Shankar Vedantam

Journalist, podcast host

Shankar Vedantam is a science writer obsessed with understanding why humans behave the way we do — and what it says about us.

Why you should listen

As the creator and host of the podcast Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam helps listeners question why they think the way they do, all with the secret goal of reminding them to marvel at the wonder of their own minds. "Every episode of Hidden Brain aims to help people get to know themselves a little better, to think of their inner worlds with less certitude and more curiosity," he says. Using the lenses of psychology, neuroscience and the social sciences, the show aims to uncover the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior in a way that is equally enthralling and entertaining.

Vedantam's work on Hidden Brain has been awarded by several organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also wrote the related book, The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars and Save Our Lives.

Shankar Vedantam’s TED talk

14:05

Shankar Vedantam

You don't actually know what your future self wants

Posted Oct 2022

More news and ideas from Shankar Vedantam

Live from TED2022

Wellbeing: Notes from Session 6 of TED2022

April 12, 2022

The feeling of wellbeing has been in short supply the last couple years. In Session 6 of TED2022, we took a crack at restocking that supply — featuring a return of Bill Gates to the TED stage (talking about how to make COVID the last pandemic), a compelling case for the four-day work week and […]