Hidden Brain
Why do I feel stuck? How can I become more creative? What can I do to improve my relationships? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone. On Hidden Brain, we help you understand your own mind — and...
AI overview.Shankar Vedantam is a seasoned science journalist and the host of Hidden Brain, a highly acclaimed podcast known for its exploration of the human mind and behav…
Insights from recent episode analysis
On the show
- Dave Evans2 eps
- Sonja Lyubomirsky2 eps
- Jay Van Bavel2 eps
Also: David Pizarro, Ap Dijksterhuis, Lisa Miller, Greg Walton, Erica Chenoweth, Ranjay Gulati, John Dinsmore, Bobby Parmar, Emma Levine, Coltan Scrivner, Jonathan Rottenberg, Molly Worthen, Antonio Pascual-Leone, Gordon Flett, Marc Berman, Sarah Schnitker, Eric Oliver
Audience Interest
- psychology and mental health
- creativity and problem solving
Podcast Focus
- understanding the human mind
- exploring social behaviors
Publishing Consistency
- 10 years active
- weekly episode cadence
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Total monthly reach
Based on 3 signals.
Built from
By chart position
- 🇺🇸United States · Social SciencesHOME#21.8M to 9.6M
- 🇮🇳India · Social Sciences#1140K to 739K
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom · Social Sciences#2127K to 673K
- 🇨🇦Canada · Social Sciences#1126K to 665K
- 🇧🇷Brazil · Social Sciences#2109K to 577K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
3.2M to 17M🎙 Weekly cadence·624 episodes·Last published 2d ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
6.3M to 33M🇺🇸57%🇮🇳4%🇬🇧4%+16 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
3.5M to 18M1.3M real followers tracked across platforms
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
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Total Plays
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Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/26/26 | The Story of Stories | Why is my friend late? How does nuclear fission work? What can I do to help my baby sleep through the night? We all feel the need to understand why certain things happen. Some researchers think the drive to explain the world is a basic human impulse, similar to thirst or hunger. This week on Hidden Brain, psychologist Tania Lombrozo discusses how explanations can lead to discovery, delight, and disaster. Then, Jonathan Rottenberg answers your questions about rethinking depression on Your Questions Answered. | 1h 30m 49s | ||||||
| 10/19/26 | Do You Have Trouble Sleeping? | Millions of us move through our days without getting enough sleep. We know that sleep deprivation can affect our physical health and our mood. But sleep researcher Chris Barnes says a chronic lack of good sleep can also affect how we make decisions and even what we value. He joins us to explore the forces that keep us from getting the rest we need, and offers practical strategies for getting better sleep. Later, psychologist Rachel Zoffness returns to answer your questions about the experience of pain, in our latest installment of "Your Questions Answered." | 1h 30m 42s | ||||||
| 10/12/26 | Why Am I Unhappy? | We often imagine that feelings of unhappiness come from outside us — in our circumstances or the difficult people in our lives. But what if the forces that erode our happiness come from within? Psychologist George Loewenstein joins us to explore why our minds nudge us toward the negative, even when we want to feel happy. He also offers ways to better understand these forces and lessen their power over us. And on Your Questions Answered, psychologist Alison Ledgerwood returns to respond to your questions about our tendency to focus on the negative. | 1h 33m 59s | ||||||
| 10/5/26 | When Bad Things Happen to Good People | When historian Kate Bowler was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, she became fascinated by the ways people try to impose order on events they can't control. She joins us to explore what it means to live fully when life offers no satisfying explanation for the tragedies we may face. Then, in the latest installment of "Your Questions Answered," psychologist Lisa Miller returns to answer listener questions about the relationship between science and spirituality. | 1h 32m 22s | ||||||
| 9/28/26 | How to Make a Difference: Part 2 | Think about the last time you had a discouraging thought. Maybe you told yourself, "This won't work. I'm not cut out for this." Did you take that thought as fact? Last week, we talked with psychologist Martin Seligman about why some people come to believe that their actions don’t matter. In the second part of our conversation, he explains how we can strengthen our sense of agency, learn to see new possibilities, and build confidence in our ability to shape what happens next. | 49m 09s | ||||||
| 9/21/26 | How to Make a Difference: Part 1 | Why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others come to believe that nothing they do will make a difference? Psychologist Martin Seligman describes his groundbreaking research on learned helplessness, and explains how the stories we tell ourselves about setbacks can shape what we do next. We also explore how optimism can help us rediscover our ability to change things for the better. | 48m 10s | ||||||
| 9/14/26 | Why Conversations Go Wrong | Do you ever struggle to communicate with your mom? Or feel like you and your spouse sometimes speak different languages? This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with linguist Deborah Tannen. She shows how our conversational styles can cause unintended conflicts, and what we can do to communicate more effectively with the people in our lives. Then, in an all-new installment of "Your Questions Answered," Emma Levine responds to your questions and stories about the psychology of lying. | 1h 38m 54s | ||||||
| 9/7/26 | insightpsychology+3 | Anthony KlotzAp Dijksterhuis | — | — | insightpsychologist+3 | — | 1h 26m 21s | ||
| 8/31/26 | honestycommunication+3 | Steven Pinker | Hidden Brain | — | honestyindirect speech+3 | — | 50m 02s | ||
| 8/24/26 | artpsychobiology+3 | Daisy Fancourt | Hidden Brain | — | artmusic+5 | — | 49m 18s | ||
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| 8/17/26 | relationshipsperception+4 | Edward LemaySonja Lyubomirsky | Hidden Brain | — | better partnerperception+5 | — | 1h 26m 25s | ||
| 8/10/26 | emotional intelligencepsychology+3 | Peter Salovey | Hidden Brain | — | emotional intelligencepsychologist+3 | — | 48m 07s | ||
| 8/3/26 | mistakeslearning+3 | Amy Edmondson | — | — | mistakeslearning+3 | — | 1h 25m 37s | ||
| 7/27/26 | hero's journeyself-perception+3 | Ben RogersJay Van Bavel | — | — | hero's journeyself-identity+3 | — | 1h 35m 03s | ||
| 7/20/26 | painpsychology+3 | Rachel Zoffness | Hidden Brain | — | painpsychology+4 | — | 50m 24s | ||
| 7/13/26 | mental mapspsychology+4 | Norman Farb | Hidden Brain | — | mental mapspsychology+5 | — | 1h 34m 01s | ||
| 7/6/26 | spiritualitypsychology+3 | Lisa Miller | — | — | spiritual brainpsychology+5 | — | 1h 33m 08s | ||
| 6/29/26 | spiritualitytranscendence+3 | Lisa Miller | — | — | spiritual brainpsychology+3 | — | 50m 05s | ||
| 6/22/26 | negativity biaspsychology+3 | Alison LedgerwoodDavid Pizarro | Hidden Brain | — | negativity biaspsychology+5 | — | 1h 28m 44s | ||
| 6/15/26 | kindnesspsychology+3 | Amit Kumar | Hidden Brain | — | kindnesspsychology+3 | — | 1h 27m 43s | ||
| 6/8/26 | identityself-perception+3 | Eric OliverScott Barry Kaufman | Hidden Brain | — | identityself+5 | — | 1h 37m 28s | ||
| 6/1/26 | creativitypsychology+3 | Ap Dijksterhuis | — | — | creativityinspiration+3 | — | 52m 47s | ||
| 5/25/26 | cultureanthropology+3 | Joseph Henrich | Hidden BrainShankar Vedantam | — | cultureanthropology+3 | — | 51m 51s | ||
| 5/18/26 | empathypsychology+3 | Jamil ZakiLeslie John | Hidden Brain | — | empathypsychologist+5 | — | 1h 28m 39s | ||
| 5/11/26 | The Cowboy Philosopher | In 2009, an old man died in a California nursing home. His obituary included not just his given name, but a long list of the pseudonyms he’d been known to use. In this classic 2019 episode, we trace the life of Riley Shepard, a hillbilly musician, writer, small-time con man and, perhaps, a genius. Then, on Your Questions Answered, psychologist Leslie John returns to answer your questions about when to share a secret, and when to keep it to yourself. | 1h 29m 00s | ||||||
| 5/4/26 | radical acceptancebehavioral science+3 | Dave EvansSarah Schnitker | — | — | acceptancebehavioral science+3 | — | 1h 30m 05s | ||
| 4/27/26 | design thinkingmeaning in life+3 | Dave Evans | Hidden Brain | — | meaningimpact+3 | — | 51m 06s | ||
| 4/20/26 | loverelationships+3 | Sonja LyubomirskyGreg Walton | — | — | lovefeeling loved+3 | — | 1h 33m 11s | ||
| 4/13/26 | political changenonviolence+3 | Erica ChenowethRanjay Gulati | — | — | powerviolence+5 | — | 1h 30m 33s | ||
| 4/6/26 | psychology of moneyfinancial decisions+4 | John DinsmoreBobby Parmar | — | — | financial decisionspsychology+4 | — | 1h 40m 26s | ||
| 3/30/26 | lyingtruth+3 | Emma Levine | Hidden Brain | — | lietruth+5 | — | 51m 48s | ||
| 3/23/26 | group identitypsychology+3 | Jay Van BavelColtan Scrivner | Hidden BrainShankar Vedantam | — | group thinkpsychology+3 | — | 1h 27m 56s | ||
| 3/16/26 | depressionpsychology+3 | Jonathan Rottenberg | — | — | depressionlow mood+3 | — | 53m 07s | ||
| 3/9/26 | disgustpsychology+3 | David Pizarro | — | — | disgustemotion+5 | — | 1h 37m 18s | ||
| 3/2/26 | charismaleadership+3 | Molly WorthenAntonio Pascual-Leone | — | — | charismaleadership+5 | — | 1h 34m 16s | ||
| 2/23/26 | lonelinessdepression+3 | Gordon FlettMarc Berman | Hidden Brain | — | invisibilityloneliness+4 | — | 1h 27m 47s | ||
Showing 36 of 624
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Distribution & Reach
About the show, platforms, and key insights.
Distribution & Reach
About the show, platforms, and key insights.
Shankar Vedantam is a seasoned science journalist and the host of Hidden Brain, a highly acclaimed podcast known for its exploration of the human mind and behavior. With a focus on how psychological insights can improve everyday life, Vedantam brings a rich background in journalism and storytelling to the table, making complex scientific concepts accessible to a broad audience. Hidden Brain stands out for its engaging format that combines storytelling with scientific research, addressing questions about creativity, relationships, and personal growth. The podcast delves into various topics within the realms of science, social interactions, and the arts, making it a valuable resource for listeners seeking to better understand themselves and the motivations of others. The audience of Hidden Brain consists of individuals interested in psychology and personal development, including those looking to enhance their creativity and relationships. With over 250,000 listeners, the podcast provides valuable insights and actionable advice, making it a go-to source for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of human behavior and thought.
By the numbers
- Total followers: 1.3M
- Total plays: 20M
- Total reviews: 41K
Platforms
TuneIn
- Followers: 100K
Castbox
- Followers: 1.1M
- Plays: 20M
- Reviews: 213
YouTube
- Subscribers: 18K
- Views: 245K
- Videos: 62
Podcast App
- Followers: 43K
- Reviews: 41K
Find them online
Audience
professionals
Key insights
What the show covers
- understanding the human mind
- exploring social behaviors
- addressing personal challenges
- science-based storytelling
Audience interests
- psychology and mental health
- creativity and problem solving
- relationships and social dynamics
- science and research insights
Platform reach
- available on major podcast platforms
- widely distributed in the US
- growing global audience
- no specific platforms detected
Publishing consistency
- 10 years active
- weekly episode cadence
- over 600 episodes produced
- reliable content schedule
Chart history for Hidden Brain
Peaked at #1 in Canada, top 10 in 50 of 50 tracked markets, currently #1 in Canada.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| Italy | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| CH | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| CZ | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| SA | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| SA | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| Japan | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| South Korea | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| India | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| SG | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| SG | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| HK | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| PH | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| MY | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| ID | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| ID | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| PE | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| NG | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| NG | — | #1 | #1 | — |
| KE | — | #1 | #1 | — |
Chart Positions
50 placements across 37 markets.
Chart Positions
50 placements across 37 markets.