Podcast · 29 episodes
Stanford Psychology Podcast
by Stanford Psychology · English
The student-led Stanford Psychology Podcast invites leading psychologists to talk about what’s on their mind lately. Join Eric Neumann, Anjie Cao, Kate Petrova, Bella Fascendini, Joseph Outa and Julia Rathmann-Bloch as they chat with their guests about their latest exciting work. Every week, an episode will bring you new findings from psychological science and how they can be applied to everyday life. The opinions and views expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker and not necessarily Stanford's. Subscribe at stanfordpsypod.substack.com. Let us hear your thoughts at stanfordpsychpodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @StanfordPsyPod. Visit our website https://stanfordpsychologypodcast.com. Soundtrack: Corey Zhou (UCSD). Logo: Sarah Wu (Stanford)
Latest episodes
184 - Tamar Schapiro: What Philosophy Can(not) Tell us About Children, Adults, and the Root of All EvilPhilosophy of childhood vs adulthood, why children are subject to limited authority in law and daily life, and whether “reactivity” (acting from fear/desire rather than principles) could be the root…18 Sep 2026 · 49 min
183 - William Damon: How to Live a Purposeful LifeWilliam Damon explains what “purpose” means psychologically and how it develops across the lifespan, arguing that purpose is a long-term, meaningful, active commitment with a “beyond-the-self”…3 Sep 2026 · 51 min
182 - Bill Burnett: How to Design a Meaningful LifeDesigning a meaningful life using human-centered design thinking: build a “compass” (life story, work view, life view), then “navigate” with prototypes and wayfinding when the destination is unclear.21 Aug 2026 · 1 h 8 min
All episodes
184 - Tamar Schapiro: What Philosophy Can(not) Tell us About Children, Adults, and the Root of All EvilPhilosophy of childhood vs adulthood, why children are subject to limited authority in law and daily life, and whether “reactivity” (acting from fear/desire rather than principles) could be the root…18 Sep 2026 · 49 min · 24 chapters
183 - William Damon: How to Live a Purposeful LifeWilliam Damon explains what “purpose” means psychologically and how it develops across the lifespan, arguing that purpose is a long-term, meaningful, active commitment with a “beyond-the-self”…3 Sep 2026 · 51 min · 18 chapters
182 - Bill Burnett: How to Design a Meaningful LifeDesigning a meaningful life using human-centered design thinking: build a “compass” (life story, work view, life view), then “navigate” with prototypes and wayfinding when the destination is unclear.21 Aug 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 20 chapters
181 - Nomisha Kurian: Critical Hope for the Future of Children & AIHow to safeguard children’s emotional development as AI enters toys, chatbots, and everyday tech; argues for “critical hope” and proactive, developmentally aligned design rather than only content…7 Aug 2026 · 50 min · 19 chapters
180 - Andrew Lampinen: Translating Cognitive Psychology to AIAndrew Lampinen’s journey from Stanford PhD (with Jay McClelland) to industry research at Google DeepMind and now Anthropic, focusing on translating cognitive psychology/cognitive science into AI.24 Jul 2026 · 39 min · 17 chapters
179 - Cynthia Osborne: Translating Evidence Into Early Childhood PolicyCynthia Osborne explains how the Prenatal to Three Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt translates causal research into state-level early childhood policy for infants and toddlers (prenatal through age…9 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 18 chapters
178 - Julia Nolte: Why We Avoid Difficult DecisionsDr. Julia Nolte (Tilburg University) explains why people—especially older adults—avoid difficult decisions, how this relates to information avoidance, and what interventions might help people engage…26 Jun 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 28 chapters
177 - Alison Gopnik: How Can Understanding Childhood Help Us Build Better AI? (REAIR)Dr. Alison Gopnik argues that childhood evolved to solve the explore–exploit tension: early life prioritizes exploration and information gathering, while later development shifts toward exploitation…12 Jun 2026 · 41 min · 13 chapters
176 - Elizabeth Bonawitz: How to Have Fun While Studying How Children Learn so Much From so LittleHow children learn “so much from so little,” using computational (Bayesian) and neural methods to explain belief formation, belief revision, and conceptual change; implications for education…30 May 2026 · 46 min · 20 chapters
175 - Nicholas Epley: A Little More SocialNicholas Epley (University of Chicago Booth) argues that people are “under-social”: they pass up easy opportunities to connect, even though social connection strongly predicts well-being and health.14 May 2026 · 56 min · 19 chapters
174 - Amit Goldenberg: Collective Emotions and Social Media (REAIR)Episode 174 features Amit Goldenberg (Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School), who studies how emotions and social interactions work in groups—especially in political…17 Apr 2026 · 48 min · 25 chapters
173 - Juliana Schroeder: Mistakenly Seeking Solitude (REAIR)Under-sociality—people avoid conversations and other prosocial acts because they mispredict others’ reactions, leading to less well-being and “mistakenly seeking solitude.” Guest: Juliana Schroeder,…3 Apr 2026 · 47 min · 31 chapters
172 - Julia Chatain: Embodied Learning and Educational Technology in Mathematics and Beyond (REAIR)Embodied Learning and Educational Technology in Mathematics and Beyond (REAIR)20 Mar 2026 · 38 min · 17 chapters
171 - Casey Kenyon Brown: Can Your Relationships Make You Depressed? (REAIR)The Stanford Psychology Podcast is a student-led initiative featuring conversations with leading psychologists about their recent work and findings in psychological science. This episode features Dr.6 Mar 2026 · 40 min · 25 chapters
170 - Marginalia Episode: Erica Bailey on Authenticity (REAIR)In this re-air episode from 2025, host Enna Chen converses with Professor Erica Bailey from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.20 Feb 2026 · 50 min · 23 chapters
169 - Tamar Kushnir: The Power of ImaginationThe student-led Stanford Psychology Podcast engages leading psychologists to discuss current topics in psychological science.6 Feb 2026 · 47 min · 23 chapters
168 - Robin Dunbar: How Many People Can You Be Friends With? (REAIR)The podcast features leading psychologists discussing their recent work and findings in psychology, hosted by a team of students.23 Jan 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 31 chapters
167 - Nicky Sullivan: Bridging the Gap Between Academic Research and Real-World Impact167 - Nicky Sullivan: Bridging the Gap Between Academic Research and Real-World Impact8 Jan 2026 · 38 min · 17 chapters
166 - Steve Rathje: The Psychology of ViralityIn this episode, host Su chats with Dr. Steve Rathje, an incoming Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, about his research on the psychology of technology, focusing on the virality of…19 Dec 2025 · 1 h 6 min
165 – Ying Wong: From Cultural Psychology to Global BusinessDr. Ying Wong, founder and CEO of B.peachy, a menstrual care company4 Dec 2025 · 30 min
164 - Susan Engel: Do We Become Less Curious As We Grow Older?Susan Engel: Do We Become Less Curious As We Grow Older?21 Nov 2025 · 49 min
163 - Roger Levy: The Science of Language in the Era of AIIn this episode, host Su engages with Dr. Roger Levy, a professor at MIT and director of the Computational Psycholinguistics Laboratory.14 Nov 2025 · 41 min
162 - Adam Benforado: How prioritizing kids benefits us allHow Prioritizing Kids Benefits Us All6 Nov 2025 · 51 min
161 - Yuan Chang (YC) Leong: Emotional arousal & dynamic brain connectivityIn this episode, host Su engages in a detailed conversation with Dr. Yuan Chang (YC) Leong, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.30 Oct 2025 · 41 min