This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedanthan.

Though the cups at Starbucks have been red since the day after Halloween, Thanksgiving

marks the start of the holiday season for most people.

That means taking the time to reflect on everything we're grateful for, being generous, spending

time with the people we love.

So you can say to yourself, I can't get into an argument with Uncle Joe, but that might

not work nearly as well as saying, you know, I don't get into stupid political fights

with people who don't know what they're talking about.

We all know that the whole spending time with the people we love part can be a little

challenging.

When you refuse to apologize, it actually makes you feel more empowered.

On this week's episode, we'll talk about some themes that often come up in disagreements

around the dinner table, and we'll give you some strategies to help keep the peace.

This holiday week, we're going to bring you two short conversations I had with Steve

Inskeep.

He's a host of NPR's Morning Edition.

If you haven't heard me on the air, I often talk with Steve about new social science research

on the radio.

After that, we're going to have a brand new edition of Stopwatch Science with Daniel Pink.

Our theme throughout this episode is how social science can help you have a happy Thanksgiving.

So let's do it right, and Wendy, why don't you say grace?

You still love to say grace, remember?

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