Invisibilia (Latin for "all the invisible things") explores the intangible forces that shape human behavior – things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions.
Co-hosted by NPR's Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, who helped create Radiolab and This American Life, Invisibilia delves into a wide array of human behavior, interweaving narrative storytelling with fascinating new psychological and brain science. Listen and research will come to life in a way that will make you see your own life differently. Produced by NPR News, Invisibilia turns the dry and scholarly into utterly captivating storytelling.
In Invisibilia's pilot season, Spiegel and Miller dig deep into our innermost minds — examining our dark, disturbing thoughts and whether those thoughts say anything about who we are, our fears and how they shape our actions, and our need for belonging and how it shapes our identity and fuels our emotions over a lifetime. They will take you into the real-world consequences of our own expectations — sometimes so powerful that they can overcome physical disability — and test your assumptions that empathy brings people closer together. Along the way, you'll encounter fascinating individuals, such as the man who has merged with his computer and a woman who physically feels what others feel.
Airs 2/8 - 11 AM
The Power of Categories examines how categories define us -- how, if given a chance, humans will jump into one category or another. People need them, want them. The show looks at what categories provide for us, and you’ll hear about a person caught between categories in a way that will surprise you. Plus, a trip to a retirement community designed to help seniors revisit a long-missed category.
Airs 2/15 - 11 AM
In Our Computers, Ourselves, a look at the ways technology affects us, and the main question is : Are computers changing human character? You’ll hear from cyborgs, bullies, neuroscientists and police chiefs about whether our closeness with computers is changing us as a species.
Airs 2/22 - 11 AM
The Secret History of Thoughts asks the question, “Are my thoughts related to my inner wishes, do they reveal who I really am?” The answer can have profound consequences for your life. Hear the story of a man gripped by violent thoughts, and explore how various psychologists make sense of his experience. Also, meet a man trapped inside his head for 13 years with thoughts as his only companion.
Airs 3/1 - 11 AM
In our hour Fearless, a look at what would happen if you could disappear fear. You’ll hear about the striking (and rare) case of a woman with no fear. The second half of the show explores how the rest of us might "turn off" fear.
Airs 3/8 - 11 AM
In How to Become Batman, an examination of the surprising effect that our expectations can have on the people around us. You’ll hear how people’s expectations can influence how well a rat runs a maze. Plus, the story of a man who is blind and says expectations have helped him see. Yes. See. This journey is not without skeptics.
Airs 3/15 - 11 AM
In Entanglement, you’ll meet a woman with Mirror Touch Synesthesia who can physically feel what she sees others feeling. And an exploration of the ways in which all of us are connected -- more literally than you might realize. The hour will start with physics and end with a conversation with comedian Maria Bamford and her mother. They discuss what it’s like to be entangled through impersonation.sibilia is a glimpse into a world you can't see.