BRAIN WAVES
Hope. Mindfulness is often touted as the antidote to, well, pretty much everything. But when it comes to feeling resilient in the face of an intense challenge, hopefulness might be more useful. A new study that looked at people who were out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic found that hopefulness was associated with higher levels of resilience than mindfulness. It also led to lower levels of distress over time. Why? Mindfulness is all about staying present and accepting things as they are, but hopefulness focuses on looking ahead, which can put people in a solution-focused mindset. The researchers conclude that "in times of intense stress or adversity, future-oriented thinking such as hope may be more effective than mindfulness in sustaining positive mindsets and action-oriented outcomes such as engagement.”
Just say no. We all get invited to social gatherings from time to time, and occasionally, we’d much rather stay home in our pajamas. But we might hesitate to decline these invitations because we don’t want to offend the person who invited us. Good news — a new study suggests these fears might be overblown. Researchers found that people tend to overestimate how negatively others will respond to a declined invitation. They estimated that this might happen because, when we say no, we focus on the act of rejection itself, while the person inviting us is more attuned to the reasons behind our response. In other words, when we decline an invite, the inviter is probably more understanding and empathetic than we think. So go ahead. Stay in your pajamas.
My life. We all have to make certain choices in life, such as where to live and how to earn a living. And sometimes, we end up going in a direction that leaves us deeply unsatisfied. But there are things we can do to make sure our choices align with our deepest values. Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Wellness 2.0: When It’s All Too Much: It’s no exaggeration to say that the world in 2025 can be … a lot. Sometimes it may seem that tuning it all out is our only option. This week on Hidden Brain, we talk with researcher Sarah Jaquette Ray about how we can reclaim our sense of efficacy and purpose in the face of big, systemic problems like climate change. Then, we bring you an audio essay from writer Pico Iyer, who shares his thoughts on how we can regain our footing when life is overwhelming.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Claire Burnside Och’s story: When Claire Burnside Och was a server at a high-end restaurant, she accidentally got cork in a customer’s expensive bottle of wine. But instead of acting annoyed, he handled it with grace.
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.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Start your new year on a strong foot! Check out the New Beginnings collection on Apple Podcasts for lots of ideas from us and other shows about how to live well, achieve your goals and broaden your horizons in 2025. http://apple.co/newbeginnings2025
MIND GAMES
What three numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
What starts with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
The answer: A teapot
A MOMENT OF JOY
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.