The Next Big Idea Daily

In "On Disinformation," Lee McIntyre shows how the war on facts began, and how ordinary citizens can fight back against the scourge of disinformation that is now threatening the very fabric of our society.

In "Imaginable," Jane McGonigal draws on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to train our minds to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable.

In "Remember," neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova delves into how memories are made and how we retrieve them.

The chasm separating managers from leaders is widening as the skills required to be an effective leader grow in number and complexity. But you're ambitious. You want to cross that chasm. And your organization needs you to cross it in order to join its bench of stars who will lead with empathy and humanity and ground the organization's strategies in a meaningful, mission-driven, and purposeful way. Today on the show Adam Bryant will teach you how to make that leap.

Most of us try to avoid feeling sad, but therapist Chelsea Harvey Garner believes the future will be brighter if we learn to enjoy the unenjoyable and support each other when the vibes aren’t so good. Today, she tells us how to do it. • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (code DAILY gets you 10% off) • Send us an email

In his new book, award-winning journalist Jeff Goodell explains how extreme heat will dramatically change the world as we know it.

In "How to Think like a Philosopher," Julian Baggini turns to eminent philosophers, past and present, to find practical solutions for today's most vexing questions.

Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was firmly rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about "rewilding" from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she learned how to turn sticks into fire, stones into axes, and bones into tools for harvesting wild food―and found an entire community walking the path back from our technology-focused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience.

The traditional ways of earning a living are outdated, if not outright rigged. That’s why a growing number of enterprising individuals are instead turning to the growing ecosystem of decentralized, fast-moving virtual markets to pursue a host of previously unheard-of ways to pay the bills. Join New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau on a fascinating tour of this brave new world where novelty is currency, and the creators are in control.

Today, Juliet Funt provides strategies you can use to regain control of days, liberate yourself from burnout and busy work, and reclaim creativity and focus—even when there's chaos all around you. • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (code DAILY gets you 10% off) • Send us an email

What can a 19th-century naturalist teach us about reclaiming our attention?

Today, two-time Guinness World Record memory champ Dave Farrow shares practical tips you can use to “rewire” your brain and boost its power.

Our most precious resource isn’t money. It’s time. We are allotted just 24 hours a day, and we live in a culture that keeps us feeling “time poor.” Since we can’t add more hours to the day, how can we experience our lives as richer?

You may have noticed that the kind of focus we all need to get stuff done is harder and harder to come by. But fear not. To help you get back on track, we've called in some of the smartest writers we know to give us their take on the attention crisis and what we can do about it. All this week, we'll be hearing from them. First up is journalist Johann Hari. Johann is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, and he joins us today to share some key insights from his latest, "Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again."

In the final installment of the master class based on her book “Tranquility by Tuesday,” productivity expert Laura Vanderkam says nailing your work-life balance comes down to how you use your Fridays.

Do effortful fun before effortless fun. But what's the difference? Laura explains in today's mini masterclass.

To renew your spirits, Laura says you need to take some time for yourself. --- Download the Next Big Idea app and listen to hundreds of the world's bestselling authors summarize their books in just 12 minutes.

You know what you need? An adventure. That's right. You don't have to wait until your next vacation. You can — and should — make it a habit to do surprising, novel things on the reg. And, yes, we know you're thinking: "How can I fit that in with everything else I have going on?" Don't worry. Laura Vanderkam has a simple solution for making adventures of all sizes part of your routine.

In "Tranquility by Tuesday," time management guru Laura Vanderkam shares tools you can use to finally make time for the activities you love. But before you can do that, you need to get a good night's sleep. Today, Laura explains how.

In the final installment of her interview, Vanessa Patrick ("The Power of Saying No") gives us tips for turning down the pushy people in our lives.

Today: The difference between "pass the salt" and "bake your favorite lasagna" asks.

In this episode, Vanessa Patrick shares a strategy for saying "no" inspired by one of the most famous people in the world, and one of the best at saying "no"—Oprah Winfrey.

Today, Vanessa explains how the super skill of "empowered refusal" can help you say "no" no in a way that is persuasive and does not elicit pushback from others.

Too often, we say "yes" to friends, bosses, and even strangers when what we really want to say is "absolutely not." Why do we do this? Vanessa Patrick, a marketing professor at the University of Houston, has spent years researching this question. The answer she's come up with could change your life.

In the final installment of our week-long exploration into the art and science of decision-making, we hear from acclaimed science journalist Steven Johnson, who provides a step-by-step process for making life-altering decisions. • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (code DAILY gets you 10% off) • Send us an email

Today, you'll how to make smart decisions about two vexing subjects: money and love. • Myra Strober is a labor economist and Professor Emerita at Stanford University, where she founded the Stanford Center for Research on Women (now the Clayman Institute for Gender Research). • Abby Davisson is a social innovation leader and career development expert, who served as president of Gap Foundation and co-founded the company's employee resource group for parents and caregivers.

As a U.S. fighter pilot, Hasard Lee has had to make split-second decisions under extreme pressure. Now he's here to teach you how to do the same.

Today, we're continuing our deep dive into decision-making with a few big ideas from Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia Business School and author of "The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters."

Sometimes it seems that all we do in life is make decisions, and yet it’s a surprisingly difficult skill to master. How do you get good at deciding? To answer that question, we’re calling in the pros: Annie Duke, Eric Johnson, Hasard Lee, Abby Davisson, Myra Strober, and Steven Johnson. They’re ex-poker players, business school professors, fighter pilots, and science journalists — and together, they’re going to share a whole bunch of tools you can use to improve your decision-making capabilities. First up is cognitive scientist turned poker player turned decision strategist Annie Duke to share a few key insights from her recent book “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app

For any trade-off between your current and future self, it's always the you of today who has to make the sacrifice. In his final appearance on the show, UCLA's Hal Hershfield offers a way around that problem.

Today, Hal Hershfield ("Your Future Self") explains how you can make life better tomorrow by making grand plans now to ease your future life.

Does your future self seem kinda blurry? Try writing them a letter.

It may sound strange, but if you can learn to treat your future self like someone you really care about, then you'll be more likely to make satisfying, rewarding, and ethical long-term decisions.

Can vividly imagining your future self help you make better decisions? Hal Hershfield thinks so, and he’s got the research to prove it. Hal — who teaches at UCLA and has been called a “pioneering psychologist” by none other than our curator Adam Grant — is out with a new book called “Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today,” and he is here all week to help Michael, you, and future you achieve success.

In the final installment of his mini-masterclass, Brett Crozier shares advice for being a staunch defender of your personal time.

Today, retired Navy captain Brett Crozier ("Surf When You Can") explains why in order to achieve big success, you've first got to nail the little things. • Sign up for our newsletter to get a behind-the-scenes look at how we make this show • Download the Next Big Idea app to hear hundreds of authors summarize their books • Use code DAILY to get 10% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription at nextbigideaclub.com

Whether you're flying, captaining, or working, always focus on the alligator closest to the canoe.

We are stronger when we work together. Literally.

"Talk to me, Goose." Actually, this week we're saying, "Talk to me, Chopper." That was Brett Crozier's call sign when he served as a fighter pilot (and it's what his wife still calls him when she's irritated). Brett has a new book out called "Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain," which charts his journey from "Top Gun" wannabe to commanding officer of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. He joins Michael this week to share five lessons from his career that can help you improve your life-work balance.

We're wrapping up our collection of summery Book Bites with a few lessons from Smiley Poswolsky's "Friendship in the Age of Loneliness: An Optimist's Guide to Connection." • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (code DAILY gets you 10% off) • Send us an email

Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley who helped Pixar make “Inside Out,” explores the history and science of awe.

When David Pogue (CBS Sunday Morning) realized that we are already living through the beginnings of climate chaos, he decided to write a book full of action plans for riding out every climate catastrophe that Mother Nature might throw at us. • Download the Next Big Idea app: nextbigideaclub.com/app/

Ice ice baby! Today, journalist and historian Amy Brady shares the astonishing 200-year history of ice in America, from ice rinks to ice cream to modern-day miracles like cryotherapy breast-cancer treatments.

We're trying something different this week. Instead of hearing from one author, you'll hear from five. Together, they'll help you figure out how to have the perfect summer. Up first: comedian and podcaster Jamie Loftus shares a few tasty insights from her New York Times bestseller "Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs." • Use code DAILY to get 10% off your subscription at nextbigideaclub.com

What can the global response to climate change tell us about the health of modern democratic states? • Ben Ansell is professor of comparative democratic institutions at Oxford and author of “Why Politics Fail” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app

Today, Ben explains why democracy and security are such uneasy bedfellows. • Ben Ansell is professor of comparative democratic institutions at Oxford and author of “Why Politics Fail” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app

Why is it so hard to create a sense of national unity and civic responsibility here in the Divided States of America? • Ben Ansell is professor of comparative democratic institutions at Oxford and author of “Why Politics Fail” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app

Why has the American political system failed to arrest accelerating inequality, and is there anything we can do about it? • Ben Ansell is professor of comparative democratic institutions at Oxford and author of “Why Politics Fail” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app

As you may have noticed, modern democracies aren’t doing so hot. In country after country, income inequality soars while solidarity plummets. Resentment simmers while national unity cools. In places like the US and the UK, beacons of liberal democracy, words like “autocracy” and “anarchy” are thrown around with alarming regularity. Meanwhile, our ability to take action on existential threats like AI and climate change is stymied by sniping politicians who are obsessed with point-scoring and eerily disinclined to agree on a shared set of facts. Given all this, it’s not unreasonable to wonder: Are we doomed? This week, on the 247th anniversary of America’s birthday — and the dawn of the modern democratic experiment — we’ll get to the bottom of that unsettling question with Ben Ansell, professor of comparative democratic institutions at Oxford and author of “Why Politics Fail.”

In her final mini masterclass, Shelby warns you not to be so focused on reaching the finish line that you may miss the epic views along the way. • Shelby Stanger is the host of REI’s “Wild Ideas Worth Living” podcast and the author of “Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life” • Want to go behind the scenes of this show? Sign up for our newsletter • To hear more interviews, audio e-courses, and hundreds of author-read book summaries, download the Next Big Idea app