The Measure of Everyday Life

In 1965, the United States Congress officially recognized Historically Black Colleges or Universities as schools of higher learning, but the history of HBCUs extends all the way back to the 1830s. On…

Every fall in the U.S., students across the country head off to college. What you might not know is that some of them aren’t sure if they are going to have enough to eat when they are there. On this …

Can you remember a teacher who affected your life? As many students return to school in the U.S., we know teachers can have important effects. How exactly does good teaching make a difference? On thi…

With the increase in food prices in recent years, farming has been in the news and farming continues to be challenging work. In the U.S., various organizations have sought to support young farmers in…

When we talk with people who aren't in the same room as us, we often are not limited to phone calls or written correspondence anymore. What difference does it make to see someone’s facial expressions…

We often refer to teams and teamwork, both as an explanation for success and as a worrying force as we consider polarization in society. On this episode, we talk with Don Forsyth, a psychology profes…

Every day, many of us have conversations with small groups of people. Sometimes that now happens via videoconference or group chat. A lot happens when groups try to talk, though, that you might not r…

Philanthropy is sometimes cited as a force for good in the 21st century. People have donated money for societal gain for hundreds of years, though, and we can learn lessons from the successes and fai…

The real estate market in the U.S. has been in the headlines recently. What might that have to do with the challenge of homelessness? On this episode, we talk with Gregg Colburn, faculty member at th…

Chances are that if you have earned a paycheck you have had at least one day negatively affected by the behavior of a co-worker, supervisor, or employee. What do organizational psychologists say abou…

When historians consider this moment through which we are all living, what might they say about social media? On this episode, we talk about the roles social media are playing in the lives of teenage…

One experience that many of us have had during the pandemic is working from home. What has been the effect of that on our interactions with colleagues? On this episode, we talk with Rory McGloin of t…

Why do we laugh? What is the point? On this episode, we discuss laughter as a source of joy and as a tool for connecting people with Adrienne Wood, a psychology professor and laughter researcher at t…

What good might exercise do for our brain? You may have experienced a sense of relief in the short-term after working out. Exercise also can have important long-term effects on our brains. On this ep…

With new technologies, it is now possible to alter a human being into something different than they were. As a result, we are facing new ethical and philosophical challenges. Stefan Sorgner, professo…

Human beings find inspiration in making music together. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our ability to gather but people have still found ways to sing together. What can we learn from our histor…

As we begin a new year, many of us have faced stress and are searching for ways to cope. One source of relief is an old one: namely, music. Researchers now are learning to use music to manage stress.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many addiction treatment providers to change from delivering most treatment in person to delivering treatment via telehealth. What can we learn from that experience? …

One constant during our last two years has been change as we have seen incidence numbers for COVID-19 rise and fall and rise. How do we know that we have the data we need to make sense of the world a…