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Explain It Like I’m Smart

51 episodes

Even the smartest people benefit from more context. These experts are here to provide just that.

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All Episodes (51)

Silhouette of a person against a vibrant background with radiating light beams in blue, white, and orange hues.

The illusion of self and the illusion of free will, explained

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10 min

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Image of Earth set against a black background with the text "A Volatile World" in large white letters.

Why does it feel like the world is falling apart?

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11 min

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Red ink disperses in water with the words "Menopause Chaos" overlaid in bold white font.

The science of menopause in 13 minutes

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13 min

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Close-up of a multicolored, reflective surface depicting two human-like eyes with iridescent hues surrounding them.

Yuval Noah Harari: An AI scenario you should not ignore

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11 min

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Yuval Noah Harari

Why Texas and Florida are America’s NEW economic powerhouses

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8 min

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Joseph Politano

The data on dating—and the golden rule for better “luck”

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8 min

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The psychopathic brain is different—but it CAN be treated

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10 min

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Three industrial smokestacks emit dense, white smoke against a blue sky.

We’re not doomed. Here’s how to revive Planet Earth

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8 min

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Sean B. Carroll

An illustrated human brain with musical notes to suggest the concept of music and cognition against a vintage anatomical background.

Homo sapiens: The “great synthesizers” of music

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9 min

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Michael Spitzer

A man sitting at a desk on a phone.

How did we end up here? Anthropologist explains how work has shaped society

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9 min

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Zen buddhism 101 by zen buddhism 101.

A Zen master’s guide to crushing pain & unlocking peace

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8 min

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Robert Waldinger

An ufo flying over a forest.

Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories

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13 min

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An older man pondering with his hand on his chin, contemplating effective altruism.

What is effective altruism? Philosopher Peter Singer explains

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8 min

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A drawing of a human brain depicting the red section, symbolizing anxiety.

Anxiety evolved to help us — what went wrong? A neuroscientist explains.

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8 min

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A sparkler with the word orgasm on it.

A sex educator explains orgasms (plus an exercise for expanded pleasure)

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11 min

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A snake is sitting on top of a dollar bill.

Why fraud still thrives on Wall Street

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8 min

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Kelly Richmond Pope

a clock that is in the middle of a circle.

The science of super longevity

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7 min

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the cover of a magazine with a picture of a man's face.

Why high-ranking leaders should be psych tested

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6 min

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a pink computer keyboard with the word sex spelled on it.

How porn f*cked our minds

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6 min

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a man sitting in a box with a plant in it.

The friendship recession

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8 min

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Harvard professor explains Bayes’ rule

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5 min

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Master divergent and convergent thinking

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5 min

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The physics of time, entropy, and death

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5 min

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Sabine Hossenfelder

The neuroscience of loving music

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8 min

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Michael Spitzer

The mind-bending physics of time

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8 min

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Only high performers pass this kind of job interview

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4 min

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Sun Tzu: 4 battle principles for business leaders

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8 min

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How dirty debaters win against better opponents

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5 min

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The 3 dimensions of secrets: What are you hiding and why?

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7 min

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Michael Slepian

Why your brain thinks you’re Matt Damon

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4 min

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Related

A person sits on a chair in a library setting, with bookshelves on either side and a white backdrop behind them.

Hannah Ritchie: We can tackle our biggest environmental problems | Full Interview

“It’s not that I don’t think these problems are big or that they’re urgent, but I can start to see that these problems are solvable.”

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01:17:21 min

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A person with long curly hair and a headband gestures with one hand, wearing a black shirt that says "everyday" and a smartwatch on the other wrist, against a plain background.

Former CIA agent: The truth about manipulation

“The truth is that the skills that go into both motivation and manipulation are almost the same skills. The same level of persuasion, the same level of influence, the same level of charisma and dynamic creative thinking drives us to both be manipulated and be motivated.”

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13 min

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Andrew Bustamante

A person in shorts and a cap balances on a tightrope with "LEADERSHIP MATERIAL" written in large white text over the image against a clear blue sky and mountain backdrop.

Ben Horowitz: Quit being a coward and do the hard thing

“You need to run towards the pain and darkness and not away from it. I think the best leaders always run towards the darkness. They always run towards a problem.”

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7 min

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The words "Cosmic Origins" appear in bold against a colorful, radiant explosion resembling a galaxy or cosmic event.

3 discoveries that change the way we think of the Universe

“Asking the question of, where did the entire universe come from, is no longer a question for poets and theologians and philosophers. This is a question for scientists, and we have some amazing scientific answers to this question that have defied even the wildest of our expectations.”

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22 min

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A person in a black shirt and dark blazer poses against a plain background.

Sam Harris: Breaking the spell of propaganda

“We’re awash in lies and misinformation to a degree that was not possible before we got the internet and in particular before we got social media.”

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1:41:14 min

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