Listener Mail: Big Almond, Fitbit and the Nature of Addiction

Edward Bernays: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard Of: Nowadays Edward Bernays remains a relatively obscure historical figure. His legacy, however, is thriving around the globe, and his techniques are found in everything from the food we eat to the things we believe. But who was this man, and how did he get h by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

27 min listen

Is the placebo effect getting stronger?: The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scienti by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

26 min listen

Can we really lose civilizations?: From Atlantis to Cuidad Blanca, Troy and Shangri-La, history is full of legends about lost civilizations. But how does humanity lose an entire city, empire or society? Are any of the stories of lost cities true? Tune in to learn more. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

24 min listen

DARPA 101: It's true: the United States really does have something like a real-life mad science department. But what is DARPA? What do they do, exactly, and what role have they played in pioneering top-secret science? Learn more with Matt and Ben. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

14 min listen

The Deceptive Brain: Do warm drinks make you more likely to favorably regard a stranger? How do emotions affect your decision-making process? Can you trust your own brain? Don't be so sure. Join Ben and Matt as they explore the bizarre, at times deceptive, side of neuroscienc by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

20 min listen

Did Nazis really make "UFOs"?: After the fall of the Nazi regime, the dirty secrets of WWII-era Germany slowly came to public light. Amid the horrors of the Holocaust and bizarre proof of some official's occult aspirations, researchers discovered a wealth of groundbreaking research on by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

20 min listen

Origins of Christmas: Chances are that you've heard of the alleged war on Christmas, which some believe is an effort to distance the celebration from its origins. But what are those origins, exactly -- and where do modern Christmas traditions come from? Tune in to learn more. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

17 min listen

Could a solar flare destroy civilization?: What would you do if you woke up one day and found yourself in a world without electricity, cellphones or the internet? It sounds like the plot of a science fiction film, but if a powerful enough solar flare hits Earth's magnetosphere this could become a by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

21 min listen

Edward Leedskalnin's Coral Castle: After being jilted a day before his wedding and narrowly surviving tuberculosis, Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin spent almost 30 years building Coral Castle out of huge blocks of stone. But how did he make it, and why wouldn't he allow anyone to watc by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

14 min listen

Edward Snowden and the Whistleblower Debate: As Edward Snowden lives a life of exile in Russia, his leaked revelations about the reach of NSA surveillance have shocked the world. But what's next for Snowden? And how should the world handle whistleblowers? Is there a real difference between a whistle by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

13 min listen

The "Real" Conspiracies: Ben and Matt get a lot of questions, and one that crops up often is this: "Do you ever run into real conspiracies (rather than theories)?" Well, they're finally going to answer it. Tune in to hear the guys explain which conspiracy theories seem the most p by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

21 min listen

Listener Mail Review: Things get weird as Matt and Ben sift through a backlog of listener requests, questions and conspiracies. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

27 min listen

DARPA, Part II: Could shooting electricity through your brain give your superhuman powers of thought? Is it possible to build a real-life matrix? Join Ben and Matt for the second part of their series on DARPA. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

16 min listen

Of Wolves and Men: For centuries people believed that human beings could transform into wolves. Why? Could werewolf legends simply be cover stories for the violent acts of deranged humans? by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

30 min listen

Fifty Years Later: The JFK Assassination: JFK was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963, and fifty years later the majority of the American public doesn't believe the official story from the Warren Commission. But why? Join Ben and Matt as they talk about the lingering questions they found in the J by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

16 min listen

Soviet Psychotronics: It's true - the Soviet government really did have its own parapsychological research program. And, unlike MKULTRA and other US operations, the Soviet version continued until 2003, when it officially ended. Tune in to learn more with Ben and Matt. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

23 min listen

The Illuminati: Is there really an ancient, shadowy secret society running the world? If so, what's their endgame - and why hasn't anyone conclusively proven their existence? Join Ben and Matt as they look back on their Illuminati series. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

22 min listen

What was COINTELPRO?: What was COINTELPRO? What made it controversial? Do government agencies continue to infiltrate activist organizations in the modern day? Tune in to learn more. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

42 min listen

Cicadas, Ciphers and Codes: The Weird World of Cryptography: For much of recorded history, humans beings have been trying to devise unbreakable codes (and break the codes of their rivals). But is there any truly unbreakable code? And what exactly is Cicada 3301? Tune in to learn more. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

16 min listen

Exorcisms: An Introduction: What are exorcisms, really? How do they function across cultures? Is there any proof that they're real? by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

38 min listen

A Suicide Epidemic in the Banking World?: A recent spate of suicides by high-level banking officials has shaken the financial world. Coincidence? Or conspiracy? by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

28 min listen

Cryptozoology: Show Notes: Why do so many consider cryptozoology a "pseudoscience"? Have any of the mysterious animals known as cryptids ever been found? How many species exist on Earth today? The answer might surprise you. Tune in to learn more with Ben and Matt. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

27 min listen

Is taxation legal?: Every year tax activists of one sort or another try to avoid paying federal or state levies -- but why? Tune in to learn more about taxation conspiracy theories. by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

37 min listen

Whistleblowers: A 2013 Update: What happened to Chelsea Manning? What will Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald reveal next? And how long will Julian Assange remain in London? Join Matt and Ben as they give you the latest updates on the lives of the world's most well-known whistleblowers by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

32 min listen

What was the Great Game?: Over 200 years ago the British and Russian empires waged a silent war across Eurasia in what became known as "The Great Game". by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

44 min listen

War in Space: The international community has agreed not to wage war in space, but that hasn't stopped the nations of Earth from cramming outer space with spy satellites, orbital junk and classified spacecraft. So what's up there, exactly? Could there really be a war i by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

36 min listen

Secret Nuclear Programs: On July 16th, 1945 the first atomic bomb test ushered in a new era of warfare, with weapons capable of killing millions. But how many countries own nukes today, and how did they get them? The answers may surprise you. Tune in to learn more by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

27 min listen

Human Experimentation: Show Notes: The search for life-saving medical innovations has a dark side: human experimentation. And, while history is unfortunately chock-full of horrifying experiments on innocents, it isn't all stuff from the ancient past. In fact, experiments on unconsenting hu by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

32 min listen

Neuromarketing: Science or Science Fiction?: Neuromarketers claim that their techniques provide new and profound insights for consumers buying everything from soda to new cars. But can they really interpret data in a way that allows them to nudge a user's subconscious mind? And, if so, what does thi by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

37 min listen

Operation Snow White: What was the most widespread infiltration of the US government? According to some sources, it came from within. Tune in to learn more about the story of Operation Snow White -- and why the Church of Scientology and the US government still don't agree on w by Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

19 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Listener Mail: Big Almond, Fitbit and the Nature of Addiction

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Related podcast episodes