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As we move through the world, it's easy to imagine we're processing everything that happens around us and then deciding how to respond. But psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb says our brains actually navigate the world by coming up with mental maps. These maps act like an autopilot system, allowing us to navigate our lives more efficiently. But sometimes, they can lead us astray, leaving us stuck on a path of negativity and unhappiness. This week, we talk with Norman Farb about how we can update our internal maps and see the world around us more clearly.

It's human nature to make plans, to generate expectations. To imagine how things will go. But life often has other plans in store for us. In part two of our conversation with psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb, we discuss practical ways we can all break free of negative thought patterns and rewrite our mental maps.

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Cognitive scientist Nafees Hamid studies the minds of people drawn to radical or fringe ideas. This week, he takes us on a deep dive into the motivations of people on the brink of extremism -- and those who have already been radicalized. We examine what prompts people to turn to violence, and how to pull them back from the seductive appeal of extremist ideas.

You know that negative voice that goes round and round in your head, keeping you up at night? When that negative inner voice gets switched on, it’s hard to think about anything else. Psychologist Ethan Kross has a name for it: chatter. In this favorite conversation from 2022, we talk with Ethan about how to keep our negative emotions from morphing into chatter.

Across every domain of our lives, our minds have a tendency to get accustomed to things. In fact, the brain seems evolutionarily designed to focus on the new and unexpected, on novel threats and opportunities. In our daily lives, this means we take wonderful things for granted. We cease to appreciate amazing people, or the good fortune of being healthy. This week, neuroscientist Tali Sharot explains why we get used to things — and how to see with fresh eyes.

We all experience cravings. But some cravings become compulsions, leading us to feel powerless over our own wants and needs. In this follow-up episode with Judson Brewer, we answer your questions about how to navigate cravings of all kinds.

If you missed our initial conversation on cravings, be sure to give it a listen! You can find it here: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-curious-science-of-cravings/