist Sarah Gaither heads Duke University’s Identity and Diversity Lab. Journalists Daralyse Lyons and Malcolm Burnley are cohosts of the podcast, On Being Biracial.
Did you have a favorite stuffed animal or blanket when you were a kid? Do you still have it today? Childhood possessions are filled with memories and meaning so we hold on to them for many years.
In this hour we explore the uniquely human behavior of owning things and why we become attached to our belongings. We’ll look at how they connect us with a person or experience and become part of our identity. And we’ll talk about the downsides of having too many possessions – there are more than 50,000 self-storage facilities in the country filled with our overflow. Our guest is psychologist Bruce Hood author of Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need.
Dr. Arik Kershenbaum decodes howls, whistles, squeals, grunts and other sounds of the wild.
Generally speaking, when we use the word intelligent we are referring to IQ or cognitive strengths. That’s the ability to process and understand information and use it to generate new knowledge.
But what about EQ or emotional intelligence? That’s the ability to manage and express one’s feelings and recognize feelings in others. It turns out there are different kinds of intelligence.
On The Connection this week we talk about what it takes to recognize, understand, express and regulate your emotional life. We’ll look at how it connects you with yourself and others and how we can use it to make a better world.
Our guest Marc Brackett says that being an “emotional scientist” is a good place to start. Brackett is a psychologist and the founding director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence at Yale University. He’s the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Our Selves and Our Society.
Do you have a recurring dream — a story that comes back again and again when you drift off to sleep. Maybe it’s a classic anxiety dream about taking a final exam you never studied for or standing in front of crowd completely naked.
On this edition of The Connection: why do we dream? What is our brain doing while we sleep? Why is the content of our dreams so bizarre? How can we better remember our dreams? How can our dreams help us address problems that we struggle with when we’re awake?
We’re joined by Harvard University psychologist and dream researcher Deirdre Barrett is the author of Pandemic Dreams and The Committee of Sleep. She’s also the President of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
In 1900, the average person could expect to live until their 47th birthday. By 2000, life expectancy was 77 years, an extraordinary gain of 30 years over the course of a century! Using those same metrics, many children today will live to be 100.
So now that more people are living longer, is it time to rethink the aging process? What do we do with those extra years, how do we rebalance work, education and family life and create quality out of quantity?
There are challenges that come with getting older, most notably loss and there are opportunities for growth. There are also baked-in prejudices about old people and there’s a premium, especially in America, on looking young. We’ll talk about all that with our guests psychologist Laura Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity and physician Lisa Walke, Chief of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Journalist and filmmaker Sebastian Junger almost died. His new book explores coming to terms with his own mortality and what might come after death.
When Pixar’s Inside Out opened in movie theaters almost a decade ago, viewers were introduced to 11-year-old Riley and the emotions that defined her young life…joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust, each drawn as a different character.
In Inside Out 2, Riley is 13 and she’s dealing with the raging emotions that come with PUBERTY!….embarrassment, envy, ennui and most notably anxiety…a big-mouthed, bug-eyed, character with wild, carrot top hair.
This week on The Connection…understanding the important role that all emotions, including anxiety, play throughout our lives. Our guests were consultants on the film. Psychologist Dacher Keltner is co-director of the Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley. His most recent book is titled Awe. Psychologist Lisa Damour specializes in treating adolescents. Her most recent book is The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, disappoint people we care about and fall short from time to time. We know that’s true and yet, it is tough to be criticized. It can make us feel like a failure…ashamed, exposed, vulnerable. This episode — giving and taking criticism at home and at work. We’ll talk about the difference between constructive and destructive criticism, the role of trust and empathy when delivering and receiving negative feedback, why the “feedback sandwich” doesn’t work, and how to handle the loudest critic of all: the one in our head. Psychologist Andrea Bonior, author of Detox Your Thoughts: Quit Negative Self-Talk for Good and Discover the Life You’ve Always Wanted and Christine Porath, a professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Most of us try to be honest but sometimes we don’t tell the truth.
Psychologists Christian Hart and Drew Curtis have made researching lying their life’s work. They found that the average person tells about one lie a day, while chronic liars fib ten times a day. Their latest book is titled Big Liars.
On this episode, we delve into the psychology of deceit, what we are learning about people who lie as a way of life and how to be on the look out for signs of lying.
Hart and Curtis found that the most successful politicians are the ones who bend the truth. The more honest ones generally don’t get re-elected. And since we are headed into what promises to be a political season filled with mis and disinformation, it’s going to be vital knowing how to tell the difference between what’s false and what’s true.
Ecologist Douglas Tallamy talks about an approach to conservation that starts with letting your yard grow wild with native plants to save wildlife in ‘Nature’s Best Hope.’
Whether or not you are a poet or poetry reader, this hour will open your eyes to the power of poetry.
We’ll explore why we need poetry and how it can connect us, heal us and help us pay attention to people and experiences outside of ourselves.
We’re joined by three poets. Patrick Rosal is a professor of english at Rutgers-Camden and his latest book is The Last Thing. M. Nzadi Keita recently retired from teaching english at Ursinus College and her new book is Migration Letters. Trapeta Mayson is former Philadelphia Poet Laureate, founder of Healing Verse Philly and a licensed clinical social worker.
Psychiatrist Frank Anderson has been a leading expert in the treatment of trauma. Even though he was a much-in-demand speaker and wrote books about the subject, he never dealt with his own traumatic childhood and the abuse he experienced at the hands of his father…until now.
When Anderson became a father, he saw himself acting and reacting like his dad in his relationship with his sons and went into therapy. His new memoir, To Be Loved, is about how facing the truth of his trauma has made him a more authentic and better person. Trauma is common, resulting in shock, numbness, and a feeling of disconnection from the self and others.
Untreated trauma can have lifelong mental health consequences leading to depression and anxiety. Frank Anderson joins us to discuss what trauma can teach us and how it can be healed.
Filmmaker, hip-hop artist and professor MK Asante’s 2013 memoir Buck described growing up in Philadelphia in the 90s “unsupervised, with my brother gone, my dad gone, my mom gone and me just on the block in the neighborhood, roaming the streets of Philly — just lost.” The book explored his transformation from petty drug dealer to poet.
Now over a decade later, Asante has a new memoir, Nephew: A Memoir in 4-Part Harmony and join us this week to talk about it. It begins with Asante sitting vigil by his nephew Nasir’s bedside at Temple University hospital, where he is close to death after being shot nine times. The book is written to Nasir about their family’s complicated legacy of secrets, loss, faith, and redemption. It’s also about the power of music and language to connect us and heal old wounds.
There’s been a lot of fighting over how to teach the history of America – and it’s turned classroom curriculums into political battlefields. Perhaps it’s not surprising that we get emotional confronting our past, with so many painful chapters.
How do we get people to face the ugly truths of the American story? Can we feel sorrow, shame and anger while still taking pride in the things that make this country great? We’ll talk with a social psychologist and a history professor about why we need to teach “hard history” and how to develop the mental toolkit to reckon honestly with our past.
Our guests are Dolly Chugh, psychologist and professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University and author of A More Just Future and Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University and the editor of Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement.
Why are so many people so angry, outraged and resentful these days? While there’s a lot to be ticked off about, it’s not healthy to feel aggrieved all the time. It affects our sense of wellbeing, our relationships with other people — and it’s not good for our democracy.
New York Times columnist Frank Bruni has been exploring our culture of complaint and joins us this week to discuss his new book, The Age of Grievance. He writes that “the blame game has become the country’s most popular sport and victimhood its most fashionable garb.”
While he is critical of the left, especially college campuses that focus on trigger warnings, political correctness and microaggressions, he says nothing compares to the dangerous grievances that fueled the January 6th insurrection. This episode, a conversation about why humility is an antidote to grievance.
Jamie Wyeth comes from a family of artists. Besides his famous father, Andrew Wyeth, there is his grandfather, illustrator N.C. Wyeth. Jamie, like his family, has strong ties to the Brandywine River Valley and to rural Maine. And while he inherited his family’s gifts, he has carved out his own artistic vision. It hasn’t always been easy.
In this edition of The Connection, a conversation with Jamie Wyeth about his journey to find his place in the world, the ghosts that haunt him and why he thinks painting is an odd thing to do. Also joining us is filmmaker Glenn Holsten, whose new documentary is “Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye.” His previous film about Andrew Wyeth was featured on PBS’ American Masters.
Did you have a favorite stuffed animal or blanket when you were a kid? Do you still have it today? Childhood possessions are filled with memories and meaning so we hold on to them for many years.
In this hour we explore the uniquely human behavior of owning things and why we become attached to our belongings. We’ll look at how they connect us with a person or experience and become part of our identity. And we’ll talk about the downsides of having too many possessions – there are more than 50,000 self-storage facilities in the country filled with our overflow. Our guest is psychologist Bruce Hood author of Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need.
Americans are losing faith with their religious institutions and traditions. That’s a major finding in the latest report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). A quarter of Americans now call themselves religiously unaffiliated citing the clergy sex abuse scandals and teachings against the LGBTQ community as the reasons they no longer believe.
On the other hand, most Americans identify as Christian even as the country becomes more religious diverse and fewer Americans attend religious services.
In this hour of The Connection, we look at “religious churning” in the country and the role religion, especially Christian Nationalism, is playing in our politics this election season. Our guest is Robert P. Jones, founder and president of PRRI and author of several books including, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy.
That gut feeling is telling you something…directing you toward a decision but you can’t pinpoint precisely why. That’s our intuition talking and there’s more truth to it then we previously understand. Psychologist and neuroscientist Joel Pearson has been studying intuition and putting it to the test in his lab. He joins us to explain where gut instincts come from, when we should trust them and how we can use them to make better choices. Pearson is the author of the brand new book, The Intuition Toolkit.
Millions of people share their lives with dogs, opening their homes and hearts to their canine companions. It’s a partnership that goes back thousands of years. We love and care for them, feed and groom them and they give us joy, loyalty and what feels like unconditional love. Today we examine the dog-human connection from both perspectives and look at what makes it so unique and fulfilling.
Our guests are Alexandra Horowitz who studies dog cognition at Barnard College and is the author many dog books including, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know, and Our Dogs, Ourselves, and Clive Wynne, who heads the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University and is the author of Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You.
Acclaimed primatologist Frans de Waal died last week. His studies of the great apes — chimps and bonobos — changed our understanding of our primate cousins and ourselves. De Waal showed that primates are smart and compassionate, cooperative and competitive. They have complex relationships and cultures, just like our own.
For years, Frans de Waal directed Emory University’s Living Links Center and authored many books popularizing his findings that primates and human are not all that different. Over the years, he was also a frequent guest on Marty’s previous show, Radio Times, and this week we listen back to some favorite conversations.
You don’t have to be a comedian to try improv — or get up on a stage in front of a bunch of people. The principles of improv apply to daily life, too. They can help us become more positive and spontaneous, more open and willing to take risks, and help us connect with others. In this episode, we learn how to improv, about its psychological benefits and how to apply the skills to our life.
Our guests are Jennifer Childs, co-founder and artistic director of 1812 Productions, Dannagal Young, communications professor at the University of Delaware and member of Philadelphia ComedySportz, and Clay Drinko, educator and author of Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm Down, Stop Spiraling and Embrace Uncertainty.
Psychotherapist Esther Perel joins us for a conversation on love and intimacy. Perel is one of the country’s most well-known relationship therapists with an almost rock star status. She’s the bestselling author of Mating in Captivity: In Search of Erotic Intelligence and State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, and has a hit podcast. We’ll talk with Perel ahead of her national tour, about what she’s discovered in her years counseling couple’s about love and desire and how to sustain an intimate relationship in a time of conflict, anxiety and upheaval.
“What if friendship – not marriage – was the center of life?” That’s what Rhaina Cohen asks in a new book, The Other Significant Others. With fewer people getting married or marrying later in life, high divorce rates and a loneliness epidemic, maybe it’s time to rethink the value of our friends. University of Maryland psychologist Marisa Franco has been studying adult friendships for years. She’s found that these relationships can be some of the most sustaining but are often overlooked. In this episode, we’ll talk about our closest non-romantic relationships and how they enrich our lives. And, need advice making new friends? We’ll cover that, too.
Human beings are built for sleep. It’s a normal, natural process and yet many of us have a troubled relationship with it. This Friday on The Connection — how to make sleep your friend. We’ll dive into the fascinating physiology of sleep and explore what our brains and bodies are doing during these “off” hours.
We’ll discuss how sleep affects our memories and mood, how our daily activities affect our sleep cycles and what we can do to get restorative shut eye. And we’ll also dispel some myths…does everyone needs 8 hours a night? Our guests are Duke University sleep medicine specialist Jade Wu, author of Hello Sleep, and Penn Medicine sleep specialist Indira Gurubhagavatula.
A good conversation can immediately connect you with another person, make you feel bonded to them, and bridge divides. But some people are better talkers than others. Journalist and author Charles Duhigg calls them ‘supercommunicators’ and he’s written a new book looking at the power of conversation.
In Supercommunicators, Duhigg pulls on neuroscience and psychology to explain the different types of conversation and how we can all learn to be better talkers and listeners.
As drug overdose deaths continue to rise, we look at addiction and new ideas around treatment and recovery with neuroscience journalist Maia Szalavitz. Szalavitz recovered from an addiction and she shares her insights from her experience and the latest thinking on harm reduction and substance use disorder treatment.
Why do we feel a romantic connection with one person over another? Why do mothers so quickly bond with their newborn babies? Why do we feel so much for our pets? This hour, we explore the science of attachment with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine.
Levine is the author of Attached, which, a decade later is still a wildly popular book. He’ll explain the different attachment styles, what goes on in our brains when we feel that connection, and ways to strengthen our own relationships.
In 2010, then NPR host Michele Norris started “The Race Card Project.” Looking for honest conversations on race and identity, she left postcards wherever she went with the prompt “Race. Your Thoughts. Six Words. Please Send.” She got half a million response over 12 years, including You’re Pretty for a Black girl. White privilege, enjoy it, earned it. Lady, I don’t want your purse. Urban living has made me racist. I’m only Asian when it’s convenient.
In her new book, Our Hidden Conversations, Norris reveals what Americans told her and the conversations on race, racism and identity that followed.
In More: A Memoir of Open Marriage, writer Molly Roden Winter chronicles the ups and downs of non-monogamy as a wife and working mother. We’ll talk with Roden Winter and her husband Stewart Winter about why they opened their marriage, some of the hurdles of polyamory, what they have learned about themselves and their 24-year marriage.
A growing number of Americans are living single – some by choice and others because they simply can’t find the right partner. We’re talking about embracing the single lifestyle and getting rid of the stigma attached to it.
We’ll hear from two proponents who’ve found fulfilling, rich and purposeful lives without being in a traditional relationship. Peter McGraw, professor at the University of Colorado – Boulder, is the author of Solo, and Kris Marsh, professor at the University of Maryland, is the author of The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.
Authoritarianism is on the rise around the globe, the appeal spreading to even American voters. We’ll talk with Georgetown University professor Fathali Mogahddam, who grew up under a dictatorship, about why people are drawn to authoritarian leaders and how to break the spell.
Also in the hour, the concept of authoritative parenting. We’ll talk about different parenting philosophies and how they influence children with Oberlin College professor of psychology Nancy Darling.
Physician Jeremy Nobel says loneliness is “the most human of feelings and a call to creative self-expression and connection.” His organization, The Foundation for Art and Healing, uses the arts to reconnect us with ourselves and other people. We’ll talk to Nobel about the power of creativity and about his new book, Project Unlonely.
We’ll also look at music therapy as medicine. Whether playing an instrument, singing a song or listening to a favorite piece, music therapist Joke Bradt has found music can reduce pain among cancer patients and rebuild connections. She is the director of the Music, Creativity and Wellness Lab at Drexel University.
Ross Gay gave himself an assignment: notice something that gave him delight, write about it quickly and in longhand, every day for a year. His new book, The Book of (More) Delights is about paying attention to the world around him and being attuned to joy and gratitude. It’s a sequel to his bestselling The Book of Delights.
Ross Gay joins us to talk about the connection between joy and sorrow, which he compares to the underground fungal networks of the forest. Gay teaches writing at Indiana University and grew up in Bucks County, a diehard fan of the 76ers. So we’ll also talk about his book length poem, Be Holding, an ode to Dr. J’s gravity-defying layup. [originally aired September 22]
We’re often told to learn from our mistakes. But Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson says not all failures are created equal. Edmondson argues in her new book, The Right Kind of Wrong, that there’s too much emphasis on the fear of failure or “fail fast, fail often” thinking, but what people should focus on is intelligent failures, the missteps that comes from smart, calculated risk-taking. We talk about how failing well can be the best way forward.
Anxiety feels terrible…the heart palpitations, nausea, sweaty palms, problems sleeping and concentrating, the overwhelming sense of danger or impending doom. No wonder we try to ignore it, control it or over-medicate to make it go away. The problem is that approach only makes matters worse.
Harvard University psychologist David Rosmarin says we’re better off befriending anxiety then smothering it. Rosmarin is the founder of the Center for Anxiety and he joins us this Friday to discuss his new book, Thriving with Anxiety. He says we should think of anxiety as a smoke alarm which signals there’s a problem that needs fixing. Rather than banishing anxiety, we can use it to learn to live with uncertainty, connect with others and be more compassionate to ourselves.
We are exploring loss, grief, and death from two different perspectives in this week’s episode. We start with a mother who lost her daughter Adelaide to epilepsy just shy of her 4th birthday. Kelly Cervantes has written a guide to navigating loss, Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When it’s Time to Heal But You’re Not Sure You Want to. Then, a palliative care physician on the lessons she’s learned supporting patients and their families through illness and at the end of life. Dr. Sunita Puri talks about reckoning with the impermanence of life and how to honor it.
Adam Grant says that perfectionists get three things wrong: they obsess about silly and insignificant details, they avoid taking risks that could lead to growth and they don’t learn from their mistakes because they’re too busy beating themselves up. Grant should know. He writes about his perfectionist tendencies in his new book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.
He says rather than striving for flawlessness, real achievement comes from making mistakes, putting yourself in uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations, standing up for your values, asking for advice, connecting with others and tapping into something he calls “harmonious passion.” Adam Grant joins us to talk about being a recovering perfectionist and how to unlock the hidden talents we all have.
Parenting doesn’t stop once children reach adulthood, but it certainly changes. One of the big questions parents wrestle with is — how much should I be involved in my adult child’s life….when they are in college, starting their careers, finding romantic partners, and needing financial support? We talk with Temple University psychology professor Laurence Steinberg, who has written a guide to parenting twenty and thirty-somethings called, You and Your Adult Child.
When Maia Szalavitz was in the throes of her drug addiction she was injecting speed balls, a mixture of heroin and cocaine, as much as 40 times a day. She is one of the lucky ones who survived her addiction, got good quality treatment and is now a journalist who covers addiction and drug policies.
She joins us to talk about how trauma, temperament, despair and mental illness drive our drug epidemic and why the war on drugs has has been a colossal failure by criminalizing users and promoting myths and misconceptions about drug use. Her book, Undoing Drugs, is about the promise of a harm reduction approach to addiction which removes stigma and humanizes the users. It grew out of the activism of the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s.
She writes that drug overdoses kill more Americans every year than guns and that it’s time to completely rethink our approach to policy and treatment.
Why do so many of us like to gossip? Are we just heartless, taking pleasure in other peoples’ misery by spreading malicious secrets or unsubstantiated rumors? Or is it more complicated than that?
This episode, we explore the roots and reasons for gossip. One popular theory argues it’s part of our social evolution, helping our ancestors survive by sharing vital information about others and by creating connections between members of the group.
But, there are downsides to gossip, especially when it’s done to gain status, get revenge or when it’s a lie. Our guests are linguist Deborah Tannen and social psychologist Frank McAndrew.
New York Times columnist David Brooks would be the first person to tell you he is a work in progress. In fact, he details his many shortcomings in his new book, How to Know a Person.
He writes about his detached younger self saying, “I had the emotional capacity of a head of cabbage.” He believes he’s not alone; that many people are cut off from their emotions, feeling estranged from other people and themselves.
David Brooks joins us to tell us what it takes to see someone for who they truly are and allow ourselves to be truly seen by others. Not surprisingly, it involves curiosity, empathy, vulnerability, generosity, and the ability to ask the right questions.
There is a lot of misinformation on the internet but why do so many people believe it? Dannagal Goldthwaite Young examines the supply side of the misinformation problem in her new book, Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation. She explains how our psychology — our need to exert control and to belong — sets the stage for political leaders and media organizations to exploit our differences and divide us, making us more willing to believe things we know are false.
With the Israel-Gaza war in our thoughts, we are talking about trauma and the possibility of healing. Renowned psychiatrist Dr. James Gordon has studied trauma through his work in conflicts around the world, including Israel and Gaza and Ukraine. He’s worked with victims of natural disasters, school shootings, and many others who experienced enormous personal loss. Gordon joins us this episode to discuss how trauma affects the body, the power of the mind to heal, the importance of self-care and possibility of recovery.
PBS NewsHour co-host Amna Nawaz joined Marty last week before a live audience for a conversation about her life, career and being a journalist in contentious times. From her time at the University of Pennsylvania, to working beside Ted Koppel, covering the Afghanistan war and now co-hosting the NewsHour. She also shares thoughts on the role of journalism when facts are being contested and how she juggles work and family life.
We are often told to forgive and forget but philosopher Myisha Cherry says forgiveness isn’t always the answer. She joins us to talk about how we misuse forgiveness, its limitations and a better path for personal and societal healing. Her new book is, Failures of Forgiveness.
Many workplaces have instituted diversity, equity and inclusion training for their employees to help create a welcoming environment for everyone. These DEI programs have come under fire recently from some claiming they enforce liberal orthodoxies, including “wokeness.” They have also been criticized by researchers who question whether they are doing more harm than good or whether we even know whether they are effective or not?
What is the best way to build cohesion in a diverse workforce and address bias on the job? Our guest is Harvard psychologist Robert Livingston who works as a diversity consultant and is the author of The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth about Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations. He says that stories are more powerful than data to foster understanding and build bridges across divides.
Ross Gay gave himself an assignment: notice something that gave him delight, write about it quickly and in longhand, every day for a year. His new book, The Book of (More) Delights is about paying attention to the world around him and being attuned to joy and gratitude. It’s a sequel to his bestselling The Book of Delights.
Ross Gay joins us to talk about the connection between joy and sorrow, which he compares to the underground fungal networks of the forest. Gay teaches writing at Indiana University and grew up in Bucks County, a diehard fan of the 76ers. So we’ll also talk about his book length poem, Be Holding, an ode to Dr. J’s gravity-defying layup.
Showtime’s documentary series, Couples Therapy, flings open the doors to the therapeutic process, allowing us to watch couples as they struggle with their relationships. It’s raw, intimate and revealing.
The program is hosted by psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik, who guides couples through their conflicts with her probing questions, laser focus, patience and well-timed insights. Orna Guralnik joins us tomorrow to talk about what we want from our partners, where most couples get stuck, how they can get unstuck and why coupledom is undergoing a profound transformation.
We humans are the ultimate invasive species, transforming the planet in dramatic and surprising ways. In his work as a Princeton University biologist and host of the PBS series “Human Footprint,” Shane Campbell-Staton explores the biological impact humans have on the Earth and how nature is forced to adapt. He joins us to talk about the ways we are changing the world’s ecosystems, our inextricable connection to the plants and animals around us, and what this tells us about our own species.
Paula Marantz Cohen comes from a family of loud and opinionated talkers. She said her mother was the “maestro of the dinner table” because of her ability to regale her family with colorful stories about her life.
Cohen believes in the importance of meaningful conversation because it gives us joy, surprise and insight, and engages us with others. In her new book Talking Cure, Cohen says that the art of conversation is under threat from partisanship, social media, conformity and censorship.
Honest conversation, Cohen says, is not about scoring points or even winning arguments. It’s about being vulnerable, honest, curious and authentic. It’s good for our mental health and good for civic engagement. Paula Marantz Cohen is an English Professor at Drexel University and joins us to talk about talking.
Researcher Dacher Keltner investigates the elusive emotion of awe, revealing how it transforms our brains and bodies, and how to find more wonder in our everyday lives.
Why are some rural communities so deeply disadvantage? A conversation about some of the poorest places in America with Princeton University's Kathryn Edin and Timothy Nelson.
In his new book, award-winning author James McBride pairs a page-turning murder mystery set in Pottstown, P.a. with a powerful story of compassion, community and love.
We explore the psychology of conspiracies and what draws people to them. Author Michael Shermer joins us to talk about why people believe irrational things.
Writer Jeanette Winterson explores artificial intelligence and how it may change our lives, relationships, sex, religion -- even death.
Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg on the changing relationship between parents and adult children.
Sportswriter Sally Jenkins shares life lessons that elite athletes and coaches have gleaned from playing competitive sports.
Social scientist and physician Nicholas Christakis on our social evolution, our need for connection and why he is optimistic about human nature and the future.
Historian Martha Hodes explores what happened to her own memories, and how she tried to get them back, after being held hostage on an airplane in 1970 in her new memoir.
We debunk the clichés and stereotypes of getting older with gerontologist Tracey Gendron, author of "Ageism Unmasked," and Lorene Cary, author of the memoir "Ladysitting."
Researcher Dacher Keltner investigates the elusive emotion of awe, revealing how it transforms our brains and bodies, and how to find more wonder in our everyday lives.
The Surgeon General warns that there's a loneliness epidemic. Why do so many of us feel lonely and how can we reconnect with one another again?
You’d think that by the time we reach adulthood, saying you are sorry would be second nature. But many people struggle with apologies and end up sounding insincere. Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy have been tracking apologies from celebrities, politicians, and others in the public eye since 2012 for their website SorryWatch. They have analyzed what makes a good apology and have boiled it down to six essential steps, which they share in their book, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry. They join us today to talk about saying sorry, the mistakes people make, why some of us apologize too much, and the benefits of a good apology.
Clint Smith began writing the poems in his new collection, Above Ground, when his wife was pregnant with their first child. The poems reflect the joy and fear that accompanies fatherhood. Some are fun and full of wonder, like “Ode to a double stroller” or “What sound a giraffe makes.” Others wrestle with the world children inherit, our racist past and the violence in everyday life.
This is Smith’s second poetry collection and follows his widely acclaimed book, How the Word Is Passed, which looked at how the legacy of slavery is enmeshed in our history and landscape. Clint Smith joins us to read his poems and talk about Black fatherhood and America’s history. [originally broadcast 3/31]
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, is a neurological condition that affects at least 4 percent of Americans – but there’s so much confusion about what it means and how it impacts everyday life. On social media, millions of people are trying to spread awareness and find connection by posting videos about their own experiences.
We increasingly have a better appreciation of neurodiversity and are learning that while ADHD can make it difficult to pay attention and manage tasks, it can also be a source of creativity and original thinking. Difference, it turns out, does not mean disability.
We talk with neuropsychologist David Nowell (@davidnowell) about diagnosing ADHD and helping people live with it. And, cartoonist Anika Orrock (@anikadrawls) on what she discovered in the 20 years since her diagnosis.
What’s it like to perform on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people? We talk with three artists who have mastered their craft about the creative process, stage fright, perfectionism, improvisation and connecting with an audience.
We’re joined by David Kim, violinist and concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ángel Corella, artistic director of Philadelphia Ballet and Jennifer Childs, actor and co-founder of 1812 Productions.
Across the country in Republican-controlled states, anti-trans bills are being introduced and sometimes passed into law, criminalizing gender-affirming care, restricting participation in school sports programs, policing bathroom use, banning drag shows for children and instituting so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills. And yet polls show a majority of Americans strongly oppose these efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.
Today, two trans women activists join us to share their personal story, talk about living with transphobia and how to fight it. Jennifer Finney Boylan is a transgender activist, English professor and author of many books including her groundbreaking memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, and Raquel Willis is the co-founder of Transgender Week of Visibility and Action and the board president of Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative.
Why do some couples stay happily together for years and others split apart? Drs. John and Julie Gottman have been studying what makes and breaks relationships for fifty years.
At the Gottman Institute, they’ve observed over 3000 couples interactions, published numerous studies, trained therapists and distilled what they’ve learned in many popular books, their latest is The Love Prescription. And they have found some of the key ingredients – kindness, curiousity in one another, regular date nights, and as they explain it, turning toward each other instead of turning away.
The Gottman’s join us today on The Connection to talk about their research into happy relationships, how to mend bad ones and when to know it’s time to end it.
The teenage years are always difficult to navigate, but lately they’ve become even harder for young people facing pressure at school, on social media and living with the threat of gun violence. Adolescents are reporting record rates of anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. So how can adults help young people through this painful and awkward time?
Psychologist Lisa Damour has written a book to help parents understand the emotional journey of adolescents, that negative emotions are normal, and how to best support the young people in their lives. It’s called The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connect, Capable, Compassionate Adolescents.
Earth Day is supposed to prompt us to pay attention to our planet and think about how to protect it, and it’s just a week away. But many people can’t stop worrying about the future of the Earth.
Climate anxiety is growing, particularly younger generations, as they watch forests disappear, species vanish, and glaciers melt. The American Psychological Association defines eco-anxiety as a “chronic fear of environmental doom,” and is harmful to mental health.
Today, a conversation about climate anxiety, strategies for coping with it, and how to turn those feelings of hopelessness into action.
GuestsThomas Doherty, a clinical psychologist practicing in Portland, Oregon who specializes in climate psychology.
Sarah Ray, Environmental Studies Professor at Cal Poly Humboldt and the author of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet.
You’d think that by the time we reach adulthood, saying you are sorry would be second nature. But many people struggle with apologies and end up sounding insincere. Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy have been tracking apologies from celebrities, politicians, and others in the public eye since 2012 for their website SorryWatch. They have analyzed what makes a good apology and have boiled it down to six essential steps, which they share in their book, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry. They join us today to talk about saying sorry, the mistakes people make, why some of us apologize too much, and the benefits of a good apology.
Clint Smith began writing the poems in his new collection, Above Ground, when his wife was pregnant with their first child. The poems reflect the joy and fear that accompanies fatherhood. Some are fun and full of wonder, like “Ode to a double stroller” or “What sound a giraffe makes.” Others wrestle with the world children inherit, our racist past and the violence in everyday life.
This is Smith’s second poetry collection and follows his widely acclaimed book, How the Word Is Passed, which looked at how the legacy of slavery is enmeshed in our history and landscape. Clint Smith joins us to read his poems and talk about Black fatherhood and America’s history.
Philosopher KIERAN SETIYA says that instead of pursuing happiness, our goal in life should be to live as well as we can even when faced with hardship and uncertainty. Most of us have grappled with loss, loneliness, failure, injustice and the absurdities of living. Setiya has lived with chronic pain for most of his adult life, a condition that he says has made him a more compassionate person.
His new book, Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way,draws on the writing of great thinkers like Plato, Socrates, Kant, Woolf, Didion, Dickinson and others. Setiya says philosophy, at its root, is about the question “How to Live?”
Do you ever feel like a fraud at work or in your daily life? That people overestimate your talent or intelligence? Imposter phenomenon can be a heavy burden for people constantly battling self-doubt, questioning their achievements, and fearing that their perceived inadequacy could be revealed at any time.
Close to 70% of people report feeling like an imposter at some point in their lives, but some are pushing back on what’s popularly known as “imposter syndrome.” In this episode of The Connection, we dig into the imposter phenomenon — is it real, who experiences it and why, and how can we restore our confidence?
Our guests are MIT professor BASIMA TEWFIK. who says there can be an upside to imposter thinking, and University of Michigan professor KEVIN COKELY, who studies the phenomenon in minoritized groups.
All the bad news and stories of bad, even horrific, human behavior can overwhelm us, leading to a very pessimistic outlook on humanity. It overshadows the examples of people doing the right thing, acting generously, with kindness and empathy.
Social scientist and physician Nicholas Christakis says its actually our tendency toward goodness that has been a big driver in our evolution. Christakis runs the Human Nature Lab at Yale Christakis runs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University and was once a hospice physician, work that has informed his research.
He says our need for human connection is one of our most defining characteristics and he’s seen it expressed at the bedside of people at the end of life, holding onto loved ones in their final moments. Christakis joins us to talk about our social evolution, why friendship and love are vital to our species’ survival, and how he maintains his optimism for humankind.
There’s been a lot of fighting lately over how to teach the history of America – and it’s turned classroom curriculums into political battlefields. Perhaps it’s not surprising that we get emotional confronting our past, with so many painful chapters.
How do we get people to face the ugly truths of the American story? Can we feel sorrow, shame and anger while still taking pride in the things that make this country great? We’ll talk with a social psychologist and a history professor about why we need to teach “hard history” and how to develop the mental toolkit to reckon honestly with our past.
Dolly Chugh, Psychologist and Professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University, author of A More Just Future and the newsletter, Dear Good People
Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Associate Professor of History at The Ohio State University and the editor of editor of Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman checked himself into a hospital last week for treatment for depression. Many people praised his openness and courage to voluntarily seek inpatient treatment. Fetterman’s experience is not unique. A third of recovering stroke victims – and more than 8% of all Americans—will struggle with depression. Many more of us have experienced depressive symptoms or have watched a loved one battle the disease.
But so much stigma still surrounds mental illness, including depression, with its symptoms often hidden and misunderstood. Barriers to mental health care access like provider shortages, affordability, and cultural competency continue to prevent more than half of people from getting the help they need.
Today, we’ll discuss how our understanding of depression has evolved and look at the root causes of the disease and the stigma that persists. We’ll also talk about how families can help a loved one who is battling mental illness – and how those families also need support.
GuestsNii Addy, Albert E. Kent Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Scientist Diversity and Inclusion at Yale School of Medicine. Host of the Addy Hour podcast.
Ashley Clayton, Mental Health Advocate and Research Associate at the Family Violence Research Program at Yale School of Medicine
- “My Struggle To Access Lifesaving Mental Health Care”
Andrew Nierenberg, Director of the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
ResourcesNational Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
988
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing)
For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988
National Alliance for Mental Illness : call or text the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264,
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: (800) 826-3632
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline
(800) 662-4357
Veterans Crisis Line
988, then PRESS 1
Text 838255
Philadelphia crisis line: 215-685-6440
Montgomery County Mobile Crisis Support: 1-855-634-HOPE (4673)
Delaware County Crisis Connections Team: 1-855-889-7827
New Jersey Hope Line: 855-654-6735
The number of victims killed in the Turkey-Syria earthquake continues to climb…tens of thousands of people and counting. From afar, we see city blocks flattened and desperate families and rescue workers digging, listening and searching for survivors with fading hope.
What kind of mark does a natural disaster of this scale leave on survivors who have lost everything so suddenly? Is recovery for them even possible? And is there something unique about the trauma endured from an earthquake, hurricane or wildfire that is different from that of mass shootings, a terrorist attack or the daily threat of gun violence that is sadly commonplace in many U.S. cities?
GuestsAPRIL NATURALE, a traumatic stress specialist who directed the New York State response to the 9/11, helped launch the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the National Disaster Distress Helpline.
ROBIN GURWITCH, a professor of psychology at Duke University School of Medicine and a senior advisor at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress in the Terrorism and Disaster Program. She is currently in Moldova working with Ukrainian refugees.
Super Bowl LVII is the event Eagles and Chiefs fans have been dreaming of, and it’s finally here. All the years spent cheering and crying and the hours watching the games on the couch or in the stands are about to pay off…or turn to heartbreak. Only one team will pull out a victory, and in the days that follow, the streets of Philadelphia will either turn into a sea of green or look cold and dreary without a celebration in sight.
Why do so many people get emotionally tied to a team and players they’ll likely never meet? And it’s not just professional sports – there are hardcore fans for rock bands, movie franchises, board games, celebrities and more.
We’ll look at the psychology of fandom, talk about the ups and downs of being a fan and the ways it becomes deeply intertwined with our identity.
Guests:LYNN ZUBERNIS, a Clinical Psychologist and Professor at West Chester University. She’s the author of four books on fan psychology.
ADAM EARNHEARDT, Professor of Communication at Youngstown State University, where he studies sports and fan behavior.
MARCUS HAYES, Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist
The longest relationship most of us will have is with a sibling – someone who, unlike a friend or partner, we didn’t choose to bring into our lives. Ninety percent of people grow up with a sister or brother watching them struggle through awkward adolescence into adulthood, sharing a home, parents and family resources. It’s no wonder these relationships can be so close and supportive but often frustrating, competitive and contentious.
Today we explore all sides of our sibling relationships and how they shape who are from children to adults. We’ll talk about why people from the same family can be so different, ways to heal old resentments and jealousies, and how to stay close to our siblings – if we want to – when life pulls us apart.
GUESTSKARL PILLEMER, Professor of Human Development at Cornell University and Professor of Gerontology in Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College. He’s the author of the book, Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them.
LAURIE KRAMER, Professor of applied psychology at Northeastern University and a clinical psychologist.
What makes a happy and healthy life? That’s the question at the heart of the longest study on happiness, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which began in 1938. Researchers have been following participants for 85 years, trying to untangle what it takes to thrive in this world. And the answer they found? Fulfilling relationships. In our debut episode of The Connection, we talk with the study’s researchers about why positive relationships are the essential ingredient to happiness. They’re the co-authors of the new book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.
Our guests
- ROBERT WALDINGER, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and MARC SCHULZ, professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College and associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
Who doesn’t feel burnt out by the stresses of life, with the pressures of work and family and the onslaught of bad news? It’s easy to feel helpless, overwhelmed and confused. One key experience that can guide us through the challenges we all face is human connection. It makes us feel understood, valued and gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. In fact, connections have allowed us to survive as a species and are critical to our wellbeing as individuals. Every Friday at noon on WHYY, The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane will feature unique and wide-ranging conversations about developing a richer understanding of the bonds that unite us, the forces that can drive us apart, the possibilities that life offers all of us and the qualities that make us unique…and human.