Things Could Be Better - podcast episode cover

Things Could Be Better

Jan 13, 202313 minEp 825Transcript available on Metacast
--:--
--:--
Listen in podcast apps:

Episode description

Are humans ever satisfied? Two social psychologists, Ethan Ludwin-Peery and Adam Mastroianni, fell down a research rabbit hole accidentally answering a version of this very question. After conducting several studies, the pair found that when asked how things could be different, people tend to give one kind of answer, regardless of how the question is asked or how good life felt when they were asked. Short Wave's Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber digs into the research—and how it might reveal a fundamental law of psychology about human satisfaction.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy