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Unstructured play gives children the opportunity to imagine, to develop independence, and to learn how to cooperate with others. But over the past few decades, our culture has moved away from this sort of open-ended playtime. We talked about this recently with psychologist Peter Gray, and he returns to the show today to answer listeners' questions about how to reintegrate more unstructured playtime into our children's lives.

If you missed our initial conversation with Peter Gray, you can find it here: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/parents-keep-out/
And for more on the topics discussed in this episode, check out our episode "Kinder-Gardening" with psychologist Alison Gopnik: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/kinder-gardening/

We're always told to reach for that next ring, work that third job, go to that boisterous party after a long day at work. You only live once ... right? But psychologist Netta Weinstein says that when we constantly engage in achievement and distraction, we lose something essential about ourselves. This week, she makes a case for solitude, and examines what happens when we seek a quieter, more reflective interior life.

As we move through the world, it's easy to imagine we're processing everything that happens around us and then deciding how to respond. But psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb says our brains actually navigate the world by coming up with mental maps. These maps act like an autopilot system, allowing us to navigate our lives more efficiently. But sometimes, they can lead us astray, leaving us stuck on a path of negativity and unhappiness. This week, we talk with Norman Farb about how we can update our internal maps and see the world around us more clearly.

It's human nature to make plans, to generate expectations. To imagine how things will go. But life often has other plans in store for us. In part two of our conversation with psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb, we discuss practical ways we can all break free of negative thought patterns and rewrite our mental maps.

Do you know someone who would benefit from this episode? They can try Hidden Brain+ with a free seven-day trial by going to apple.co/hiddenbrain or support.hiddenbrain.org.

Cognitive scientist Nafees Hamid studies the minds of people drawn to radical or fringe ideas. This week, he takes us on a deep dive into the motivations of people on the brink of extremism -- and those who have already been radicalized. We examine what prompts people to turn to violence, and how to pull them back from the seductive appeal of extremist ideas.

You know that negative voice that goes round and round in your head, keeping you up at night? When that negative inner voice gets switched on, it’s hard to think about anything else. Psychologist Ethan Kross has a name for it: chatter. In this favorite conversation from 2022, we talk with Ethan about how to keep our negative emotions from morphing into chatter.