HIDDEN BRAIN LIVE!
Have you heard? Hidden Brain has hit the stage. We recently hosted two (completely sold-out) shows in San Francisco and Seattle. If you attended, we'd like to extend our sincerest gratitude for your support, and ask you to share your feedback if you haven’t already done so. Please complete this form and let us know what you thought. If you missed us this time around, stay tuned — we’re actively considering future events this year. We’ll keep you posted, and you can also stay updated on our tour dates here.
WORDS OF WISDOM
We asked event attendees to share some of the best pieces of advice they’ve received. Here’s what they had to say:
“I lost my mother when I was 18 years old. Over a decade later, someone gave me advice that despite her no longer being with us, you can always take a moment to ask for her advice, and you’ll know exactly what she would have said at that current moment.” -Ken
“My best friend’s father Gordon had an uncanny ability to really SEE people. In my 20s, I was a severely self-critical over-thinker. One of the first times I met Gordon, I was smoking a cigarette with him on his back patio, mentally spinning out [and] telling him about my latest dramas. He reached out and put a hand on my forearm and looked me in the eye. And in his low, gravelly voice he said, ‘Aw, kid…don’t believe everything that you think.’ To this day, it is a piece of advice that I defer to regularly.” -Kaitlin
“I am a second-generation immigrant. My grandparents immigrated from a small Jewish village outside of Kiev in the early 1900s. My dear mother wanted me to have everything that she never had. She thought that if I was perfect at everything, I would have entrée into the highest society. So for the first half of my life, I demanded perfection of myself in all my endeavors: school, profession, and family. It wasn't until I began to go to Al-Anon that I heard the advice that ‘perfectionism is the highest form of self-abuse.’ I realized that I could succeed in life without demanding the impossible from myself.” -Barbara
“When I was asked what was the best piece of advice I had ever received, the first thing that came to mind was a suggestion by a friend a few years back when talking about parenting teens, which was very simply, ‘Connection before correction.’ This has stuck with me as being just such a fabulous piece of advice. I now work with teenagers and I feel honored to be able to connect with them.”
-Katharine
BRAIN WAVES
What’s in a swipe? What makes an online dating profile stand out? Researchers were curious about the role of originality in successful online dating profiles. The study found that volunteers responded favorably to dating profiles that were original — as long as they weren’t too weird. Specifically, people liked profiles that used clever metaphors or contained detailed self-disclosure statements (“Coffee and a cracker with cheese or jam are essential in my morning ritual.”) They found them more original, and also more attractive. “Given our results, there seem to be (at least) two ways to increase perceptions of profile text originality,” the study concluded. “By disclosing more and concrete personal information, and by using stylistic features, such as...metaphors.”
Strong opinions. How do we form opinions? In a new study, researchers presented people with a problem — a fictitious school that was running out of water due to a local aquifer drying up. They gave people different versions of the story, though. Some read a version that leaned in favor of the school merging with another school. Others read a story that argued in favor of staying separate, and a control group read a balanced story that included arguments for both sides, along with neutral arguments. The researchers then asked people what they thought the school should do. People aligned their opinions with the version of the story they had read, but the more surprising finding was how confident they were about their opinions. Interestingly, though, their opinions weren’t that firm. When presented with the other side’s argument, many people were open to changing their mind. “People are more open-minded and willing to change their opinions than we assume,” said co-author Angus Fletcher. He added, though, that “this same flexibility doesn’t apply to long-held differences, such as political beliefs.”
Forgiveness. Holding a grudge can feel like a form of justice, a way of punishing those who have wronged us. But more often than not, grudges don’t hurt the targets of our anger. Instead, they only hurt us. How can we let them go? Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Dropping the Mask: Have you ever downplayed some aspect of your identity? Maybe you don’t hide it, but you don’t bring it up with certain people, either. It turns out that these subtle disguises can have powerful effects on how we view ourselves. This week, we talk with legal scholar Kenji Yoshino about what happens when we soften or edit our true selves.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Ellen Wyoming DeLoy’s Story: One evening after class, Ellen took public transportation home. It was a quiet night, and when she got off at her stop, there weren't many people around. Then, she heard something that alerted her to potential danger.
Don’t forget to send us the story of your unsung hero! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
MIND GAMES
What has many rings but no fingers?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
A man goes out for a walk during a storm with nothing to protect him from the rain. He doesn’t have a hat, a hood or an umbrella. But by the end of his walk, there isn’t a single wet hair on his head. Why doesn’t the man have wet hair?
Answer: He’s bald
A MOMENT OF JOY
We’ll take it...
Have an idea for Hidden Brain? A story you want to share with us? Send an email to ideas@hiddenbrain.org. Listen to us on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform.