Preconceived

How is memory influenced by emotion? Are we more likely to remember an event accurately if it was associated with a strong emotion, or would high emotionality be more likely to distort a memory? How powerful is nostalgia, and do we tend to overly glorify past events in our life with the passage of time? Boston College Professor and memory expert Elizabeth Kensinger joins the podcast. Hosted on Aca...

How accurate is the human memory? Dr. Elizabeth Loftus is a world-renowned psychologist who has devoted her career to studying the malleability of human memory. She joins the podcast to share what her research has shown regarding the accuracy of human memories, and explains how completely fabricated memories can actually be incepted into people's minds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Much research has been conducted over the years that clearly outlines the numerous benefits of strong interpersonal relationships. But what actually constitutes a strong and meaningful friendship? Which elements of a friendship contribute to our own happiness? The Harvard Study of Adult Development began in 1938 and is the longest study to date to look at happiness. Dr. Robert Waldinger is the cur...

On the last episode of Preconceived, palaeontologist Kallie Moore joined the show to discuss the evolution of sapiens from the original mammals and great Apes. We explored what we know about neanderthals and how our homo sapien ancestors interacted with them. In this subsequent episode, we discuss how homo sapiens spread around the world and surmise as to what the future of our species might look...

The earth has existed for over 4.5 billion years. It can be tough to grasp that within those 4.5 billion years, humans have only existed for a few hundred thousand of them, a mere moment in time. So how did we, homo sapiens, come to be? Kallie Moore, paleontologist and co-host of the popular PBS YouTube channel Eons, joins the podcast. In this first of two episodes, Kallie walks listeners through...

In the West, when many of us in hear the word Communism, our minds likely flash to images ruthless dictators, like Stalin in the USSR and Mao in China. Or, we might think of the Cold War, where communism served as the philosophical and economic enemy of Western capitalism. But communism as it has been practiced over the last century actually emerged from the philosophies of Karl Marx and Friedrich...

In a way, we are all philosophers, trying to make sense of this mysterious world, how we fit within it, and how we can live our happiest and most meaningful lives. But how far does all of the contemplation really get us? Is the world of philosophy merely a realm of overthinking and pontification, or does it truly yield to practical changes in the way we live our lives? Eric Weiner is an acclaimed...

Are doctors really the heroes that some tv shows make them out to be? Is our medical system as idealistic as many patients try to believe? Dr. Samuel Shem helped shatter the illusion of the "medical fantasy" with his famous satirical novel The House of God many years ago. He joins the podcast to give a refreshingly honest glimpse into what it's really like being a doctor and how to best navigate t...

Aside from our genetics, there are many reasons why we might be different from our siblings. It has been well-documented that patterns in parental favouritism and sibling interactions affect our personalities, friendships and intelligence. Dr. Catherine Salmon, Professor of Psychology and author of The Secret Power of Middle Children, joins the podcast. Catherine Salmon's Bookhttp://www.thesecretp...

In this second of two episodes regarding death and the funeral process, funeral director Emily Bootle explains the process of embalming and the decision to have an open versus closed casket funeral. She ends by sharing lessons she has learned from working so closely with death and how they shape the way she lives her life. Koru Funeral Home http://korucremation.comEpilogue WillsThis episode is spo...

For most, the word “death” conjures up emotions of fear and sadness. While death is one of the few certainties of life, it is something that most people would probably agree that you can never prepare for. But is there a different way to look at death and dying, perhaps with less of a negative sentiment? Funeral director Emily Bootle joins the podcast to share insights on death, dying and the fune...

For our new Preconceived listeners, this episode from over a year ago is a good "starter episode" to give  a flavour for what the podcast is all about. Zale reflects on starting the podcast and some of the biggest preconceptions that he has tried to better understand. How has his exploration into preconceptions changed his views of the world? Have any of the things he's learned influenced the way...

In this second of two episodes regarding Polyamory, we are joined by guest Alana Phelan, who practices polyamory herself. She shares lessons learned from her decades in the polyamorist community. Alana PhelanWebsite - http://polyamorouslibrarian.wordpress.comTwitter @hellolibrarianFacebook @Polyamorous Librarian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monogamy is such an indoctrinated part of society that it can often seem as if monogamy is the only option for a relationship. But with the heightened liberalization of society, there has been increasing adoption of other romantic relationships that do not conform to monogamy. And with this, our traditional views of love, co-habitation and inter-dependence are being challenged. Dr. Eli Sheff, a so...

When someone is sentenced to die, it’s not always what you might think. The average time that an inmate in the States waits on death row is 10 years, with many serving up to 30 years before execution, living in solitary confinement for sometimes 23 hours a day. So why is the wait so long? And do the prisoners' crimes warrant such harsh prison stays? James Acker, a lawyer and co-editor of the book...

As much as companies have progressed and become more flexible over the past two years, a general business structure still exists at most companies … a boss, employees at various levels, and a hierarchy in which it is clear to whom one is accountable. There are set working hours, vacation arrangements, and bonus structures. But is the status quo of how a business operates truly the best way for it...

We are told from a very young age that being honest is a good thing. But most of us don’t really believe that honesty is always the best policy. Most of us allow for exceptions, omissions, and the occasional white lie, if it means sparing someone hurt feelings or avoiding an awkward conversation. Michael Leviton, author of "To Be Honest", spent most of his life not making such exceptions, and bein...

Ari Nagel is perhaps the most famous sperm donor in the world. He has fathered seventy children through sperm donation and has more children on the way. Unlike traditional sperm donation, Ari does not charge any money for his sperm and is involved in varying degrees in the lives of his kids. So what prompted Ari to devote his life to this cause? How does he keep track of seventy kids? What problem...

Few would admit to regretting their decision to become parents. But that doesn't mean there are not people who do indeed regret the choice to have kids. Is it possible to still love your children while regretting the choice to have had them? Is the admission of regret necessarily a bad thing? Orna Donath, author of Regretting Motherhood, joins the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

The boundary between adolescence and adulthood is naturally blurred. Usually, there is no distinct moment in which you seize to be a “youth” and begin to be an “adult”. But more important than identifying a key moment in time when this transition occurs, what does it actually mean to “become an adult”? Former Stanford Dean and New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythchott-Haims re-joins the po...

Christianity is the most commonly practiced religion in the world, with over 2.3 billion people identifying as Christians. Not surprisingly, the life of Jesus Christ is at the core of Christianity. Many of Christianity’s rituals, philosophies and belief systems are based on the events of his life. So what does Jesus Christ mean to Christianity, and how did his legacy shape this popular religion? B...

Money did not always exist in its current form. There was a time when goods and services were just exchanged for one another, without actual coins or cash changing hands. The preconception is that our current monetary system, the status quo, makes complete sense. But as millennia of history have proven to us, money is very complex, and there is a lot at stake. Jacob Goldstein, host of the popular...

Both the legality of prostitution and the ethics of sex work are highly debated topics worldwide. Is there anything inherently wrong with a person deciding to sell sex for money? Beyond this, what is the relationship between sex work, and the very different but often conflated topic of sex trafficking? Carly Kalish, a social worker and executive director of Victim Services of Durham Region, joins...

What is like to be on a psychedelic "trip", and what can it teach one about life's meaning and purpose? What kind of alternate form of reality and consciousness, if any, do psychedelics tap into? Jon Folak, who goes by the moniker, The Traveling Nobody, joins the podcast to discuss his psychedelic experiences with mushrooms and ayahuasca. Jon Folak's website - https://travelingnobody.netRelated Pr...

World-renowned author and historian Susan Wise Bauer rejoins the podcast to shed some "light" on the "dark ages", more commonly known as the Middle Ages. Why is this 1,000 year period of human history considered with generally negative regard? Is the Middle Ages even a real thing, or just something created by later historians? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.