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Invisibilia
Invisibilia
NPR

Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will... more

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Episodes

The Goodbye Show

In their final episode, Invisibilia searches for the right way to say goodbye.

27 Apr 2023 · 50 minutes
Revisiting Love and Lapses: A Conversation with Code Switch host B.A. Parker

Sometimes the holidays are filled with the people you love. Other times, they're marked by an absence. In this special... more

16 Dec 2022 · 32 minutes
Power Tools

Bad bosses. Obnoxious coworkers. Unfair compensation. There are so many reasons people feel disempowered in the workplace. But how can... more

07 Oct 2022 · 34 minutes
Freedom Diving

After months of working from home and retreating from the world, Kia Miakka Natisse is stuck - in her house,... more

30 Sep 2022 · 32 minutes
Therapy Ghostbusters

In San Jose, California, a community clinic was stumped as to why their clients were seeing ghosts. This week, a... more

23 Sep 2022 · 47 minutes
A Little Bit Pregnant

This week on Invisibilia, could the rebrand of a familiar pill open up a new way to control fertility in... more

16 Sep 2022 · 27 minutes
The P-Word

Alex is a comic who feels perfectly comfortable commanding a packed, rowdy audience, but consistently submits to what other people... more

09 Sep 2022 · 41 minutes
Invisibilia Takes Control

2022 feels like walking a tightrope. We're grappling with control of our bodies, our time, the direction of our country... more

06 Sep 2022 · 1 minute
Therapy, with Friends

Would you ever consider going to therapy with a friend?Two best friends who call themselves brothers were drifting apart, so... more

04 Nov 2021 · 39 minutes
Poop Friends

Sh*t happens. So why is it so hard to talk about? This week, the ways that poop divides and binds... more

28 Oct 2021 · 44 minutes
Friends with Benefits

A lot of us think that it's a bad idea to get physical with friends. We worry it'll get messy,... more

21 Oct 2021 · 50 minutes
International Friend of Mystery

You know the old saying--keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But what if you can't tell the difference?... more

30 Sep 2021 · 35 minutes
Nun of Us Are Friends

It's a basic tenet of friendship that you get to choose your friends. We look at two institutions that took... more

23 Sep 2021 · 44 minutes
A Friendly Ghost Story

It's one of the most common and infuriating friend mysteries out there - a friend disappears into thin air. But... more

16 Sep 2021 · 48 minutes
The Friendship Season

Friendship gets the Invisibilia treatment.

14 Sep 2021 · 1 minute
American Slow Radio

Let's get slow. Producer Abby Wendle picks up the gauntlet that was thrown down in the last episode "The Great... more

12 Jun 2021 · 41 minutes
The Great Narrative Escape

Imagine a TV show with no plot, no characters, no tension... and yet, it went viral! In this episode, we... more

20 May 2021 · 55 minutes
The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

Is 209 Times helping or hurting the community it claims to serve? What does the site mean for the future... more

13 May 2021 · 46 minutes
The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

The man behind 209 Times is not who you'd expect. In Part 2, co-host Yowei Shaw discovers the website's surprising... more

06 May 2021 · 49 minutes
The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

Yowei gets a tip about Russian trolls in Stockton, California and falls down a hole of swirling conspiracy theories. At... more

29 Apr 2021 · 38 minutes
Eat The Rich

Invisibilia explores a social experiment with money, focused around a contentious topic: reparations. What happens when you demand white people... more

22 Apr 2021 · 51 minutes
Season 7: New Stories. New Hosts.

Invisibilia is back! Stories that help you see the world differently, with new hosts Kia Miakka Natisse and Yowei Shaw.

19 Apr 2021 · 4 minutes
Trust Fall

Hacking, phishing, surveillance, disinformation... these are tools used to silence dissidents and influence elections. But what happens when these same... more

13 Jun 2020 · 47 minutes
Two Heartbeats A Minute

The strange story of an unlikely crew of people who band together to take on one of our largest problems... more

10 Apr 2020 · 1 hour, 6 minutes
White v. White?

A city council candidate says he's black. But his opponent accuses him of being a white man pretending to be... more

03 Apr 2020 · 1 hour,
An Unlikely Superpower

What if you had a superpower that allowed you to see part of the world that was to come? At... more

27 Mar 2020 · 50 minutes
The Confrontation

Welcome to what is possibly the most tense and uncomfortable summer program in America! The Boston-based program aims to teach... more

22 Mar 2020 · 51 minutes
The Reluctant Immortalist

Daniel Martinez discovered the unthinkable: a creature that breaks one of the most fundamental laws of life. In the wake... more

16 Mar 2020 · 43 minutes
The Last Sound

Bernie Krause was a successful musician as a young man, playing with rock stars like Jim Morrison and George Harrison... more

08 Mar 2020 · 44 minutes
Season 6 Trailer

You hear the train barreling towards you and you're tied to the tracks. It's an impossible situation. Most people would... more

02 Mar 2020 · 1 minute
Raising Devendra

What happens when you treat artificial intelligence with unconditional love?

17 Dec 2019 · 29 minutes
Love and Lapses

Producer B.A. Parker started recording her calls with her father because she was concerned about the care at his nursing... more

22 Nov 2019 · 15 minutes
Back When I Was Older

As a parent, what do you do when your four-year-old starts telling you about memories that can't possibly be his?... more

25 Oct 2019 · 19 minutes
The Profile

A mysterious profile pops up on a dating app - leading to a bubble of chaos and confusion. A... more

20 Sep 2019 · 22 minutes
Kraftland

Richard Kraft was in a fog of grief when he bought his first Disney collectible at an auction. But once... more

23 Aug 2019 · 26 minutes
The End of Empathy

Invisibilia is a show that runs on empathy. We believe in it. But are we right? In this episode, we'll... more

12 Apr 2019 · 49 minutes
A Very Offensive Rom-Com

A young woman discovers a pattern in her dating habits that disturbs her - a pattern that challenges her very... more

05 Apr 2019 · 58 minutes
The Remote Control Brain

What would it be like if you could control your mood with a hand held device? Literally turn the device... more

29 Mar 2019 · 44 minutes
The Weatherman

In this episode of Invisibilia, we explore our relationship with uncertainty through the eyes of a chief meteorologist. We wonder:... more

22 Mar 2019 · 40 minutes
Post, Shoot

What is the relationship between the version of you that lives online and the one that walks around the earth?... more

15 Mar 2019 · 50 minutes
The Fifth Vital Sign

We look at how our culture's massive effort to address pain has paradoxically increased it. And we follow one young... more

08 Mar 2019 · 59 minutes
Season 5 Trailer

This moment in our culture can feel fraught. From 'fake news' to the opioid crisis, there's a lot of uncertainty... more

04 Mar 2019 · 1 minute
BONUS: Youth Radio Girl Mystery

Years ago, producer Yowei Shaw taught high school students how to make radio. And in one of her classes, something... more

21 Dec 2018 · 31 minutes
BONUS: The Prayer

Five years ago, Leena Sanzgiri was living her childhood dream... New York city apartment, job at Vogue, and a boyfriend... more

07 Dec 2018 · 13 minutes
BONUS: Who Do You Let In?

An uncomfortable encounter with a stranger sets producer Abby Wendle on a quest to answer the question: who do you... more

16 Oct 2018 · 24 minutes
BONUS: Leave A Message

In this story, comedian Cord Jefferson tells a heartfelt personal story and offers up some illuminating science about the power... more

14 Sep 2018 · 11 minutes
BONUS: Invisibilia Live with Story District

Our first live event!! We explored the In Between with Alix, Hanna and several DC-based storytellers, who talked about charting... more

14 Jun 2018 · 46 minutes
The Callout

A lot of communities today are taking a hard stand against sexual harassment and assault. Using social media shaming, ostracism,... more

13 Apr 2018 · 53 minutes
Everything Good

Today we introduce you to Allie n Steve, who is one person. For half the day she can be Allie... more

06 Apr 2018 · 46 minutes
The Pattern Problem

A panel of judges sits to decide the fate of the young woman. She's the child of addicts and an... more

30 Mar 2018 · 55 minutes
What Was Not Said

Your aging mother lives in another country. Then a tenant moves into her house – he's clean, polite, helpful. At... more

22 Mar 2018 · 46 minutes
The Other Real World

Reality TV may be popular around the world, but it's also roundly mocked as formulaic and contrived. So, can that... more

16 Mar 2018 · 48 minutes
I, I, I. Him

In this episode, we talk to a 74-year-old woman who decides the only way to get over her husband's death... more

09 Mar 2018 · 38 minutes
Season 4 Trailer

We're living in a black and white world, where the stories we tell ourselves lock us into one side or... more

23 Feb 2018 · 2 minutes
BONUS: Catch-Up with Max Hawkins

In this bonus episode, we catch up with a character from Season 3 of Invisibilia... Max Hawkins, a San Francisco-based... more

22 Dec 2017 · 12 minutes
BONUS: Catch-Up with Bill Millar

In a special podcast bonus, co-host Hanna Rosin checks in with Bill Millar, who we met in Season 2's "Flip... more

12 Sep 2017 · 10 minutes
Emotions

A thief knocks down your door and you are flooded with fear. Your baby smiles up at you and you... more

22 Jun 2017 · 54 minutes
High Voltage (Emotions Part 2)

Can you discover an emotion? We travel to the jungles of the Philippines where an anthropologist named Renato Rosaldo lived... more

22 Jun 2017 · 35 minutes
Reality

How is it that two neighbors can look out their window at the exact same thing, and see something completely... more

15 Jun 2017 · 42 minutes
Bubble-Hopping (Reality Part 2)

The concept of bubbles (social bubbles, media bubbles, political bubbles) has become popular lately as people grapple with the unexpected... more

15 Jun 2017 · 28 minutes
The Culture Inside

Is there a part of ourselves that we don't acknowledge, that we don't even have access to and that might... more

08 Jun 2017 · 54 minutes
Future Self

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question we ask children, and adults. In... more

01 Jun 2017 · 45 minutes
True You

What happens when you discover a part of yourself that is so different from who you think you are? Do... more

01 Jun 2017 · 35 minutes
Rules for Road Tripping

Season 3 has ended but we're hard at work on Season 4! We'll see you soon, but in the meantime,... more

30 May 2017 · 4 minutes
Season 3 Trailer

On June 1, Invisibilia is back for Season 3! Invisibilia explores the invisible forces that shape human behavior – thoughts,... more

18 May 2017 · 2 minutes
Outside In

There's a popular idea out there that you can change from the outside in. Power posing. Fake it 'til you... more

29 Jul 2016 · 1 hour, 1 minute
The Secret Emotional Life of Clothes

We know about the power of clothes to affect how others see us. But does clothing have the power to... more

22 Jul 2016 · 58 minutes
Flip the Script

In this episode we look at situation where someone flips the script – does the opposite of what their natural... more

15 Jul 2016 · 57 minutes
Frame of Reference

What shapes the way we perceive the world around us? A lot of it has to do with invisible frames... more

08 Jul 2016 · 56 minutes
Bonus: Mr. Kitt

In this special podcast bonus, Lulu Miller tells the story of William Kitt, a resident of the Broadway Housing Communities,... more

05 Jul 2016 · 12 minutes
The Problem with the Solution

In this episode we find that the solution can be the problem. The hour begins with a charming couple from... more

01 Jul 2016 · 56 minutes
Bonus: Four-Minute Mile

In a special podcast bonus, Lulu Miller tells the story about a young runner who always thought he had it... more

28 Jun 2016 · 6 minutes
The Personality Myth

In America personality is often seen as destiny. Whether you're a famous CEO like Steve Jobs or a serial... more

24 Jun 2016 · 54 minutes
The New Norm

You probably don't even notice them, but social norms determine so much of your behavior - how you dress, talk,... more

17 Jun 2016 · 58 minutes
Season 2 Trailer

On June 17th Invisibilia is back for Season 2! Invisibilia explores the invisible forces that shape human behavior – thoughts,... more

20 May 2016 · 3 minutes
BONUS: Inside Out!

Alix and Lulu present a bonus podcast about why "Inside Out" was considered as a possible name for the show,... more

14 Feb 2015 · 4 minutes
Our Computers, Ourselves

In Our Computers, Ourselves, a look at the ways technology affects us, and the main question is : Are computers... more

13 Feb 2015 · 56 minutes
The Power Of Categories

The Power Of Categories examines how categories define us — how, if given a chance, humans will jump into one... more

06 Feb 2015 · 55 minutes
Entanglement

In Entanglement, you'll meet a woman with Mirror Touch Synesthesia who can physically feel what she sees others feeling. And... more

30 Jan 2015 · 56 minutes
BONUS: Falling Off a Cliff

A podcast BONUS for you today. We didn't have enough room in our Batman show for this lovely story about... more

23 Jan 2015 · 8 minutes
How to Become Batman

In "How to Become Batman," Alix and Lulu examine the surprising effect that our expectations can have on the people... more

23 Jan 2015 · 56 minutes
Fearless

In "Fearless," co-hosts Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller explore what would happen if you could disappear fear. A group of... more

16 Jan 2015 · 57 minutes
The Secret History of Thoughts

In "The Secret History of Thoughts," co-hosts Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller ask the question, "Are my thoughts related to... more

09 Jan 2015 · 56 minutes
Invisibilia Preview

Starting January 9th, NPR brings you Invisibilia, a six episode series about the invisible forces that shape human behavior –... more

18 Dec 2014 · 4 minutes
Invisibilia
The Secret History of Thoughts
Invisibilia
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Listen now on

Apple Podcasts
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Google Podcasts
Overcast
Podcast Addict
Pocket Casts
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Podcast Republic
Castro
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Description

In "The Secret History of Thoughts," co-hosts Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller ask the question, "Are my thoughts related to my inner... more