Is insomnia really a problem of modern life... or is the struggle for sleep older than you think? It's a common lament: this new world of smartphones and constant connectivity makes it nearly impossible to get enough sleep. But Shakespeare's characters were up all night, sleepwalking, and freaking out about their daily lives. Just how have our sleeping patterns really changed since the invention of the electric light? Dessa dives deep into the science of sleep to find out what we need, what we're missing, and why it can be so hard to get a full night's rest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2022
Why are we so judgemental about how others beautify themselves? Do you wear eyeliner? Dye your hair? Ever gone under a laser, needle, or knife? When it comes to beautification, how far do you think is too far? And why are there such strong moral overtones to our conversations about where to draw the line? From Instagram Face to pretty privilege, the male gaze to “anti-feminism”, cultural appropriation to the capitalist machine - a tour of the cosmetic cuts surprisingly deep.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2022
Why do we hate one another - and how can we stop? How and when does conflict metastasize into hatred? Dessa picks apart the science of hostility, with help from a criminologist who identifies the tipping point between prejudice and hate, and an Israeli psychologist who's studied one of the longest conflicts in the world today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2022
Why do you have all that stuff? What drives us to get and keep so much stuff - even objects that we rarely, if ever, use? Psychologists working on cortisol levels found that living in a messy or cluttered home may correlate to higher rates of depression and that conspicuous consumption may be affecting our well-being. When does your stuff start to own you? Dessa talks with experts about how animal hoarding behaviors compare with our own, and speaks to a money-saving guru who might make you rethink your relationship to things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2022
Why do we form social hierarchies? From corporate ladders to military chains of command, formal caste systems to playground pecking orders, humans are particularly sensitive to social status. And we display our rank in all sorts of ways, even without realizing it - through our posture, vocal pitch, and patterns of eye contact. Join Dessa to learn how social hierarchies are formed, how they might be dismantled, and the many ways in which they color our daily exchanges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2022
Why do you love the way you do? We're expected to love only one romantic partner at a time. But we can love more than one parent, sibling, and friend - so why do so many cultures demand monogamy in romance? Is it time to reconsider the old model? Dessa speaks with a philosopher, an economist, and sexpert Dan Savage to talk about love, sex, and commitment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2022
Why do we use intoxicants? Whether it’s booze, weed, opiates, or even caffeine, the drive to catch a buzz seems almost universal for members of our species. For big parts of the world, drinking alcohol plays a huge role in our social lives, in religious rituals, and in some eras it was even a prerequisite for civic engagement. Find out how the phrase “take him down a peg or two” was derived from a drinking game, which animals consume alcohol, and hear from the professor inventing an alcohol substitute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2022
Monogamy, sleep deprivation, high fashion, and avant-garde Japanese dance—that’s right Deeply Human is coming back with a bang. In season 2, Dessa, speaks to psychologists, animal behaviorists, mathematicians, historians, and one legendary DJ to ask the evergreen question: why do you do what you do? Why does music animate our bodies? Why are we so keen to form social hierarchies? Why do humans use intoxicants? We’re talking about everyone’s favorite topic—you. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2022
What that feeling that you have lived all this before means.
Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2021
Why a perfectly symmetrical face is so attractive.
Transcribed - Published: 12 April 2021
Why we rage against those who refuse to wait their turn.
Transcribed - Published: 5 April 2021
Why it’s a milestone for toddlers but a slippery slope for everyone else.
Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2021
Date less, love more? Why compatibility seems so hard to find.
Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2021
Musician, writer and science fiend Dessa explores the hidden motors that drive human experience and behavior. Why do we get déjà vu? Why are we attracted to symmetrical faces? Why do we listen to music that makes us sad? Why is the female orgasm still such a mystery to sex researchers?Here are tender and moving personal stories as well as the latest scientific and psychological understanding of human nature. All combined at times with fits of laughter and just plain puzzlement. Deeply Human finds out what we all want to know: why do you do what you do?Subscribe for free now, so you'll be the first to hear Deeply Human when episodes launch Monday, March 8. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2021
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