Life Examined

On this week’s Life Examined, how health organizations and employers are recognizing that workplace burnout is a real and growing problem. In 2019 the World Health Organization officially identified workplace burnout as an “ occupational phenomenon .” Today burnout is reaching epidemic proportions and many employees say the pandemic has made the problem worse. Host Jonathan Bastian talks with burn...

On this week’s Life Examined, host Jonathan Bastian talks with avid outdoor enthusiast Jaqueline L. Scott about how she fell in love with nature and birdwatching, and her efforts to make the outdoors a more welcoming and inviting space for Black people. We also hear from Yale environmental professor and historian Dorceta Taylor about the evolution of the environmental movement and how grassroots o...

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with J.M. Thompson about how running has been a personal voyage of discovery and healing from severe depression. Thompson, a clinical psychologist, is author of “ Running Is a Kind of Dreaming: A Memoir ,” in which he explores childhood trauma, suicide, and the powerful medicine of ultra running. Get full access to Life Examined at lifeexamined.substack.com/subscribe

This holiday season, as we finally enjoy the ability to gather in person, the question on many people’s minds is how to respond when a family member says they’re not vaccinated. Do we exclude our friends when they refuse to trust vaccines? How hard is it to change someone’s point of view? And what role does courage play when it comes to stepping up and doing the right thing?  Host Jonathan Bastian...

On this week’s Life Examined, we explore why rationality matters amidst a time of mass misinformation.  Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Steven Pinker, Harvard psychologist and author of “ Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters ” about our ability to sort fact from fiction. We also hear from evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson about how the human species is evolving to...

At a time of disconnection and distraction in the world, have we forgotten the importance of listening? Most of us are not shy about sharing our stories or voicing our opinions. But we spend much less time truly taking in what someone else says. How can asking Having better listening skills would help us build better relationships with our friends, families, and coworkers. And asking  thoughtful q...

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett about our collective fascination with dreams and how COVID dreams have changed over the last year. Later, we hear from Dr. Rafael Pelayo, author of  “ How to Sleep: The New Science-Based Solutions for Sleeping Through the Night ,” about the science of sleep and why getting a good night’s sleep has become so difficult. Get full a...

Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Meghan O'Gieblyn , author of “ God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning ” about how advanced AI technologies are changing how we think about ourselves and our faith. Later, writer Linda Kinstler talks about the influential role of the tech sector on faith. And Dr. Beth Singler from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. discuse...

KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian talks with cognitive scientist and philosopher Alison Gopnik about the minds of babies and children. What makes babies such avid learners, and can parents help shape who they will become? Gopnik explains that the evolutionary long human childhood results in years full of exploration and learning. On the other end of the spectrum, neuroscientist, musician, and author of “ Su...

This is the second in a two-part series about utopian societies, exploring community living and America’s history with utopian ideas, sects, and cults. What was the appeal back then, and how do they operate today? This week, KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian talks with religion professor Ben Zeller about the characteristics of utopian societies, including sects and cults. We also hear from Chris Jennings, a...

This is the first in a two-part series about utopian societies exploring the benefits of community cooperation and its dark sides — how the rejection of the status quo can morph into extremism and fanaticism. This week, KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian talks with Akash Kapur about his childhood memories growing up in Auroville, a utopian community in southern India. Kapur is the author of “ Becoming India:...

Kenneth Rosen, journalist and author of  “Troubled: The Failed Promise of America’s Behavioral Treatment Programs,” takes a closer look at the “tough love” industry and the damaging legacy of wilderness therapy boot camps through the eyes of four former residents — and his own personal experience being forcibly taken from his home as a teenager. Host Jonathan Bastian also talks with Will White , t...

Brian Earp, researcher and co-author of “Love Drugs: The Chemical Future of Relationships,” talks about the range of positive effects that MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, have on relationships. What could de-stigmatizing MDMA mean for couples therapy? KCRW also talks with the clinical director of the Gottman Institute and founder of the Center for Relationship Wellness about the essence of a...

On this week’s Life Examined, scientist and author of “Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old” Andrew Steele talks about the race to turn back the clock on the aging process. We also talk with University of Florida Sociology Professor Monika Ardelt about the wisdom that comes with old age.  Can being wise help you age successfully?  Get full access to Life Examined at lifeex...

The average person takes about 25,000 breaths a day but the majority of us give little thought as to how the air actually goes in or goes out of our lungs. What have we misunderstood about the breath and how can healthy breathing habits help both our physical and mental well being?  Get full access to Life Examined at lifeexamined.substack.com/subscribe

Ancient stoic wisdom is having an unexpected modern day resurgence. Whether it’s daily Instagram quotes, blogs, or good old fashioned books — the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus are today enjoying something of a comeback. And their appeal is wide, including entrepreneurs, hipsters, sports figures, and even parents. Get full access to Life Examined at lifeexamined.substack.com/su...

KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian talks with renowned Buddhist teacher and psychologist Tara Brach about meditation, mindfulness, and trusting our “inner gold.” Her books include “ Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha ,” “ True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart ,” and most recently, “ Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness .” Get full acc...

For African Americans, June 19 (Juneteenth) is both a celebration of freedom and an occasion of somber remembrance. It marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas learned that they were free — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Until recently, only a handful of states, including Texas, have acknowledged June 19 as a historical date that’s just as significa...

Music has always played an important role in cultures across the globe and across the millenia. The discovery of a  40,000-year-old bone flute in a German cave showed that hominids, our prehistoric ancestors, could use a tool to produce sound. Technology continues to impact the history and evolution of music, from the lyres depicted in the art of ancient Greece to the orchestras, synthesizers, and...

Friendship is one of the most important components and predictors for emotional and physical well being. A good friendship can last a lifetime, but it’s never too late to make new friends, as long as we devote time and energy to that effort. As we re-engage with one another after a year of isolation, who will we choose to interact with, and why does hanging out with our friends feel so good? On th...

Trees and forests have long been a source of inspiration for art and poetry. The modern environmental movement says forests and trees are on the front lines of fighting climate change by absorbing CO2 and cooling the planet with their leafy canopies. But trees may be far more evolved than their passive exteriors would lead us to believe.   We explore the healing power of trees and why a good fores...

The decision to have a child is quite possibly the most daunting and consequential any of us can make. But recent data and research on the well-being of parents may give some would-be parents reason to press pause. A child does provide meaning and purpose but does having children make us happier? Also how will the climate crisis and the COVID pandemic impact the decision on whether or not to have...

LSD and Ecstasy were once the hippy-trippy illegal substances for concerts, raves, and parties. Now these psychedelics are back in the news — this time for their positive impact on trauma and depression.  Today nearly one in five American adults lives with a mental illness, and PTSD will affect an estimated 7.7 million Americans at some point in their life. That’s according to NAMI, the National A...

Repentance and reflection was once the utopian ideal of the penitentiary system. Back then, the ideal was not to punish but to provide a solitary space or sanctuary from the evils of the outside world in which to repent. Today, that ideal has been swallowed by a massive prison industrial complex, but despite being overcrowded and underfunded, some prisons do offer educational programs like writing...

Throughout history, there have always been a small group of people who prepare for doomsday.  Today, according to a YouGov poll conducted in 2020, roughly one in five Americans feel that an apocalypse is coming. So what’s the obsession with the end of times, and do America’s historical roots inspire survivalism? KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian learns about the lives and mindsets of  people who think the a...