Skip to content

Explain It Like I’m Smart

51 episodes

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

Now Playing

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

▸

10 min

—

with

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?

▸

11 min

—

with

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

The science of menopause in 13 minutes

▸

13 min

—

with

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

▸

11 min

—

with

Yuval Noah Harari

Why Texas and Florida are America’s NEW economic powerhouses

▸

8 min

—

with

Joseph Politano

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

▸

8 min

—

with

The psychopathic brain is different—but it CAN be treated

▸

10 min

—

with

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

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

▸

8 min

—

with

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

▸

9 min

—

with

Michael Spitzer

A man sitting at a desk on a phone.

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

▸

9 min

—

with

Zen buddhism 101 by zen buddhism 101.

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

▸

8 min

—

with

Robert Waldinger

An ufo flying over a forest.

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

▸

13 min

—

with

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

What is effective altruism? Philosopher Peter Singer explains

▸

8 min

—

with

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

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

▸

8 min

—

with

A sparkler with the word orgasm on it.

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

▸

11 min

—

with

A snake is sitting on top of a dollar bill.

Why fraud still thrives on Wall Street

▸

8 min

—

with

Kelly Richmond Pope

a clock that is in the middle of a circle.

The science of super longevity

▸

7 min

—

with

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

Why high-ranking leaders should be psych tested

▸

6 min

—

with

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

How porn f*cked our minds

▸

6 min

—

with

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

The friendship recession

▸

8 min

—

with

Harvard professor explains Bayes’ rule

▸

5 min

—

with

Master divergent and convergent thinking

▸

5 min

—

with

The physics of time, entropy, and death

▸

5 min

—

with

Sabine Hossenfelder

The neuroscience of loving music

▸

8 min

—

with

Michael Spitzer

The mind-bending physics of time

▸

8 min

—

with

Only high performers pass this kind of job interview

▸

4 min

—

with

Sun Tzu: 4 battle principles for business leaders

▸

8 min

—

with

How dirty debaters win against better opponents

▸

5 min

—

with

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

▸

7 min

—

with

Michael Slepian

Why your brain thinks you’re Matt Damon

▸

4 min

—

with

Related

An astronaut in a spacesuit stands facing a large red planet or celestial body with a glowing edge against a black background.

Brian Cox: Why Earth’s orbit is the new Wild West and what that means for us all

“We are beginning to take our first steps out into the cosmic ocean… and the water seems inviting.”

▸

19 min

—

with

Brian Cox: The quantum roots of reality

“We don’t have enough knowledge to precisely calculate what is going to happen, and so we assign probabilities to it, which reflects our ignorance of the situation.”

▸

01:19:41 min

—

with

A silhouette of a person seated with blurred movement in the background and large text reading "KNOW YOUR EXIT" on the right.

Most people freeze in a crisis. Here’s why — and how to stop it

“The fear of panic has killed more people than most disasters themselves.”

▸

19 min

—

with

A deflated basketball lies on rough, textured ground.

John Amaechi: The voice in your head is lying to you. Here’s how to shut it down

“The voice in your head is not you. You are listening to that voice. It’s a heckler, trying to make you feel bad.”

▸

11 min

—

with

A human hand appears to hold a glowing celestial object surrounded by small planets and stars, creating the illusion of a miniature universe in the palm.

Brian Cox: The incomprehensible scales that rule the Universe

“We are all in orbit around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. How big is this collection of stars? Somewhere between 200 and 400 billion suns in the Milky Way galaxy, about 100,000 light years across.”

▸

12 min

—

with