Do you ever feel like you and a friend are speaking past each other?

Or that you're not sure how to break out of a rut?

I'm Shankar Vedantam, host of the podcast Hidden Brain.

We explore questions that keep you up at night

and provide answers that are grounded in rigorous science.

Join us each week to explore your Hidden Brain.

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Hey kid, have you heard this one before?

You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you shouldn't pick your friends' nose.

Gross.

Yeah, super gross.

But be honest, you've picked your nose, haven't you?

Um, you might even be picking it right now.

Nah, nah, I don't know about that.

Who hasn't? I have. Your friends have.

Your parents, your teachers, even the most famous people in the world pick their nose.

And if you're really, really famous and powerful,

maybe you can get someone else to pick your nose for you.

...