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Body language expert: 7 cues that make you instantly more likable
Body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards shares her formula to create a lasting first impression.
with
Vanessa Van Edwards
A big myth about first impressions is that your first impression happens the moment you start talking.
5 literary classics that grapple with the void of nihilism
From mysterious villages to absurdism at the gallows, these books explore the origins, consequences, and possible responses to nihilism.
3 reasons why holidays aren’t making you more relaxed
If you're going to relax, don't do it halfway.
How to stop trying to convince a room you belong in it
Get clear on what you actually have to offer.
by
Danny Kenny
5 literary classics that grapple with the void of nihilism
From mysterious villages to absurdism at the gallows, these books explore the origins, consequences, and possible responses to nihilism.
To access your creativity, start playing
Humans are naturally creative, but adulthood often teaches us to value productivity over play.
FIND US ON SUBSTACK
What happens when AI plays war?
Wargames are helping answer one of the biggest questions of the AI era: how machines might reshape human decision-making in war.
From Pong to 18 quintillion planets: The evolution of video game play spaces
From early arcades to AI-generated worlds, video games have continually expanded the “magic circle” of play.
Why your brain loves games — and how to use that to your advantage
Your brain responds to game-like mechanics with focus, persistence, and engagement — the exact qualities you need to stay motivated.
What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with
Jonny Thomson
Kairos: The ancient Greek art of knowing when to act
A white rabbit appears up ahead. What do you do?
Most of your opinions aren’t yours — and a philosopher has a name for it
Why we shouldn't necessarily outsource our thinking to dead people.
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
9mins
The trick that offloads intrusive thoughts so your brain can actually work
David Epstein, author of Range and Inside the Box, breaks down what's actually happening inside the brain when we multitask, and why "just focusing" is a solution that doesn't hold up to reality.
19mins
The unpopular truth about the myth of the lone genius
David Epstein argues that the myth of the lone genius is a story we tell, but the actual history of innovation is far more interesting.
4mins
Play this card game to solve your team’s biggest problem
The $25 card game that unlocks high-achieving teams.
21mins
The 6 triggers of aversion and how to defeat each one
In goal setting, Chris Bailey argues the problem isn't discipline; it's the system itself.
Starts With A Bang podcast #130 – the initial mass function of stars
Contracting gas clouds don't just make a single star, but a spectrum, with all different masses. Early on, that spectrum differed. But why?
Ask Ethan: How did we discover substructure inside the proton?
Protons and neutrons are composite structures: made of quarks and gluons. But knowing they had substructure goes back long before that.
Singularities inside black holes are truly unavoidable
Yes, "the laws of physics break down" at singularities. But relativity itself would have to be wrong for black holes to not possess them.
JWST proves that black holes really do come before galaxies
It's the Universe's ultimate chicken-and-egg question: what came first, the galaxy or the black hole? One Little Red Dot proves the answer.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
The overlooked brain system shaping our motivations
Our motivations and sense of self may be more deeply shaped by our connections and social history than we think.
Long before FIFA, these brutal folk games gave birth to soccer
Soccer emerged from chaotic folk games, elite school rivalries, and evolving rules that transformed a rough pastime into the beautiful game.
When “survival of the fittest” justified monopolies and the slow death of democracy
America’s first Gilded Age reveals how concentrated economic power erodes democracy and offers a warning as similar forces reemerge today.
Astrology’s seductive nonsense — and why we still believe it
Vague predictions and post hoc revisions help astrology feel meaningful, even while it fails empirical testing.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Play it again: The causal link between fun and resilience
Fun in business is no laughing matter — it can create a golden strategic advantage and bring serious success in the long term.
The 250-year-old company that survived by refusing to lay people off
What would your company do if it lost all its customers at once?
The 3 stories every leader needs to inspire successful transformations
Directives rarely inspire change. The most effective leaders use stories to make transformation memorable, resonant, and actionable.
Follow the money: Mapping millionaire migration across America
Since 2018, around 103,000 millionaires moved out of California — and 133,000 millionaires moved in to Florida
The Irish language is having a moment — and running out of time
Gaeilge is trending culturally. So why is it, according to census data, also dying?
The Strait of Hormuz is today’s energy chokepoint. China is tomorrow’s.
As the global economy moves beyond oil, the strategic importance of the world’s most critical hydrocarbon chokepoint is likely to decline rapidly.
How the modern world turned gray (and why color may be coming back)
The ideology, economics, and psychology behind the modern world's draining of color from homes, cars, and everyday objects.
Where science meets the human story.
A physicist explains what the Kardashev scale gets wrong
The famous framework ranks civilizations by energy use — but ignores a critical factor that can halt their progress.
Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.