It’s taken me much too long to write this review! I have been a fan of Hidden Brain for years, and have purchased numerous books after listening to the interviews. Shankar is such a skilled and inquisitive interviewer - truly the perfect example of what an interviewer should be! Each episode brings a different perspective and he’s had so many fascinating people on the show. Can’t recommend it highly enough!

The dude got political. I understand this is NPR related and thus, nothing but left-wingers run the show, but you had to do it.

Love this show but did not like the most recent story about catching the bunny. Poor bunny.

I love the show but was disgusted when I opened the app and saw the AI photos! I had believed ya’ll put a little more heart and thought into this show than to just slap that on as the cover but I am very disappointed to be wrong. I’m not even fully against AI, but being used in this way is a very saddening move.

Hidden Brain should know better, I thought you were all about being good humans. Using AI images steals from the artists and photographers who did not give permission to be used. I can’t in good conscience listen to a show that doesn’t understand this. Also, the AI images are creepy uncanny valley, they make your show look bad.

5 stars for content. 1 star for delivery because ads are annoying with paid subscription

Your show is very insightful and informative. I like listening and learn how our brain works. Thank you!

Shankar Vedantam’s voice is so soothing and the topics are so on point with what is happening with the collective. Hidden Brain is a social science gem that offers empowering insights.

I love listening to Hidden Brain they are all interesting but some of them are mind blowing

Love your show! So interesting 👏

I find I think back to these episodes after I’ve listened. Interesting to learn why we react the way we do and what we focus on.

UWU SKIBIDI TOILET OHIO GYATT RIZZLER BABY GRONK ALPHA BETA SIGMA MOG MEWING OHIO LIVVY SIGMA, very average.. :)

First off, I do usually love this podcast and am a paid subscriber, however, the last podcast with Jessica Tracy on pride, was disheartening. She includes being extroverted in her list of “all the good traits”. Is being an introvert a ‘bad’ trait? I find it hard to believe that introversion is a trait associated with bragging and or exaggerated displays of pride. I would love to understand that comment more and understand the research associated with it.

I love Hidden Brain. It has pulled me out of the depths of despair many a time. My five stars can counteract one person’s ‘poor’ review of this great show, which reads exactly like a bad Google restaurant review where someone gives one star because it snowed that day and it took them five extra minutes to get to the restaurant. 🙄 If you don’t like a particular episode, MOVE ALONG or don’t listen. One ‘bad’ episode every now and again out of hundreds doesn’t negate a one star.

I understand the need for ads, but the constant interruption with both ads and segue music is distracting and ruins the momentum for me. I'm very interested in the topics and I think you are an excellent interviewer, but when momentum is stopped every few minutes, it's very distracting.

The guest on this episode demonstrated everything not to do to win people over. Why would you have a guest who is obviously so bad at interpersonal skills to discuss this important topic?

I personally find the trope of asking the expert in the topic for a personal anecdote to be obnoxious and distracting. This combined with Shankar speaking to us as if we were children makes for a dumbed down listen on nuanced and complex topics.

Smart, captivating, fun, leaving you better than it finds you!!! Love love love!

I love the Hidden Brain! I look forward to each episode of thought provoking research. But on October 7- the episode “the hidden meaning behind the words we use”-contained some not so hidden sound effects, music, etc. I’m guessing it was to enhance the subject matter. It did not- in fact- I came close to turning off this episode many times because I found the background effects annoying. I know you’ve used music in the past, but this particular effort was a huge distraction from the subject matter- which was as usual- fascinating. Please try and make sure the background sound effects don’t compete w the people talking.

Listening to the latest podcast episode, I was struck by the overuse of voice effects. I found these effects to be very annoying to the degree that I didn’t want to finish the episode. Please reconsider this trend.

I like that this podcast makes you look at things from a different perspective and question why and how you became who you are and how to improve yourself

Thank you for a truly amazing podcast. I just listened to your episode on money amd I took 6 pages of notes! I plan to use my insights to help me rewrite my scripts about money!

Your team has made impactful influence in my own healing journey. I just want to say thank you for providing meaningful conversations amongst the meaningless deceptions common today. As we change ourselves we change the world. Thank you.

I love your podcasts and have learned so much listening to you and your guests. I also love your laugh and sense of humor. I’m from Suriname and live in US since 1971. Keep doing the good work, it’s just great! Li

Sometimes I don’t enjoy a particular topic or guest. As with anything I can skip. It’s my choice- I’ve truly enjoyed so many episodes and recommend this podcast to so many people. Thank you for a smart discussion on sooooo many topics.

Be transparent, how much influence does these to big to fail corporations have on this show.

Interesting and informative

I find the topics interesting but some guests are infuriating like the recent one who had a problem with authority. His refusal to leash dogs where he is supposed to shows a total lack of consideration for the well-being of others, and the fact that he felt safe not complying with the police officer’s instruction shows his huge privilege as a white man in America. It has nothing to do with a suspicion of and natural rebellion against authoritarian dictates but a typical privileged entitlement that puts his pet dog above other humans being safe and not feeling unable to access spaces with a dog running around. Disgusting that the host chuckles and doesn’t challenge him more on his privilege in choosing to disregard rules. In general, the host sometimes has annoying reactions like chuckling too hard or in a way that doesn’t seem sincere or trying to appear empathetic when you can tell it isn’t heartfelt.

This is in regards to the conspiracy of silence episode. I get why you focused on DJT…but fast forward to 2021 and 2022 and the deafening silence at the abject failure that Biden has been. Literally no chance DJT gets away with all the stuff Biden has been given a pass on. Interesting how most media is quiet on the matter. All that is happening now fits the narrative of this episode. Oh and Elon Musk potentially taking over Twitter because it really isn’t the free speech engine many would like to pretend it is! What say you Hidden Brain??🫣

The show has become quite boring. It used to have interesting subjects and guests but all too often has supremely irritating guests who are academics and speak down to us in a pedantic manner. I also find the host’s accent really annoying.

I’ve listened many episodes of this podcast this year and really enjoyed them. Especially episodes “why you feel empty” and “changing our mental maps”, helped me a lot.

This particular episode dedicates almost 90% of the time giving excuses for reasons people don’t follow rules. Shankar laughs when the guest discusses his road rage and the fact that his child throws shoes at him because daddy didn’t approach him the right way and request in a manner the child would accept. Really? What happens when this child goes to school and doesn’t follow rules because the teacher doesn’t have the time to cater to each child’s individual preferences. Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in this family. Another example is the guest complaining about being asked to leash his dog in an area clearly marked to do so. He only complies when ‘caught,’ yet goes back the next day and unleashes his dog. And the host finds this amusing? No wonder our society has become so divided. The last few minutes are spent on a few ‘approaches’ to encourage people to cooperate. Please!!! Some rules just need to be followed without explanation or prodding.

Ooooofffff terrible sticky, drippy mouth sounds. Don’t subject yourself to this, no content is worth listening to people who sound like this when they talk. (Guests and host!) Utterly disgusting.

Is “You 2.0” simply a series of rerun episodes? Could be nice to identify recycled episodes out of kindness. Otherwise nice podcast!

Hi Shankar, Long time listener here. I am a breastfeeding medicine doctor and researcher and was disappointed by the poor representation of breastfeeding data in the “where truth lies” episode of all places!! Alex Edmans is clearly well versed in economics literature but not in breastfeeding literature as there do exist causality studies in breastfeeding. Moreover, infant formula is not a treatment for babies born small for gestational age or jaundice as long as maternal milk production is robust. Please consider having a breastfeeding researcher on soon to correct this often misrepresented data set!

As a long time listener of the podcast, I was very disappointed with this episode. The arrogance of the guest Benjamin Rosenberg was something else. I totally get the road rage part - who among us hasn’t shown our worst self on the road at one point or another. But the off leash dog story? WTH was that about and how was it relevant to the show? It had nothing to do with autonomy and everything to do with being a lousy citizen, unquestionably selfish and completely unaware of one’s privilege. It just makes no sense to me that a show of this caliber would not think twice about airing the rubbish that came of of this guy's mouth.

So good! Love it

Will stop listening after the episode “you’re not the boss of me”. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to keep a dog leashed. I’m extremely passionate about leashed dogs and would 100% call the cops on an unleashed dog. This is from personal experiences of being attacked numerous times by “friendly/well behaved” leashed dogs. Shame on you HiddenBrain for endorsing an extremely triggering topic!

I’ve been listening for years. I’ve learned so much. Now I amaze and amuse my family with many a factoid. Not to diminish any of the content but to highlight how the podcasters do a great job of presenting information in a fun and meaningful way.

So grateful for the insightful, well-researched, thoughtful and thought-provoking content this team puts out!

I used to LOVE this podcast. I would look forward to new episodes every week on my commute home. Truly enjoyed (almost) every episode… Unfortunately, I had to stop following due to the normalization of the events happening at the hands of the apartheid Israeli regime. I am disappointed that Shankar repeatedly references “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” without mentioning the thousands that have been murdered by Israel over the past year (or 75 years for that matter). Tone-deaf and insensitive. Expected more from Shankar and this podcast. Stop normalizing genocide. Do better.

I love the show Hidden Brain but was disappointed in the episode Why You Feel Empty. I listened to it twice but found it lacking in two specific and important areas; why we feel that way and what to do about it. There were several examples of people feeling empty, but no real definition of why they felt that way. And in section of the show on what to do about it towards the end, the guest went into long explanations about support at work for difficult jobs, yet he said the groups that feel empty are young adults and retired people, which aren’t working anymore so I found that kind of disingenuous. I found much more useful information about this topic online.

I subscribed to Hidden Brain Plus to avoid the ads but the subscriber edition still has ads. And a lot of them. I like the content of the show and have been listening for over a year but I feel duped having paid over $40 for an annual subscription on the find out I still have to listen to all of the ads. Very disappointing. I will obviously not be renewing and won’t be listening to the show on principle.

Shankar Vedantam hosts a truly unique and insightful series; I love it! Unfortunately, the commercials are off-putting, especially the ones read by Shankar himself; they sully his credibility. CAVEAT EMPTOR: I tried the free trial with the expectation that the commercials would stop, but they did not. (Wondry nixes all commercials with a subscription). Despite the off-putting commercials, I let the free trial lapse thinking I wouldn’t mind paying for one month, but to my surprise I was automatically billed for a full year—$42! Really?! I have several podcast subscriptions, but I’ve never been billed up front for a full year. I immediately cancelled my Hidden Brain subscription and Apple gave me a full refund.

My go to show each week. See you in Aspen 7/11!

Citing a study about how Israeli women deal with the “stress of conflict” right now — without any mention of the constant stress of the horrors of the genocide being committed against the innocent men, women, and children of Palestine — is extremely tone deaf at best and disgustingly insensitive/insidiously drumming up sympathy for the “victim” colonizers at worst. You should be doing an episode about how historically victimized/targeted groups can go on to dehumanize and commit mass atrocity onto another group, and how media and average citizens there and abroad can just sit by or support such despicable actions.

Shankar seems like a compassionate individual, which is why I can’t understand how he’s okay with guests — like today’s neuroscientist — referring to animal experiments (in this case monkeys). The episode was on “resparkling” — hardly an important enough reason to warrant experimenting on monkeys. As a host, there are ways to address this issue, but first he has to truly care about it.

Hello, As you may have noticed I ranked this podcast at only 3 stars. Which has nothing to do with the context of the episodes, those are great. But rather with the fact that you are trying to get the best of both worlds at the cost of your audience. You charge for the podcast, but same time you include commercials. This looks simply unfair and dramatically reduces the pleasure of listening to your episodes. I hope you can reconsider your approach and make it more audience friendly.

I love everything about this show—except the sponsor breaks, which feel disproportionately frequent and long.

I like your show, but I believe some of your guests opinions are not valid. Specifically your guest Ara Norezayan’s view in regards to religion seemed to be biased by his own experiences. Most times certain types of religions were forced on people by rulers of the time. Sometimes there were economic incentives. People were killed in wars in the name of God. But the aim may have been gaining power and soldiers understood the main aim while fighting in the name of God. God is just a representation of power and order. But our inclination toward order does not mean that our brains are programmed to believe in God.