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The Work Brain

The Work Brain

By Preeti Kotamarthi and Anupam Krishnamurthy
The Work Brain is a podcast that explores concepts in psychology and behavioural science to help you make smarter decisions at your work place. The hosts, Preeti Kotamarthi and Anupam Krishnamurthy, with their backgrounds in behavioural science and business administration, break down interesting concepts in behavioural science and explore how you can apply them to your everyday life. Join them as they put behavioural science to work!
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Currently playing episode

[Bonus Episode] Nudging in Big Tech

The Work Brain • By Preeti Kotamarthi and Anupam Krishnamurthy • Nov 30, 2020

00:00
41:55
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What can we learn from aviation?
We know air travel seems like a pipe dream now, but back when it was normal, it had its quirks. The rituals of an airport, the strange nature of duty-free shopping, the tiny world of an aircraft. Join us as we catch a flight and in the process, unpack the tonnes of behavioural design aspects at work.
45:45
March 21, 2021
What can we learn from restaurants?
Join us on a culinary journey, as we break down the psychological factors at work in restaurants - from menus to ordering to pricing.
39:03
February 28, 2021
What can we learn from sports?
Why do we support underdogs? Why do Liverpool fans hate Man United fans? Why do goalkeepers jump to the right or the left? All that and a lot more! Sports has more psychology inbuilt than we can imagine. In this episode, join us from the ringside as we unpack behavioural science in sports.
41:19
February 07, 2021
What can we learn from supermarkets?
In this episode, we take a walk down supermarket aisles to understand the various behavioural forces at play that make us buy. Join us for a fun shopping experience!
34:28
January 10, 2021
What can we learn from humour?
Why do we laugh at some jokes and not at others? Why do we laugh when we hear others laugh? That and a lot more packed into this episode on what we can learn from humour.
37:53
January 03, 2021
[Bonus Episode] Interview with Kumar Varun
An unfiltered version of the interview with comedian Kumar Varun on what makes something funny and how comedians decide on what jokes to use.
27:30
January 03, 2021
[Bonus Episode] Nudging in Big Tech
In this bonus episode, we explore the dark alleys of nudging in Big Tech, inspired by the renewed focus on this topic thanks to the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. Join us as we debate the ethics of behavioural design.This episode was recorded as a Live podcast with the students of London School of Economics.
41:56
November 30, 2020
Season 1 Wrap Up
We look back on our experience of hosting The Work Brain so far and offer a sneak-peek into Season 2.  
17:05
June 28, 2020
Mindset
The concept of growth vs. fixed mindset is quite popular. We dig deeper to uncover three signs to identify the mindset we operate from. We further explore ideas and examples of mindset change within organizations and what we can do as individuals.   
36:48
May 09, 2020
The Curse of Knowledge
Why is communication so hard? Well, it might be because we know too much. 
35:04
April 05, 2020
How Games Work
In this episode, we discuss why we play games. We also explore game mechanics and discuss some mind-blowing examples of gamification. 
35:44
March 08, 2020
Scarcity
At times, scarcity makes our brain work better - a deadline can be an excellent motivator. At other times, not so much. 
33:57
February 09, 2020
Fairness by Design
Fairness is a deep, psychological construct that affects all of us. Yet, everybody has a different understanding of what is fair. How can organizations design their products and principles to ensure fairness to their customers, their partners, their employees and the rest of the world? What about the spaces in which those different worlds collide?  
30:14
January 05, 2020
Better Interviews
Most recruitment processes today are riddled with bias and prejudice. Decades of research in behavioural science have confirmed this uncomfortable truth. How can we change this? How can we make our interviews more objective? How can we redesign our recruitment processes to fight prejudice and make them more inclusive?
31:01
January 05, 2020
Psychological Distance
Why do we relate to some people instantly? Why is it hard for some people to imagine the repercussions of climate change? Why do we donate to charities related to our native countries? It turns out that our mind perceives distance not just with space, but also with people and events. Find out more about psychological distance - this mysterious metric that our brain makes, and how it can influence your decisions at work. 
35:06
January 05, 2020