Welcome to the first episode of the Hidden Brain Podcast.

I'm Shankar Vedanta.

You may know me as NPR Social Science correspondent or the author of the Hidden Brain, a book

about unconscious bias.

I love making connections between the things I see every day and the world of psychology,

sociology and economics.

This podcast is going to be a conversation about the unseen patterns in our lives.

Today I'm going to tell you about a communication problem in many relationships.

It's not obvious, but it's so common that as you hear about it, you're going to think

of half a dozen examples where this has happened in your own life.

I'm also going to play a rapid fire game with a friend to tell you four ways you can

become a better communicator.

Then, I'm going to talk with comedian Michel about the importance of incorporating rituals

into our busy lives.

We're going to talk about human behavior in lots of different ways on this podcast.

We're going to have stories, conversations and we're also going to play lots and lots

of games.

Today, we're going to play a music game.

I've asked a colleague on NPR science test to join me.

He's Adam Cole.

Hi, Adam.

Hi, Shankar.

...