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Stories of Impact

Three-time American Writing Awards Podcast of the Year: In every episode, we travel the world and dive deep into the intersection of science, spirituality, and mindfulness. Every first and third Tuesday of the month, writer Tavia Gilbert and journalist Richard Sergay bring you a new conversation that offers uplifting explorations about the art and science of human flourishing.

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Dr. David Sloan Wilson: What Makes Human Cooperation Possible

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. Today we revisit an episode from our first season, aired during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. David Sloan Wilson is a biological sciences researcher at Binghamton University, and he explains what actually makes teamwork dream work, how cultures engender or discourage cooperation, and how to get people from different…

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Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas: What Can Heal Widespread Loneliness

Stories of Impact brings back some of our favorite conversations this season. In our last episode, we heard about the positive effects of coming together and sharing a meal. But for millions of Americans, that rarely happens. In fact, some 20 million people in the US today say they don't have any friends. So how do we solve this loneliness epidemic? Today, we revisit a conversation with Dr.…

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Dr. Adam Cohen, Aliza Kline and Dr. Arielle Levites: Gathering at the Table for Connection and Belonging

Today we're back in conversation with Dr. Adam Cohen, social psychologist and psychologist of religion at Arizona State University, who shares another research project that explores the way religious ritual connects participants more deeply not only with faith, but with community — this time, not through the practice of abstaining from food, but from breaking bread together. Dr. Arielle Levites,…

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Dr. Athena Aktipis: How Cooperation Emerges in Crisis

In today's episode we speak to Athena Aktipis, co-director of the Human Generosity Project, about the current results of her study of cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Aktipis discusses the insights both past and current research offer about the extent and the limits of human generosity during catastrophic events. This is the third episode in a special, five-part Covid-19…

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Dr. Erez Yoeli: What Inspires Altruism in Uncertain Times?

In today's episode, host Richard Sergay speaks with Erez Yoeli, director of the Applied Cooperation Team at MIT's Sloan School of Management, about how to motivate people to cooperate and behave altruistically during a pandemic. Dr. Yoeli discusses how we can harness the power of reputation to encourage prosocial behavior, and suggests ways to make the message of altruism appeal to everyone in a…

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Dr. Joseph Bulbulia: How Spirituality & Belonging Shape Crisis Response

In this episode, we hear from Joseph Bulbulia, professor at the University of Auckland and the MacLaurin Goodfellow Chair in Theological and Religious Studies. Professor Bulbulia discusses how religious interaction, worship, and teaching come together in different ways to facilitate group cooperation, and what we can learn from that to support us during the pandemic. Learn more about Joseph…

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Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: How Positivity Strengthens Us in Crisis

The first episode of the Stories of Impact podcast special, five-part Covid-19 conversation series features Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Host Richard Sergay speaks with Dr. Fredrickson about why her work in positive psychology is more relevant than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr.…

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Dr. David O'Brien: Protecting Democracy in the Digital Age

Today's conversation is with David O'Brien, Assistant Research Director at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Prof. O'Brien talks to Richard about how we as citizens can bring our democratic values to bear on social media platforms; the role privacy plays online in allowing democracy and democratic citizenship to flourish; and more. More about David O'Brien…

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Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Evan Mawarire, Uriel Epshein & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 2

In today's episode, we consider what writers, researchers, and scholars say we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and learn about some of their potential solutions for polarization. Today's episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer , co-authors of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and…

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Dr. Packer, Dr. Van Bavel, Dr. Han, Alison Taylor, Uriel Epshein, & Joshua Fryday: What Fuels Political Division Part 1

This episode defines polarization and explores its causes and effects. Next, we consider what we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and share the antidotes to polarization that research has uncovered. Finally, we explain why it's important to make a long-term investment in polarization research. Today's episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer…

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