Smart People Podcast

Eric Ries joins us to explain the economic lie sitting underneath so much of modern business: that companies exist to extract as much value as possible for shareholders

What actually makes you who you are? In this episode, we get into one of the biggest questions a person can ask, not in a vague or philosophical way, but through the lens of neuroscience. Our guest is Dr. Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at Oxford, Editor-in-Chief of Brain, and the award-winning author of Our Brains, Our Selves, which won the Royal Society Trivedi Best Science Book Prize. Dr. Husain explains how your sense of self is built through memory, attention, motivation, perception, concepts, and relationships. In other words, who you are is not just something you have, it is something your brain is constantly creating. That is what makes this conversation so gripping. Because if the brain creates the self, then what happens when part of that system changes? We talk about real patients whose identities seemed to shift after changes in the brain, including one man who lost nearly all motivation after tiny strokes, and another who began losing not just words, but the concepts behind them. Their stories are fascinating, but they also raise a deeply personal question: how much of who you are depends on brain processes you rarely notice? We also get into why we become more risk-averse over time, why discomfort starts to feel less worth it, and whether changing how we think can actually change who we are. This episode will make you think differently about personality, memory, identity, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. Listen now, then subscribe and follow Smart People Podcast so you don’t miss what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us think we understand the plastic problem. We’ve heard about ocean pollution. We’ve heard about recycling. We’ve heard the word microplastics enough times that it barely registers anymore. But what if the most important part of this story isn’t the trash, the packaging, or even the environment? What if the real issue is happening inside our own bodies? In this conversation, Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator and president of Beyond Plastics, explains the part of the plastic crisis that rarely makes headlines. Microplastics are not just floating in the ocean. Researchers are now finding them in human blood, lungs, arteries, and even the brain. And the concern is not just the particles themselves, but the thousands of chemicals that travel with them. We also explore why plastic production continues to accelerate despite public concern, why recycling has largely failed, and how the economics of fossil fuels quietly shape the future of plastic. This is not just an environmental story. It is a health story, a policy story, and a story about systems most people never see. Judith's book, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late, is available now wherever books are sold! Support the Show - Become a Patron! Help us grow and become a Patron today: https://www.patreon.com/smartpeoplepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the way we think, communicate, react under pressure, and connect with others isn’t random at all? And much of your experience could actually be decoded using a very specific behavioral model. And this model could explain why certain conversations energize you while others shut you down, why stress brings out patterns you don’t recognize, and why people who care about each other still miss each other completely. In this episode, we introduce the Process Communication Model, a powerful framework originally developed in a therapeutic setting to improve human connection and outcomes. It has been used quietly for decades, helping millions of people better understand themselves and others, yet many people have never heard of it. This is part one in a three part series. To go hear the other episodes follow In the Arena With DoorTwo or visit doortwo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sociologist and mental health researcher Dr. Corey Keyes explains the science behind the feeling of not being burned out or clinically depressed, but you still feel numb, empty, or like you’re just going through the motions.