Episode notes
Northwestern University just launched the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement, a real-world institution devoted to "research-backed approaches to cultivating open-mindedness, identifying one’s own cognitive biases, working collaboratively with others despite disagreement and more."
You Are Not So Smart
by You Are Not So Smart · English · Tech & Science
You Are Not So Smart is a show about psychology that celebrates science and self delusion. In each episode, we explore what we've learned so far about reasoning, biases, judgments, and decision-making.
More from You Are Not So Smart
-
22 Jun 2026 · 47 min
342 - The Conspiracy Theorist Who Changed His Mind
Tim Harford of the podcast Cautionary Tales sits down with David McRaney to hear a story from David's book, How Minds Change, about how (and why) a prominent conspiracy theorist realized he was wrong.
-
8 Jun 2026 · 45 min
341 - Positive Rants - Heather Barnes
Communications professor Heather Barnes teaches us how to truly engage with difficult people through the power of positive rants.
-
25 May 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
340 - Thinking Sideways - Jennifer Shahade
Chess champion Jennifer Shahade tells us how we can borrow from the best chess players' decision-tree approach to avoid considering every possible option and instead "think sideways" to consider the best choices on the board.
-
27 Apr 2026 · 40 min
338 - May Contain Lies - Alex Edmans (rebroadcast)
Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, tells us how to avoid the Ladder of Misinference.
-
13 Apr 2026 · 1 hr
337 - Cognitive Surrender - Gideon Nave and Steven D. Shaw
How is AI reshaping human reasoning? What is cognitive surrender, and how do we avoid its negative impact? What is system three thinking, and how can we get the most out of it?
-
30 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
336 - The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth (rebroadcast)
If you want to create a movement that can change the national status quo, you don't need half the country, you only need 3.5 percent of the population to join – but there are some caveats.
-
28 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
349 - AI Risk - Jesse Richardson
Jesse Richardson wants to improve our critical thinking about AI risk through the gamification of our rampant speculation. In this episode he explains AI safety isn't just one thing, there are a bunch of different risk profiles and each needs to be considered critically.
-
14 Sep 2026 · 44 min
348 - The Dress - Decoder Ring
We return to The Dress and the psychological lessons offered by one of the most viral moments in the history of the internet via an episode of Decoder Ring in which David McRaney shares some insights from his book, How Minds Change, with Willa Paskin, the host of Decoder Ring.
-
31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
347 - Under Alien Skies - Phil Plait
Astronomer Phil Plait joins us to discuss his book, Under Alien Skies, in which he describes what it would actually be like to travel to Saturn, Mars, asteroids, and distant stars.
-
17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr
346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher
The suffering is real, but the source may not be what you assume. That's the essence of the nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin. As neuroscientist Dr. Helen Pilcher explains, illness is not simply a matter of biology. Our thoughts, conscious or otherwise, can make lead to symptoms in unexpected ways.
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
