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This week we’re learning how we can use hypnosis and the placebo effect to our advantage, with help from science journalist Erik Vance. Did you know, for instance, that you can still benefit from the use of placebos even if you know that you’re taking a placebo? Listen to hear Erik explain the fascinating science…Read more...

When bad things happen to people we care about, it can be hard to feel anything but helpless. But as humans who naturally want to feel like we’re in control of our circumstances, we have a very low tolerance for feeling helpless. So in response, we become aggressively helpful. We of course want to assist our loved…Read more...

The moon landing was faked, #PizzaGate, September 11th was an inside job, Vince Foster was murdered by the Clintons to cover up Whitewater, the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax—the list of American conspiracy theories is long and bizarre, and it is only going to get longer after the upheaval in the Capitol Building…Read more...

For nearly a year, we’ve been living through a prolonged disaster. This is different from those involving extreme weather, like hurricanes, or single-day tragedies like 9/11, which may take years to clean up and process, but the actual events of which are typically confined to a day or two. The COVID-19 pandemic has…Read more...

Jealousy and envy are two of the most common—yet negative and useless—emotions many of us have. For a long time, I let both of these destructive feelings overwhelm and poison me. Here’s how I finally gained control over them.Read more...

If you associate bullies with playgrounds and elementary school, that means you probably haven’t experienced one as an adult. Unfortunately, some people never outgrow being a jerk and continue this type of harassing behavior well into adulthood. Here are some tips for understanding and dealing with bullies, no matter…Read more...

There are few things more personally gratifying than winning. This is true for pickup basketball games and presidential elections alike. Read more...

Former Lifehacker writer Patrick Allan once explained how to avoid being a sore loser at competitive games. It’s useful advice for anyone older than a toddler, but it might also be worth revisiting in order to apply his lessons to a higher-stakes context. Say, an election.Read more...

This week we’re breaking free from our mental prisons of victimhood, fear, and hopelessness with help from psychologist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger. Listen to hear Dr. Eger talk with Jordan and Alice about how our thoughts create our feelings, and how changing the language of your thoughts can lead you to a…Read more...

As I’m slogging through a run, I never tell myself I’m halfway. Everything I just did, I have to do it all again? Not a helpful thought. Instead, I use some more creative math. The first mile of any run, after all, is just a warmup, and the last mile is gravy—if you only have a mile left, you can practically crawl…Read more...

When it comes to music, there’s a fine line between catchy and annoying. And sometimes, a hook, a lick, even a single line of lyrics can lodge itself in your brain for days and refuse to leave. Science actually has a name for this phenomenon, one you’re probably familiar with—the slightly gross but extremely evocative…Read more...

Aside from being incredibly frustrated that our modern society has essentially been brought down by a virus, people have plenty of other reasons to be angry right now. Whether it’s because they feel as though their personal liberty is under threat thanks to face mask requirements, or they can’t wrap their head around…Read more...

In 1966, Joseph Weizenbaum created Eliza, the first psychotherapy chatbot. Eliza’s programming was relatively simple: Engage the user by detecting keywords in their statements and reflect this information back at them as an open-ended prompt. (A user might say “I’m sad,” to which Eliza could respond, “I’m sorry to…Read more...

Do you put things off ‘til the last minute? Are you one of the millions who tend to delay getting to your to-do list? Then you’re in luck—behavior scientist BJ Fogg joins us on this episode to talk about how to stop procrastinating thanks to his researched approach to behavior. BJ is the founder of the Behavior Design…Read more...

We’ve all done it. One minute, you’re watching Jim say something mean to Dwight; the next, you’re waking up to a screen that asks “Are you still watching The Office (U.S.)?”Read more...

Josh Gondelman, a.k.a. “The Nicest Guy in Comedy,” joins us this week to talk about what being nice really is, when it’s a quality that is not helpful, and the difference between “nice-ness” and “goodness”. Josh is a Peabody- and Emmy-winning comedy writer who has worked on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and is…Read more...

We’re tackling tough friendship scenarios this week on The Upgrade with psychologist Miriam Kirmayer, who explains why it’s so hard to navigate the norms of friendship and how to peacefully end those connections that are no longer working. Beyond researching the science of friendship for almost a decade, Dr. Kirmayer…Read more...

Even the most motivated people run out of steam sometimes. Maybe you’re exhausted or feel as though your creativity has been depleted, but for whatever reason, you can’t get your act together. Here are a few strategies for recharging your motivation.Read more...