LSE IQ podcast

From stage-show stereotypes to life-changing treatment, this episode explores the science - and the myths - behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy. We uncover extraordinary stories of addiction recovery, pain relief, and everyday healing from a form of talking therapy that remains widely misunderstood. Asking whether we should take hypnotherapy more seriously, Joanna Bale talks to LSE anthropologist Dr...

From the pets we love to the animals we rarely see, our relationship with non-human life is full of contradictions. In this episode, we explore what it really means to protect animals and whether welfare is enough, or if rights are the way forward. Beginning with a simple question inspired by my own dog, Pip, this episode moves from the personal to the global. Through conversations with experts in...

We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news. But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investmen...

Fertility rates are at record lows around the world, reshaping communities and even forcing some schools to close. In 1950, the global average was around five live births per woman. Today, that number has more than halved to 2.2, and in England and Wales, it’s closer to 1.4. The UK’s falling birth rate reflects what the United Nations has described as ‘a global fertility slump’. In this episode of...

What does the future of work really look like?

It seems every week we hear a new report of a cyber-attack. What if those attacks were on our critical infrastructure? Our national grid? Our water supply? Is the UK prepared?

What does artificial intelligence really mean for the future of work?

Amid rising interest rates and inflation, we ask whether debts must always be paid—exploring causes of debt, bankruptcy’s role, and fresh perspectives on repayment.

Far-right ideas once on the fringe now dominate feeds and headlines, reshaping politics and threatening democracy worldwide.

This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem?

What type of person falls for an online scam? Who are the fraudsters and how does colonialism motivate them? And what’s the connection between criminality and pop music?

With the cost-of-living crisis leading to the closure of community spaces around the UK, and the pressures on urban development projects, this episode of LSE iQ asks, are we in danger of losing our communities?

This episode of LSE iQ looks at whether we should still be driving.

This episode of LSE iQ explores a national scandal: widespread illegal sewage dumping by our privatised water companies, and why they are all under criminal investigation.

With companies, like SpaceX or Blue Origin, getting into space exploration and the cost of launching rockets dropping, could we see a lot more people heading into space in the future?

In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious Nobel Prize and how it changes your life.

This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap.

The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat?

Why do some countries, such as China and Russia, stand outside of the liberal international order and oppose values that the West takes for granted – values such as liberty and democracy?

Are weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?

This episode of LSE Extra iQ asks, 'Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class?'.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we tackle loneliness?’.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Can we change the world?’

Joanna Bale investigates how gay men living in Dubai create covert communities where they can meet and socialise.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Is AI coming for our jobs?’