Episode Preview
Series Introduction:
What if you’ve been a stranger to yourself all along?
Beneath the surface of your thoughts and daily decisions lies a hidden world of psychological quirks, mental shortcuts, and emotional illusions quietly shaping everything you do. From false memories and invisible biases to the strange magic of habits and emotions that leap from person to person, this series explores the odd, unexpected forces that make you… well, you.
Join host Danny on a fascinating, mind-expanding journey through 10 episodes that blend science, storytelling, and self-reflection. You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, and most importantly, you’ll start to see yourself in a whole new light.
Episode Guide
Episode 1: Your Lying Brain – The Unreliable Witness in Your Head
Memory is a storyteller, not a reporter. Dive into the curious world of false memories, the Mandela Effect, and how your brain constantly rewrites your past. You’ll never trust your recollection quite the same way again.
Episode 2: Invisible Strings – How Hidden Biases Control Your Choices
Think you’re rational? Think again. Explore confirmation bias and the availability heuristic, two sneaky mental shortcuts that hijack your decision-making while you think you’re in control.
Episode 3: The Peak of Mount Stupid – Why Incompetence Breeds Confidence
Introducing the Dunning-Kruger Effect – where the least skilled often feel the most confident, while true experts doubt themselves. A surprising look into why knowing less can make you feel like you know it all.
Episode 4: Autopilot Engaged – The Weird World of Your Habits
Over 40% of your day is on autopilot. Discover the habit loop (cue, routine, reward), how your brain turns choices into reflexes, and what it really takes to change a habit that feels impossible to break.
Episode 5: Drowning in Options – The Curse of Too Much Choice
More choices should mean more happiness… right? Not so fast. Learn why decision paralysis, regret, and high expectations often follow in the wake of too many options—and how satisficing can save your sanity.
Episode 6: Mind Over Matter? – The Astonishing Power of Belief
Explore the incredible impact of your beliefs on your body through the Placebo and Nocebo effects. Sugar pills, healing rituals, and dangerous predictions all reveal just how powerful your expectations really are.
Episode 7: The Justification Engine – Why You Lie to Yourself
When your actions and beliefs clash, your brain scrambles to restore harmony—enter cognitive dissonance. Learn how we rationalize bad decisions, justify contradictions, and protect our egos at all costs.
Episode 8: Now You See It, Now You Don’t – The Invisible Gorilla in the Room
Could you miss a person in a gorilla suit walking right past you? If your attention is elsewhere, absolutely. Welcome to inattentional blindness, where the obvious becomes invisible—and how it affects real life more than you think.
Episode 9: Faces in the Clouds – Your Brain’s Obsession with Finding Patterns
That face you see in your toast isn’t divine—it’s pareidolia, your brain’s powerful pattern detector on overdrive. Discover why humans are wired to see meaning even in randomness, and what it says about how we interpret the world.
Episode 10: Catching Feelings – The Strange Spread of Emotions
Emotions are contagious—literally. Unpack emotional contagion, mirror neurons, and how your mood can be shaped (or sabotaged) by the people around you. You’re not just feeling your feelings… you’re catching them.
Series Outro
This series is just the beginning of understanding your wonderfully weird brain. Whether it’s helping you challenge assumptions, change habits, or simply appreciate your own complexity, The Strangest Things You Didn’t Know About Yourself invites you to stay curious. Because the more you know about how your mind works, the more empowered you are to shape the life you truly want.
Join the Conversation
Which episode blew your mind the most? Have a “strange thing” of your own to share? We’d love to hear it. Connect with us online, comment below, and keep the curiosity alive.
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