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Megapod: Why Is There So Much BS in Psychology?
In the last decade, several major findings in social psychology have turned out to be hogwash—or, worse, even fraud. Derek talks to Adam Mastroianni and Dan Engber about how psychology too often fails as a science, and what it can do better.
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Vaccine Conspiracies, Fluoride Myths, and America’s Broken Public Health Discourse
Brown economics professor Emily Oster joins the show to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his fluoride and vaccine theories, and how the media and science community should treat the most controversial topics
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The Self-Driving Revolution Is Real—and It Could Be Spectacular
Timothy B. Lee joins Derek to explore the world of AI and self-driven cars, as well as its applications and implications
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How Trump Won: Young Men’s Red Wave, the Blue-City Flop, and the Incumbency Graveyard
Derek dives into his big-picture theory for Trump’s victory. He is then joined by Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson to explain the massive red electorate shift.
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How to Watch Election Night Without Falling for Conspiracy Theories or False Hope
David Wasserman discusses the fallibility of using incomplete county results as election predictors before all mail-in, early, and Election Day votes are accounted for
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This Small Pennsylvania Town Explains the 2024 Election
Derek is joined by The Atlantic’s George Packer to take a look at the history of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and how that history contains within it the story of the 2024 election
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Why Is Every Recent Presidential Election So Close?
Derek is joined by Matthew Yglesias to discuss this current era of close elections and how it has coincided with an era of racial realignment, then propose several theories for why 21st-century elections have such nail-biters
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Is Radical Human Life Extension Possible?
Derek and Professor S. Jay Olshansky talk about progress and stasis in the most important science project in human history: how to increase human life
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America’s Young Men Are Falling Behind—and Shifting Right
Richard Reeves joins Derek to talk about the state of men and what’s really happening with the gender divide in politics
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Is the Middle East on the Verge of All-Out War?
Natan Sachs joins Derek Thompson this week to discuss the Middle East conflict, including Israel’s strategy, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and Iran’s next steps. Then, they delve into the United States’ involvement, as well as Biden’s waning window of influence.
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The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election)
Cynicism is a baseline aversion to social cooperation and the assumption that most people are greedy, selfish, and dishonest. Why do we constantly violate the secret of our own success by assuming the worst in others?
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A Sports Mystery: What Happened to the NFL Quarterback?
Robert Mays joins Derek to explore the evolution of the quarterback position, why passing is down, and much more
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How AI Could Help Us Discover Miracle Drugs
Thanks to AI tools like AlphaFold, the technology for Google DeepMind, we may be on the cusp of a revolution in medicine
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The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
Derek is joined by Joseph Uscinski to discuss some surprising answers to questions concerning the psychology of conspiratorial thinking in politics, as well as the general history of conspiracy theories in America
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“Exercise May Be the Single Most Potent Medical Intervention Ever Known”
Euan Ashley joins Derek to discuss the benefits of exercise and our current scientific understanding of why it helps
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Democrats Are Euphoric. But This Election Is Much Closer Than They Think.
Derek briefly reviews the Democratic National Convention, the science behind post-convention bounces, and the reality of this year’s polling
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The Four Biggest Myths About Political Persuasion
Derek is joined by David Broockman to talk about how we change our minds, the biggest myths of political persuasion, and more
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How to Be Happy and the Science of Cognitive Time Travel
Derek is joined by Laurie Santos—superstar in the crowded field of happiness research—to talk about her favorite lessons from modern happiness research, our relationship to time, and more
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Market Meltdown FAQ: Recession Fears, Global Stock Wipeout, and the Case for Calm
Bloomberg’s Conor Sen joins Derek for a special episode to examine all of the recent economic and financial fears
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Why Are Robocalls So Hard to Stop? (Plus: Kamala and the Gender Wars.)
Derek offers his thoughts on Kamala Harris and the gender polarization in this election, then is joined by Joshua Bercu to talk about the history, tech, and methods behind robocalls
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Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Progressives?
It has now been nearly two decades since a majority of Americans have told pollsters at NBC that they’re satisfied with the way things are going. This hope drought has no precedent in modern polling.
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Harsh Truths About 2024 and the Future of the U.S. Economy
On today’s episode Derek discusses the state of American politics, then the future of America’s economy with Chicago Fed president: Austan Goolsbee
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“The Weirdest Housing Market in Recent History”
Mike Simonsen and Lance Lambert join Derek to unravel the many mysteries of the current U.S. housing market
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“People Feel Lied To”: The White House, the Media, and the Joe Biden Blame Game
Derek is joined by The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich and Alex Thompson of Axios to talk about Biden’s age, the Democratic campaign strategy that is blowing up in their faces, and more
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Whatever Happened to Serial Killers?
Why did the number of U.S. serial killers drop off after decades of rapid growth? What does this say about American society and criminology? Derek and James Alan Fox explore.
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The Radical Cultural Shift Behind America’s Declining Birth Rate
Today we go deep on the psychology of having children and not having children and the cultural revolution behind the decline in birthrates in America and the rest of the world
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Breathing Is Easy. But We’re Doing It Wrong.
James Nestor, author of ‘Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,’ joins Derek to dive into the science of breathing
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The News Media’s Dangerous Obsession With “Fake Facts”
Derek is joined by Atlantic writer Jerusalem Demsas to talk about the most important bias influencing the media right now: a bias toward negativity and catastrophe
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Microplastics Are Everywhere. How Dangerous Are They?
Plastic can be a lifesaving technology, yet the microplastics and nanoplastics that are produced by processing and recycling plastic are potentially life-threatening. What do the latest studies tell us—and what should we ask of future research?
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Why the New NBA Deal Is So Weird. Plus, How Sports Rights Actually Work.
At a time when basketball ratings are in steady decline, the NBA is on the verge of signing a $70-plus billion sports rights deal that would grow its annual media rights revenue by almost three times. How does that make any sense?
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What America’s Bold, New Economic Experiment Is Missing
Derek is joined by David Leonhardt to examine the new movement in Washington regarding technology, trade, and growth
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The Five Superstars Who Invented the Modern NBA
Kirk Goldsberry, author of ‘Hoop Atlas,’ talks with Derek about the players who have caused paradigm shifts in the way the game is played