Episode 109 - Why Science Needs Emotion

About this episode

This episode explores the role of emotion in science communication and its impact on public perception and trust in science.

When you hear the word "science," what do you feel? Bored? Intimidated? In awe? Suspicious? Turns out, that gut reaction matters more than you think — and it might be the key to understanding why science communication so often fails, and why grifters and pseudoscientists are so successful. In this episode I sat down with Daniel Silva Luna, a science communication researcher from Colombia, now based in Germany, whose work focuses on one of the most overlooked forces in how we understand science: emotion. Not just feelings like crying at a nature documentary (though, no shame), but emotion as a navigation tool — the internal compass that shapes what information you trust, what stories you believe, and who you think "science" is even for. We got into some big questions that don't get asked enough. What is science to people who didn't study it? Why do anti-science populist movements communicate so effectively while scientists struggle to be heard? How do tech billionaires like Elon Musk wrap themselves in the legacy of real scientists to build authority — and what can legitimate science communicators learn from that? And why does science communication still feel like a club most…

People in this episode

Host: Bradley van Paridon

Guest: Daniel Silva Luna

Topics covered

• science communication
• emotion in science
• anti-science movements
• public perception of science
• trust in information

Keywords

• science
• emotion
• communication
• trust
• anti-science
• public perception
• Daniel Silva Luna

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: science communication, anti-science movements

Places: Colombia, Germany

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