Episode
Best Of: The Power of Thinking Outside Your Brain
- Podcast
- The Next Big Idea
- Published
- Jun 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4369
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/YAP8324795438.mp3
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-next-big-idea-743842/episodes/best-of-the-power-of-thinking-outside-your-brain/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-next-big-idea-743842/best-of-the-power-of-thinking-outside-your-brain.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Modern life has not been easy on our brains. Average IQ scores rose steadily throughout the last century. Now they appear to be leveling off. The problem, according to neuroscientists, may be that we have reached our neurobiological limits. Our brains simply can’t work any harder. Luckily, science writer Annie Murphy Paul has a solution. In her book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, she draws on a wealth of scientific research to show that we’re smarter when we get out of our heads. By offloading our memories onto our phones, making decisions based on our bodily sensations, using tactile tools to solve abstract problems, drawing inspiration from our surroundings, and arguing with our friends, we can access intelligence that exists beyond the confines of our craniums. In this episode, Annie explains how to do it. This episode first aired in June 2021. Sponsored By: Fora — Build and scale your own travel business by becoming a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/idea Northwest Registered Agent — Helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years. Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com/nbifree Shopify — Launch your business for just $1/month. Start selling today at shopify.com/nbi