Know What You See with Brian Lowery

We like to believe that we are masters of our own fate, that we are the cause of our choices and actions. But what if that's not true? Imagine that all of our choices and actions are simply the product of history—whether that goes back one minute or 1000 years—and biological and environmental forces that we often don’t even understand. In this episode we're exploring the question of whether free will exists and whether we ...

Race and gender are thought by many to be immutable features of our biology. In some places and spaces, we see significant challenges to this way of thinking about gender, but the biological view of race has proved more durable. How do we understand racial identity from individual and community perspectives? What’s changing about how we define race and how that shapes our interactions with the world around us?

Our guest:

For many of us, gender is an important part of how we understand ourselves. It affects everything, from the way we present ourselves physically, to how we make sense of others' interactions with us. But what determines our gender? The answer to this question is more complicated than we might think. The way we understand gender can reveal a lot about who we are and who we can be.

Our guests:

Schuyler Bailer: author, educa...

With so many of us now working at home or on a hybrid schedule, the line between our employment and our personal lives has been blurring. What does work/life balance mean when the boundaries keep shifting? What does our nostalgia for pre-pandemic workplace comedies like The Office say about who we are and who we used to be? And is the dystopian drama series Severance a warning, or a kind of wish fulfillment?

Guests:

Dr. ...

What goes into making a home? For many, it means a physical space, that’s true, and the useful objects we collect within. But it’s also a repository for our memories and aspirations. How we build or decorate our homes signals who we are, our tastes and values, and the signs of our success. It’s where we feel safe and connected, and where we welcome others we trust. But does a home need to be a fixed place to be a stable on...

A spouse, a soul-mate, a life partner - however you define “the one”, the search for that person is often confusing and fraught with challenges and doubt. And in a world with so much choice, is it better to enlist the opinions of those who know you best, like your family and friends? Or can more “objective” support like matchmakers and algorithms narrow down the field and yield true love?

Guests:

Barry Schwartz, Professo...

This season Brian explores some of the topics from his book “Selfless: The Social Construction of You”. Specifically, how we see ourselves, and how our relationships and social interactions shape the way we live. Even before the pandemic, there was evidence our social lives were fraying. Engagement in social clubs, civic organizations, churches have been in decline and the traditional ways of meeting new people has lost gr...

Here’s another podcast to add to your queue. Matt Abrahams is a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior here at Stanford, and in his podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart. he speaks with experts about the real world challenges of communicating effectively. From emails, to giving presentations or speaking at family functions, how can we best get our point across in business and in life? Brian Lowery was a guest on a recent episode, a...

Cara Santa Maria is the science correspondent on National Geographic's popular television series Brain Games and she hosts the weekly science podcast Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara invited me to talk about my new book, "Selfless: The Social Creation of "You." Hope you enjoy our conversation and be sure to check out the other episodes of Talk Nerdy, wherever you get your podcasts.

Whether it's the economic after effects of the pandemic, the disruption of work/life balance, or the increasing use of new technology - many of us are feeling the pressure of change at our jobs. In this episode, Brian talks with Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab at New America and host of the podcast, American Karoshi. We delve into her research into work stress, the impact on our health and well-being, and t...

Today, it's still a fact that many employers require job applicants to have a traditional four year degree, and that finding work is often a combination of academic achievement, internships, and networking. But this isn’t the only formula for making a successful living. How can we change these mindsets to allow more workers to build satisfying careers and create a more diverse labor market?

There are always opport...

This week on Know What You See, we explore the growing category of remote workers known as “digital nomads”, people who not only work remote, they work from constantly changing locations. With more people transitioning from their jobs, reconsidering their work life balances and leaving urban areas, digital nomads working in the knowledge sector are searching for more freedom and flexibility. On this episode, Brian speaks w...

The height of the pandemic lockdown caused widespread job losses, followed by a rise in the number of people quitting work, a sharp uptick the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. On this episode, Brian Lowery talks to Rakesh Kochhar and Julianna Horowitz of the Pew Research Center who conducted a study of what's been called The Great Resignation. Then, we hear from Julia Pollack, Chief Economist at Zip Recruiter who...

This week, a special bonus episode from Know What You See: What is the self? What are we talking about when we say we know ourselves? Scientists believe the brain defines who we are, but Brian Lowery suggests that the self goes beyond our physical being, rooted in our relationships and interactions with other people.

Brian Lowery is The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior and senior associate d...

In recent years, our idea of traditional office culture has been turned on its head by the pandemic, the rise of remote work, the explosion of the gig economy, real estate fluctuations and much more. Today's offices are a mix of work locations, communication styles and types of employment. Employees are at different stages of their lives and careers, and that diversity amplifies the complexity of our workforce. To delve in...

In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of workers supplementing or replacing traditional 9 to 5 jobs with gig work of some kind. People like Joel Lantigua, whose gig work as a courier helps him maintain a certain work/life balance, and the flexibility to pursue other interests. But as more people flock to these types of jobs, what are the implications for workers and the economy? In this episode, Brian Lowe...

The pandemic caused many companies to shut down and go remote, which affected many small businesses who cater to corporate office workers. On this episode, we'll hear from Kelly Fitzpatrick, owner of Blue Park Kitchen, whose main clientele practically disappeared in the shift to working from home. Then we’ll talk to Stanford professor Nick Bloom to get a bigger picture of the economic issues surrounding remote work from, f...

From teachers to baristas, warehouse workers to nurses, the media has been filled with stories of strikes, walkouts and union votes. The National Labor Relations Board says that petitions for union representation are up more than 50 per cent from this time last year. What's behind this surge in labor organizing? On this episode, Brian talks to Rebecca Givan, Associate Professor in the School of Management and Labor at Rutg...

Today, some workers are asking their companies for more than safe working conditions and fair pay—they are pushing for values-based behavior and decision-making. Employees are making their voices heard on issues like companies’ customers, hiring practices, and content creation. What role should employees play in such decisions? What staff input will companies need to allow to attract the best talent? On this episode, Brian...