Try This

Donating money can induce anxiety if you’re not sure how to afford it or feel pressured into doing so by the people around you.  Host Cristina Quinn talks to Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary about how to give back, whether it’s through money or time. Singletary reminds us that there’s always a way to give. She explains how to think through where you want to give,...

What’s really going on inside the brain of an altruist? Why do altruists care so much more for a stranger who needs help? Why are they so willing to give away a kidney? In this episode, host Cristina Quinn explores what it means to be an altruist with Abigail Marsh, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown University. Together, they break down how altruists view their own actions a...

Now that we’ve learned that chronic stress ages the brain, let’s put what we learned into practice. Join “Try This” host Cristina Quinn as she leads a 5-minute box breathing exercise. For more on ways to reduce your risk of dementia, check out some of The Post’s reporting: How to calm your mind with breathing, according to science How to use your voice to reduce your stress and feel calmer 5-minut...

When we’re in constant stress, our brains become less resilient. Chronic stress can lead to inflammation of the brain — increasing our risk of cognitive decline.  Breathing exercises hold a lot of power for calming the body and brain. Host Cristina Quinn talks to Washington Post Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima , as well as neuroscientist and psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky from UCLA, about...

As we age, we can develop a higher risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It may even run in our families for some of us. But hope is not lost: About half of dementia cases are potentially preventable.  Host Cristina Quinn walks us through the U.S. POINTER study led by Laura Baker , professor of gerontology and geriatrics at Wake Forest School of Medicine. This study is considered the lar...

Your brain does a lot of work. It’s processing and adapting to changing environments and routines throughout our lives. In this episode, host Cristina Quinn talks with The Washington Post’s “Brain Matters” columnist, Richard Sima , about our aging brains, what a healthy one looks like, and why we don’t necessarily have to worry about forgetting where we put our keys.  For more on brain health...

Just the thought of going to the gym or lifting a dumbbell can feel intimidating. Good news — you don’t need either of these to strength-train!  In this episode of “Try This,” host Cristina Quinn chats with Washington Post health columnist Gretchen Reynolds about what strength training is and how to do it anywhere – and no matter your fitness level. Gretchen shares why building and maintainin...

If you look at social media these days, there’s any number of fashion influencers and brands telling you what clothes to buy and how to wear them.  In this episode of “Try This,” host Cristina Quinn gets real with The Washington Post’s fashion critic, Rachel Tashjian, and Style Memo newsletter writer Shane O’Neill about moving beyond trends and finding the outfits that match your identity – i...

From unpredictable flight prices to record-breaking heat waves and ever-changing rules about passports and Real IDs, travel today is more complicated than ever. This week on “Try This,” host Cristina Quinn sits down with Washington Post travel reporter Natalie Compton, who shares her best tips for navigating it all without losing your patience (or your luggage). Natalie breaks down exactly when an...

The “Try This” podcast has a new companion – the “Try This: Gut Check" newsletter . It’s a five-part newsletter series that breaks down what science actually says about how to support gut health without stress, supplements, or confusing trends. In the newsletter, host Cristina Quinn explores questions like: What’s the deal with probiotics? Do fermented foods really help? How do you actually eat mo...

Gut health advice can be overwhelming. But science suggests that supporting the gut doesn’t have to be complicated. In this episode, Trisha Pasricha and Karen Corbin break down what research says about how to care for the gut in everyday life. They explain how to make gut-friendly choices at the grocery store, what to consider before taking a daily probiotic, and why it’s possible to support gut h...

What you eat changes your gut, and your gut affects your metabolism. Host Cristina Quinn talks to researcher Karen Corbin about how your gut and metabolism work together to process certain foods, all while managing your body’s energy.  Karen Corbin, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at AdventHealth Translational Research Institute, walks us through her latest research on how our gut and m...

What’s really going on inside your gut, and why should you care? In this episode, host Cristina Quinn explores the inner workings of the gut microbiome with Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Together, they break down what the microbiome is, where it lives, and how it influences everything from digestion to disease. Pasricha explains how the gut microbi...

Want to be a better conversationalist, listener, and all-around great company? In this special episode, host Cristina Quinn talks with Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and author Charles Duhigg (" Supercommunicators " and " The Power of Habit ") about the science of effective communication. Duhigg breaks down why some conversations feel effortless while others leave us frustrated — and how s...

It’s not only about digital boundaries. Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler, in conversation with host Cristina Quinn, shares insights on physical and social boundaries we need to put in place to reclaim our focus. He offers tips like setting expectations at work and designating screen-free hours with family. And addiction psychiatrist Anna Lembke reminds us why breaking free from digit...

If you're ready to take back control of your attention, here’s where to start. Host Cristina Quinn chats with Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler about self-binding — creating intentional boundaries with your devices to reduce distractions and reclaim your focus. Geoffrey shares his own experiments and practical strategies, such as reorganizing a home screen and resetting algorithms. Th...

Many of us are caught in a loop of instant gratification, driven by the brain’s reward system. In this episode, host Cristina Quinn talks with psychiatrist and addiction expert Anna Lembke about how to break free from compulsive digital habits and reset our dopamine levels. Anna explains how our brains become desensitized to pleasure over time, making us crave more and more stimulation. The good n...

Ever wonder why you can’t stop scrolling, even when you know you should? It probably comes down to dopamine, a key neurotransmitter that drives pleasure and motivation. In this episode, host Cristina Quinn talks to psychiatrist Anna Lembke, author of “Dopamine Nation,” about the neuroscience behind digital addiction. Anna explains how our devices keep us hooked by triggering dopamine surges — and...

In the third and final episode of our three-part course on cultivating joy, host Cristina Quinn dives into the connection between spreading kindness and experiencing happiness. Steven Petrow , author of “ The Joy You Make ,” shares compelling research on the “ helper’s high ” and how you can bring joy to others and yourself — whether it’s through volunteering, helping a neighbor or even sharing a...

In this second class in our course on finding joy, host Cristina Quinn explores practical exercises to help you embrace joy in everyday life. Steven Petrow , author of “ The Joy You Make ” and a contributing columnist for The Post, shares how things like wandering without a destination and rediscovering play can open the door to more joy, even during life’s toughest moments. Steven helps you learn...

Happiness, it turns out, comes down to a science — even though what makes each of us happy can vary pretty widely. Host Cristina Quinn talks to happiness scientist Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at UC-Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center , about exactly what makes us happy and how much of our sense of joy is within our control. Drawing from the science of happiness, Emiliana explains th...

The electoral college has served as the system to elect U.S. presidents since the earliest days of the country. And while it has evolved over the years, Americans still use this complex representative system to choose their country’s leaders. The system, however, is not without its flaws — and many have pushed for alternatives over the years. In the third class about how the electoral college work...

In the second class in our series about how the electoral college works, host Cristina Quinn talks to historian Alex Keyssar of the Harvard Kennedy School about the compromises that drove the Founding Fathers to land on a complex, winner-takes-all system rather than a straightforward popular vote.  Keyssar walks listeners through the evolution of our voting system in the years following the r...

Remembering all the complex details of how the electoral college works is not exactly easy. And just when you’ve mastered how it all adds up, you probably won’t need to think about it again for another four years — hardly a formula for cementing something in your brain. “Try This” host Cristina Quinn is here to help. The first class in our three-part series on the electoral college explains h...

The team behind “Try This” is dedicated to helping listeners learn new things, in ways that feel doable. So we're sharing a recent “Post Reports” episode about how polling works. On this episode of The Washington Post’s daily news podcast, “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with The Post’s deputy polling director, Emily Guskin. Emily explains how a poll comes to be, details what to look for whe...