The Decision Education Podcast

Why do we crave explanations—and what happens when they lead us astray? In this episode, our host, Annie Duke, sits down with cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo to explore the psychology of “why.”  From puzzling over everyday baking mishaps to big-picture questions about conspiracy theories, Tania unpacks how our drive to explain shapes what we believe, how we learn, and the choices we make. Toget...

How do leaders in sports balance analytics with the human element? In this episode, our host, Annie Duke, welcomes Paraag Marathe, Chairman of Leeds United Football Club and President of 49ers Enterprises & Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the San Francisco 49ers . Together, they discuss how analytics-based decision-making helps to build successful sports teams. Paraag share...

How does the stock market express uncertainty ? In this insightful conversation, co-founder of Oaktree Capital, renowned investor, and Alliance Board member Howard Marks joins our host, Annie Duke, to discuss the psychology behind market volatility and investor behavior. Howard explains how fluctuations in stock prices often reflect investor sentiment rather than changes in a company's intrins...

How do you spot opportunities hidden in plain sight? In this episode, our host, Annie Duke, sits down with Lux Capital co-founder Josh Wolfe to explore his unconventional approach to venture investing and decision-making under uncertainty. From his early days in Coney Island to building a multibillion-dollar fund, Josh shares how he spots hidden opportunities by asking a simple but powerful questi...

What does it really mean to choose with intent—and why do we often go with the default option? Our host, Annie Duke, is joined by award-winning Cornell University professor and expert in organizational psychology Dr. Sunita Sah to explore the hidden forces behind compliance, consent, and ethical decision-making.  Drawing on her multidisciplinary background in medicine, psychology, and consulting,...

What if knowing about cognitive biases isn’t enough to overcome them? Spencer Greenberg—entrepreneur, mathematician, and host of the Clearer Thinking podcast —joins our host, Annie Duke, to explore how we can move from simply recognizing decision-making errors to applying evidence-based tools that actually improve our thinking. Spencer discusses his path from a Ph. D. in applied math to creating i...

Season 6 of The Decision Education Podcast unveils decision-making tips from experts in AI, investing, entrepreneurship, and sports. Host, Annie Duke, engages our guests in interesting discussions, in which they unpack their decision toolkits and share how the world might look different if we practiced decision-making skills from a younger age.

How do we bridge the gap between the present and the future? In this episode, our host, Annie Duke, speaks with Bina Venkataraman, journalist, author, and science and technology policy expert , about the psychological, social, and institutional barriers to making long-term decisions. Drawing from Bina’s experiences in science communication, climate policy, and journalism, they discuss the difficul...

What forces shape the choices we make? Seth Godin, renowned author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert, joins our host, Annie Duke, to explore the impact of societal and external pressures on decision-making, and the role of systems in shaping our choices. Godin shares his unique perspectives on the power of social identities and the significance of empathy in leadership. Together, they examine ho...

Can optimism be both a strength and a weakness? Annie Duke welcomes cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Tali Sharot to explore her groundbreaking research on optimism bias, memory, decision-making, and human behavior. Tali shares how the brain processes information, the adaptive functions of optimism bias, and the impact of habituation on motivation. Key takeaways from this episode include the intricate...

How do you know a good founder when you see one? Annie Duke and Josh Kopelman, a co-founder and managing partner of First Round Capital, tackle this question by exploring the transition from gut feeling to quantifiable evaluation in venture capital. Together, they highlight First Round Capital's rigorous process for assessing startups and the role of understanding probability in enhancing decision...

What if the future you imagine is actually based on your memories? Annie Duke chats with neuroscientist and host of the Inner Cosmos podcast, Dr. David Eagleman, about how the surprising ways our brains process and interpret information influence the decisions we make. They tackle sensory hacks, decision quirks, and why “lashing yourself to the mast” could be your best bet against temptation.  Key...

What if happiness is a skill we can learn? Dr. Laurie Santos, a Yale professor, cognitive psychologist, and host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab , joins our host, Annie Duke, to explore the science behind happiness and why her course, “Psychology and the Good Life,” has become the most popular course in Yale’s 300-year history. Santos advocates for intentional decision-making and social c...

Season 5 of The Decision Education Podcast unveils decision-making tips from experts in neuroscience, cognitive biases, entrepreneurship, and social connection. Host Annie Duke engages our guests in interesting discussions where they unpack their decision toolkits and share how the world might look different if we practiced decision-making skills from a younger age. We’re thrilled to announce that...

What have we misunderstood about decision-making? In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow , joins host Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education, to discuss common misconceptions about decision-making and “System 1” and “System 2” thinking. Together, they discuss the significance of evaluating individual components before m...

Why do people sometimes become more entrenched in their beliefs when they are challenged? In this episode, David McRaney, science journalist and creator of the You Are Not So Smart podcast, book, and blog , joins us as we dive into the psychology of persuasion and explore how and why people change their minds. Together, we investigate the psychological need for connection and how, under certain ci...

Can giving advice actually be more valuable than receiving it? In this episode, Dr. Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and world-renowned author , joins host Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education, to rethink the ways we work and learn. Adam discusses which type of people excel the most in the workplace: givers, takers, or matchers. Adam and Annie delve into how establi...

Is more choice always better? Join us in conversation with Dr. Sheena Iyengar, a professor at Columbia Business School and an expert on choice , as we examine the complexities of choice overload, and discover why having less can sometimes lead to more. We'll explore the intricate psychology of decision-making, from understanding the reasons behind why we procrastinate making important choices...

Do judges impose harsher sentences on Friday afternoons? In this episode, Dr. Cass Sunstein, law professor, former administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and co-author of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness , joins host Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education. They discuss the concept of noise, inconsistencies...

Why do projects often take so much longer than expected? Join us in conversation with Dr. Woo-kyoung Ahn, Professor of Psychology at Yale and the author of Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better , to explore the thinking errors we make every day and discover powerful tools to mitigate them. Together, we delve into the reasons why job interviews can be misleading, why we tend to procrast...

Do our brains trick us into thinking things are worse than they are? In this episode, Dr. Steven Pinker, experimental psychologist and world-renowned author , joins host Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education, to explore why we make irrational decisions and to share some useful tools to help improve our judgment. They discuss how our brains are wired for nostalgia and why we...

How can we build an identity that withstands life’s curveballs? In this episode, Dr. Maya Shankar, Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google, joins host Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education, to explore the art of building resilience. Together, they share valuable insights on adapting to change and making tough decisions—from knowing when to pivot in your career to...

Season 4 of The Decision Education Podcast unveils decision-making tips from experts in behavioral science, cognitive biases, choice overload, and making decisions in the workplace. Host Annie Duke engages our guests in fruitful discussions where they unpack their decision toolkits and share how the world might look different if we practiced decision-making skills from a younger age.

What drives bad financial decisions when a crisis hits? Morgan Housel, award-winning author and expert on the psychology of financial decision-making , joins your host, Dr. Joe Sweeney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Decision Education, to talk about the common flaw of only saving for situations we can imagine, why we should be wary of financial advice in the media, and the danger of expec...

How can celebrating failure make us more successful? Tenured Harvard Professor and former Chief Decision Scientist in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Jennifer Lerner , joins your host, Executive Director of the Alliance for Decision Education, Dr. Joe Sweeney, to discuss why most organizations reward leaders who continue investing time and money into projects that are underperforming and how to break this patt...