Life Skills/Coaching: October 2025

Friday, 31 October 2025

JD Vance and Erika Kirk Share A Risqué Moment On Stage

Even though Erika said (unprompted) that no one will replace her late husband, she was very happy to introduce the Vice President, JD Vance at a TPUSA event. The two shared a moment that raised some questions on stage. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/Tds8YCM #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

The strange simplicity of physics | Sean M. Carroll

FRI Party!! Your Drinks Ready? GOP Losing on Gov Shutdown & What was JD Vance Doing w/Erika Kirk?

LIVE Watch Party EVERYDAY at Noon EST!! #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: / jayarjackson Jayar’s Instagram: / jayarjackson #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Hollywood lied to you about Ancient Rome. Here’s the truth | Mary Beard: Full Interview

“Everyone's image of [Ancient Rome] is based on modern movies. In some ways, I think those were rather impressive, but they got some things terribly wrong.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Would you survive a week in Ancient Rome? | Mary Beard: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxtxmG_H-To We've inherited the history of Ancient Rome through movies, ruins, and shallow stories. The truth is far messier, says classicist Mary Beard. The hidden side of Roman life that screens rarely capture is chaotic; crowded streets teeming with Romans whose everyday lives were shaped by social hierarchies and familial obligations. Mary Beard unpacks what archaeology, literature, and even shoes tell us about the Romans’ daily lives. From the role of slaves in dressing elites to the rowdy crowds at chariot races, she shows how we’ve underestimated their complexity. 0:00 You’re picturing Ancient Rome all wrong 1:22 Mary Beard: scholar of Ancient Rome 20:41 The Roman triumph: the greatest celebration of all time 40:27 The Romans who shaped the world 41:25 Augustus 45:46 Virgil 47:22 Julius Ceasar 48:42 Cincinnatus 50:53 The Gracchii brothers 53:27 Marcus Tullius Cicero 55:19 Emperor Nero 57:45 Tacitus 1:06:01 Understanding “The Odyssey” Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/4I1YqVj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://ift.tt/4yVIaW1 ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://ift.tt/pY5ENTi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Mary Beard: Winifred Mary Beard, OBE, FBA, FSA is an English Classical scholar. She is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Newnham College, and Royal Academy of Arts professor of ancient literature. She is also the classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement, and author of the blog, "A Don's Life," which appears in The Times as a regular column. Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist."

Thursday, 30 October 2025

Thursday Watch Party! Trump's "Deals" with China, & War with Venezuela??

Why chasing after enlightenment will trap you in suffering | Robert Waldinger

“The idea is that we move from a place of wanting the world to conform to what we like [towards] not needing other people to be different from who they are.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, 3 powerful mind states: Flow state, good anxiety, and Zen Buddhism ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHne-U4lcw Most of us feel we have miles to go with self improvement. That we want to become calmer, wiser, more finished. What if this pursuit actually keeps us trapped from that becoming? Zen teacher and psychiatrist Robert Waldinger argues that enlightenment isn’t a destination or a rare mystical state. Rather, it's the ever-shifting recognition of the present moment. This quiet state of noticing, Waldinger says, can be extremely liberating, freeing us from the pressure of becoming. 0:00 Everyday Zen: mindfulness, impermanence, and compassion 0:45 Zen and community 2:52 Awakening 3:28 Impermanence 5:44 The Four Noble Truths 10:14 Having a beginner’s mind 15:22 The concept of enlightenment Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/iQSxCoR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://ift.tt/O4zLb9I ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://ift.tt/sgTO7Fu ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Robert Waldinger: Robert Waldinger, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and a Zen teacher and practitioner. For the last two decades, Waldinger has been the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, conducted over more than 85 years, has analyzed the entire lives of 724 families to determine the activities, behaviors, and dynamics that enhance a person’s life-long well-being. Waldinger has dedicated his career to examining these elements and discovering what brings true fulfillment to human existence. He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

Wednesday, 29 October 2025

Checking power at work | Kim Scott

Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor, talks about the importance of checks and balances to check corruption of power in the workplace. For more on fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment, become a member and watch the full Big Think Class: Radical Respect at Work: https://ift.tt/eZaFRVL

Wednesday Watch Party! Lets Talk About the REAL Significance of Trump's Ballroom

How loving strangers changes your brain (and your life)

We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. Want to know if someone is compassionate? It’s identifiable in more ways than one. Philosopher Meghan Sullivan, PhD, Buddhist scholar and former monk Thupten Jinpa, PhD, and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg explore love through neuroscience, philosophy, and lived practice. They discuss society’s flaw in mistaking kindness for weakness, how neuroscience has proven to identify compassion in brain scans, and how expanding Aristotle’s Love Ethic can change our society for the better.

Tuesday, 28 October 2025

Tuesday Watch Party! MAGA GOP Tries New Tactic to Dodge Responsibility for Govt Shutdown

Trump LOSES HIS COOL After Canada Airs Devastating Ad

Trump’s meltdown over a Canadian ad quoting Ronald Reagan just blew up—he’s slapping new tariffs, ranting about “AI fakery,” and proving to farmers, allies, and the world why America can’t trust his unstable, authoritarian grip on power. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/uVfIBFO #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Monday, 27 October 2025

Monday Watch Party! The BEST DAMN Day of the Week! Trump Mixes His Epstein Scandal w/Military One

Sunday, 26 October 2025

Trump PANICS After Reporter Defies Billion-Dollar Epstein Threat

Journalist Michael Wolff just blew the lid off Trump’s Epstein cover-up—revealing threats from Melania, hidden photos, and panic inside Trump’s circle as GOP insiders scramble to stop subpoenas that could expose what really happened behind closed doors. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/9WO4Ycy #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Saturday, 25 October 2025

Pete Hegseth TRIES To Dodge Reporter… Ends Up Exposing Everything

Pete Hegseth just confirmed Trump’s secret plan for a militarized America, openly admitting what every MAGA official has been denying and exposing how far they’ll go to turn the United States into an authoritarian police state. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/rz3huVt #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Friday, 24 October 2025

The fish that break biology | Sean B. Carroll

What can we learn from fish that have evolved to create their own antifreeze?

Friday Watch Party! Get Your Adult Weekend Beverages, Pete Hegseth Admits Plan for Military State

How your cognitive biases lead to terrible investing behaviors | Barry Ritholtz: Full Interview

“Let me walk you through the biggest traps that you should be aware of that are a danger to your financial wellbeing.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The most powerful way to think about money ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugIuHWc6Nuc You probably think investing is about markets and strategy, but Barry Rithotz argues that it’s actually about biology. Our brains evolved to spot danger, not to manage portfolios, and the instincts that once kept us alive now push us towards panic and greed. That same wiring that told our ancestors to run from predators now tells modern investors to sell at the bottom. 0:00 Why your brain makes you a bad investor 2:28 Using our brains in ways they weren’t built for 3:57 Cognitive biases that derail investing 6:52 Emotional Bias 8:22 Gamestop and speculative bets 10:22 Narrative fallacy 12:01 Overconfidence bias and the Dunning-Kruger effect and 12:44 Confirmation bias 14:56 Conformity bias 16:25 Loss aversion 17:47 Anchoring 18:41 Tribal bias 20:19 Recency bias 23:51 Investing is a loser’s game. Here’s how to win 24:28 “The Loser’s Game” 27:28 2% of stocks are responsible for all returns 30:21 The odds against you picking successful stocks 31:52 Maximizing your ability to compound 32:02 Automate 33:03 Diversification 34:23 Costs 37:48 Rebalancing 39:54 Ignoring forecasts 42:15 Market timing 44:29 How financial media sets investors up for failure 46:06 The attention economy 46:55 What is margin debt? 48:03 How negative media influences our investments 50:30 Denominator blindness 54:07 Key qualities in financial media 56:35 Social media and investing Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/c0U6nAs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/rh2ZXgw ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/JUzE57s ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Barry Ritholtz: Barry L. Ritholtz is co-founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. Launched in 2013, RWM is a financial planning and asset management firm, with over $6.4 billion dollars in assets under management. RWM was named ETF Advisor of the Year, is on the Financial Times Top 300 Advisors in the US, and is the 4th fastest-growing RIA in America. His career history is filled with cutting-edge innovation and influential new ideas: He was one of the earliest traders to embrace behavioral economics, he created one of the first and most popular market blogs; his podcast was groundbreaking and among the earliest in the investment spaces. Named one of the “15 Most Important Economic Journalists” in the United States, he has been called one of the 25 Most Dangerous People in Financial Media. He writes a weekly column for Bloomberg Opinion (2013- 2021) and wrote a twice-monthly column on Personal Finance and Investing for The Washington Post (2011-2016). His latest book, “How Not To Invest: The ideas, numbers, and behaviors that destroy wealth – and how to avoid them” was published on March 18, 2025.

Thursday, 23 October 2025

RFK Jr. Can’t Escape His OWN Warning About Trump And His Allies

Trump’s allies are squirming as RFK Jr.’s old words resurface—calling MAGA “belligerent idiots and bootlickers”—while Fox News hosts gush over his “unconstrained power,” exposing just how deep the GOP’s worship of authoritarianism has sunk. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/svOEcaX #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Thursday Watch Party? Maybe This Time...

Thursday Watch Party!! MAGA GOP Excuses in Govt Shutdown Are Falling FLAT: They're Losing

Are we the first civilization in the Milky Way? | David Kipping

“Deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question: are we alone?” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The great quest for extraterrestrial life | David Kipping Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0cvzQiuvI Astronomer David Kipping explores humanity’s oldest question: if the universe is vast and ancient, why haven’t we found anyone else in it? He argues that our longing to discover another Earth often clouds our reasoning, and that the greatest challenge in the search for life isn’t technology, but temptation. 0:00 Are we alone? 1:19 The Drake equation 2:08 The problem with the Rare Earth hypothesis 2:56 What is life? 5:55 The Copernican principle 7:08 The weak anthropic principle 8:57 The Kardashev scale 10:58 Hart’s Fact A 15:49 How often does simple life become complex? 17:45 Using biosignatures and technosignatures to find alien life 21:01 Our past quests for alien life 23:10 The difficulty in proving a negative Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/AbxaGvS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/FrKg7yd ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/qN0cmyO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About David Kipping: David Kipping is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University and the founding director of the Cool Worlds Laboratory, where he leads groundbreaking research on exoplanets, exomoons, and the search for extraterrestrial life. As a pioneer in the detection of moons around planets outside our solar system, his work has been published in prestigious scientific journals and has significantly advanced our understanding of distant planetary systems. Kipping employs sophisticated statistical methods to analyze data from NASA's Kepler and TESS missions, extracting subtle signals that reveal the properties of these distant worlds. Beyond academia, he created and hosts the popular Cool Worlds YouTube channel, which has attracted over 750,000 subscribers through its accessible explorations of cosmic frontiers and speculative astronomy. After receiving his PhD from University College London and holding positions at Harvard University, Kipping has established himself as a respected researcher who effectively bridges rigorous scientific investigation with compelling public science communication.

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

ICE Tried To Bully New York… But The Crowd Was NOT Having It

Trump’s ICE squads are out of control, terrorizing New York and Chicago while terrified civilians fight back and DHS hides behind Turning Point USA’s bogus intel. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/svOEcaX #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

How to reduce bias | Kim Scott

Scott shares the danger of unconscious discrimination in performance reviews, and what addressing it might look like. For more on fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment, become a member and watch the full Big Think Class: Radical Respect at Work: https://ift.tt/s01maJ5

Wednesday Watch Party! EARLY START TODAY! America Vs ICE Terrorists: Fighting Increases

Is free will a fallacy? Science and philosophy explain.

We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. Do you actually control your own mind? Three experts in philosophy and neuroscience explain: It’s not so simple. Uri Maoz, PhD, Daniel C. Dennett, PhD, and Sam Harris, PhD explore how unconscious processes shape decisions we believe are conscious. From brain experiments that reveal the illusion of control, to mindfulness practices that reframe perception, they show how philosophy and neuroscience together unpack the truth about free will.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Trump's Beauty Queen Prosecutor HUMILIATED After Reporter Publishes Her Texts

Trump’s hand-picked prosecutor just got humiliated after her leaked texts with a reporter exposed total chaos inside his DOJ. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/HL6Zw5i #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

How to heighten your sensitivity to joy | Marie Kondo

Big Think's Jonny Thomson sat down with Marie Kondo to talk about her new book, Letter from Japan. In this clip, Kondo explains one of the best ways to heighten your sensitivity to joy — and it's something you can do every day.

Tuesday Watch Party! The SUBSTITUTE Best Damn Day of the Week! Tons to Talk About!

The backwards logic of censorship

This interview is an episode from ‪@The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the ‪@JohnTempletonFoundation. Subscribe to The Well on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/thewell-youtube Watch Mchangama’s next interview ► Historian and free speech advocate Jacob Mchangama explains how suppressing voices often has the opposite effect. From the crucifixion of Jesus fueling Christianity to Barbra Streisand accidentally amplifying photos of her Malibu mansion, attempts at censorship often strengthen what they aim to silence. Mchangama argues that while free speech can be messy and ugly, it remains essential to preserve its many benefits. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jacob Mchangama: Jacob Mchangama founded and leads The Future of Free Speech, is a research professor at Vanderbilt, and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). A prolific commentator and author on free speech and human rights, he created the podcast “Clear and Present Danger” and wrote the 2022 book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Well Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter ► https://bit.ly/thewellemailsignup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ► Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ► Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG

Monday, 20 October 2025

The danger of shows like "Adolescence" | Richard Reeves

2025: The old world is dying | Peter Leyden

"We're living in an extraordinary moment in history. We are at a moment here in 2025 where we have world historic game-changing technologies now starting to scale." Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The alarm bells are sounding for young men. Will we listen? | Richard Reeves ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnA98N6CjBg We are living through the collapse of the old world, and the quiet construction of a new one. From artificial intelligence and clean energy to bioengineering and digital governance, the core systems that defined the last century are rapidly being dismantled and replaced. But this isn’t just about technology. According to futurist Peter Leyden, we’re at a historic turning point: One of the rare moments in American and global history when everything gets reimagined at once. 0:00 An extraordinary moment in history 1:05 Wired magazine 2:09 Technology adoption curve 2:53 80 year cycles 3:26 Post-war era 5:08 Gilded age 6:59 Founding era 8:24 The arrival of AI 9:42 The rise of clean energy 10:52 The rise of bioengineering 13:45 The beginning of a shift References: Article: Ziegler, M. S.; Trancik, J. E. Re-Examining Rates of Lithium-Ion Battery Technology Improvement and Cost Decline. Energy Environ. Sci. 2021, 14, 1635–1651. DOI: 10.1039/D0EE02681F URL: https://ift.tt/wmD4sCa... Dataset: Ziegler, M. S.; Trancik, J. E., 2021, "Data series for lithium-ion battery technologies", https://ift.tt/Tdq3Yam, Trancik Lab Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:sVT2vBwWolbQL4BxsTSDUg== [fileUNF] Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/jaU8x3E ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/NyOkXTY ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/q6lHpUv ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Peter Leyden: Peter Leyden is a longtime tech expert and thought leader on the future. He came to San Francisco to work with the founders of WIRED magazine at the beginning of the digital revolution and has followed the front edge of technological change every step since—including into the AI revolution today. In addition to being an influential writer and author, Leyden is a keynote speaker who has explained the implications of new technologies and the positive possibilities to come to audiences throughout America and Europe on a monthly basis over the last 25 years. Leyden also founded several startups that pioneered fields transformed by new technologies and currently advises senior leaders in strategic foresight through his company Reinvent Futures. Get more on all of this on his website.

Sunday, 19 October 2025

Trump’s Military Scandal ERUPTS After Admiral QUITS In Disgust

Trump’s secret Venezuela strikes just blew up in his face — an admiral steps down, civilians are dead, and even Pentagon insiders are calling out the MAGA regime’s rogue war crimes and lies. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/XSKjUg9 #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Saturday, 18 October 2025

Trump Ships BILLIONS Abroad As Alaskan Towns WASH AWAY

Trump’s Alaska disaster cover-up is blowing up — while he ships billions to Argentina, Indigenous communities are drowning, and even Republican senators are turning on his corrupt, heartless administration. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/7ypvWn6 #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Friday, 17 October 2025

How progress stops progress | Derek Thompson

Thompson tells the story of regulation in America — how the solutions to 20th century problems became the new problems of the 21st century.

Friday Watch Party! Get Your Drinks & Be Ready for Trump Plans for NO Kings Weekend

The science of romantic love, explained an anthropologist | Helen Fisher

“No matter what their gods were, what they did for a living, what they wore, the songs they sang, everything varies except love, and everybody loves.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The science of sex, love, and attachment | Dr. Helen Fisher: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORAaaBevtT4 From the beginning of humanity, cultures and societies vary in tradition, religion, art, philosophy, and customs. One constant that remains unchanging? The essential need for love and partnership. Dr. Helen Fisher explains the drive for love from an anthropological perspective, exploring the science of attraction, heartbreak, rejection, and how our dopamine factories send us on lifelong quests to find “the one.” 0:00 The origins of romantic love and attachment 02:53 Love across cultures and time 04:39 The evolutionary roots of love 07:45 Discovering the brain in love 10:00 What the brain reveals about love 12:05 Love and addiction Read the video transcript ► [https://ift.tt/iTBIL1a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/RT2bzr5 ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/5XnGtK6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Helen Fisher: Helen E. Fisher, Ph.D. biological anthropologist, was a Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, and a Member of the Center For Human Evolutionary Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University. She wrote six books on the evolution, biology, and psychology of human sexuality, monogamy, adultery and divorce, gender differences in the brain, the neural chemistry of romantic love and attachment, human biologically-based personality styles, why we fall in love with one person rather than another, hooking up, friends with benefits, living together and other current trends, and the future of relationships — what she called: slow love.

Thursday, 16 October 2025

Can you learn faster with AI? | Marvin Liyanage

The internet is plastered with AI clickbait promising you 10x productivity gains if you use the right ChatGPT prompts. Is there any truth to the hype? Researchers assigned 194 people in a Harvard physics class to two groups. One group went to in-person classes. The other group practiced their learning at home with questions generated by an AI tutor. Then the groups switched, to evaluate whether learning with AI or in-class produced better outcomes. The study found that students learned “significantly” more at home with an AI tutor than they did in class, even when they spent less time learning. People spent a median of 49 minutes with the AI tutor (less than the 60-min class), yet still outpaced classroom learning. From the study authors: "Providing timely feedback that targets the specific needs of individual students (vi) and self-pacing (vii) are difficult to achieve and impossible to maintain in a typical classroom. We believe that the increased learning from structured AI tutoring is largely due to its ability to offer personalized feedback on demand—just as one-on-one tutoring from a (human) expert is superior to classroom instruction15." Some notes / clarifications for the video: 1. 233 people were enrolled in the class but only 194 were ultimately eligible for the study 2. This was a crossover study where the "AI group" and "in class" groups switched such that the outcomes with AI tutoring could be compared to those with in class feedback. 3. The researchers controlled AI prompts such that the generated questions were the same as those given to the in-class group (The difference between the groups was AI administered feedback vs. peer and teacher feedback.)

Thursday Watch Party! GOP Afraid of No Kings Protest/The Argentina Bailout Just Got Worse

Sean Carroll: Are we living in a clockwork universe?

“The universe clicks along in perfect accord with the laws of physics forever.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Sean Carroll explains why physics is both simple and impossible | Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBNJyztai0 What if the universe is a machine, and every moment in our past, present, and future is already encoded in the positions of its particles? Physicist Sean Carroll explores the unsettling implications of classical mechanics, from Newton’s laws to Laplace’s thought experiment, showing how determinism challenges the very idea of free will. 0:00 Is reality a clockwork machine? 0:57 The determinism of classical mechanics 2:03 The spherical cow and simplified models 2:58 The universe as an equation 6:53 When the clockwork universe meets the human mind Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/Kfxr4av ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/Unv6uiJ ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/enu7SXO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Sean Carroll: Dr. Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy — in effect, a joint appointment between physics and philosophy — at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Most of his career has been spent doing research on cosmology, field theory, and gravitation, looking at topics such as dark matter and dark energy, modified gravity, topological defects, extra dimensions, and violations of fundamental symmetries. These days, his focus has shifted to more foundational questions, both in quantum mechanics (origin of probability, emergence of space and time) and statistical mechanics (entropy and the arrow of time, emergence and causation, dynamics of complexity), bringing a more philosophical dimension to his work.

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

Addictions and habits, explained by a neuroscientist, a psychologist, and a journalist

We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. Your brain makes habits stick. The good news? The same science shows how to replace the bad ones. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Watch the full Perception Box series ► https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5uULy4b0kV4iomWS7CzqCdOCwj0lFnLr&si=yCY6Ee7m6bpj7E-y Why are bad habits so hard to break? Neuroscientist Carl Hart, PhD, journalist Charles Duhigg, and psychologist Adam Alter, PhD explain how your brain wires habits as cue-routine-reward loops that control nearly half of your daily life. They show why willpower alone rarely works, why technology fuels new forms of addiction, and why habits can only be replaced, not erased. Read more from this interview ► https://ift.tt/rzjJp7i Explore the Perception Box series hub ► https://ift.tt/WTDZfzy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. https://ift.tt/2DbFK1c ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. https://ift.tt/dvCYIzy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Carl Hart, PhD: Dr. Hart is an Associate Professor of Psychology in both the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Columbia University, and Director of the Residential Studies and Methamphetamine Research Laboratories at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. A major focus of Dr. Hart’s research is to understand complex interactions between drugs of abuse and the neurobiology and environmental factors that mediate human behavior and physiology. About Charles Duhigg: Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on bestseller lists and has been translated into 40 languages, and Smarter Faster Better, also a bestseller. Mr. Duhigg writes for The New Yorker magazine and is a graduate of Yale University and the Harvard Business School. He has been a frequent contributor to CNBC, This American Life, NPR, The Colbert Report, NewsHour, and Frontline. About Adam Alter, PhD: Adam Alter is an Associate Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, with an affiliated appointment in the New York University Psychology Department.

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

The Nietzsche Thesis | Jonny Thomson

According to Nietzsche, few people actually care about the truth . Few people care about facts . Instead, most people are concerned with looking good and feeling good. Most people care only about comfort, security, and power. From this observation, the philosopher Joseph Shieber coined the expression 'The Nietzsche thesis,' where he argued 'the goal of most conversations is not about seeking the truth, but about self-preservation.' In other words, most people would accept or reject a fact based upon calculation, rather than any concern for the truth. As Nietzsche put it, we will accept and look for truth only when 'it has pleasant, life-preserving consequences.' Conversely, we are resistant 'to potentially harmful or destructive truths.' We do not have any meaningful concern for the truth, but only our well-being. There is one observation about the modern world which might lend support to the Nietzsche Thesis, and that's the popularity of conspiracy theories and echo chamber monologues. Because if people really did care for the truth, they would be fact-checking wild and distorted claims all of the time. But people do not. When a #charismatic or compelling speaker delivers a statement, it's easy to accept it based much more on self-serving lines. People will nod along if others are nodding along too, they will accept it if it preserves their social status. The Nietzsche Thesis reminds us of an important point, and that's in our interactions with other people. What we hear, see, and read often has very little to do with truth. People are very bad at facts. But if Nietzsche is right, people don't even care about them either.

Tuesday Watch Party! Who is Really Creating Violence in Chicago/Trump Swings Wildly on China

The psychology of loneliness

This interview is an episode from ‪@The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation. Subscribe to The Well on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/thewell-youtube Watch all of Kross’s interviews ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_B7bI1QVmJCicywliIA6EcD5U1ks8HZN Popular media has made loneliness look bad, but is it really? Author and psychologist Ethan Kross explains his study of loneliness, finding that it is actually our response to loneliness – rather than the act of being alone itself – that has negative effects. If we reframe loneliness as an opportunity instead of a threat, it can have surprising benefits for our creativity, well-being, and relationships with ourselves. Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/6j7EK4p ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ethan Kross: Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor and bestselling author in the University of Michigan’s top-ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Well Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter ► https://bit.ly/thewellemailsignup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ► Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ► Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG

Monday, 13 October 2025

Letitia James STANDS HER GROUND As Trump’s Henchmen Try To Silence Her

MAGA prosecutors just got exposed after Letitia James calls out Trump’s fake charges and the corrupt GOP network trying to silence her. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/j0Y9rSL #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

NBC Host DESTROYS Lindsey Graham’s Trump Excuses In Real Time

Lindsey Graham panics as Kristen Welker corners him on Meet the Press, exposing his desperate spin defending Trump’s prosecutions and the GOP’s fascist turn — a full-blown meltdown that shows just how far Republicans will go to protect a criminal. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/j0Y9rSL #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Monday Watch Party! The BEST DAMN Day of the Week! JD Vance's Lies Don't Land the Way Trump's Do

Saturday, 11 October 2025

MAGA Journalists SPUTTER Through Scripted Lies At Trump Meeting

Trump loyalists invite right-wing agitators and fake “journalists” like Andy Ngo and Katie Daviscourt to the White House to spin wild Antifa stories—proof the GOP’s propaganda machine is alive, well, and fully funded by Trump’s inner circle. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/sZovYL9 #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Friday, 10 October 2025

Are we becoming less social? | Derek Thompson

Why do we dumb things down?

If you walk into a room with a baby, you will automatically change how you speak. Why do we do that? It turns out that people, including babies, learn best when we are challenged, but not overwhelmed. We intuitively know that, so we meet people where they’re at. But if we can understand what’s happening in our brain when we’re challenged with new information, we can maximize learning gains and avoid burnout. In neuroscience, this experience where we struggle productively, just on the edge of what we can do based on our current competency, is called “optimal challenge”. When you are meeting “optimal challenge” your brain makes predictions about the world based on all of the data you’ve collected from experience and updates its model when its predictions are wrong. Imagine a dad sitting down in a friend’s apartment, holding his baby. A soft “meow” comes from the doorway and the dads ears perk up. His brain knows that the meow means a cat is about to come through the door. The baby, in a new environment, is primed for learning. When it sees a furry animal enter the room she makes her best guess: she points and says “doggy”. Dad corrects her and says “That’s a cat. Can you say cat?” This magical moment is core to how we update our internal models of the world — a prediction error that’s exciting enough to evoke curiosity but not threatening enough to evoke anxiety. The feedback from dad and the image of the furry animal get wired together in a new neural pattern that will come to life when the baby hears the word “cat”. ——— Read the full article on Substack: https://ift.tt/uHKZTY3

Friday Watch Party!! Get Your Weekend Drinks Ready...Antifa is Coming to Get You!

Saving young men starts with changing how we talk about them | Richard Reeves

“It's certainly clear that the issues of boys and men haven't gone away in the last few years. If anything, they're getting even more attention, which is good when it's the right kind of attention.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The real reasons young men are checking out of society | Richard Reeves: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLIEpbLWWao The conversation around masculinity is a political battlefield, devolving into extreme caricaturization: uncritical celebration or outright demonization. Where does the nuance of this discussion live? Richard Reeves argues that this binary leaves out the real story: how changing economies, shifting cultural expectations, and the absence of strong male role models have left many young men without a clear path forward. 0:00 Blaming young men 1:24 Rethinking how we talk about masculinity 2:45 The rise in male deaths from drugs 3:17 The male rate of suicide 4:14 Male representation in different professions 6:10 Men and purpose 6:52 Median annual earnings of men 8:54 Men and the “get rich quick” scheme 10:31 Online gambling addiction 12:15 What does non-toxic masculinity look like? 13:17 Policy for young males 14:46 Male support systems 19:08 GPA distribution amongst boys and girls Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/xMaW3QL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive content, early, ad-free access to new releases, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Explore content that enlightens, inspires, and transforms. https://ift.tt/e2VozQa ►Get Big Think+ for Business Engage learners like never before with high-impact video microlearning from the biggest thinkers in the world. https://ift.tt/4YU0POe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Richard Reeves: Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative and co-directs the Center on Children and Families. His Brookings research focuses on the middle class, inequality and social mobility. Richard writes for a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, National Affairs, The Atlantic, Democracy Journal, and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Dream Hoarders (Brookings Institution Press, 2017), and John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic Books, 2007), an intellectual biography of the British liberal philosopher and politician. Dream Hoarders was named a Book of the Year by The Economist, a Political Book of the Year by The Observer, and was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. In September 2017, Politico magazine named Richard one of the top 50 thinkers in the U.S. for his work on class and inequality. A Brit-American, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2012. Other previous roles include director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank; social affairs editor of the Observer; principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, and research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Richard is also a former European Business Speaker of the Year and has a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.

Thursday, 9 October 2025

Speaker Johnson FLEES Cameras After Epstein Question Drops

Mike Johnson scrambles as his excuses fall apart, dodging questions on Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in and Epstein file votes while GOP allies like Jim Jordan and Pam Bondi dig the hole deeper. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/W1QZxyv #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Kristi Noem ROASTED After Staging ICE Interrogation For Photo-Op

Kristi Noem just staged her own ICE raid and rooftop “Antifa showdown” like a B-movie cop wannabe — and the right wing is eating it up. From fake interrogations to self-filmed stunts, this might be the cringiest GOP performance yet — and it’s downright dangerous. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/W1QZxyv #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

We need to stop blaming each other | Richard Reeves

Wed Watch Party! Kristi Noem Stages Interrogation, Trump Admits Plan to Steal Fed Employee Paychecks

Tuesday, 7 October 2025

Culture always wins | Josh Bersin

For full classes from the world's biggest thinkers, subscribe to Big Think on Substack: https://ift.tt/z4VMH8v

NBC Report Debunks DHS Lies After Deadly ICE Raid

Trump’s ICE agents just turned suburban Chicago into a war zone — and now DHS is scrambling to spin the story as “self-defense.” But NBC News just blew the lid off their lie, exposing how Trump’s militarized immigration raids are leaving blood on American streets. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/YhIGpiz #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Tues Watch Party! MAGA Admin Exposed Their Authoritarianism, Pedophilia, & Theft All in 1 Day

The power of criticism — and the cost of silence

This interview is an episode from ‪@The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the ‪@JohnTempletonFoundation Subscribe to The Well on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/thewell-youtube Watch Mchangama’s next interview ► True free speech, explained in 6 minutes https://youtu.be/F4HTlRwMdlI America’s real danger isn’t free speech. It’s silence. Founder of The Future of Free Speech Jacob Mchangama argues that free speech is not a threat but society’s strongest safeguard against violence. Suppressing expression creates a pressure cooker that can push people toward violent action when peaceful dissent is denied. While acknowledging its harms — especially in the digital age — Mchangama warns that censorship is far worse. Read the video transcript ► https://ift.tt/VL6ofB1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jacob Mchangama: Jacob Mchangama founded and leads The Future of Free Speech, is a research professor at Vanderbilt, and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). A prolific commentator and author on free speech and human rights, he created the podcast “Clear and Present Danger” and wrote the 2022 book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Well Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter ► https://bit.ly/thewellemailsignup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ► Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ► Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG

Monday, 6 October 2025

Manipulation vs. Motivation | Andrew Bustamante

#Psychology

More on a Monday!! Terrorist DHS Officials, and A Big Tantrump!

The Best Damn Day of the Week! It Might Be Time for Military To Stop Following Trump Fascism

Friday, 3 October 2025

Are video games and porn the problem? | Richard Reeves

Writer and social scientist Richard Reeves explores the role of video games and porn as a place to go for men retreating from the labor market. #Sociology

Friday Watch Party! MAGA is Taking Off the Thinly Veiled Mask on Govt Shutdown & Police State

Thursday, 2 October 2025

Why do we forget things? | Marvin Liyanage

Why do we forget things? | Marvin Liyanage @marvinliyanage #CuriosityLab #Neuropsych Read the full article on the Curiosity Lab Substack: https://ift.tt/kt089xo

TikToker’s NEW CLAIMS Put Mike Johnson In HOT WATER

Mike Johnson’s nightmare just got worse — the TikToker who threatened to expose his alleged Grindr profile now claims the files are with lawyers and media outlets, fueling fresh doubts and raising the stakes on GOP hypocrisy and cover-ups. Jayar Jackson breaks it down. Give us your thoughts in the comments below! Jayar’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayarJackson Jayar’s Instagram: https://ift.tt/dlAPKjq #JayarJackson #News #Watchlist

Thurs Watch Party!! Miller Talks Tough, Hides Behind Military/Johnson Cant Keep His Lies Straight

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

How to find happiness | Jonny Thomson

Writer and host of Mini Philosophy, Jonny Thomson, describes the difficult path to happiness and proposes 3 lights or pillars for finding it: 1. Happiness is not pleasure 2. Moderation 3. Virtue #Philosophy