House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy | 4.17.2024 | How Do Our Minds Help Finding Connection & Purpose?

Have you ever had a moment when you’ve wanted to reach out to someone you haven’t seen in awhile, but something stops you, like the worry you’ll say the wrong thing? Or have you had the experience of assuming that someone who disagrees with you must also dislike you?
It turns out, our mind can play tricks on us that make it harder to connect.
Shankar Vedantam, host and creator of the podcast ”Hidden Brain” joins the Surgeon General for a two-part conversation that travels across science and deeper philosophical questions about life.
In this first conversation, Shankar explains the “hidden brain,” the part of the mind that function outside of our awareness, making unconscious decisions and judgments. They ponder the paradox of how social anxieties keep us from connecting, but how acts of connection and kindness have far greater impact and power than most of us realize.

Offering both science and personal stories, Shankar and Dr. Murthy help us work through our fears of connecting. And help us close the gap between our values, like kindness, and our actions.
(04:04) How does Shankar Vedantam describe the origins of the Hidden Brain podcast?
(06:18) How can we understand if our hidden brain is helping us?
(08:34) How does our hidden brain keep us from connecting with other people?
(14:04) What does it mean to express gratitude to someone else?
(18:39) How has Dr. Murthy cultivated his sense of kind and warmth?
(24:20) How can we tell a better story about the nature of our humanity?
(29:36) How did Shankar Vedantam become a translator of science?
(33:12) How do listeners respond to the Hidden Brain podcast?
(36:12) How are ideas for Hidden Brain podcast episodes developed?

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.