Live Like a Scientist

Every year, millions of people gather to celebrate national holidays. But have you ever wondered why these rituals are so powerful? In this episode, I explore what political science, sociology, and psychology can teach us about holidays and national identity. We'll discuss terms like imagined communities, collective effervescence, and social capital as well as experiments that quantify the eff...

How many meaningful relationships can one person maintain? Is there a limit to the size of our social world? Dr. Dunbar says "yes" and calculates that number. In this episode, I explore Dunbar's Number. Can you guess the number before I reveal it? Leave your guess in the comments. I also discuss the Strength of Weak Ties theory which suggests that some of our most valuable connections are not our...

In this episode, I talk about the error term (the part of every scientific model that cannot be fully explained) and why it might have something to teach us about life. What if uncertainty isn't a flaw to eliminate but a reality to understand? What if many of the things we call discipline, preparation, and wisdom are really our attempts to reduce life's error term? This episode explores why life w...

On the anniversary of receiving my PhD, I finally talk about the journey that shaped me into a scientist. In this first episode, I reflect on the highs and lows of PhD process: mentorship, immigration, self-doubt, ambition, (un)supportive relationships, failure, and the emotional reality behind pursuing a dream. I also answer the question I’ve been asked countless times: Would I do it all over aga...