Can we create wise robots? Kerstin Dautenhahn joins Igor and Charles to dive into the intriguing world of social robots, the finer points of “Robotiquette,” and the potential role such robots can play in supporting therapeutic treatments. Igor

The Epic Challenge of Knowing Thyself (with David Dunning)

Oct 7th, 2023 1h 3m

Can we ever really know ourselves, or are we destined to always make overly optimistic self-assessments? David Dunning joins Igor and Charles to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect, the importance of asking the right questions, why arriving at an

Awe Reloaded (with Dacher Keltner)

Aug 29th, 2023 50m 8s

Have we overlooked a major source of awe, right under our collective noses? Dacher Keltner returns to the On Wisdom studio to discuss his new book "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life", the power of moral

Wise of the Machines (with Sina Fazelpour)

Aug 5th, 2023 1h 4m

How can we make AI wiser? And could AI make us wiser in return? Sina Fazelpour joins Igor and Charles to discuss the problem of bias in algorithms, how we might make machine learning systems more diverse, and the thorny challenge of alignment.

Emotions Are Not What You Think (with Lisa Feldman Barrett )

May 30th, 2023 49m 4s

What actually are “emotions” and how are they made? Lisa Feldman Barrett joins Igor and Charles to discuss what we’ve got right and what we’ve got completely wrong about the nature of our emotional lives. Igor grapples with the idea that red ap

Moral Reframing and The Science of Political Persuasion (with Robb Willer)

Apr 10th, 2023 59m 36s

How can you persuade someone who disagrees with you on everything? In this episode, we discover the secrets of political persuasion with Robb Willer, a leading expert on political persuasion and moral reframing. Igor grills Robb on the ethics o

World Wide Wisdom (with Deepak Ramola)

Jan 5th, 2023 55m 12s

Imagine gathering hard-earned lessons from survivors of human trafficking in Nepal, middle school children in Afghanistan, refugees in Europe, and even a man who has witnessed over 12,000 deaths. Deepak Ramola has been on such a lesson-gatherin

Tricky Colleagues and Contagious Emotions (with Tessa West)

Nov 16th, 2022 57m 48s

How do we respond wisely to foolish behaviour in the workplace? Tessa West joins Igor and Charles to talk about the most common types of ‘jerks at work’ - including the bulldozer, the credit stealer, and the gaslighter, discussing what drives s

Morality Meets World (with Joshua Greene)

Oct 10th, 2022 57m 28s

To give to both your favourite charity and a super-effective charity recommended by experts, visit Giving Multiplier:https://givingmultiplier.org/invite/ONWISDOMCan insights from moral psychology increase donations to more effective charities

Wise Goals (with Ayelet Fishbach)

Aug 31st, 2022 47m 44s

What does goal-setting have to do with wisdom and how do we pick wise goals? Ayelet Fishbach joins Igor and Charles to discuss the dangers of moving too swiftly from planning-mode to action-mode, how to compromise across multiple goals, and why

A Joyous Journey from Black-and-White to Grey (with Tom Gilovich)

Aug 1st, 2022 48m 26s

Is "the spectrum" a more helpful way to think about the world than "categories"? Tom Gilovich joins Igor and Charles to discuss the perils of black-and-white thinking, the evolving data on the hot hand phenomenon, the science of regret, why fox

Charting Pandemic Waters: A Common Wisdom Model for Uncertain Times (with Howard Nusbaum) - Rebroadcast

Jul 20th, 2022 1h 2m

(First Broadcast - 21st June 2020)What is the value of wisdom in the time of the global pandemic? Does the community of behavioural scientists studying wisdom agree on anything about the nature of wisdom? Can we say what we now know about wisd

Antifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt) - Rebroadcast

Jun 27th, 2022 58m 20s

(First Broadcast - 4th November 2019)Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, b

Wisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz) - Rebroadcast

Jun 7th, 2022 59m 20s

(First Broadcast - 28th December 2018)Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz join

A Special Announcement

May 24th, 2022 1m 48s

Igor and Charles return with a special announcement for On Wisdom listeners ...

Invisible to Ourselves: A Life of a Psychological Scientist (with Richard Nisbett)

Dec 4th, 2021 1h 11m

A disturbing thought - might it be impossible for us to directly observe the workings of our minds? Richard Nisbett joins Igor and Charles to discuss a life lived on the cutting edge of behavioral sciences in the second part of the 20th Century

Reflections on Wisdom in the World after Covid

Oct 24th, 2021 37m 36s

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic?In the last episode of the World After Covid miniseries, Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 o

Wisdom for Negative Consequences (Pt. I) - Social Support, Sympathy & Compassion, Acknowledging Uncertainty, and Balancing Diverse Interests

Oct 5th, 2021 35m 14s

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic?Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, c

World After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part II) - Autobiographical Memory, Estrangement, Political Conflict, and Prejudice

Aug 4th, 2021 38m 14s

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social sc

World After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part I) - Social Inequality, Loneliness, Economic Hardships, and Despair

Jul 11th, 2021 30m 30s

World After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. II) - Critical Thinking, Intellectual Humility, Political Cooperation, and Solidarity

Jun 30th, 2021 43m 12s

What kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic?Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected

World After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. I) - Sympathy and Compassion, Self-distancing, Perspective-taking, and Learning from pandemics

Jun 3rd, 2021 29m 36s

World After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part II) - Political cooperation, Nature, Solidarity, and Prosocial behaviours

Apr 13th, 2021 44m

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant positive societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to the question about positive change in response

World After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part I) - Political and structural change, Care for elders, Social connectedness, and Reconsidering habits

Feb 9th, 2021 28m 24s

World After Covid series: Wisdom for Now (Part II) - What's important, Living in the moment, Social connectedness, and Shared humanity

Jan 19th, 2021 22m 33s

What one piece of wisdom is important to give to people now to help them make it through the pandemic?Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to this critical question by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, c