Memory is a strange thing. What is a “memory,” anyway? Where does it live? And where did we put our keys? We’re unlocking the secrets of memory and how to improve ours with a little help from our friends. First, we’ve got staff writer Nick Douglas with a technique that will help you learn anything. Then staff writer Beth Skwarecki explains just how scientists sucked the memory out of one snail and put it in another—and what this means for all of us. Finally, four-time USA Memory Champion Nelson ...
Jul 22, 2019•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re living in a time of secrets. Whether it’s the health-care bill, Russia’s secret connection with our recent election, or the lies we all tell, secrets plague all of us. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, author of “Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are” explains what the Internet can tell us about the prejudices, fears, and fetishes we’re hiding. We talk with our Lifehacker writers about a Reddit thread where Redditors shared secrets that, if r...
Jul 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re talking about solo travel, from the best destinations to how to make friends once you’re there. We’ve got packing secrets, veteran travelers’ must-have apps, and a slew of magical stories from around the globe. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 24, 2019•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Calling all insomniacs, tossers, turners, blanket hogs, disco nappers and snooze button pushers! This week we are talking to the experts about how to get a good night's sleep. And our advice goes way beyond putting your devices away before bed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 10, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does it really take 21 days to create a habit? Is it possible to quit smoking when all your friends are smokers? Why can’t you ever get up early and go to the gym? We’re talking to productivity experts like “Atomic Habits”’ James Clear about how we can make changes to our behavior, and what it takes to actually stick with those changes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
May 27, 2019•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We could all get better at conversing with our fellow humans. It’s just so easy these days to hide behind our screens, and when we’re finally face to face with actual people, we’re often talking too much and not listening enough. How can we make the most of those one-on-one, face-to-face, in-real-life moments? We’ll hear from journalist Celeste Headlee, whose career revolves around talking to people. And Lifehacker’s own Michelle Woo tells us how to talk to kids—because do any of us really know ...
May 13, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re back! This week we’re learning about the ins and outs of negotiation. We’ll find out how to get someone to “yes” when they’re all about “no”; when and how the robots are going to negotiate for us; and what to do to get the raise you deserve. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Apr 29, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Where on earth have we been? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Apr 22, 2019•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week Cleo Stiller, host of Fusion TV's "Sex Right Now," joins us to talk about how porn is affecting our sex lives, what happens when men get menstrual cramps, and to introduce us to a Fitbit for your penis. We also talk to sex therapist Sari Cooper about how to keep intimacy alive in long-term relationships. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb 18, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast All too frequently, people who are good at making a thing get promoted to be the supervisors of the people making the thing—without any training as to how to lead. So how do you become a good boss? Do you pick up leadership skills on the job, or is special coaching required? We find out this week. First, we'll get a sense of what makes a good boss, with the author of Lifehacker's brand-new career advice column, “Human Resource”: Rob Walker. Then, executive coach Jen Goldman-Wetzler tells us how ...
Feb 04, 2019•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast We spend a lot of time worrying about death: our own, and the deaths of those we love. This week we look at our deeply held fears and assumptions about dying and see if we can't lessen some of our anxiety about it. First, we talk with cardiologists Chris Kelly and Marc Eisenberg. Their patients come to them with millions of different ailments, but the one question that patients ask them most often, regardless of symptoms, is "Am I dying?!" Then Zen monk Koshin Paley Ellison talks with us about h...
Jan 28, 2019•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Financial journalist Felix Salmon joins us this week to talk about making money while doing good in the world, "Badass" author Jen Sincero tells us how she went from no money to a lot of money by changing her mindset, and we all end up rich. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 21, 2019•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mel Robbins is a motivational speaker and the author of "The 5 Second Rule." She’s also the host of the new Audible series “Kick Ass with Mel Robbins.” In this episode, we talk about motivation, taming the negative voices in our head, and how we can kick our own asses to get from good to great. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 14, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mornings. Many of us hate them; some of us love them; all of us want to make the best of them. But how exactly do we do that? First we ask Benjamin Spall, co-author of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, about creating the ultimate morning routine. We also talk to Vanessa Marin, a licensed sex therapist (and regular “After Hours” Lifehacker contributor) about why we should occasionally ditch the routine and just do it. And Melissa quizzes Alice about the quirky (a...
Jan 07, 2019•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you enjoy last week’s Best of The Upgrade 2018? Looking for even more great Upgrade moments? Check out our Best of The Upgrade 2017! Join us as we revisit some of our favorite discussions from our inaugural year, including how to turn awkwardness into a social asset; how to be brilliant (while being bored); how to find real love; and how to get smart about microdosing. We’ll be back to create all new memories in 2019! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not...
Dec 31, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Another year in life hacks come and gone! We're celebrating our favorite moments, hacks, guests and episodes of 2018 with this, our annual Best of The Upgrade episode! Whether you're a lifelong listener taking a trip down memory lane, or new listener looking to dip a toe in the magic that is The Upgrade, we're here for you. And what would an end-of-year episode be without our annual tradition of Alice and Melissa singing Auld Lang Syne? Just kidding! It's our Upgrades of the Year, of course. See...
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Buying presents can be a stressful activity. It's often hard to know what to buy for that film buff friend, or for the brother-in-law who's really into cooking these days. Fortunately, The Upgrade is here to help—just think of it as our gift to you. Listen as seven Lifehacker staffers each share three perfect gift ideas, from artful prints to wireless gadgets to Secret Santa hacks, to help you buy the perfect present. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice ...
Dec 17, 2018•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do we even begin to find true love in a messy world of online dating, ghosting, and benching? Matchmaker Dr. Frankie Bashan tells us why people are using real-live intermediaries like herself to get dates. Etiquette expert Daniel Post Senning takes on the intricacies of Tinder etiquette. And Lifehacker’s food editor Claire Lower mixes up a very sexy three-ingredient cocktail. If you love this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts because our love language is “service” an...
Dec 10, 2018•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s our first live recording of The Upgrade, performed in front of an audience at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. Joining us are comedians Chris Gethard and Akilah Hughes, as well as Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings of Gimlet Media’s “The Nod.” We talk about how you can’t succeed without failure, and how to move past even the most embarrassing of screw-ups. Plus: we play a few rounds of Never Have I Ever (Upgrade-style) and a new game we’re calling “Lifehacker Saves Your Life.” See Privacy Policy...
Dec 03, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Maybe you need to bring your heart rate down after a couple of heated Thanksgiving debates, or perhaps you’re generally feeling a little anxious because of the state of the world. We all could use a little calming down, these days. So we spoke with Dr. Craig Richard, author of Brain Tingles and founder of the ASMR University. And because it’s not only adults who lose their cool, Lifehacker writer Beth Skwarecki gives us 5 ways to stop a child's temper tantrum. Plus: our favorite songs for when w...
Nov 26, 2018•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means that many of us will find ourselves elbow to elbow with family members, some of whom may have wildly differing opinions on topics like whether cranberry sauce should be homemade or canned, and who should be president. Before things get too heated, we recommend listening to this episode. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt will explain why there’s value in being exposed to different opinions, and blogger and entrepreneur Anil Dash talks to us about how we shou...
Nov 19, 2018•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we’re talking about how to tell the truth—and how to know when the people around you are being less than truthful. We’ll be hearing from MSNBC host and author Lawrence O’Donnell with the story behind his book, Deadly Force—the murder of an unarmed black man and the police cover up that followed. Melissa chats with writer and semi-professional poker play Peter Alson about his former life as a bookmaker, and how to tell when someone is lying. And Lifehacker managing editor Virginia...
Nov 12, 2018•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are so many different ways to be a dick: from being a schoolyard bully, to not mowing your lawn, to using plastic straws, to being a dick on the road. In this episode, we’re going to talk about some of the little ways we can be good to one another, to the environment, and by extension, to ourselves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nov 05, 2018•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anne Lamott is a progressive political activist and writer, the bestselling author of such books as Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, Plan B, and her latest, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. We're such fans of Anne Lamott that we've decided to devote an entire episode of The Upgrade to her. We talk to Anne about almost everything, including but not limited to: how to deal with the news cycle; having compassion for our small upsets in the face of large tragedies; how help ...
Oct 29, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're talking about microdosing: the use of relatively low doses of psychedelics, like LSD and psilocybin mushroom, to improve mood, focus and productivity in daily life. We spoke with author Ayelet Waldman, whose monthlong experiment with microdosing pulled her out of suicidal depression; psychedelics advocate Paul Austin; and psychologist Dr. Ingmar Gorman, who specializes in "psychedelic psychotherapy" and substance use treatment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and ...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vicki Robin is the co-author of the bestseller YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE and the godmother of a financial movement that’s becoming increasingly popular among millennials: FIRE, which stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early. Vicki talks to us about changing our relationship with money and redefining what a rich, full life actually means. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 15, 2018•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. David Burns joins us in this episode to talk about how to change your perspective. Dr. Burns is a pioneer in the field of cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, and the author of best-selling books on the topic, including "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" and "The Feeling Good Handbook." We’ll also hear from photographer Tyson Wheatley on five steps to taking better pictures. And Alice and Melissa discuss two books that changed how they see the world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...
Oct 08, 2018•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we chat with Les Stroud, the creator and star of the hit TV series Survivorman. Alice and staff writer Nick Douglas talk with Les about just how one becomes an expert in surviving, as well as the one aspect of survival that he finds nearly impossible to endure. We’re also joined by our old friend, divorce attorney James J. Sexton, yes we have him on speed dial. James tells us the five steps to developing a thick skin. Emotionally, that is. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac...
Oct 01, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast KJ Dell’Antonia—journalist and author of How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute—joins Offspring editor Michelle Woo to discuss how to make your family life less stressful and even (dare we say it) fun. But first, Alice gives staff writer and soon-to-be new parent Nick Douglas an important (note: not really important) parenting quiz. Finally, we’ve got a playlist of non-kid songs that your kids will love as much as you do. See Privacy Policy ...
Sep 24, 2018•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re digging into the things you're terrified of--the concrete stuff like fear of spiders and heights, as well as the more conceptual, existential anxiety we all have about just being alive. First, we interview Dean Sluyter, author of the new book Fear Less: Living Beyond Fear, Anxiety, Anger, and Addiction. Then Ben Brock Johnson, host of the Reddit podcast “Endless Thread,” shares the scariest stories from Reddit. And Alice and Melissa confront two of their worst fears via virtual ...
Sep 17, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
