The Well The Well

With great genius comes great rigidity. Professor Barabara Oakley on how to stay mentally agile — and get smarter as a result.

Join Barbara Oakley as she delves into the concept of "Einstellung," a psychological phenomenon where our brains become stuck in one way of thinking. Oakley explains how this tendency to stick with what we know from an early age narrows our cognitive abilities, as unused brain connections are pruned away, limiting our potential to perceive and embrace new ideas.
Using her own personal anecdotes, Oakley illustrates the dangers of these echo chambers and the importance of maintaining open dialogues with differing viewpoints. She warns of the societal risks of polarization and the dismissal of opposing opinions, drawing parallels between historical and contemporary issues with fake news and the importance of critical thinking.

Whether you're looking to enhance your problem-solving skills or simply curious about the workings of the human mind, Oakley's insights offer a path towards a more flexible and enriched mental landscape. Join us to discover how to break free from mental ruts and embrace a life filled with learning and growth.

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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.

“Focused attention is an endangered species.” Psychologist Daniel Goleman on how mindfulness can actually make you more productive.

Multitasking is our new normal, and our ability to focus is being challenged like never before. We’re constantly checking our emails, scrolling social media, consulting our endless to-do lists, and even watching YouTube videos, and, according to renowned psychologist Daniel Goleman, it’s slowing us down in more ways than one.

According to Goleman, a remedy for our fast-paced lives can be found in a simple, ten-minute exercise. He explains how a daily mindfulness practice can significantly enhance attention span, reduce the negative effects of multitasking, and help individuals remain concentrated and productive.

Goleman’s insights reveal how mindfulness meditation offers immediate stress reduction and a calmer mind, showcasing its potential benefits for people with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and enhancing focus in children facing challenging environments. Drawing from cognitive science and recent research, Goleman provides actionable advice for incorporating mindfulness into daily routines, aiming to improve mental clarity, emotional balance, and overall wellness.

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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.
Follow The Well Now!

People rarely question their own moral compass. But do you know what shapes yours?
Most people would claim to know the difference between right and wrong, but how can we be sure that our moral compass is truly pointing us in the right direction? Although we might believe that our own moral principles are unwavering, we typically don’t apply them objectively across the actions of both loved ones and strangers, those within close proximity, and those far away. This begs the question: what is morality, and is it objective? To truly understand our moral compass, it is important to learn exactly how it found “north.” Dr. Liane Young, a psychology professor at Boston College, explains more.
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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse?

Do we have free will?

What is love? Is evolution directional?

There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding?

How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.

Follow The Well Now!

Is information intrinsic in our universe? NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains.

How do black holes store information? Is the universe a hologram? How can we use what we know about energy and mass to begin approaching the idea of virtual particles?

NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller unpacks these questions and more in less than eight minutes.

We know that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, but what about information? Michelle explains that matter and information are a lot more connected than we think, and this has massive implications on our understanding of black holes, particle physics, and our universe as a whole.

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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.

Follow The Well Now!

James Suzman lived with a tribe of hunter-gatherers to witness how an ancient culture survives one of the most brutal climates on Earth. His learnings may surprise you.

What do you imagine life was like for hunter-gatherers throughout human history? You might guess that daily life for them was a constant struggle between eating and being eaten in a world where surviving was a full-time job.

But anthropological research suggests that probably wasn’t the case. When the anthropologist James Suzman went to the Kalahari Desert to study the Ju/'hoansi hunter-gathers, for example, he found that they worked only 15 hours per week, and that much of that time was spent on activities that many people in the modern West consider leisure, like hiking and fishing.

Of course, hunter-gatherers experienced plenty of hard times throughout world history. But a general theme has emerged from anthropological research on hunter-gathers both contemporary and ancient: Rather than being a constant battle for energy between people and their environment, life was more of a continuous flow of give and take between species, and leisure was part of the fabric of daily life.

As Suzman told us, looking at the lives of hunter-gatherers can help us rethink the ways we conceptualize work and society.

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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.

Follow The Well Now!

Aimless wandering is essential for understanding yourself. Here’s why.

Over 60% of high school seniors in America go straight to college after graduating. Out of the other 40%, some will get jobs or internships. Some will go to trade school. And some of them might be totally lost: unsure about their future, and what they want it to look like. But Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston thinks that being lost can be a good thing.

Cranston’s own journey of self-discovery started on a two-year motorcycle trip he embarked upon with his brother in the seventies. The freedom of exploration, sleeping wherever he could lay his sleeping bag, and living without an itinerary, helped him to find what he really wanted, which was to become an actor — not a policeman, as he had thought in high school.

Overall, Cranston's message is clear: embrace the unknown, wander, and allow yourself to get lost. Through travel and exploration, one can gain a sense of direction and self-governance that can’t be found in the rigid and unrealistic expectations of a high-productivity society. To know what you really want, you have to go out and find it.
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❍ About The Well ❍

Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

So what do they think?

How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?

Let’s dive into The Well.
Follow The Well Now!