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Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Facts Don’t Win Arguments, SETI 101, Self-Control Pitfalls

Learn why self-control isn’t always good for you; why you can’t win an argument using facts; and what SETI is looking for.

September 08, 2021

Episode Show Notes:

More from Dr. Steven Novella:

More from Seth Shostak:

To learn more about motivated reasoning and how we think, read "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777

The stories in this episode originally aired July 8, 2018 “SETI on How We Search for Aliens (w/ Seth Shostak), Facts Don’t Win Arguments, Self-Control, and The Red Baron” https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/seti-on-how-we-search-for-aliens-w-seth-shostak-fa

Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

Curiosity Daily Podcast: SETI on How We Search for Aliens (w/ Seth Shostak), Facts Don’t Win Arguments, Self-Control, and The Red Baron

In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Introducing If/Then

What gets you curious? Virtual experiences, celestial bodies, water worlds or maybe just the tiniest mysteries inside your brain? The endlessly curious and curiously funny, Gillian Jacobs (Community, Netflix's LOVE) and Diona Reasonover (NCIS), step off set to go on tangents with real-life astronauts, astrophysicists, science artists, mathematician-types and other really smart people that investigate what seems impossible.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Curiosity Podcast Wraps Up with Yoga, Volcanoes, and Meditation

Learn from some of our favorite expert guests about yoga, volcanoes, meditation, and more on this special episode of the Curiosity Podcast. You'll hear from accomplished authors and academics from past episodes, in addition to a special guest you've never heard before on the show. Plus, hear about the past, present, and future of the Curiosity Podcast.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do Opposites Really Attract?

Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Does ESP Exist?

Learn about ESP; why people panicked about electricity in the 1800s; and how embryos use sound to prepare for the world.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Are Facial Expressions Universal?

Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: How to Talk to Strangers, Red Dead Redemption 2 Naturalists, July Curiosity Challenge

Learn how to get better at talking to strangers; and how Red Dead Redemption 2 turns gamers into naturalists. Trivia too!

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Explorers Club - Steve Elkins

Today, we’re hearing from an explorer and filmmaker named Steve Elkins. Steve spent decades searching for a legendary lost city deep in the jungles of Honduras. His search for the city was documented in the New York Times best-selling book, “The Lost City of the Monkey God,” by Douglas Preston.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Go Ahead, Google Your Symptoms

Learn about the benefits of Googling symptoms; truly random number generation; and why science is about storytelling.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: 5G Might Impair Weather Forecasts

Learn about how 5G may impair weather forecasts, and how the first confirmed exoplanet was discovered a lot more recently than you may realize. Plus, science writer John Tierney is back to explore how negativity bias affects our relationships.