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Jonah

Science in fiction and nonfiction

Arts, Culture & Media

Three writers discuss themes as varied as consumer electronics, neuroscience and Twitter.

The science behind making decisions

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OK to Be Gay? Jewish Conversion Therapy Faces First Legal Battle

Jonah Lehrer on How to Expand Your Imagination

Climate Stars

A Whale Hunt

Robert Sullivan tells Steve Curwood about the two years he spent with the Makah tribe of Washington. The author got to know members of the tribe as they were preparing to revive their ancient tradition of whale hunting. The hunt drew national attention and protest.

The World

The decider: How your brain makes up its mind

Arts, Culture & Media

It seems like there are two kinds of people: those who agonize over every decision and those who go with their gut. Neuroscientist Jonah Lehrer is author of the new book, How We Decide, which explores what goes on in the brain when we make a decision.

The World

The science behind keeping (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions

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Who hasn’t had a New Year’s resolution fail? The Takeaway’s science contributor Jonah Lehrer joins the show to tell us why our brain actually prevents us from changing everything at once.

The World

The science of gift giving

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Feeling a little sheepish because you got your sister socks, and she got you a new purple iPod? Evolution can be blamed for the guilt. Jonah Lehrer gives us the dirt on why we feel the need to give as much as we receive.

The World

Wine and breakfast cereal: how expectations warp experience

Environment

A growing body of scientific work has studied how what we perceive ?- or think we perceive ?- can have less to do with reality than we think. In light of recent findings, Jonah Lehrer, editor-at-large for Seed magazine and author of ‘Proust was a Neuroscientist,’ says it’s time to radically rethink notions like ‘you get what you pay for.’