Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Election Special | 20150408 | A month before the general election, Michael Blastland examines whether or not the way we vote can really be changed, and asks if political persuasion is pointless.
In a series of experiments run in the Human Zoo lab, the team gauges how opinions are formed in members of the public, and the extent to which psychological 'tricks' can provoke a shift in mindset.
How does a politician's physical appearance impact on how their policies are perceived? Can the temperature of our lab have an impact when our subjects debate evidence for man-made global warming? Can opinion on an issue such as crime be changed when the facts are presented?
At the heart of the matter are our biases and judgements - how we perceive the world and how rationally or irrationally we behave.
Michael is guided by Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, and resident reporter Timandra Harkness sets out to discover how other countries use behavioural science in an attempt to win elections.
Produced by Dom Byrne and Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland unravels how human psychology shapes the way we vote. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 06 | Election Special | 20150408 | 20150411 (R4) | A month before the general election, Michael Blastland examines whether or not the way we vote can really be changed, and asks if political persuasion is pointless.
In a series of experiments run in the Human Zoo lab, the team gauges how opinions are formed in members of the public, and the extent to which psychological 'tricks' can provoke a shift in mindset.
How does a politician's physical appearance impact on how their policies are perceived? Can the temperature of our lab have an impact when our subjects debate evidence for man-made global warming? Can opinion on an issue such as crime be changed when the facts are presented?
At the heart of the matter are our biases and judgements - how we perceive the world and how rationally or irrationally we behave.
Michael is guided by Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, and resident reporter Timandra Harkness sets out to discover how other countries use behavioural science in an attempt to win elections.
Produced by Dom Byrne and Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland unravels how human psychology shapes the way we vote. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 01 | 01 | 20130305 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?
Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, conversations, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.
Our thoughts, John Milton said, are a kingdom of infinite space and they might take us anywhere -whether our subject is writ large, like the behaviours of public figures or the contradictions of politics, or located in the minutiae of everyday life. We can show how what happens on the big stage is our own behaviour writ large - like the old Linda Smith joke about the Iraq-war coalition's failure to find chemical weapons: "I'm the same with the scissors".
The Human Zoo explores why it is that our judgements are so averse to ambiguity, how mental energy is linked to our legs, why we don't want to be in the dock when the judge is hungry - and other thoughts that have nothing to do with anything much beyond the ironing.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores the way human beings think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 01 | 01 | 20130305 | 20150302 (R4) | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?
Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, conversations, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.
Our thoughts, John Milton said, are a kingdom of infinite space and they might take us anywhere -whether our subject is writ large, like the behaviours of public figures or the contradictions of politics, or located in the minutiae of everyday life. We can show how what happens on the big stage is our own behaviour writ large - like the old Linda Smith joke about the Iraq-war coalition's failure to find chemical weapons: "I'm the same with the scissors".
The Human Zoo explores why it is that our judgements are so averse to ambiguity, how mental energy is linked to our legs, why we don't want to be in the dock when the judge is hungry - and other thoughts that have nothing to do with anything much beyond the ironing.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores the way human beings think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 01 | 02 | 20130312 | Can we explain a wide variety of human behaviour - from unwillingness to go for health screening, to opposition to a new railway - as different versions of what is called 'status quo bias'?
What does it mean to say that we are biased towards the status quo? We all think we have our reasons for our preferences. And we do. But is one of them a feeling of which we can be entirely unaware - a tendency to resist change and prefer things just the way they are, simply because that's the way they are now?
In the Human Zoo this week, we'll hear the experiments that seem to show people clinging on to what they've got - even when they are certain to gain from changing. In other words, a suggestion that we don't judge the merits of a choice in an even-handed way, but are biased in favour of where we start from, even when that bias clearly costs us.
So, does status quo bias also suggest that we are irrational? Possibly. Although some argue that it often makes sense. Even so, it has implications for everything from the businesses who go on taking ever bigger risks to attempt to avoid the horror of a loss, to people's scepticism of new building, technology, or change of any kind. It might even help to explain why you can't seem to stop yourself arriving habitually late.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Status quo bias - do you prefer things, whether personal or political, the way they are? Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 01 | 02 | 20130312 | 20150309 (R4) | Can we explain a wide variety of human behaviour - from unwillingness to go for health screening, to opposition to a new railway - as different versions of what is called 'status quo bias'?
What does it mean to say that we are biased towards the status quo? We all think we have our reasons for our preferences. And we do. But is one of them a feeling of which we can be entirely unaware - a tendency to resist change and prefer things just the way they are, simply because that's the way they are now?
In the Human Zoo this week, we'll hear the experiments that seem to show people clinging on to what they've got - even when they are certain to gain from changing. In other words, a suggestion that we don't judge the merits of a choice in an even-handed way, but are biased in favour of where we start from, even when that bias clearly costs us.
So, does status quo bias also suggest that we are irrational? Possibly. Although some argue that it often makes sense. Even so, it has implications for everything from the businesses who go on taking ever bigger risks to attempt to avoid the horror of a loss, to people's scepticism of new building, technology, or change of any kind. It might even help to explain why you can't seem to stop yourself arriving habitually late.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Status quo bias - do you prefer things, whether personal or political, the way they are? Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 01 | 03 | 20130319 | Life will be so much better when we move to Spain, buy a new car, elect a different government, acquire those new shoes.....
We can all succumb to the promise of the new - change will be all we need to live the perfect lives. But we also know the reality rarely lives up to the promise. Shoes are scuffed, endless sun becomes wearisome and new governments - well lets just say they rapidly tarnish.
Yet disappointment after disappointment never seems to banish the lurking conviction that the grass is always greener on the other side. It appears we have within us a bias towards change.
Much of this is about the pursuit of happiness, but our own judgement about what makes us happy is often flawed.
In the Human Zoo this week, you'll hear this lust for change in action, illustrated by experiment and discussed by some of the greatest minds in the field. We hear from perhaps the world's leading psychologist, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman. You'll hear how our bias for change interacts with our fickle memories which has led to a radical approach to making that hospital stay not feel quite so bad after all.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Michael Blastland looks at humans' insatiable desire for change and the new. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 01 | 03 | 20130319 | 20150316 (R4) | Life will be so much better when we move to Spain, buy a new car, elect a different government, acquire those new shoes.....
We can all succumb to the promise of the new - change will be all we need to live the perfect lives. But we also know the reality rarely lives up to the promise. Shoes are scuffed, endless sun becomes wearisome and new governments - well lets just say they rapidly tarnish.
Yet disappointment after disappointment never seems to banish the lurking conviction that the grass is always greener on the other side. It appears we have within us a bias towards change.
Much of this is about the pursuit of happiness, but our own judgement about what makes us happy is often flawed.
In the Human Zoo this week, you'll hear this lust for change in action, illustrated by experiment and discussed by some of the greatest minds in the field. We hear from perhaps the world's leading psychologist, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman. You'll hear how our bias for change interacts with our fickle memories which has led to a radical approach to making that hospital stay not feel quite so bad after all.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Michael Blastland looks at humans' insatiable desire for change and the new. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 01 | 04 | 20130326 | If you ask a group of people to guess the value of a painting, the chances are the answer they come up with will be more extreme than that produced by any of the individuals working by themselves.
It's a common psychological effect, verified by experiment, that could lie at the heart of many of the biggest crises to hit in recent years. How did the bankers selling sub-prime mortgages to each other continue to fool themselves that these were genuine investments rather than highly dangerous junk deals? Surely any one of them could have seen the problems they were going to cause? Maybe - but the key point is that they didn't.
The week the Human Zoo explores the mistakes humans make when they act in groups. How apparently sane individuals can make ludicrous and sometimes life threatening group decisions.
The Human Zoo is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores the mistakes humans make when they act in groups. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 01 | 05 | 20130402 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?
Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, conversations, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.
Our thoughts, John Milton said, are a kingdom of infinite space and they might take us anywhere -whether our subject is writ large, like the behaviours of public figures or the contradictions of politics, or located in the minutiae of everyday life. We can show how what happens on the big stage is our own behaviour writ large - like the old Linda Smith joke about the Iraq-war coalition's failure to find chemical weapons: "I'm the same with the scissors".
The Human Zoo explores why it is that our judgements are so averse to ambiguity, how mental energy is linked to our legs, why we don't want to be in the dock when the judge is hungry - and other thoughts that have nothing to do with anything much beyond the ironing.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland invites us to discover the way we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 01 | 06 | 20130409 | Have you noticed how hard politicians try to offer definitive answers to what are usually highly complex problems? Economists tell us that manipulating interest rates is a crude tool to regulate growth and inflation, yet Chancellors of the Exchequer of whatever hue will cite it as the answer to the current economic woe, whatever that might be.
And what do you think of some famous, perhaps notorious, public figures like Julian Assange or Jeremy Clarkson? Are they heroes for doing whatever they do publically, or villains for precisely the same reason? It's rare to find someone who says "oh, they're a bit of good and a bit of bad" when in fact we all know in that this is the reality - some saints have done bad things and some sinners do good.
This phenomenon has intrigued psychologists for years and, in the Human Zoo this week, we explore the human relationship with ambiguity. We appear to be intrinsically uncomfortable with it and much prefer to have a clear cut message, even if we sacrifice complexity in the pursuit of clarity. Come and find out more about how your ambivalence towards ambiguity might be influencing the choices and decisions you make. Or perhaps not.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland uncovers the way we think, exploring our relationship with ambiguity. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 02 | 01 | 20130702 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?
Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments, with Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.
Our thoughts, John Milton said, are a kingdom of infinite space and they might take us anywhere -whether our subject is writ large, like the behaviours of public figures or the contradictions of politics, or located in the minutiae of everyday life. We can show how what happens on the big stage is our own behaviour writ large - like the old Linda Smith joke about the Iraq-war coalition's failure to find chemical weapons: "I'm the same with the scissors".
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland invites us to discover the way we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 02 | 01 | 20130702 | 20131015 (R4) | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? How do we perceive the world and what lies behind the quirks of human behaviour?
Michael Blastland presents a curious blend of intriguing experiments, with Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, on hand as guide and experimenter in chief.
Our thoughts, John Milton said, are a kingdom of infinite space and they might take us anywhere -whether our subject is writ large, like the behaviours of public figures or the contradictions of politics, or located in the minutiae of everyday life. We can show how what happens on the big stage is our own behaviour writ large - like the old Linda Smith joke about the Iraq-war coalition's failure to find chemical weapons: "I'm the same with the scissors".
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland invites us to discover the way we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 02 | 02 | 20130709 | None of us are really bad at heart are we? We may do the odd bad thing, but it's always for a good reason. We may have jumped a red light, but we needed to pick our children up from school - we're so very different from these vile public figures who end up mired in scandal, committing heinous crimes for their own nefarious ends, abusing the trust we place in them.
Look closely though, and you'll see that most public scandals start with a minor, apparently inconsequential misdeed - not unlike jumping that red light. One leads to another and another, then the cover ups begin and before they know it they are a figure of public hate embroiled in a very public scandal.
In this week's programme Michael Blastland, Professor Nick Chater and Timandra Harkness explore how our very human foibles can lead us into scandal. We hear from a disgraced, now reformed, public figure, and show through a devious experiment how we are all prone to that little bit of dishonesty that could lead us into deeper waters.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores how our very human foibles can lead us into scandal. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 02 | 02 | 20130709 | 20131022 (R4) | None of us are really bad at heart are we? We may do the odd bad thing, but it's always for a good reason. We may have jumped a red light, but we needed to pick our children up from school - we're so very different from these vile public figures who end up mired in scandal, committing heinous crimes for their own nefarious ends, abusing the trust we place in them.
Look closely though, and you'll see that most public scandals start with a minor, apparently inconsequential misdeed - not unlike jumping that red light. One leads to another and another, then the cover ups begin and before they know it they are a figure of public hate embroiled in a very public scandal.
In this week's programme Michael Blastland, Professor Nick Chater and Timandra Harkness explore how our very human foibles can lead us into scandal. We hear from a disgraced, now reformed, public figure, and show through a devious experiment how we are all prone to that little bit of dishonesty that could lead us into deeper waters.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores how our very human foibles can lead us into scandal. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 02 | 03 | 20130716 | "Trust me, I tell the truth and I'll prove it to you". It's a simple idea that is the driving force behind the move for public bodies and private business to be open and transparent about their dealings.
The argument goes that, by showing their workings, they can engender trust. However, psychology suggests it might not be that straightforward. An obvious response to publication of the data on surgeon's success rates has been headlines labelling some as "the worst in the UK".
So how can we engender trust, both on a personal and public level. Should we demand that our partners tell us every lecherous thought that goes through their heads? Do we really want to know that the surgeon about to apply their blade to our skin has a lower than average success rate? The answer, like so many about complex human beings, is not simple. Openness and trust are not always linked in the way we might assume. The Human Zoo shows us why.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland discovers whether opening up can generate trust. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 02 | 03 | 20130716 | 20131029 (R4) | "Trust me, I tell the truth and I'll prove it to you". It's a simple idea that is the driving force behind the move for public bodies and private business to be open and transparent about their dealings.
The argument goes that, by showing their workings, they can engender trust. However, psychology suggests it might not be that straightforward. An obvious response to publication of the data on surgeon's success rates has been headlines labelling some as "the worst in the UK".
So how can we engender trust, both on a personal and public level. Should we demand that our partners tell us every lecherous thought that goes through their heads? Do we really want to know that the surgeon about to apply their blade to our skin has a lower than average success rate? The answer, like so many about complex human beings, is not simple. Openness and trust are not always linked in the way we might assume. The Human Zoo shows us why.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland discovers whether opening up can generate trust. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 02 | 04 | 20130723 | Present someone with something they find disgusting and they will invariably draw back in horror. This "yuk!" response is universal - as far as we know, all humans have it.
But, perhaps more surprisingly, what people consider disgusting varies considerably across cultures. Jellyfish, sheep eyes or live grubs can induce disgust or delight depending on what we're used to eating.
And there's another, even more intriguing side to disgust: it can influence our moral judgements about the person or object we see as disgusting. The Liverpool football player Luis Suarez was called disgusting for biting an opponent and received a major penalty, a ten match ban, as a result. Yet he did little damage and other footballers routinely get away with causing far more harm with little, if any, moral outrage. Suarez bit and the disgust his action induced in others arguably made him a moral deviant, potentially influencing the severe punishment.
The surprising psychology of disgust is the subject of this episode of The Human Zoo. It's presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland asks if finding something disgusting influences moral judgement. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 02 | 04 | 20130723 | 20131105 (R4) | Present someone with something they find disgusting and they will invariably draw back in horror. This "yuk!" response is universal - as far as we know, all humans have it.
But, perhaps more surprisingly, what people consider disgusting varies considerably across cultures. Jellyfish, sheep eyes or live grubs can induce disgust or delight depending on what we're used to eating.
And there's another, even more intriguing side to disgust: it can influence our moral judgements about the person or object we see as disgusting. The Liverpool football player Luis Suarez was called disgusting for biting an opponent and received a major penalty, a ten match ban, as a result. Yet he did little damage and other footballers routinely get away with causing far more harm with little, if any, moral outrage. Suarez bit and the disgust his action induced in others arguably made him a moral deviant, potentially influencing the severe punishment.
The surprising psychology of disgust is the subject of this episode of The Human Zoo. It's presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland asks if finding something disgusting influences moral judgement. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 03 | 01 | Can We Control Our Behaviour? | 20140114 | 20140526 (R4) | The days have just started to lengthen, it's the time for vague notions of New Year, New Me. All it takes is a bit of willpower - setting us up perfectly for failure a few days or weeks down the road. Exercising willpower is enormously difficult - not because we are weak, but because the effort required to change our habits is big. There's also a myriad of subtle environmental influences that can knock our good intentions off course. While it might feel as if we have failed when we let our gym membership lapse and hit the chocolate, there are some very good reasons why this might be so. And knowing about them might just give us the edge and allow us to make real change. Michael Blastland returns with The Human Zoo, exploring and exposing what makes us tick. Producer: Toby Murcott A Pier production for BBC Radio 4. Michael Blastland explores human foibles. Can we really control our own behaviour? Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us |
| 03 | 02 | The stories we use | 20140121 | Cast an objective eye back over our lives, and, if we are brutally honest, it's a whole set of random events that brought us to where we are today. Yet if you ask someone, or even yourself, about that life we get a coherent story of cause and effect - the holiday that led to a career as a ski instructor, the missed train that got you talking to your future spouse or the serendipitous meeting outside a pub that kick started your career as a radio journalist.
We need to tell stories to survive, the argument goes, to make sense of the terrifying confusion that is our existence. So how deeply is this embedded in our psychology - can we design experiments to explore and explain our ability to make sense out of chaos?
In this week's Human Zoo, Michael Blastland delves into our storytelling brains - the story of our stories.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores the stories we use to explain our world to ourselves. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 03 | 02 | The stories we use | 20140121 | 20140602 (R4) | Cast an objective eye back over our lives, and, if we are brutally honest, it's a whole set of random events that brought us to where we are today. Yet if you ask someone, or even yourself, about that life we get a coherent story of cause and effect - the holiday that led to a career as a ski instructor, the missed train that got you talking to your future spouse or the serendipitous meeting outside a pub that kick started your career as a radio journalist.
We need to tell stories to survive, the argument goes, to make sense of the terrifying confusion that is our existence. So how deeply is this embedded in our psychology - can we design experiments to explore and explain our ability to make sense out of chaos?
In this week's Human Zoo, Michael Blastland delves into our storytelling brains - the story of our stories.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores the stories we use to explain our world to ourselves. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us |
| 03 | 03 | What is fairness? | 20140128 | Fairness is, so one argument goes, ingrained from birth. And it's true that most parents have heard the refrain "it's not fair" more times than they can count. It seems we all have a strong notion of what is equitable and violating that can cause us great distress. Yet fairness itself seems to be a remarkably fluid notion.
Experiment after experiment shows that we value fairness, but what it means at any one time is dependent on our own feelings of self-worth, our environment and, above all, the society in which we live.
This week on The Human Zoo, Michael Blastland gives the notion of fairness a fair hearing.
Producer: Toby Murcott
What is fairness and are we naturally fair to each other? Michael Blastland investigates. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 03 | 03 | What is fairness? | 20140128 | 20140609 (R4) | Fairness is, so one argument goes, ingrained from birth. And it's true that most parents have heard the refrain "it's not fair" more times than they can count. It seems we all have a strong notion of what is equitable and violating that can cause us great distress. Yet fairness itself seems to be a remarkably fluid notion.
Experiment after experiment shows that we value fairness, but what it means at any one time is dependent on our own feelings of self-worth, our environment and, above all, the society in which we live.
This week on The Human Zoo, Michael Blastland gives the notion of fairness a fair hearing.
Producer: Toby Murcott
What is fairness and are we naturally fair to each other? Michael Blastland investigates. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us |
| 03 | 04 | The psychology of negotiation | 20140204 | Our lives are full of tiny yet crucial negotiations. Do you let the other car pull out first from the junction? Who steps through the doorway first? Who takes the last biscuit?.
Passing almost unnoticed, they are an essential social lubricant and are based on an unspoken, common understanding. It's when there are no shared expectations, or where there's a direct conflict, that negotiations take on a very different character. If it's personal, it's a relationship-threatening row. If it's political, then the result can be war.
In this week's Human Zoo, Michael Blastland explores the psychology of negotiation - from how to ask for a pay rise to the story of the Polish psychologists who helped engineer one of the most successful political handovers in modern history.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Every day we complete a myriad of tiny negotiations, only noticing when they go wrong. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 03 | 04 | The psychology of negotiation | 20140204 | 20140616 (R4) | Our lives are full of tiny yet crucial negotiations. Do you let the other car pull out first from the junction? Who steps through the doorway first? Who takes the last biscuit?.
Passing almost unnoticed, they are an essential social lubricant and are based on an unspoken, common understanding. It's when there are no shared expectations, or where there's a direct conflict, that negotiations take on a very different character. If it's personal, it's a relationship-threatening row. If it's political, then the result can be war.
In this week's Human Zoo, Michael Blastland explores the psychology of negotiation - from how to ask for a pay rise to the story of the Polish psychologists who helped engineer one of the most successful political handovers in modern history.
Producer: Toby Murcott
Every day we complete a myriad of tiny negotiations, only noticing when they go wrong. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us |
| 04 | 01 | 20140624 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate: ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
It's a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, with explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, will be on hand as guide and experimenter in chief, together with the many other experts popularising a fast-growing subject in academia and the bookstores.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Michael Blastland invites us to discover the way people think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 04 | 01 | 20140624 | 20140915 (R4) | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate: ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
It's a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, with explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, will be on hand as guide and experimenter in chief, together with the many other experts popularising a fast-growing subject in academia and the bookstores.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Michael Blastland invites us to discover the way people think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 04 | 02 | 20140701 | One view of life is as a series of competitions. We compete for jobs; life partners; prestige and almost everything we value. How, though, do we choose where to compete, which battles to fight and when to walk away?
Human beings, we are told, live in a competitive world. The rhetoric surrounding business, sport, indeed life, is so often about winners and losers. The survival of the fittest; the rat race; climbing the greasy pole to the top of the tree. We can't all be good at everything and one of the trickiest decisions we have to make is where to compete. Where, in the myriad of possibilities should we put our effort, how do we work out which races to enter?
In this week's Human Zoo, Michael Blastland asks whether, in this competitive existence, we really are any good at knowing what we're good at.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Choose your battles carefully. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 04 | 03 | 20140708 | Our minds control our bodies, of course. If we're thirsty then we reach out to pick up a hot cup of tea or ice cold water. But what we think after we've picked up that drink can be influenced by what we're holding.
Experiments have shown that, under the right circumstances, we have nice warm thoughts about people when holding a hot drink, or chilly ones when grasping an icy one. You can hear this all the time in the language we use, we wind ourselves up or calm ourselves down. Politicians are on the left or the right, they're going forward or stepping back from the brink.
Psychologists call this embodiment, the idea that our thoughts are inseparable from our bodily circumstances. So, grab a nice hot cup of tea and come listen.
Presented by Michael Blastland
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores how what we do with our bodies can influence our thoughts. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 04 | 03 | 20140708 | 20140922 (R4) | Our minds control our bodies, of course. If we're thirsty then we reach out to pick up a hot cup of tea or ice cold water. But what we think after we've picked up that drink can be influenced by what we're holding.
Experiments have shown that, under the right circumstances, we have nice warm thoughts about people when holding a hot drink, or chilly ones when grasping an icy one. You can hear this all the time in the language we use, we wind ourselves up or calm ourselves down. Politicians are on the left or the right, they're going forward or stepping back from the brink.
Psychologists call this embodiment, the idea that our thoughts are inseparable from our bodily circumstances. So, grab a nice hot cup of tea and come listen.
Presented by Michael Blastland
Producer: Toby Murcott
Michael Blastland explores how what we do with our bodies can influence our thoughts. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 04 | 04 | 20140715 | Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes. But psychologists say that repetition does something powerful to our appreciation of everything we hear - be it music, comedy or a political speech.
The first time you hear a piece of music you may like it, you may hate it, you may be indifferent. Listen again and then again, and the chances are it will grow on you. It becomes familiar, enjoyable and may even enter your desert island discs.
This is the power of repetition in action. Politicians attempt to harness it by repeating key phrases, though that can be a double edged sword - remember Norman Lamont's "green shoots of recovery"?
The way our brains deal with repetition reveals some of the extraordinary ability we have to identify speech in an otherwise meaningless jumble of noise. Listen as Michael Blastland explores the power of repetition, the power of repetition.
Produced by Toby Murcott
The power of repetition. The power of repetition. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 04 | 04 | 20140715 | 20140929 (R4) | Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes. But psychologists say that repetition does something powerful to our appreciation of everything we hear - be it music, comedy or a political speech.
The first time you hear a piece of music you may like it, you may hate it, you may be indifferent. Listen again and then again, and the chances are it will grow on you. It becomes familiar, enjoyable and may even enter your desert island discs.
This is the power of repetition in action. Politicians attempt to harness it by repeating key phrases, though that can be a double edged sword - remember Norman Lamont's "green shoots of recovery"?
The way our brains deal with repetition reveals some of the extraordinary ability we have to identify speech in an otherwise meaningless jumble of noise. Listen as Michael Blastland explores the power of repetition, the power of repetition.
Produced by Toby Murcott
The power of repetition. The power of repetition. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 05 | 01 | Declinism | 20150113 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
There's a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen, and it's all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Michael Blastland presents. Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is the experimenter-in-chief, and Timandra Harkness the resident reporter.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland and the team explore the psychology of thinking that things get worse. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 05 | 02 | Hindsight Bias | 20150120 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
There's a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen, and it's all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Michael Blastland presents. Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is the experimenter-in-chief, and Timandra Harkness the resident reporter.
Producer: Eve Streeter and Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
Michael and the Zoo team put the 'I knew it all along' effect under the microscope. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 05 | 03 | Information | 20150127 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
There's a curious blend of intriguing experiments to discover our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news to what we do in the kitchen, and it's all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
Michael Blastland presents. Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is the experimenter-in-chief, and Timandra Harkness the resident reporter.
Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
Michael Blastland and the Zoo team explore information avoidance and denial. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 05 | 04 | Changing One's Mind | 20150203 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world?
Michael Blastland presents. Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, is the experimenter-in-chief, and Timandra Harkness the resident reporter.
Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
Michael Blastland and the Zoo team look ahead to the general election. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 06 | 01 | Morals and Norms | 20150623 | The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. In this episode, morals and norms. Naked tourists on Malaysian mountains? Professional footballers sprawling on the streets of Tenerife? The team turns the lens of psychology on news of bad behaviour.
How do we know about the unwritten rules that govern us? And why does it cause such outrage when we get them wrong?
Special guests include Richard Holton, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University, Digital Human presenter Aleks Krotoski, psychologist Dr Kate Cross, as well as writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe on how his mother started a bread roll fight with a Lord.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
How do we know about the unwritten rules that govern us? Michael Blastland investigates. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 06 | 02 | The Improvising Mind | 20150630 | The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? The programme blends intriguing experiments that reveal our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news and what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.
In this episode: the flat mind. What if our 'inner world' of images, thoughts and beliefs isn't as three-dimensional as the world around us? What if we're just making it up as we go along?
Recorded at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Professor Nick Chater and reporter Timandra Harkness.
Special guests this week are advertising guru Rory Sutherland, psychologist Dr Kate Cross from St Andrews University, Elleke Boehmer, professor of world literature in English at at Wolfson College Oxford and author of The Shouting in the Dark, neuroscientist Dr Peter Zeidman from University College London, Dr Martin Coath from the Cognition Institute at Plymouth University and experimental psychologist Professor Bruce Hood from the University of Bristol.
Presenter: Michael Blastland
Michael considers whether we often just make up what we think on the spot. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 06 | 03 | Perfect People | 20150707 | The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? The programme blends intriguing experiments that reveal our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news and what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.
This week, is what's expected of us as citizens psychologically absurd? The law punishes us if our attention lapses at the wrong moment. The state says we should be able to judge whether to cash in our pension.
We are all supposed to have read the terms and conditions - famously described as "the biggest lie on the internet". So are these expectations fit for real people? And what are the implications?
Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Special guests this week include Guardian tech reporter Alex Hern; Greg Davies, head of behavioural and quantitative finance at Barclays; from UCL, Professor of law Cheryl Thomas and psychologist Dr David Lagnado; plus writer and comedian Rosie Wilby on dating and pre-nups.
Is what is expected of us as citizens psychologically absurd? Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 06 | 04 | A Word of Advice | 20150714 | The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.
In the last episode of the series - how does advice work? The government tells us to cut down on sugar in our diets. Obama suggests Britain should remain committed to the EU. And poor Greece has been inundated. How, psychologically, do we receive this 'expert' advice? When do we accept it and when do we ignore it?
And what about advice from friends, especially the unasked-for kind? On relationships, how to live your life, what job to take - we find it annoying to hear and take on - but why? And at the same time, we can't resist dolling out what we think are our wise words of wisdom.
Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Special guests this week include Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to the USA; Prof Nigel Harvey, psychologist at University College London; Dr Stephan Dombrowski, psychologist at the University of Stirling; Professor Daniel Oppenheimer, psychologist at the UCLA Anderson School of Management; plus Daily Telegraph columnist Sally Peck.
Michael Blastland explores how we react to advice. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 07 | The Lives of Things | 20151215 | Storms rage and floods take their toll - is this nature taking its revenge? Michael Blastland turns the lens of psychology on how we treat objects and other entities as if they are 'alive'.
Not just the weather - we rail against a crashed laptop, dote on our cars and have conversations with our pets. Why do we anthropomorphise the things around us?
In fact, we tend to exaggerate what psychologists call 'agency' in all kinds of ways - as if there's a mind behind what goes on in the world, with feelings and intentions. Does this mean we see conspiracy, blame, praise, and power where it doesn't belong?
Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland on why people treat objects and other entities as if they are alive. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 07 | The Other | 20151208 | Amidst public anxiety over any number of threats to British interests, Michael Blastland turns the lens of psychology from 'us' to 'them', and perceptions of 'the other'.
From sports teams to supermarkets, politics to religion, we define ourselves partly by the other. And with the news full of fear of terrorist attacks, talk of war and immigration, the question of how we perceive groups outside our own is increasingly relevant.
How do we see 'them', whoever they are? Are we naturally fearful of those who aren't like us? What is the morality of otherness? Can our categorising of the other lead to a potential for racism?
Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include sports commentator Alison Mitchell on otherness in cricket, and comedian Simon Evans on its function in standup.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland examines the psychology of us and them and perceptions of 'the other'. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 07 | The Strangeness of Tradition | 20151222 | It's the time of year when we fall into the familiar, the traditions we've recycled since childhood. But why do we do it? Michael Blastland examines the psychology of how we behave around Christmas.
Mistletoe, gift-giving, decorated evergreen trees - irresistibly or unthinkingly, we all act out this time of year in a similar way. Do we simply copy each other? Is it about reinforcing group identity? Or do we fear the consequences if we transgress tradition?
In fact, how traditions arise and take hold - and more widely, what becomes conventional behaviour - is core to being human. How did Captain James Cook use convention to win over Fuegian tribesman? Is tradition as much about the present as the past? And why is there moral outrage when we violate these traditions?
Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include Professor Robert Sugden, an economist from University of East Anglia; Professor Anne Murcott, anthropologist from SOAS, University of London; and Dr Bj怀rn Lindstr怀m, researcher at the Emotion Lab, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
The programme also includes writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe on Midnight Mass and when is the correct time to cook the turkey, and the cast of Andrew Pollard's Little Red Riding Hood from the Greenwich Theatre.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland examines current events through the lens of psychology. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 07 | The Tide Is With Us | 20151201 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? All human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo - including yours.
In this episode, Michael Blastland explores why so many people - be they the leaders of political parties, or people who drink too much - think other people share their beliefs and choices. All political parties tell us that the tide is going their way. But it's a strange tide that flows in all directions. Even extremists and revolutionaries, it seems, are likely to think that there are many other supporters eager to join them.
Why do we think so many more people are like us? Even when we're asked to describe the typical height of people we see around us, we're more likely to estimate too low if we're short and too high if we're tall.
How far does this tendency go, why do we do it, and what are its implications for politics, public health or extremists? Find out in The Human Zoo, recorded before an audience at Warwick University's Festival of the Imagination, featuring the latest psychological research, and the author AL Kennedy on how she goes about becoming someone else in fiction.
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland on why so many think other people share their beliefs and choices. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | ||
| 08 | 01 | As a matter of fact... | 20160614 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this first episode of a new series, we look at facts and the EU referendum. We are bombarded with statistics and projections about how the UK will benefit or suffer, depending on whether or not we are in or out of Europe. And we, the public, clamour for even more. How do we respond and use these facts, if at all, to formulate a reasoned opinion?
To what extent do we make a judgment first and then collect the evidence afterwards? Do we simply seek out facts that confirm our original belief - are we simply self-justification machines? As we near ballot time, the Human Zoo team investigate how emotions - such as fear and anger - may shape the way we think and act.
Michael Blastland is joined by resident psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include Professor Jennifer Lerner, Harvard University; Historian Lucy Robinson, University of Sussex; Professor Peter Johansson, Lund University, Sweden; and James Fisher, Cut-Throat London.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland look at facts and the EU referendum. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 02 | Short Cuts to the Simple Life | 20160621 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this episode, we explore success and failure, and how easily we attribute acclaim or the blame. Too easily? For example, football managers - we can expect a few casualties during Euro 2016, but is the failure of a team one man's fault? At the same time, the boss of the eventual cup-winner is lauded as a genius. Surely it's more complicated than that?
The Human Zoo team investigate how we tend to oversimplify our complex world - unconsciously - because we are cognitively lazy. We take shortcuts to come to easy answers about everything from which politicians we trust, to evidence for climate change, to star performers on Wall Street. What weird behaviour. Why do we do it?
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include Professor Jerker Denrell, University of Warwick; Dr Stian Reimers, City University London; Tracey Brown, Sense About Science; and Ed Smith, former England cricketer.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland explores how humans think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 03 | That Post-Referendum Feeling | 20160628 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this episode, that morning-after feeling - the aftermath of the EU referendum. We put our 'X' in a box and, one way or the other, committed. What happened in that moment and what are the consequences? Are we different now?
Do we have doubts or regrets, or will we stubbornly stick to our decision? The Zoo team investigate the curious psychology of being consistent and how we make ourselves feel better about the decisions we make in life.
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include Professor Ralph Hertwig, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin; Professor Greg Maio, Cardiff University; Carol Tavris, social psychologist and author; Lee Jones, Queen Mary University of London and Lois Pryce, travel writer and journalist.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 04 | Trust me... I'm an expert | 20160705 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this week's programme, a question of trust - why do people have a tendency to distrust experts and expertise? It has been made much of in the UK's Brexit campaign to leave the European Union. 'People in this country have had enough of experts,' claimed Leave campaigner Michael Gove. What's behind this lack of faith in authority?
The Zoo team discover that the difficulty of evaluating expertise is a problem we all face - because to really understand what's going on, you have to know what you don't know, and it's easier to spot the flaws in other people's reasoning and knowledge than to see it in ourselves. But then forecasting is a tricky business, and the experts don't always get it right. So, who to trust?
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Guests this week include David Dunning, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan; Professor Barbara Mellers from the University of Pennsylvania; journalist turned teacher Steve McCormack; and Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion rower Annie Vernon.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 05 | Democracy and the Wisdom of Crowds | 20160712 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
At a time when questions are being asked both of democracy, and of how Donald Trump continues to rise in the US, the Human Zoo team investigates the so-called wisdom of crowds - the idea that collective judgments lead to the right solution.
Sometimes, how we learn from one another results in human progress. Elsewhere, our tendency to copy each other's behaviour has irrational outcomes.
When does the herd get it right and wrong? How do we know when the crowd is leading us in the right direction?
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include Yale economist Robert Shiller, science writer Philip Ball, Alex Mesoudi from the University of Exeter and author Steven Poole.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 06 | Disruption | 20160719 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this episode - disruption and how it affects us. Cancelled trains or political and economic turmoil - when things happen beyond our control, how do we react psychologically? Not well, usually.
We don't like uncertainty. We tend to avoid a change to the status quo, almost at all cost. But are there cases when a bit of disruption has benefits? The Human Zoo team explores everything from displaced German towns and lateral problem-solving to comedy improvisation and music composition.
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Contributors this week include behavioural scientist Dr Stian Reimers, City University London; broadcaster Nicholas Parsons; psychologist Prof Thomas Ormerod; members of Spontaneity Shop, comedy improvisation company; and broadcaster and journalist, Tim Harford.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 07 | News Of An Atrocity: The Psychology Of Rare Events | 20160726 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions. In this episode - why do we tend to be more attuned to the dangers posed by rare, exceptional events, such as acts of terrorism, than we are to more everyday threats such as car crashes, which are a more immediate and real risk? Why do rare events sometimes feel more frightening? People are continually alert to the odd - we have a better memory for things that seem different from others. We will pay more attention to strange events than equally bad normal events. So the more used we become to a 'bad thing', the less we are unsettled by it. Which might mean that the impact of terrorism is diminished the more common it becomes. But there is something else. Strange events suggest our view of the world is wrong - that the world makes less sense than we thought, and perhaps is more malevolent or unjust. And a feeling that we can make sense of the world and our own lives within it can be important for our well-being. Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness. Guests this week include the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, Christopher Olivola from Carnie Mellon University, Jacob Feldman from Rutgers University, screenwriter Jayne Kirkham and Doctor Who scriptwriter Gareth Roberts. Producer: Eve Streeter A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us | |
| 08 | 08 | The Olympics: Why We're Hardwired To Watch | 20160802 | The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.
In this programme, the Zoo team are watching people, who are watching people, who are often as not going round in circles. And trying to work out what it is in the mind that makes that so compelling.
It's time for the Olympics, and we're investigating the psychology of being a sports spectator. Even if you're not watching the Rio Games, you might be curious why so many do.
Is it an animal impulse to display and enjoy watching physical skills? An instinct to compete, to tell stories? Are we drawn to the drama of the spectacle, the unknown result? Or is it a vicarious pleasure, imagining yourself at the starting block?
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Guests this week include sports commentator Alison Mitchell, former sports reporter Lynne Truss, Daniel Glaser from King's College London, philosopher George Papineau, and motorsport presenter Gareth Jones.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we think, behave and make decisions. Exploring the foibles, quirks and behaviour of that most fascinating of species - us |