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Why Do Emotions Hijack Our Decisions? The Neuroscience of Impulsivity
Podcast: Why do some people struggle to control their actions when emotions run high? What happens in the brain when impulsive decisions take over? Why do some brains lose control under high arousal, while others stay composed? Under the Cortex explores.
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The End of the ‘Generic’ Grocery-Store Brand
Inflation was high, economic growth was stagnant, and food prices were soaring: It was the 1970s, and everyone needed to eat to stay alive, but no one had any money. So a few enterprising grocery stores had an idea—they began purchasing their own food straight from the manufacturer, putting it in ostentatiously no-frills packaging, and selling it for significantly less than the name-brand stuff. These products were called “generics,” and if out-of-control costs were the problem, they were the solution. Well, sort of. The peas were starchy; the corn was bland. Generics weren’t awful, but they weren’t that good, either.
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Why We Think We Deserve Good Karma—And Others Don’t
For thousands of years, people have waited on karma to catch up with their good behavior—or promised it would roll around for anyone who crossed them. The lure of karmic thinking is that if you do good things, positive outcomes will rain down on you, while the opposite is true for those who don’t uphold the same standard of morals. In other words: You reap what you sow.
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How Have Your Siblings Shaped Who You Are?
Do you have siblings? If so, what are your relationships with them like? How much do you think they have influenced you — your personality, interests, beliefs and behavior? ... Anyone raising more than one child, Damour says, or who has a sibling, intuitively knows that sibling relationships play a powerful role in affecting who we become. “If parents are the fixed stars in the child’s universe, the vaguely understood, distant but constant celestial spheres, siblings are the dazzling, sometimes scorching comets nearby,” wrote Alison Gopnik, a developmental psychologist, in a review of a book about siblings in 2011.
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25 Questions to Bring You Closer to Your Mom
When you’re young, it’s hard to imagine your mother as a fully-realized person. She’s just Mom. As you get older, though, you might start to see your parents as humans, with joys, regrets and insecurities (like you). But how well do you actually know the woman you call Mom? And when’s the last time you asked her a question that prompted a long, contemplative answer? ... Of all the living people you’re no longer in touch with, who is the person with whom you were the closest? Why aren’t you in touch anymore? — Eli J. Finkel, professor of social psychology at Northwestern University
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The Hidden Forces Shaping Your Choices
Every day, we make countless choices—but are these decisions guided by desire or design? This hour, TED speakers on what shapes the food we eat, how we power our homes, and how we communicate. Guests include food systems expert Sarah Lake, infrastructure engineer Deb Chachra, cross-cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand, urban planner Jeff Speck, and Tempe resident Ignacio Delgadillo.
