Braincraft

Thanks to YOU, PBS Digital Studios and a variety of other sponsors for their support over the past 5 years of BrainCraft. Let's keep this thing going, yeah?

“Overthinking” is often reported as being a bad habit and is frequently used interchangeably with rumination. But overthinking isn’t necessarily bad and rumination is just one type of overthinking.

This video dives into why we interrupt. Some reasons why are more straightforward: perhaps you blurt something out, perhaps people are jerks, but some new research tries to identify the bits of the brain that are responsible for you keeping time in a conversation. The research involves an obscure species of ultrasonic singing mice. Naturally.

Are you an introvert or an extravert? This video explores the nuances of introversion and some findings on how introverts can enjoy higher levels of wellbeing. Previous personality psychology research has found that extraverts are happier, on average, so a new line of research is digging into why.

Since I started working from home, I snack constantly while I work. When I have a difficult task, I often find myself standing in front of the pantry. Snacking isn’t always bad, but for me it means that I often don’t eat lunch or dinner, just snacks snacks snacks snacks. Many of my friends who work from home, or who have unlimited snacks at work, have expressed a similar sentiment. So, I started to wonder that there must be some underlying psychology here, and surely some tips about how I can stop. Now you should probably stop reading this and watch the video.

Body language analysis has long been a theme in popular books, traditional media and now, an increasing number of YouTube channels. While this is all pretty entertaining, it's not scientific: It’s really, really hard to study body language.

From time to time, we all need to stay motivated. A lack of motivation can be something that can affect us every day – whether at work or at home, where we always intend on going to the gym, but can't quite get that boost we need to get out the door. So, here are some tips on how to find your intrinsic motivation. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments!

In this episode, I went to visit Hank Green to test his self-awareness – how much someone’s views of themself are in touch with what they’re actually like. It’s also called self-knowledge or private self-consciousness.

Original Title: This One Thing Ruins Your Decisions What's the one thing that can ruin your decision making abilities? It's sunk cost bias, where we are more likely to choose something we’ve invested time or money in, even if it’s not the best decision for our future wealth or happiness. I'm trying to improve my decision making, and I hope these psychology tips will equip you to make better decisions in your life.

Do something kind for others. It's good for *you*.

Earlier this year, people messaged me saying they were skeptical of diversity programs (particularly in STEM). So, we dive into the psychology and economics research to see what the impact of diverse teams is on innovation and financial performance. And, it turns out having more perspectives, different experience and an inclusive environment is good for business.

Gratitude is a hot topic in popular psychology – but is it always a good thing? In this episode we explore "insincere gratitude" where your thanks could be doing more harm than good.

This year I released an Everyday Psychology mini-series that offered brain tips and insights based on research. Some of you commented that they weren't relevant to those with general anxiety, social anxiety depression or on the autism spectrum, so I called up my friend Ali Mattu to see what these tips would look like for a larger population. And, he reviews my brain tips. Thanks to Ali for his time and YOU for the episode suggestion.

How to actually form habits that stick?