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Harvard Thinking: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Harvard University
A podcast where the life of the mind meets everyday life. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas, produced by Harvard University.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 days ago34 min
When lonely hearts turn to AI
Relationships are hard and people are lonely. Enter: chatbots. They can be your best friend, your therapist, your romantic partner, even your spiritual guide. But what is lost when we turn to machines for human connection? In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with humanist chaplain Greg Epstein, psychologist Anat Perry, and ethical intelligence researcher Julian De Freitas about how the frictionless nature of chatbots is affecting our human relationships.
- 2 weeks ago27 min
Who should take GLP-1s?
GLP-1 usage has surged as a weight loss management drug. But given how new they are to the market, medical professionals are only now starting to figure out who should – and should not – be using them. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with obesity specialist Caroline Apovian, evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman, and obesity medicine physician scientist Fatima Cody Stanford about why we should be excited – and cautious – about the potential of GLP-1s.
- Oct 7, 202634 min
Is your parenting style working?
Children have minds of their own and those minds might lead to behaviors parents either want to mitigate or reinforce. Parents have difficult choices to make when it comes to guiding their kids, all with the goal of raising successful human beings. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with economist Emily Oster, clinical psychologist Meredith Elkins, and educator Kiran Bhai about how to tell if your parenting tactics are helping or hurting your kid’s development.
- Sep 23, 202632 min
The healing power of gene therapy
Gene therapy has been used to treat many previously incurable conditions, like correcting deadly genetic disorders or giving children born with hearing loss the ability to hear. The field has massive potential, but there are still many economic, regulatory, and scientific hurdles to overcome to adequately address a variety of both rare and more common conditions. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with gene editing researcher David Liu and ear, nose, and throat surgeon Eliot Shearer about how gene therapy can help treat diseases that were previously considered too rare to research.
- May 13, 202629 min
Breaking the regret cycle
We all make mistakes. Sometimes we’re able to brush off these experiences, but other times we’re left with regrets. We regret that thing we said, how we handled that situation, or the choice we made. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas, palliative care specialist Susan Block, neuroscientist Liz Phelps, and behavioral scientist Leslie John discuss how to make peace with the actions – or inactions – that still haunt us.
- Apr 29, 202628 min
Why we love dogs— and they love us back
Just under half of households in the U.S. own dogs and say they view their dogs as members of their family. The love goes both ways. Dogs depend on us for their survival, just as humans benefit from their presence. Research shows that having a furry companion is good for us physically, emotionally, some might even say spiritually. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with bestselling author Alice Hoffman, lifestyle medicine expert Beth Frates, and evolutionary biologist Erin Hecht about why we love dogs so much – and why they love us back.
- Apr 15, 202630 min
Secrets of super-agers
It’s common for our brains and bodies to atrophy with age. But some adults, those known as super-agers, have shown that we may be able to keep the sharpness of someone decades younger, even matching the cognitive abilities of a person in their 20s. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with biologist Will Mair, neurologist Alexandra Touroutoglou, and geriatric doctor Suzanne Salamon about what we’ve learned about super-agers and the secrets that may help us all extend and enrich our later years.
- Apr 1, 202634 min
Priced out of the American dream
Owning a home feels increasingly unattainable for many middle-class Americans. Last year, home prices surged to nearly five times the median income. Yet the pace of building new housing, which could create more affordability, remains slow. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with urban economist Ed Glaeser, former CEA chair Jason Furman, and innovative housing expert Amy Tomasso about how those hoping to buy can make sense of the current housing crisis.
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About Harvard Thinking
A podcast where the life of the mind meets everyday life. Hosted by Samantha Laine Perfas, produced by Harvard University.
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