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All Episodes

The Next Big Idea — 347 episodes

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Title
1

This World Cup Is Messy. Watch It Anyway.

2

The Case for AI Optimism with Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler

3

Best Of: The Power of Thinking Outside Your Brain

4

Want to Be Happier? Try Talking to Strangers.

5

Best Of: Gretchen Rubin’s Guide to Getting Out of Your Head and Into the World

6

The Case for Speechmaking in the Age of Doomscrolling

7

Best Of: Stop Chasing More. Start Embracing Your Limits.

8

When Will AI Empty Your Dishwasher? (with Nicholas Thompson)

9

Best Of: An Epicurean Guide to the Good Life

10

What if Uncertainty Isn’t Such a Bad Thing?

11

You Can Grow Your Brain. Here’s How.

12

Turning Constraints Into Breakthroughs with David Epstein

13

You're in the Hospitality Business (Whether You Know It or Not)

E
14

We're Still Thinking About This Conversation with Will Guidara

15

Here’s Our Favorite Book of the Season

16

“Beliefs Are Tools, Not Truths”

17

The History and Future of Apple

E
18

Best Of: Tony Fadell’s Guide to Building Products, Startups and Careers

19

Demis Hassabis Wants to Build AGI. Should We Trust Him?

20

Patrick Radden Keefe on a Double Life, a Gilded City and a Mysterious Death

21

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay

22

Best Of: The New Science of Improving Your Memory

23

How to Find the Meaning of Your Life (with Arthur C. Brooks)

24

The Surprising Power of Oversharing

25

How a Mormon Journalist Became a Degenerate Gambler

26

Michael Pollan on Food, Psychedelics and His Next Book

27

The Story of Stories

28

Best Of: How To Connect With Anyone

29

A War Correspondent on the Crisis in Iran

30

How AI Could Change Everything in the Next 1,000 Days

31

Do We Even Need Politicians?

32

Inside the Most Creative Friendship in History

33

Michael Pollan on the Mystery of Consciousness

34

The Science of Change

35

Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life

36

A Practical Guide to Achieving Excellence

37

Does "Mattering" Explain Everything?

38

The Superpower You Didn’t Know You Had

39

‘It’s a Real Company Run by Fake People’

40

CRYPTO: Is It Quietly Transforming the Global Economy?

41

Why the Blockchain Is Still Critical to Our Future

42

Reading Rewired the Human Brain. What Happens If We Stop Doing It?

43

How to Make Your Holiday Gatherings Memorable

44

FLOURISH: Daniel Coyle on the Art and Science of Feeling Alive

45

Kari Leibowitz Loves Winter (And You Can Too)

46

Best Of: How Successful Groups Work

47

AI and the Future of the University

48

Best Of: David Brooks on the Art of Seeing Others Deeply

49

STRONG GROUND: Brené Brown on the Daring Leadership the World Needs Now

50

Brené Brown on courageous leadership (from ReThinking with Adam Grant)

51

Walter Isaacson on The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

52

Best Of: Decoding Elon Musk

53

Andrew Ross Sorkin: What the Crash of 1929 Says About Today

54

Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson on What Running Can Teach Us

55

COMMON KNOWLEDGE: Steven Pinker on Awkward Dates, Cancel Culture and the Necessity of Norms

56

A Food Crisis Is Brewing. Are We Ready?

E
57

The Future Is Going to Be Great

58

PRIMAL INTELLIGENCE: You’re Smarter Than You Realize

59

STEVEN PINKER: How Common Knowledge and Rationality Make the World Go Round

60

AI & THE BRAIN: How Different Are They?

61

Best Of: Jonathan Haidt on What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids

62

ARTHUR C. BROOKS: Success Won’t Make You Happy — Here’s What Will

63

THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson

64

Best Of: Sebastian Junger’s Journey to the Edge and Back

65

INTUITION: The Science of Trusting Your Gut

66

Can Rogue Archeologists Bring the Past Back to Life?

67

WHAT WE VALUE: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Making Better Choices

68

SUPER AGERS (Part 2): Eric Topol on Sleep, GLP-1s, and AI

69

SUPER AGERS (Part 1): The Revolutionary New Science of Longevity

70

GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rule-Breakers

71

Best Of: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly

72

AI FIRST: The Tsunami Is Already Here

73

Best Of: Michael Lewis Runs Toward Pleasure

74

How Susan Cain Found Her Voice

75

HOPE FOR CYNICS: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness

76

RISE ABOVE: How to Realize Your Full Potential

77

MORAL AMBITION: Are You Wasting Your Talent?

78

NVIDIA: Jensen Huang Bet Big on AI. What Comes Next?

79

EXPLORATION: Why We Seek Out Big Challenges

80

AI 2027: What If Superhuman AI Is Right Around the Corner?

81

THE ART OF EDITING: Graydon Carter on the Golden Age of Magazines

82

FAMILY DYNAMICS: Unraveling the Mystery of Sibling Success

83

ABUNDANCE: Derek Thompson on How to Actually Rebuild the American Dream

84

WHY GIVERS WIN: Adam Grant Revisits 'Give and Take'

85

BITCOIN: A 15-Year Quest to Unmask the Mysterious Inventor of Crypto

86

YOU, BUT BETTER: The Science and Promise of Personality Change

87

CARL ZIMMER: The Untold Story of the Air We Breathe

88

SAHIL BLOOM: The 5 Types of Wealth

89

STORY: How to Tell a Great One (Part 2)

90

STORY: The Science Behind Humanity’s Superpower (Part 1)

91

The Former Head of USAID on Why Foreign Aid Benefits Everyone

92

Three Things We Learned Last Year

93

SUPERAGENCY: What Could Go Right With AI?

94

SHIFT: How to Manage Your Emotions

95

WINTER: The Secret to Thriving in the Darkest Season

96

DRIVE: A Fresh Look at the Science of Motivation (with Daniel Pink)

97

James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (Encore)

98

How to Find Purpose, Meaning, and Success (2022)

99

WHAT IS LIFE? (Part 2): Consciousness, AI, and Aliens

100

WHAT IS LIFE? (Part 1): A Mind-Bending Conversation with Sara Walker

101

STRATEGY: How to Make Better Plans

102

TECH AGNOSTIC: How Technology Became the World's Top Religion

103

The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect (2023)

104

CATCHING SOULS: An Obituary Writer’s Lessons for Living

105

THE INTERESTING: How to Live the Good Life

106

A Productivity Podclass with Cal Newport

107

Human History Is Not Set In Stone

108

Want a More Meaningful Life? Embrace Your Limitations.

109

THE WORK OF ART: How Something Comes From Nothing

110

ANXIOUS GENERATION (Part 2): How to Raise Resilient Kids in the Digital Age

111

ANXIOUS GENERATION (Part 1): What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids

112

Life Is a Game. Here's How to Play It.

113

REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT: Malcolm Gladwell Revisits the Science of Social Contagion

114

The Future of Storytelling, According to Malcolm Gladwell

115

NEXUS (Part 2): Yuval Noah Harari on How to Safeguard Humanity in the Age of AI

116

NEXUS (Part 1): Can Democracy Survive the AI Revolution? (with Yuval Noah Harari)

117

Can We End Poverty by Just Giving People Cash?

118

GOING INFINITE: Michael Lewis Wants to Change Your Mind About Sam Bankman-Fried

119

SUPERCONVERGENCE: Biotechnology Is About to Transform the World. Are We Ready?

120

ANXIOUS ACHIEVER: How You Can Turn Anxiety Into a Superpower

121

ON THE EDGE (Part 2): How to Get Ahead by Thinking Probabilistically

122

ON THE EDGE (Part 1): Nate Silver on Politics, Poker, and Risk-Taking

123

The Case for Effective Altruism

124

Laziness Does Not Exist

125

ALCOHOL: The Good, the Bad, and the Bubbly

126

Living for Pleasure

127

PROBABILITY: How a 250-Year-Old Theorem Still Explains the World

128

GOOD ENERGY (Part 2): Casey Means on How to Supercharge Your Diet

129

GOOD ENERGY (Part 1): How to Feel Incredible, Avoid Disease, and Age Well

130

BEN FRANKLIN: A Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life

131

Bill Gates Says Superhuman AI May Be Closer Than You Think

132

FRICTION: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier (with Adam Grant & Bob Sutton)

133

INFERNAL MACHINE: Dynamite, Anarchy and the Future of Creativity

134

UNCERTAINTY: The Surprising Power of Being Unsure

135

SAL KHAN: How AI Will Revolutionize the Way We Learn

136

AFTERLIFE: Sebastian Junger’s Journey to the Edge and Back

137

FUNNER: How Language Evolves and Why It Matters

138

DEMON OF UNREST: Why the Civil War Matters Today (with Erik Larson)

139

ALGEBRA OF WEALTH: Scott Galloway’s Formula for Financial Success

140

WHY WE REMEMBER: The New Science of Improving Your Memory

141

SLOW PRODUCTIVITY: Can We Get More Done by Doing Less?

142

MAGICAL OVERTHINKING: Why Modern Life Is Making Us More Irrational

143

Everything Paul Bloom Knows About Psychology

144

GET THE PICTURE: Why Bother With Art?

145

LOOK AGAIN: How to See Your Life With Fresh Eyes

146

GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World

147

BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech

148

SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone

149

MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity

150

RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift

151

BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters

152

BIG BETS: A Practical Guide to Changing the World

153

CLIMATE OPTIMISM: Can We Still Build a Sustainable World?

154

FREE WILL: Are We Better Off Without It?

155

ATOMIC HABITS: James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (and Breaking Bad Ones)

156

THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness

157

How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (2021)

158

Rory Stewart on Politics, Ambition, and Making a Difference

159

PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: Timeless Lessons from Morgan Housel

160

EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

161

THE FAMILY OUTING: Secrets, Memory, and Living Authentically

162

Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations (with Anna Sale)

163

ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE: What It’s Doing to Our Kids—and to Us

164

FAILURE: The Science of Learning From Your Mistakes

165

HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply (with David Brooks)

166

HIDDEN POTENTIAL: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things

167

FACIAL RECOGNITION: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It

168

Daniel Pink and Brian Lowery Aren’t Sure That You Exist

169

Susan Cain on the Power of the Bittersweet (2022)

170

HUMAN COMPATIBLE: Can We Control Artificial Intelligence?

171

UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY: The Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

172

ELON MUSK: Walter Isaacson on the World’s Most Polarizing Person

173

CHANGE: How to Excel When Everything Is in Flux

174

DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

175

PERENNIALS: How to Thrive in a Post-Generational Society

176

ULTRA-PROCESSED: What Fake Food Is Doing to Our Health

177

How to Succeed by Quitting (2022)

178

Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction (2021)

179

WORK: Henry David Thoreau on Making a Meaningful Living

180

RISE AND SHINE: How to Have the Perfect Morning

181

Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds: The Future of Sentience

182

You Should Have More Fun This Summer. Here’s Why.

183

PARKING: How It Explains the World

184

OUTLIVE (Part 2): How to Optimize Your Diet, Sleep, and Emotional Health

185

OUTLIVE (Part 1): Peter Attia’s Guide to the Science of Longevity

186

THE WAGER: David Grann Tells a Tale of Shipwreck and Mutiny

187

THE REAL WORK: Adam Gopnik on the Mystery of Mastery

188

JOY OF MOVEMENT: How Exercise Can Help You Find Happiness and Connection

189

BREAKTHROUGH: How to Get Unstuck and Achieve Anything

190

EXCELLENT ADVICE: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly

191

SELFLESS: Why “You” Are a Social Creation

192

The Next Big Idea Club Presents — "Immortality: A User's Guide"

193

Steven Johnson & Michael Specter on the Future of Life

194

You Need a Bedtime (from The Next Big Idea Daily)

195

SENSES: Gretchen Rubin’s Guide to Getting Out of Your Head and Into the World

196

PSYCH: The Story of the Human Mind

197

PREPPY: The Surprising Origins of American Style

198

SUCCESSION: The True Story Behind the Hit Show

199

ABOLISH POVERTY: Matthew Desmond on How We Can Do It

200

READING: Are We Forgetting How To Do It?

201

David Chalmers Thinks We May Be Living in a Simulation (and He’s OK With It)

202

Is AI Moving Too Fast? A Conversation With Kevin Roose

203

LIFE IS SHORT: The Upside of Death

204

MUSIC: What the Songs You Love Say About You

205

AI: The Origin Story

206

Not Finished Is Not Failure (from The Next Big Idea Daily)

207

CELLS: Siddhartha Mukherjee on the Breakthroughs That Are Revolutionizing Medicine

208

Introducing: The Next Big Idea Daily

209

PLEASURE: An Epicurean Guide to the Good Life

210

POWER FAILURE: What Happened to GE? (with Malcolm Gladwell & William Cohan)

211

DIET: The New Science of Healthy Eating

212

How to Develop Your Passions and Avoid Burnout (with Atul Gawande and Adam Grant)

213

FEELINGS: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work

214

SAPIENS: Yuval Noah Harari on Our Past, Present, and Future

215

ANALOG: Let’s Build a More Human World

216

SLEEP: How Understanding Your Body’s Clock Can Revolutionize Your Health

217

ANIMALS: They’re Smarter Than You Think

218

HUMOR: The Case for Navigating Life on the Precipice of a Smile

219

GOOD ARGUMENTS: Adam Grant and Champion Debater Bo Seo on the Craft of Persuasion

220

NEURODIVERSITY: Why No Two Brains Are Alike

221

STATUS: Does Our Need for It Explain ... Everything?

222

Bittersweet: An Audio E-Course by Susan Cain

223

Bonus: Eric Barker Gives Daniel Pink Relationship Advice

224

LONGTERMISM: Why You Should Care About Future People

225

QUIT: Why You Have to Give Up if You Want to Get Ahead

226

PUZZLES: What Crosswords, Riddles, and Wordle Can Teach You About the Meaning of Life

227

BUILD: Tony Fadell’s Guide to Making Cool Stuff

228

SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST: How Tech Billionaires Are Preparing for Doomsday

229

HAPPINESS: Arthur C. Brooks Shares His Roadmap for Finding Purpose, Meaning, and Success

230

DeepMind's Demis Hassabis on the future of AI (from The TED Interview)

231

Summer Getaway #4: The Making of ‘Bull Durham’ (with Ron Shelton)

232

Summer Getaway #3: The 12-Hour Walk (with Colin O’Brady)

233

Summer Getaway #2: An American Odyssey (with Ben McGrath)

234

Summer Getaway #1: The Beach (with Sarah Stodola)

235

Finding Stillness With Ryan Holiday

236

Amanda Little on the Fate of Food

237

John Colapinto on the Power and Beauty of the Human Voice

238

THE ESSENTIALS: Our Favorite Moments From Season 4

239

BICYCLES: Are They the Future of Transportation?

240

BIG DATA: Cracking the Codes of Love, Happiness and Success

241

Susan Cain & Daniel Pink: Writing, Longing, and the Search for Meaning

242

RELATIONSHIPS: Why Everything You Know About Them Is (Mostly) Wrong

243

How To Be a Grown-Up

244

IMAGINABLE: How Anyone Can Predict the Future (Yes, Even You)

245

CULTURE: How Successful Groups Work

246

GET IT DONE: How the Science of Motivation Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

247

Bonus: The Not-So-Great Resignation (WorkLife with Adam Grant)

248

FUN: How to Have More of It

249

TWITTER: What Elon Musk’s Acquisition Means for the Future of Social Media

250

EMOTIONAL: Do Your Feelings Make You Smarter?

251

ORIGIN: How Did Humans Migrate to the Americas?

252

BITTERSWEET: Susan Cain on the Beauty of Sorrow and Longing

253

Regrets: Daniel Pink Has a Few (And So Should You)

254

REALITY+: Are We Living in a Simulation?

255

HURT SO GOOD: The Pleasures of Suffering (Paul Bloom & Susan Cain)

256

EMPIRE: Why Ray Dalio Thinks We May Be Headed for Civil War

257

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR MORTALS: Malcolm Gladwell and Oliver Burkeman

258

EVENING ROCKET: Decoding Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Visions of the Future

259

GOOD ANXIETY: Can You Turn Worrying Into a Superpower?

260

HACK YOUR HABITS: The Science of Making Changes That Stick

261

TOGETHER: The Surgeon General’s Prescription for Health and Happiness

262

SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGIES: Two Scientists Debate the Benefits of Religion

263

DAWN OF EVERYTHING: The True History of Humanity

264

DOPAMINE NATION: Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction

265

AMBITION: How to Achieve Success on Your Own Terms

266

FRIENDSHIP: The Science Behind Life’s Deepest Bond

267

EXPONENTIAL AGE: Everything Is Accelerating. Who’s at the Wheel?

268

NEW POWER: How to Spread Ideas, Build Movements, and Leap Ahead

269

SPORTS: Life Lessons From an Olympian, a Hockey Coach, and a Middle-Aged Beginner

270

FEELING & KNOWING: Unlocking the Secrets of Consciousness

271

Bonus: Adam Grant and Annie Murphy Paul

272

LAZINESS: There's No Such Thing

273

HOW TO CHANGE: Science-Backed Tips for Becoming Your Best Self (Katy Milkman & Daniel Pink)

274

RATIONALITY: Steven Pinker’s Love Song to Critical Thinking

275

LOONSHOTS: The Science of Generating Crazy Ideas (Safi Bahcall & Daniel Pink)

276

DEADLINE EFFECT: Can You Work Like It's the Last Minute Before the Last Minute?

277

EXTRA LIFE: We Doubled Life Expectancy in the Last Century. Can We Do It Again?

278

PARENTING: Learn How to Do It Better With Science, Data, and Mr. Rogers

279

PERSONALITY: The Science of Being Who You Want

280

JOYFUL: Ingrid Fetell Lee and Adam Grant on the Objects That Make Us Happy

281

CULT OF WE: How WeWork's CEO Vaporized $40 Billion

282

BREATH: Is Deep Breathing the Secret to Long Living?

283

DRUNK: Can Alcohol Make You More Creative, Sociable, and Attractive?

284

DEATH, SEX & MONEY: Anna Sale Talks About Hard Things

285

THE BOMBER MAFIA: Malcolm Gladwell on Warfare, Audiobooks, and the Future of Storytelling

286

EFFORTLESS: Embrace the Easy Option

287

HIGH CONFLICT: How to Defuse Any Squabble (Amanda Ripley & Susan Cain)

288

EXTENDED MIND: Want to Get Smarter? Try Thinking Outside of Your Brain

289

DELUSIONS: How Self-Deception Can Help You Flourish (Shankar Vedantam & Daniel Pink)

290

AI: The Extraordinary Story of the Tech That’s Changing the World

291

MINE: How the Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives

292

GATHERING: Mastering the Art of Hanging Out

293

EMAIL: Would the World Be Better Without It?

294

WORK: Should You Do Less of It? Adam Grant and James Suzman on the 15-Hour Workweek.

295

CODE BREAKER: Why Walter Isaacson Thinks CRISPR Will Change Life As We Know It

296

FOOD: Can We Taste Climate Change?

297

CHATTER: Learning to Love the Voice in Your Head

298

HUMOR: How to Turn Levity Into Your Secret Weapon

299

BEGINNERS: The Joys of Being an Amateur

300

THINK AGAIN: Adam Grant on the Power of Changing Your Mind

301

VOICE: You Are What You Speak

302

THE BRAIN: A User’s Guide to the Blob Between Your Ears

303

SERENDIPITY: Good Luck and How to Get It

304

DRUG USE: Is Getting High an American Right?

305

POST CORONA: Predicting the Future With Scott Galloway

306

Season 3: New Ideas, Same Great Taste

307

LET’S BE REASONABLE: Sam Harris and Rufus in Conversation

308

MIND GAMES: What Poker Can Teach Us About Luck, Skill, and Ourselves

309

TRANSCENDENCE: Finding Fulfillment Beyond Ourselves

310

HUMANKIND: Finding Hope in Human History

311

MIGRATION: Why Human Beings Were Built to Move

312

BREATH: Harnessing the Power of a Lost Art

313

PERSUASION: How to Change People’s Minds

314

ALCHEMY: How Our Creations Recreate Us

315

UPSTREAM: Solving Problems Before They Happen

316

CIVILIZATION: Recalculating the Price of Progress

317

TOGETHER: A Doctor’s Prescription for Health and Happiness

318

WEIRDNESS: How to Make it Your Superpower

319

BOYS & SEX: Coming of Age in America

320

FRIENDSHIP: The Science and Power of Life’s Deepest Bond

321

THINKING AHEAD: How to Make Life’s Big Decisions

322

LISTENING: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters

323

SUCCESSFUL AGING: How to Live a Full, Long Life

324

Rethinking Big Ideas: Adam Grant on Finding Balance

325

Rethinking Big Ideas: Priya Parker on Gathering Apart

326

Rethinking Big Ideas: The Path to a More Generous World

327

Rethinking Big Ideas: Daniel Pink on the Future of Work

328

Rethinking Big Ideas: On Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures

329

Rethinking Big Ideas: Steven Johnson on Scientific Breakthroughs

330

Rethinking Big Ideas: Susan Cain on Solitude

331

STILLNESS: How to Find Peace in a Frantic World

332

FREE MONEY: Why Andrew Yang Thinks a Giveaway Can Save the Economy

333

HABITS: How to Let Go of The Old and Bring in the New

334

GATHERING: How to Make Our Time Together Meaningful

335

FUTURE: Can We Build a More Generous World

336

SUCCESS: The Dirty Secret of Getting Ahead

337

TRUST: Malcolm Gladwell on How We Talk To Strangers

338

POWER: Why You Have More Than You Think

339

PERCEPTION: Why What You See Is Not Reality

340

UNCENSORED: What Free Speech Debates Teach Us About Empathy

341

CONFLICT: How to Have More Productive Disagreements

342

JOYFUL: Why Ordinary Objects Can Make You Extraordinarily Happy

343

CODERS: The Invisible Architects Who Shape Our Lives

344

RACIAL BIAS: Why We Have It and What We Can Do About It

345

INDISTRACTABLE: Staying Focused in a World of Distractions

346

RANGE: Why Generalists Succeed in a Specialists’ World

347

Introducing The Next Big Idea