Hidden Brain: Hidden Brain, all episode/big picture discussion

December 9, 2015 5:21 PM

Hidden Brain: a podcast about "life's unseen patterns" but I guess more about cognition and behavior with a strong data focus.
posted by latkes (2 comments total)

So I was interested to hear other people's perspective on this show, because for me, it's good listening, but kind of a mixed analysis.

1) I wonder if the Invisibilia hosts are irritated about this?

2) Very listenable, to my ear, but sometimes problematically so? It feels very TED Talk: this idea that there is a pat and easy answer for every problem, and we already know that answer, seems highly problematic. Further, there's this ideology of biology over environment - like, we can all be reduced to these kind of very simple math problems, instead of like, enormous institutional and social factors that influence our behavior and choices.

3) I loved that one episode that was also played on This American Life: it was so much weirder than the rest of the show! Bring more weird Shankar!

4) I LOOVVEE Adam Cole's songs. This is a great feature of the show.

5) Overall, I enjoy this podcast. However, it's kind of anti-political, NPR-ness means I don't love it. It succeeds at what it sets out to do! I think!

What about you?
posted by latkes at 5:26 PM on December 9, 2015

I listened to the first couple of episodes and just found it too -- mannered? (I still love TAL, The Mystery Show and find that Radiolab still has some good eps, so I'm not at all immune to well-produced and somewhat twee podcasts.)

I think that this show, like Invisibilia, is plowing through some well worn topics without actually bringing any new insight or charisma to the venture. It's all rather paint-by-numbers.

Is there a single strong episode I should try out just in case I gave up too early?
posted by maudlin at 7:17 PM on December 9, 2015