Best Charles Cassidy and Igor Grossmann Podcasts (2025)

1
65: Religion as Make-Believe (with Neil Van Leeuwen) 58:14

1d ago58:14

58:14

Is religious belief a form of make-believe — and if so, what deeper truths might we be acting out? Neil Van Leeuwen joins Igor and Charles to explore the psychological roots of religion, the nature of belief, and how sacred values shape group identity. Igor reflects on the blurring line between religious and political convictions, Neil argues that …

1
64: The Potency and Potential of Social Networks (with Nicholas Christakis) 59:14

2M ago59:14

59:14

Are your choices really your own — or are they quietly shaped by the people around you? Nicholas Christakis joins Igor and Charles to reveal the hidden power of social networks, from the surprising spread of kindness and cooperation to the ripple effects that shape our health, decisions, and even our wisdom. Igor uncovers the invisible social force…

1
63: The AI Mirror: Why Machines Reflect Us More Than They Think (with Shannon Vallor) 44:30

3M ago44:30

44:30

Can AI ever be truly wise, or are we just seeing reflections of ourselves? Philosophy Professor Shannon Vallor joins Igor and Charles to explore how technology shapes human wisdom, why we’ve been thinking about AI all wrong, and what it really means to align machines with our values. Shannon unpacks the AI Mirror metaphor, suggesting that today’s A…

1
62: Experimental Philosophy: Testing the Limits of Wisdom and Knowledge (with Edouard Machery) 57:10

5M ago57:10

57:10

What happens when philosophers start running experiments? Edouard Machery joins Igor and Charles to explain the principles of experimental philosophy, the surprising geography of wisdom, and why we should be skeptical about trusting science too much. Igor digs into what's universal vs what's local about how we think, Edouard explains why bad habits…

1
61: Beyond Bias: Group Identity, Wisdom, and the Climate Crisis (with Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman) 1:08:36

6M ago1:08:36

1:08:36

Can our political identities get in the way of wise action, even on existential issues like climate change? Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman join Igor and Charles to unpack how we perceive environmental policy through the lenses of group identity and social norms, revealing how misperceptions fuel inaction. Igor considers how group beliefs can over…

1
60: Wisdom, Love, and the Lexical Fallacy (with Alan Fiske) 1:13:00

7M ago1:13:00

1:13:00

Why do we have such a hard time figuring out what we’re feeling? Alan Fiske joins Igor and Charles to unravel the mystery of emotions, revealing why your gut feeling might not be as clear-cut as you think. Drawing from his research into Kama Muta—a heartwarming rush of connection—and his critiques of how we label emotions, Alan sheds light on why m…

1
59: Shaping Reality and Relationships: The Science of Connection and Expectation (with David Robson) 49:40

8M ago49:40

49:40

Can our expectations about ourselves and others reshape our lives? Science writer David Robson returns to explore how our expectations don’t just change personal outcomes—they influence how we connect with others. Drawing from his books The Laws of Connection and The Expectation Effect, David reveals the hidden psychology behind social interactions…

1
58: The Social Robots are Coming! (with Kerstin Dautenhahn) 49:02

1+ y ago49:02

49:02

Can we create wise robots? Kerstin Dautenhahn joins Igor and Charles to dive into the intriguing world of social robots, the finer points of “Robotiquette,” and the potential role such robots can play in supporting therapeutic treatments. Igor reflects on the limits of robot-based wisdom, Kerstin reveals the potential of Generative AI like ChatGPT …

1
57: The Epic Challenge of Knowing Thyself (with David Dunning) 1:03:02

1+ y ago1:03:02

1:03:02

Can we ever really know ourselves, or are we destined to always make overly optimistic self-assessments? David Dunning joins Igor and Charles to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect, the importance of asking the right questions, why arriving at an accurate view of ourselves is so challenging, and the implications for teaching, medicine, and even scien…

1
56: Awe Reloaded (with Dacher Keltner) 50:08

1+ y ago50:08

50:08

Have we overlooked a major source of awe, right under our collective noses? Dacher Keltner returns to the On Wisdom studio to discuss his new book "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life", the power of moral beauty, the desire for connection, and the importance of wandering. Igor suggest that awe can also entail …

1
55: Wise of the Machines (with Sina Fazelpour) 1:04:20

2y ago1:04:20

1:04:20

How can we make AI wiser? And could AI make us wiser in return? Sina Fazelpour joins Igor and Charles to discuss the problem of bias in algorithms, how we might make machine learning systems more diverse, and the thorny challenge of alignment. Igor considers whether interacting with AIs might help us achieve higher levels of understanding, Sina sug…

1
54: Emotions Are Not What You Think (with Lisa Feldman Barrett ) 49:04

2y ago49:04

49:04

What actually are “emotions” and how are they made? Lisa Feldman Barrett joins Igor and Charles to discuss what we’ve got right and what we’ve got completely wrong about the nature of our emotional lives. Igor grapples with the idea that red apples aren’t necessarily red, Lisa shares that anger doesn’t always look like anger, and Charles learns tha…

1
53: Moral Reframing and The Science of Political Persuasion (with Robb Willer) 59:36

2y ago59:36

59:36

How can you persuade someone who disagrees with you on everything? In this episode, we discover the secrets of political persuasion with Robb Willer, a leading expert on political persuasion and moral reframing. Igor grills Robb on the ethics of activism in social science, Robb defends his mission to make a difference in the world, and Charles is a…

1
52: World Wide Wisdom (with Deepak Ramola) 55:12

2+ y ago55:12

55:12

Imagine gathering hard-earned lessons from survivors of human trafficking in Nepal, middle school children in Afghanistan, refugees in Europe, and even a man who has witnessed over 12,000 deaths. Deepak Ramola has been on such a lesson-gathering mission for a while, and he joins Igor and Charles to discuss the life lessons he has collected, who get…

1
51: Tricky Colleagues and Contagious Emotions (with Tessa West) 57:48

2+ y ago57:48

57:48

How do we respond wisely to foolish behaviour in the workplace? Tessa West joins Igor and Charles to talk about the most common types of ‘jerks at work’ - including the bulldozer, the credit stealer, and the gaslighter, discussing what drives such unhelpful behaviour, and how best to deal with it. Igor explores the different ways we can respond to …

1
50: Morality Meets World (with Joshua Greene) 57:28

2+ y ago57:28

57:28

To give to both your favourite charity and a super-effective charity recommended by experts, visit Giving Multiplier: https://givingmultiplier.org/invite/ONWISDOM Can insights from moral psychology increase donations to more effective charities? Joshua Greene joins Igor and Charles to discuss ventilator allocation and other pandemic-related trolley…

1
49: Wise Goals (with Ayelet Fishbach) 47:44

2+ y ago47:44

47:44

What does goal-setting have to do with wisdom and how do we pick wise goals? Ayelet Fishbach joins Igor and Charles to discuss the dangers of moving too swiftly from planning-mode to action-mode, how to compromise across multiple goals, and why we need to rethink our relationships with vegetables! Igor underscores the importance of thinking of wisd…

1
48: A Joyous Journey from Black-and-White to Grey (with Tom Gilovich) 48:26

3y ago48:26

48:26

Is "the spectrum" a more helpful way to think about the world than "categories"? Tom Gilovich joins Igor and Charles to discuss the perils of black-and-white thinking, the evolving data on the hot hand phenomenon, the science of regret, why foxes are wiser than hedgehogs, and the freedom that comes from learning that we are of less interest to othe…

1
47: Charting Pandemic Waters: A Common Wisdom Model for Uncertain Times (with Howard Nusbaum) - Rebroadcast 1:02:02

3y ago1:02:02

1:02:02

(First Broadcast - 21st June 2020) What is the value of wisdom in the time of the global pandemic? Does the community of behavioural scientists studying wisdom agree on anything about the nature of wisdom? Can we say what we now know about wisdom and, conversely, what do we know we don’t yet know? Howard Nusbaum joins Igor and Charles to discuss th…

1
46: Antifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt) - Rebroadcast 58:20

3y ago58:20

58:20

(First Broadcast - 4th November 2019) Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, but unwise, ideas be doing to a rising generation of young adults? Jonathan Haidt joins Igor and Charles to…

1
45: Wisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz) - Rebroadcast 59:20

3y ago59:20

59:20

(First Broadcast - 28th December 2018) Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz joins Igor and Charles to discuss how Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom applies in the 21st Century, the reasons wh…

1
44: A Special Announcement 1:48

3y ago1:48

1:48

Igor and Charles return with a special announcement for On Wisdom listeners ...By Charles Cassidy and Igor Grossmann

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43: Invisible to Ourselves: A Life of a Psychological Scientist (with Richard Nisbett) 1:11:16

3+ y ago1:11:16

1:11:16

A disturbing thought - might it be impossible for us to directly observe the workings of our minds? Richard Nisbett joins Igor and Charles to discuss a life lived on the cutting edge of behavioral sciences in the second part of the 20th Century. He shares tales from his groundbreaking research into our faulty mindware, discussing various biases, cu…

1
42: Reflections on Wisdom in the World after Covid 37:36

3+ y ago37:36

37:36

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic? In the last episode of the World After Covid miniseries, Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project…

1
41: Wisdom for Negative Consequences (Pt. I) - Social Support, Sympathy & Compassion, Acknowledging Uncertainty, and Balancing Diverse Interests 35:14

3+ y ago35:14

35:14

Which kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, t…

1
40: World After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part II) - Autobiographical Memory, Estrangement, Political Conflict, and Prejudice 38:14

4y ago38:14

38:14

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. T…

1
39: World After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part I) - Social Inequality, Loneliness, Economic Hardships, and Despair 30:30

4y ago30:30

30:30

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. T…

1
38: World After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. II) - Critical Thinking, Intellectual Humility, Political Cooperation, and Solidarity 43:12

4y ago43:12

43:12

What kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conver…

1
37: World After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. I) - Sympathy and Compassion, Self-distancing, Perspective-taking, and Learning from pandemics 29:36

4y ago29:36

29:36

What kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conver…

1
36: World After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part II) - Political cooperation, Nature, Solidarity, and Prosocial behaviours 44:00

4y ago44:00

44:00

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant positive societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to the question about positive change in response to the pandemic by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the W…

1
35: World After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part I) - Political and structural change, Care for elders, Social connectedness, and Reconsidering habits 28:24

4y ago28:24

28:24

Which domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant positive societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to the question about positive change in response to the pandemic by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the W…

1
34: World After Covid series: Wisdom for Now (Part II) - What's important, Living in the moment, Social connectedness, and Shared humanity 22:33

4+ y ago22:33

22:33

What one piece of wisdom is important to give to people now to help them make it through the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to this critical question by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, t…

1
33: World After Covid series: Wisdom for Now (Part I) 27:18

4+ y ago27:18

27:18

What one piece of wisdom is important to give to people now to help them make it through the pandemic? Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to this critical question by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, t…

1
32: Shifting Gears: Wisdom in the 'World After Covid' 2:27

4+ y ago2:27

2:27

After 2 and a half years of podcasting, 30+ episodes, 50,000+ downloads, and one global pandemic, it's time for an exciting announcement from the On Wisdom team... Links: World After Covid siteBy Charles Cassidy and Igor Grossmann

1
31: The Meaning of Wisdom Before and During the Pandemic (with Ricca Edmondson) 44:51

4+ y ago44:51

44:51

Does wisdom reside in particular persons, or is wisdom more about what happens between people? And if wisdom does require a social context, what are the implications of our new social distancing habits since the rise of the pandemic? Ricca Edmondson joins Igor and Charles to discuss novel ethnographic approaches to the study of wisdom, the signific…

1
30: Emotions, Attention, and Decision Making in the Aging Brain (with Mara Mather) 44:41

4+ y ago44:41

44:41

Despite the common stereotype of ‘older and crankier,’ psychologists suggest we become more positive as we age. Why? Do our aging brains become worse at detecting threats in the environment? Do we choose to focus on more positive aspects of our experience as we age? And what does the latest scientific research say about one of the major dangers of …

1
29: Charting Pandemic Waters: A Common Wisdom Model for Uncertain Times (with Howard Nusbaum) 1:08:00

5y ago1:08:00

1:08:00

What is the value of wisdom in the time of the global pandemic? Does the community of behavioural scientists studying wisdom agree on anything about the nature of wisdom? Can we say what we now know about wisdom and, conversely, what do we know we don’t yet know? Howard Nusbaum joins Igor and Charles to discuss the recently assembled Toronto Wisdom…

1
28: Pandemic Happiness (with Sonja Lyubomirsky) 31:55

5y ago31:55

31:55

Is happiness research even relevant in such times of crisis, or is focusing on our happiness simply a luxury we can no longer afford? And, while effective for many people, why does the cultivation of gratitude sometimes result in unexpectedly negative consequences? Sonja Lyubomirsky joins Igor and Charles to discuss the key components of happiness,…

1
27: The Wisdom of a Modern Elder (with Chip Conley) 53:42

5y ago53:42

53:42

Though there is a lot of talk about diversity in the workplace, “age diversity” is often overlooked. Might there even be an emerging mission-critical role for wise elders in the world’s most cutting-edge tech companies? Hospitality maverick and Airbnb Strategic Advisor Chip Conley joins Igor and Charles to discuss the U-Curve of happiness, the surp…

1
26: Wicked Problems (with Judith Glück) 59:44

5y ago59:44

59:44

Bad things happen to all of us. But why do some people grow wiser, while others simply grow bitter? What do scientists do to reliably measure wisdom in the laboratory? And might this research suggest solutions to some of the most pressing problems of our time? Igor and Charles welcome one of today's leading wisdom scientists - Judith Glück, who dis…

1
25: 'This is Basically a Revolution': Self-Knowledge and The Battle for Better Science (with Simine Vazire) 59:01

5y ago59:01

59:01

Is the “business-as-usual” approach to science in crisis? Does the public have a good grasp of how scientific knowledge is really generated? And might scientists be as much prey to self-serving biases as the rest of us mortals? Simine Vazire joins Igor and Charles to discuss the thorny complexity of seeking reliable knowledge about the world and ab…

1
24: Misbehavioral Economics: Choosing irrationality 39:00

5+ y ago39:00

39:00

Are people being reasonable when they act irrationally? Doesn’t rationality and reasonableness mean the same thing? Charles and Igor kick of the new decade by diving into a messy mix of behavioral economics, nudges, moral philosophy and legal studies, to examine what standards guide people’s decisions. Charles asks Igor about core standards that gu…

1
23: Antifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt) 57:38

5+ y ago57:38

57:38

Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, but unwise, ideas be doing to a rising generation of young adults? Jonathan Haidt joins Igor and Charles to discuss the three great untruths of m…

1
22: The Epistemic Tightrope: Walking The Line of Doubt (with Scott Lilienfeld) 51:46

5+ y ago51:46

51:46

Patients always receive treatment in agreement with the best scientific evidence available, right? Well, no. Not really. Clinical practitioners seem to suffer from many of the cognitive biases that affect the rest of us, and treatment decisions are often much less science-based that we might like to think. Scott Lilienfeld joins Igor and Charles to…

1
21: The Art and Science of Knowing You Don't Know (with Mark Alfano) 53:32

5+ y ago53:32

53:32

We live in confusing times. Politics is polarizing. Opinions clash on many topics leading to heated discussions. Take environmental change and what to do about it, the best ways to achieve prosperity, or the threats and opportunities of our globalized economy. Are we ready to admit that we often actually don’t understand what’s going on? Mark Alfan…

1
Episode 20: The Science of Awe (with Dacher Keltner) 58:08

5+ y ago58:08

58:08

What exactly is ‘awe’ and does it bring us, as individuals or as a society, any benefit? Dacher Keltner joins Igor and Charles to discuss why Canadians feel differently about awe than the Chinese, how to take an ‘awe walk’, why emotions vary across historical time, and the importance of experiencing diverse emotions and how to balance them, while t…

1
Episode 19: The Individual and The Culture (with Adam Grant) 30:42

6y ago30:42

30:42

Can an individual really change a culture? Adam Grant joins Igor and Charles to discuss cultures of non-conformity and giving in the workplace, the perils of cognitive entrenchment, the critical role of culture carriers, and why we should be managing our attention rather than our time. Igor delights in learning of the astoundingly high frequency of…

1
Episode 18: The End of the World is Nigh: Polarised Tribes, Passionate Words, and the Partisan Brain (with Jay Van Bavel) 1:03:58

6y ago1:03:58

1:03:58

How did politics get so damn polarised? Jay Van Bavel joins Igor and Charles to discuss political polarisation, the partisan brain, the inexorable rise of superheroes in dark times, the misperceptions of polarisation levels, and how to reach out to other tribes. Igor highlights the partisanship-transcending benefits of a Watchmen-style alien invasi…

1
Episode 17: The Metaphysics of Email and The Perils of Productivity (with Oliver Burkeman) 1:02:34

6y ago1:02:34

1:02:34

Our current productivity culture appears to peddle a false promise: If we can just get better organised, we really can do everything - no tough life choices or trade-offs need to be made! Guardian journalist and author Oliver Burkeman joins Igor and Charles to discuss the ironic effects of the pursuit of productivity, the inbox zero phenomenon, the…

1
Episode 16: Beware the Intelligence Trap! (with David Robson) 59:26

6y ago59:26

59:26

Do highly intelligent people actually take better decisions in their daily lives than everyone else? And if not, what’s missing from our picture of what it means to be ‘smart’? Can you be highly intelligent, yet flunk a rationality test? And rather than noise to be ignored, might our emotions help us make decisions that are actually more rational? …

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Charles Cassidy And Igor Grossmann Podcasts

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