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The Big IdeaEpisodes

  1. Why living in the city could make you happier

    What makes some cities more successful than others?

  2. Why do we laugh?

    Should we take laughter more seriously?

  3. Why do we laugh?

    And why a cognitive neuroscientist says laughter deserves more research.

  4. Why do we find things disgusting?

    Meet a ‘disgustologist’ who has been uncovering answers to our uneasy feelings

  5. Why Are Some Nations Rich?

    Why are some nations richer than others?

  6. Understanding emotions: Should we follow our hearts?

    How noticing things in our bodies can help us read our feelings

  7. Ubernomics

    Does behaviour tracking help tech companies become better at saying sorry?

  8. The truth about marriage

    And how your relationship may be less stable than you think

  9. The truth about marriage

    And how your relationship may be less stable than you think.

  10. The Teenage Brain

    Why can’t teenagers get out of bed in the morning?

  11. The science of sleep

    What does sleep do for us, and what can go wrong if we don't get enough?

  12. The science of addiction

    Why drug addicts want drugs – even when they don’t

  13. The new normal

    How Donald Trump is reshaping our ideas of normal behaviour

  14. The New Distrust

    Are we living through a crisis in trust?

  15. The Intelligent Tree

    Are trees intelligent?

  16. The importance of fairness

    Why it pays to be fair, and why people are less selfish than you think

  17. The Growth Mindset

    Why do some kids do better at school than others?

  18. The fragility of choice

    Where do our opinions come from, and how easy is it for people to change them?

  19. The Big Preview: The Big Idea

    The search for the most interesting ideas around.

  20. The Afterlife

    Suppose you knew that after your natural death the human race would die out…

  21. Super-Intelligence

    Will we be able to control computers of the future?

  22. Social Physics

    What can data tell us about the success of cities?

  23. Outrage and Moral Conscience

    Why is there so much outrage on social media?

  24. Monkey Money

    What can monkeys tell us about the stock market?

  25. Memory Wars

    Should you trust your memory?

  26. Inequality Makes Us Anxious

    Inequality makes people anxious. How?

  27. How to topple a dictator

    Is violent or non-violent protest more effective?

  28. How to topple a dictator

    Is violent or non-violent protest more effective?

  29. How To Stop Murder

    How can we reduce murder rates?

  30. How does language work?

    Neuroscientist Cathy Price examines the workings of language

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