Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Science
The Human Experiment
by Ethan Reed
Today: #60 in Science on our combined chart.
Chart positions today
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Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the Science chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
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| Date | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | #47 | #48 |
About the show
The Human Experiment: Psychology, Behavior & the Science of Being Human
Why do we trust some people instantly but distrust others without knowing why? Why do we follow crowds, fear things that rarely happen, remember certain moments for years, and make decisions we later regret?
Welcome to The Human Experiment, a documentary-style podcast exploring the psychology, behavior, neuroscience, and hidden forces that shape the way humans think and act.
Hosted by Ethan Reed, each episode investigates a fascinating question about human behavior from cognitive biases and social influence to memory, emotions, decision-making, attraction, fear, habits, persuasion, conformity, and the strange ways our brains interpret the world around us.
We explore famous psychological experiments, groundbreaking discoveries, surprising behavioral studies, real-world stories, and everyday situations that reveal something deeper about being human.
✔️ Why do people obey authority?
✔️ Why does rejection hurt so much?
✔️ Why do we procrastinate even when we know the consequences?
✔️ Why are first impressions so powerful?
✔️ Why do intelligent people sometimes believe obviously false ideas?
✔️ And why does our brain often make decisions before we're even aware of them?
The Human Experiment turns complex psychology and behavioral science into compelling stories that are easy to understand and difficult to forget.
No complicated academic lectures. No endless jargon.
Just fascinating questions, evidence-based explanations, unexpected discoveries, and practical insights into the human mind.
Whether you're interested in psychology, neuroscience, human behavior, science, relationships, decision-making, or simply understanding yourself and other people better, The Human Experiment invites you to look at everyday human behavior from a completely different perspective.
Because every day, without realizing it, we're all part of the experiment.
Think differently. Understand yourself. Discover the human experiment.
Latest episodes
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Why Do People Behave Differently in Groups? The Psychology of Group Behavior
September 6, 2026 · 54 minWhy can the same person behave differently when they become part of a team, workplace, family, crowd, or online community? This episode explores the psychology of group behavior and the hidden forces that shape what people do when…
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Why Do We Trust Strangers? The Psychology of Trust, Risk & Human Behavior
September 6, 2026 · 50 minWhy do we trust people we have never met? Why can a stranger’s face, reputation, behavior, or recommendation influence our judgment and why can the same person seem trustworthy to one individual and suspicious to another? In this episode…
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Why Do We Obey Authority? The Psychology of Obedience, Power & Personal Responsibility
September 6, 2026 · 53 minWhy do ordinary people sometimes follow instructions they believe may harm someone else? Why can an authority figure make a questionable action feel acceptable, necessary, or simply easier to continue? In this episode of The Human…
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Why Do We Follow the Crowd? The Psychology of Conformity, Social Influence & Group Pressure
September 6, 2026 · 43 minWhy do we sometimes agree with a group even when we believe the group is wrong? Why can “everyone thinks so” feel like evidence? And how easily can other people influence what we think, say, and do? In this episode of The Human…
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Why Does Rejection Hurt So Much? The Psychology of Belonging, Ostracism & Social Pain
September 6, 2026 · 45 minWhy can a simple “no” change your mood in seconds? Why does being ignored, excluded, rejected by someone you love, or passed over for an opportunity sometimes feel far more painful than the event itself? And why can one rejection lead to…
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Why Do We Believe Things That Aren’t True? The Psychology of Belief, Misinformation & the Illusory Truth Effect
September 6, 2026 · 46 minWhy can a false statement start to feel true simply because we have heard it before? Why can misinformation survive correction, memories become distorted, and familiar claims feel more believable than unfamiliar ones? In this episode of…
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Why Do Humans Judge People So Quickly? The Psychology of First Impressions
September 6, 2026 · 47 minWhy can you look at a stranger for a fraction of a second and immediately feel that they are trustworthy, confident, intelligent, friendly, or dangerous? And once your brain forms that first impression, how difficult is it to change? In…
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Why Do We Procrastinate? The Psychology of Avoidance, Motivation & Delayed Action
September 6, 2026 · 48 minWhy do we procrastinate even when we know exactly what needs to be done? Why can a deadline suddenly make us productive, while the same task feels impossible when there is plenty of time? In this episode of The Human Experiment, Ethan…