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A conversation about life's unseen patterns

How Obamacare Affects Our Wallets And Debt Ratio

A study examined the economic effects of the Affordable Care Act. Researchers found states that opted to expand Medicaid through Obamacare had residents with fewer unpaid bills and less debt overall.

How Obamacare Affects Our Wallets And Debt Ratio
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Keith Chen is head of economic research at Uber, and he says the way we interact with the app reveals a lot about human behavior.

Keith Chen is head of economic research at Uber, and he says the way we interact with the app reveals a lot about human behavior. Ariel Zambelich/NPR hide caption

toggle caption Ariel Zambelich/NPR

This Is Your Brain On Uber

This week we feature Keith Chen, a behavioral economist at UCLA and the head of economic research at Uber. Keith explains why surge pricing makes us nuts and discusses our weird economic choices.

This Is Your Brain On Uber
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Does The Placebo Effect Influence Consumer Product Purchases?

Novices play better golf when they have expensive brand name equipment, research shows. Brand name products alleviate some performance anxiety but brands have no effect on better players.

Does The Placebo Effect Influence Consumer Product Purchases?
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The Health Benefits Of Dancing Go Beyond Exercise And Stress Reducer

What are the health implications of dancing? New social science research shows that dancing in synchrony with others increases people's threshold for dealing with pain.

The Health Benefits Of Dancing Go Beyond Exercise And Stress Reducer
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Ashley Madison Hack Inspires Social Scientists To Look Behind The Names

A leak of names from one of the world's most famous "adultery" sites, Ashley Madison, got social scientists thinking. They've recently tried to see if people who like to cheat in their marriages also have a propensity to cheat at work.

Ashley Madison Hack Inspires Social Scientists To Look Behind The Names
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When Personalization Leads To Discrimination On AirBnB

In the sharing economy, the goal to personalize the exchange can have some unintended consequences. The Hidden Brain podcast explores how discrimination plays out on AirBnB.

When Personalization Leads To Discrimination On AirBnB
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How Being Busy Affects Our Motivation

There's an old saying: If you want to get something done, ask a busy person. Researchers find that busy people are more motivated to complete tasks after missing a deadline than their non-busy peers.

How Being Busy Affects Our Motivation
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Airbnb host Synta Keeling rents two bedrooms in her house in Washington, D.C.'s predominantly black Anacostia neighborhood.

Airbnb host Synta Keeling rents two bedrooms in her house in Washington, D.C.'s predominantly black Anacostia neighborhood. Maggie Penman/NPR hide caption

toggle caption Maggie Penman/NPR

#AirbnbWhileBlack: How Hidden Bias Shapes The Sharing Economy

The sharing economy is making online transactions far more personal, which can lead to some unintended consequences.

#AirbnbWhileBlack: How Hidden Bias Shapes The Sharing Economy
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Many glaciers are melting in Alaska. Scientists believe climate change is at work.

Many glaciers are melting in Alaska. Scientists believe climate change is at work. Shankar Vedantam/NPR hide caption

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Why Our Brains Weren't Made To Deal With Climate Change

Human beings would be better at fighting climate change if we weren't so, well, human. In this episode, we explore the psychological barriers to addressing climate change.

Why Our Brains Weren't Made To Deal With Climate Change
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What Does Time Perception Have To Do With Racial Disparities?

Research shows that our biases can actually skew our perception of time. For police officers, this means some are at a greater risk for shooting unarmed black men.

What Does Time Perception Have To Do With Racial Disparities?
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How Decedents' Quality Of Life At The Time Of Death Affects Others

Research indicates when a partner dies happy and contented, that stays with the other person a long time, but when a partner dies unhappy and in pain, those feelings stay with the other one, too.

How Decedents' Quality Of Life At The Time Of Death Affects Others
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When Angela Duckworth was working as a grade school math teacher, she was astonished by how much the kids who worked hard improved. "Everybody knows that effort matters," Duckworth says. "What was revelatory to me was how much it mattered."
Daniel Fishel for NPR

The Power And Problem Of Grit

Grit is a quality that parents strive to teach to their children, and teachers strive to teach their students. This week on Hidden Brain, we explore grit, and ask, does it also have a downside?

The Power And Problem Of Grit
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Peer Pressure May Not Work The Way We Think It Does

A new research study finds that students exposed to their very best peers became discouraged about their own abilities and performance — and were more likely to drop out.

Peer Pressure May Not Work The Way We Think It Does
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"If you eat the same things every day... it can produce some negative psychological effects," Kim Binsted says, of why astronauts might need to get cooking on a Mars mission.

"If you eat the same things every day... it can produce some negative psychological effects," Kim Binsted says, of why astronauts might need to get cooking on a Mars mission. iStock hide caption

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Even Astronauts Get The Blues: Or Why Boredom Drives Us Nuts

We've all been there: bored in class, bored at work, bored in standstill traffic. But why do we find boredom so unbearable? Hidden Brain investigates – hopefully, without boring you.

Even Astronauts Get The Blues: Or Why Boredom Drives Us Nuts
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How Does Sunshine Affect The Lottery?

Social science research examines how the mood of gamblers can change the way they think about risk. New Yorkers buy more lottery tickets when the weather is good and when their sports teams win games.

How Does Sunshine Affect The Lottery?
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Adam Grant is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Originals.

Adam Grant is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Originals. Michael Kamber/Adam Grant hide caption

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Originals: How To Spot One, How To Be One

Adam Grant, author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, tells us what makes an original, how parents can nurture originality in their children, and its potential downside.

Originals: How To Spot One, How To Be One
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Derek Amato is one of only a few dozen known "sudden savants."

Derek Amato is one of only a few dozen known "sudden savants." Derek Amato hide caption

toggle caption Derek Amato

Stroke of Genius: How Derek Amato Became a Musical Savant

Derek Amato wasn't born a musical savant. He became one—almost instantly—after hitting his head on the bottom of a swimming pool.

Stroke of Genius: How Derek Amato Became a Musical Savant
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Is There A Connection Between College Football Games And Risks For Rape?

Analysis explores the relationship among college football, binge drinking and sexual violence on campus. It suggests that reports of rape increase 41 percent on college football home games.

Is There A Connection Between College Football Games And Risks For Rape?
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Illustration of Dr. J. Marion Sims with Anarcha by Robert Thom. Courtesy of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Pearson Museum.

Illustration of Dr. J. Marion Sims with Anarcha by Robert Thom. Courtesy of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Pearson Museum. Pearson Museum, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine hide caption

toggle caption Pearson Museum, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology

J. Marion Sims is remembered as the father of modern gynecology. Forgotten are the mothers—the enslaved women whose bodies were sacrificed for the advancement of his research.

Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology
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