{"podcast":{"title":"Big Brains","slug":"big-brains-1022699","podcast_index_feed_id":1022699,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/4FF7CAnQ","website_url":"https://big-brains.simplecast.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/2e7c76ad-7ecc-479b-8749-f0cb2f4f2dc5/a6bb7391-0c19-412c-9235-27ca5edc6296/3000x3000/bigbrains-ucpn-logo-largebrain-multicolor-rgb-black-3000.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"University of Chicago Podcast Network","episode_count":222,"summary":"Big Brains explores the groundbreaking research and discoveries that are changing our world. In each episode, we talk to leading experts and unpack their work in straightforward terms. Interesting conversations that cover a gamut of topics from how music affects our brains to what happens after we die.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-26T00:19:41.185737+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699"},"episode":{"title":"Our Untapped Superpower: Connecting With Others, with Nicholas Epley","slug":"our-untapped-superpower-connecting-with-others-with-nicholas-epley","published_at":"2026-05-14T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699/our-untapped-superpower-connecting-with-others-with-nicholas-epley","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699","url":"https://big-brains.simplecast.com/episodes/our-untapped-superpower-connecting-with-others-with-nicholas-epley-eFwb6JLH","audio_url":"https://afp-920658-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/b15505d2-a359-4f02-b0c3-b7602dbe79f1/episodes/773f726b-9775-4a9b-a962-d2a19e9eda6d/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=b15505d2-a359-4f02-b0c3-b7602dbe79f1&awEpisodeId=773f726b-9775-4a9b-a962-d2a19e9eda6d&feed=4FF7CAnQ","summary":"As humans, we have a biological need for connecting with others, but in today's modern world, we tend to avoid it. This paradox is something that Prof. Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has been fixated on in his research. In his new book, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection, Epley shows why we consistently underestimate the positive impact of reaching out to others. From experiments tracking commuters on the train to deep conversations with hedge fund executives, Epley reveals that our beliefs about social interaction are often “precisely backwards” leading us to choose solitude even when engagement would make us happier and healthier.","meta_description":"As humans, we have a biological need for connecting with others, but in today's modern world, we tend to avoid it. This paradox is something that Prof. Ni…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2319,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-brains-1022699/episodes/our-untapped-superpower-connecting-with-others-with-nicholas-epley/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699/our-untapped-superpower-connecting-with-others-with-nicholas-epley.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}