There are times where everything becomes clockwork. There also comes a point where we already have default no-brainer answers to almost everything. Every bit of information we received are just that—received and nothing else. Well, we do some analyzing at work, but don’t you miss ingesting interesting lessons like you used to do in classes?
We can now, thanks to podcasts and the people behind them. You can think of these podcasts as lectures held by professors, only they’re more lax and conversational.
Here are a list of podcasts to listen to when you think your brain needs new filling:
Now that’s something no one wants to admit, but there it is. In this podcast, Journalist David McRaney explores self-delusion with central theme “you are unaware of how unaware you are.” Inspired by Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman and psychologist Amos Tversky, it points out how we tend to be overconfident and irrational, and then talks about fallacies we usually commit and why we do them. McRaney has now a book of the same title.
No, this is not that local talk show on TV you’re probably associating this to. This one’s more intellectually filling and definitely worth your time as it “bridges the intersection between science, pop culture and comedy with clarity, humor and passion.” Hosted by astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson, it tackles various science topics such as breaking news from the universe, extra-terrestrial life, and science in our daily lives. Tyson is joined by co-hosts weekly such as Morgan Freeman, John Oliver, and Joan Rivers.
Produced by National Public Radio, Planet Money tackles economy in easily-digestible 20-minute episodes. It started in 2009, covering the global financial crisis of 2008 which follows Great Depression on the list of worst financial crises. It delved into the crisis and how it affected the market, and then explored other topics like economic decision making and psychology of behavior. It may sound too technical on the outside but it breaks down complicated concepts and make them relatable so it’s easy to comprehend.
If you want to learn about famous people’s creative process, Hrishikesh Hirway’s got you. Song Exploder is “a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.” To be more delicious, Hirway “edits the interviews, removing his side of the conversation and condensing the story to be tightly focused on how the artists brought their songs to life.” It does not only feature pop and rock artists, but also geniuses behind film scores, video game music, and television theme songs.
Header image courtesy of Unsplash
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