In this episode Rafael Behr talks to Cambridge University political psychologist Dr Lee de-Wit about the problem with progressive arguments over patriotism, and Labour's constant struggle to connect with socially conservative voters. Links mentioned in this episode: Dr Lee de-Wit's Cambridge University homepage https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/lee-de-wit Arnold Kling's book https://cdn.cato.org/libertarianismdotorg/books/ThreeLanguagesOfPolitics.pdf Haidt and Moral Foundations Theory https:/...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Britain's vast colonial project, amassed over centuries and covering a quarter of the world at its height, is unavoidable in any discussion of race and identity in modern Britain. Or, at least, it should be, but the nation has, until recently, done a remarkable job of avoiding the subject. In this episode, Rafael Behr talks to Sathnam Sanghera about Empireland , his recent book that delves into that Imperial legacy, how it shapes our nation, our culture and defines so much of our politics to thi...
Jul 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Rafael Behr talks to Cognitive Scientist of Political Violence, Nafees Hamid, about what makes extremists tick and how to change their minds. Nafees discusses the conditions that push people towards extremist ideologies and whether a martyr's mind is wired differently to the rest of us. Along the way, Rafael and Nafees explore identity, sacred values, devoted actors, and how extremists can be walked back from acts of violence. Nafees Hamid is a Fellow at ARTIS International ( https://artisintern...
May 09, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Rafael Behr talks to Matt d'Ancona about his new book: 'Identity, Ignorance, Innovation: Why the Old Politics is Useless - and what to do about it.' https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Identity-Ignorance-Innovation-by-Matthew-DAncona-author/9781529303995 They discuss why the 'liberal left' needs to adapt to a new politics that is being shaped much more by digital networks and identity politics than the older institutional forces. Matt joined The Sunday Telegraph in 1996 as deputy comment e...
Mar 13, 2021•57 min
Rafael Behr talks to neuroscientist and author Tali Sharot about the optimism hard-wired into our thought processes, how it affects the way we look at the world – and what it means for politics. The conversation also covers the relationship between emotion and reason, how we should respect some of the more primitive parts of our brains, what messages work best to encourage people to act on climate change, and what connects sourdough and the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine. Tali Sharot is a profes...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr
Rafael Behr talks to author and comedian David Baddiel about his book “Jews Don't Count” – a closely argued polemic about the failure of progressive-left politics to treat antisemitism with the same moral rigour as is applied to other kinds of racism. The frank and at times raw conversation deals with the social and cultural dimensions of one of history's oldest prejudices, as well as the individual emotional and psychological components of a secular Jewish identity. They also talk a little bit ...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Rafael Behr explores the causes of resistance to vaccine science and its links with far-right propaganda with Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate . The chat ranges from the emotional vulnerabilities that lead people to take comfort from conspiracy theories to the political obligations on social media companies to help defend democracy from malevolent, weaponised lies. Along the way, Rafael and Imran touch on politics, psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, the...
Jan 23, 2021•50 min
Host Rafael Behr answers some listeners' questions and looks ahead to the challenges facing the main political parties in 2021 as they try to navigate their way through a pandemic, levelling up, calls for Scottish independence and the reality of Brexit. Plus, reflections on the future for remainers and the prospects for a campaign to re-join the EU. Also features one book recommendation and a very extended metaphor about coral. Cultural Amnesia by Clive James https://uk.bookshop.org/books/cultur...
Jan 03, 2021•57 min
Host Rafael Behr talks to Dr Carol Tavris about the mental obstacles that stop us from admitting that we may have made a mistake. Dr Tavris is a pre-eminent social psychologist specialising in the field of cognitive dissonance and co-author of “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”, a seminal book on the subject that was recently updated to include a chapter on Donald Trump's support base. Carol has written articles, op-eds, and book reviews on a wide array of topics in psychological science for t...
Dec 28, 2020•58 min
Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr talks to Professors Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut of the University of Southampton, about the way people narrate the stories of their past, what they get from the process and the way political campaigns can exploit those feelings. Prof. Constantine Sedikides https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/cs2.page Prof Tim Wildschut https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/timw.page Nostalgia website https://www.southampton.ac.uk/...
Dec 12, 2020•42 min
In the aftermath of the US presidential election, Rafael Behr talks to Professor Drew Westen about different forms of charisma, the struggle to communicate liberal arguments to Republican voters and the symptoms of severe personality disorder exhibited by Donald Trump. Drew Westen is a professor in the Psychology and Psychiatry Department at Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. He is also a political consultant and author of the highly influential book "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in ...
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 25 min
In this bonus episode, podcast host Rafael Behr turns to his old friend and New York Times columnist Ben Smith for analysis of the state of US politics a week before the biggest election in living memory, and for reassurance that, maybe, everything is gonna be alright. Help shape the future of Politics on the Couch We’d love your input to make Politics on the Couch episodes more frequently, and even better. Do please take a moment to complete our listener survey which will only take 2-3 minutes....
Oct 29, 2020•41 min
Rafael Behr speaks to social anthropologist Emma Crewe about parliament; what makes MPs tick, the psychological mechanisms they need to function in one of the country's weirdest workplaces - and their relationship with journalists. Professor Crewe, of SOAS, University of London, is the only anthropologist to have been based inside the Palace of Westminster, having spent years embedded in both the Lords and the Commons, enjoying uniquely privileged access to the inner workings of the legislature....
Oct 25, 2020•51 min
In this episode Rafael Behr speaks to celebrated Irish author and journalist Fintan O'Toole about their shared fascination with nationalism and the myths of foreign oppression that fired a very English revolution. Also featuring digressions on the Scottish independence movement, Irish attitudes to Brexit and the Italian Job. Fintan O'Toole is a historian, critic and cultural commentator; author of many books that range across questions of culture, identity, nationhood in Ireland and Britain. He ...
Oct 11, 2020•1 hr 4 min
This week Rafael Behr talks to Tim Harford, BBC Radio 4's presenter of More or Less and FT columist, about his new book: How To Make The World Add Up. Tim Harford writes the Undercover Economist column for the FT and was previously an economics leader writer for the FT. He is also the author of seven books, including the million-selling, The Undercover Economist and before that, Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy. He is also a regular presenter for BBC radio. He was made an OBE in the 201...
Sep 13, 2020•57 min
Host Rafael Behr looks ahead to a new political season that promises to be like none in recent memory and reflects on a lost summer of coronavirus denial, with some digressions on party conferences, Brexit and Cliff Richard. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm Help shape the future of Politics on the Couch We’d love your input to make Politics on the Couch episodes more frequently, and even better. Do please take a moment to complete our listener survey which will only take 2-3 minutes. Many th...
Aug 23, 2020•29 min
This week Rafael Behr and Helen Lewis discuss social media's corrosive effect on politics and public discourse, and how we can all respond. Helen Lewis is a staff writer at the Atlantic, was deputy editor at the New Statesman, presents BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour, and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's News Quiz. She's written a book about the history of feminism, is ambivalent towards Twitter but likes the Sopranos and embroidery. Helen's new book - ( https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...
Jun 17, 2020•31 min•Ep. 5
This week, Rafael Behr talks to Bobby Duffy from The Policy Institute at King's College London about trust in the government during the Coronavirus pandemic and how our identities and cognitive biases affect who we trust in politics. Topics discussed in order 1-4 Fall-out from Dominic Cummings;Public health messaging during lock-down;Stats coronavirus tests it says it’s been carrying out;Bobby Duffy conversation starts 5-10 King's College new report;support for the government coming out of the l...
Jun 08, 2020•50 min•Ep. 4
In this bonus edition Rafael Behr takes a break from his lock-down holiday to ask - what is 'political cut-through' and why Dominic Cummings appears to have cut so deep into the national conversation? In the midst of a pandemic, has a political mover renowned for capturing the mood of nation misjudged it this time? NB This episode was recorded on the morning of 26 May before any post-conference opinion polls. Help shape the future of Politics on the Couch We’d love your input to make Politics on...
May 27, 2020•23 min•Ep. 3
This week Rafael Behr talks to The Lord John Alderdice about his incredible life as a politician, psychiatrist and psychotherapist. They discuss how his formative years living in Northern Ireland influenced his decision to train as a psychiatrist and then psychotherapist; how this then informed his whole approach to politics and his political philosophy; and how it also helped him as a key negotiator in the Good Friday Agreement talks. He also gives some advice to any intolerant liberal progress...
May 07, 2020•47 min•Ep. 2
This week our host Rafael Behr is in conversation with Dr Leor Zmigrod about how cognitive science can help us understand how political identities are formed, and how people's ideological affiliations might affect how they respond to a national crisis. If you want to delve further into the topic Reader-friendly essays Zmigrod, L. (2019). The partisan brain: cognitive study suggests people on the left and right are more similar than they think. https://theconversation.com/the-partisan-brain-cogni...
Apr 11, 2020•41 min•Ep. 1
