Harvard Thinking
by Harvard University
Latest episode
When lonely hearts turn to AI
When lonely hearts turn to AI
About this podcast
A podcast where the life of the mind meets everyday life. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas, produced by Harvard University. Visit harvard.edu/thinking.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 33 episodes
- When lonely hearts turn to AI · 35 min · Season 1 Episode 32Relationships are hard and people are lonely. Enter: chatbots. They can be your best friend, your therapist, your romantic partner, even your spiritual guide. But what is lost…
- Who should take GLP-1s? · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 31GLP-1 usage has surged as a weight loss management drug. But given how new they are to the market, medical professionals are only now starting to figure out who should – and…
- Is your parenting style working? · 35 min · Season 1 Episode 30Children have minds of their own and those minds might lead to behaviors parents either want to mitigate or reinforce. Parents have difficult choices to make when it comes to…
- The healing power of gene therapy · 32 min · Season 1 Episode 29Gene therapy has been used to treat many previously incurable conditions, like correcting deadly genetic disorders or giving children born with hearing loss the ability to hear…
- Breaking the regret cycle · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 28We all make mistakes. Sometimes we’re able to brush off these experiences, but other times we’re left with regrets. We regret that thing we said, how we handled that situation…
- Why we love dogs— and they love us back · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 27Just under half of households in the U.S. own dogs and say they view their dogs as members of their family. The love goes both ways. Dogs depend on us for their survival, just as…
- Secrets of super-agers · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 26It’s common for our brains and bodies to atrophy with age. But some adults, those known as super-agers, have shown that we may be able to keep the sharpness of someone decades…
- Priced out of the American dream · 34 min · Season 1 Episode 25Owning a home feels increasingly unattainable for many middle-class Americans. Last year, home prices surged to nearly five times the median income. Yet the pace of building new…
- The things we carry · 33 min · Season 1 Episode 24Different forms of adversity – like abuse, violence, and neglect – not only damage our physical and mental health but also change our cells. Scientific advances in the biology of…
- Is marriage worth saving? · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 23Marriage has evolved a lot through the years – and so have the problems and rewards that come with it. Research suggests it benefits our physical and mental health, but it might…
- Preserving learning in the age of AI shortcuts · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 22Generative AI tools are here to stay. There’s a debate around whether or not they should be embraced in spaces of learning. Recent reports suggest that the risks of using these…
- The perils of perfectionism · 29 min · Season 1 Episode 21Many people hold themselves to extremely high standards, but when the scales tip to the pursuit of perfection, it can result in anxiety, depression, and other serious mental…
- How memory works (and doesn’t) · 29 min · Season 1 Episode 20We rely on our memories for so much. Memory is the foundation of our sense of self, ability to learn new information, and stay safe. But our memories are also highly suggestible…
- Why you should give the Mediterranean diet a try · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 19Many diets claim to be good for you. But the Mediterranean diet rises to the top with its research-proven benefits: it’s been shown to increase life expectancy; decrease risk for…
- Are you getting enough sleep? Probably not. · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 18Sleep deprivation is a form of torture, yet we are depriving ourselves of quality sleep more than ever. Six out of 10 adults in the U.S. aren’t getting enough sleep, which leads…
- How to tell a story · 33 min · Season 1 Episode 17Episode Summary: Storytelling is a huge part of the human experience. But how do you tell a good story? There are elements of craft to consider for sure, but for many authors…
- Young people are facing increased cancer risk. Why? · 31 min · Season 1 Episode 16People under 50 are experiencing higher risk of some cancers. While overall cancer rates are declining, the incidence of 14 cancer types have increased in younger people. Why? It…
- Why are U.S. literacy rates declining? · 26 min · Season 1 Episode 15Literacy rates in the U.S. have been in decline for a while now. Experts are combing the data for answers. Researchers are examining the role of curricula, teacher training, and…
- Changing how we deal with change · 29 min · Season 1 Episode 14Is it true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Absolutely not; Research shows that people can and do make dramatic shifts at nearly every life stage. Sometimes that…
- New frontiers in cancer care · 27 min · Season 1 Episode 13It’s a new era in the fight against cancer. The disease still kills nearly 10 million people worldwide every year, but advances in genomic sequencing and artificial intelligence…
