The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this programme, the Zoo team are watching people, who are watching people, who are often as not going round in circles. And trying to work out what it is in the mind that makes that so compelling. 

It's time for the Olympics, and we're investigating the psychology of being a sports spectator. Even if you're not watching the Rio Games, you might be curious why so many do. 

Is it an animal impulse to display and enjoy watching physical skills? An instinct to compete, to tell stories? Are we drawn to the drama of the spectacle, the unknown result? Or is it a vicarious pleasure, imagining yourself at the starting block?

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Guests this week include sports commentator Alison Mitchell, former sports reporter Lynne Truss, Daniel Glaser from King's College London, philosopher George Papineau, and motorsport presenter Gareth Jones. 

Producer: Eve Streeter
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Olympics: Why We're Hardwired To Watch

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this episode - why do we tend to be more attuned to the dangers posed by rare, exceptional events, such as acts of terrorism, than we are to more everyday threats such as car crashes, which are a more immediate and real risk? Why do rare events sometimes feel more frightening?

People are continually alert to the odd - we have a better memory for things that seem different from others. We will pay more attention to strange events than equally bad normal events. So the more used we become to a 'bad thing', the less we are unsettled by it. Which might mean that the impact of terrorism is diminished the more common it becomes. 

But there is something else. Strange events suggest our view of the world is wrong - that the world makes less sense than we thought, and perhaps is more malevolent or unjust. And a feeling that we can make sense of the world and our own lives within it can be important for our well-being. 

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Guests this week include the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, Christopher Olivola from Carnie Mellon University, Jacob Feldman from Rutgers University, screenwriter Jayne Kirkham and Doctor Who scriptwriter Gareth Roberts.

Producer: Eve Streeter
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

News of an Atrocity: The Psychology of Rare Events

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this episode - disruption and how it affects us. Cancelled trains or political and economic turmoil - when things happen beyond our control, how do we react psychologically? Not well, usually. 

We don't like uncertainty. We tend to avoid a change to the status quo, almost at all cost. But are there cases when a bit of disruption has benefits? The Human Zoo team explores everything from displaced German towns and lateral problem-solving to comedy improvisation and music composition. 

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include behavioural scientist Dr Stian Reimers, City University London; broadcaster Nicholas Parsons; psychologist Prof Thomas Ormerod; members of Spontaneity Shop, comedy improvisation company; and broadcaster and journalist, Tim Harford.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Disruption

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

At a time when questions are being asked both of democracy, and of how Donald Trump continues to rise in the US, the Human Zoo team investigates the so-called wisdom of crowds - the idea that collective judgments lead to the right solution.

Sometimes, how we learn from one another results in human progress. Elsewhere, our tendency to copy each other's behaviour has irrational outcomes.

When does the herd get it right and wrong? How do we know when the crowd is leading us in the right direction?

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include Yale economist Robert Shiller, science writer Philip Ball, Alex Mesoudi from the University of Exeter and author Steven Poole. 

Producer: Eve Streeter
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Democracy and the Wisdom of Crowds

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this week's programme, a question of trust - why do people have a tendency to distrust experts and expertise? It has been made much of in the UK's Brexit campaign to leave the European Union. 'People in this country have had enough of experts,' claimed Leave campaigner Michael Gove. What's behind this lack of faith in authority?

The Zoo team discover that the difficulty of evaluating expertise is a problem we all face - because to really understand what's going on, you have to know what you don't know, and it's easier to spot the flaws in other people's reasoning and knowledge than to see it in ourselves. But then forecasting is a tricky business, and the experts don't always get it right. So, who to trust?

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Human Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness. 

Guests this week include David Dunning, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan; Professor Barbara Mellers from the University of Pennsylvania; journalist turned teacher Steve McCormack; and Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion rower Annie Vernon.

Producer: Eve Streeter
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Trust me... I'm an expert

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this episode, that morning-after feeling - the aftermath of the EU referendum. We put our 'X' in a box and, one way or the other, committed. What happened in that moment and what are the consequences? Are we different now? 

Do we have doubts or regrets, or will we stubbornly stick to our decision? The Zoo team investigate the curious psychology of being consistent and how we make ourselves feel better about the decisions we make in life.

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include Professor Ralph Hertwig, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin; Professor Greg Maio, Cardiff University; Carol Tavris, social psychologist and author; Lee Jones, Queen Mary University of London and Lois Pryce, travel writer and journalist.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

That Post-Referendum Feeling

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this episode, we explore success and failure, and how easily we attribute acclaim or the blame. Too easily? For example, football managers - we can expect a few casualties during Euro 2016, but is the failure of a team one man's fault? At the same time, the boss of the eventual cup-winner is lauded as a genius. Surely it's more complicated than that? 

The Human Zoo team investigate how we tend to oversimplify our complex world - unconsciously - because we are cognitively lazy. We take shortcuts to come to easy answers about everything from which politicians we trust, to evidence for climate change, to star performers on Wall Street. What weird behaviour. Why do we do it?

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include Professor Jerker Denrell, University of Warwick; Dr Stian Reimers, City University London; Tracey Brown, Sense About Science; and Ed Smith, former England cricketer.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Short Cuts to the Simple Life

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology - Michael Blastland explores the quirky ways in which we humans think, behave and make decisions.

In this first episode of a new series, we look at facts and the EU referendum. We are bombarded with statistics and projections about how the UK will benefit or suffer, depending on whether or not we are in or out of Europe. And we, the public, clamour for even more. How do we respond and use these facts, if at all, to formulate a reasoned opinion?

To what extent do we make a judgment first and then collect the evidence afterwards? Do we simply seek out facts that confirm our original belief - are we simply self-justification machines? As we near ballot time, the Human Zoo team investigate how emotions - such as fear and anger - may shape the way we think and act.

Michael Blastland is joined by resident psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include Professor Jennifer Lerner, Harvard University; Historian Lucy Robinson, University of Sussex; Professor Peter Johansson, Lund University, Sweden; and James Fisher, Cut-Throat London.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

As a matter of fact...

It's the time of year when we fall into the familiar, the traditions we've recycled since childhood. But why do we do it? Michael Blastland examines the psychology of how we behave around Christmas.

Mistletoe, gift-giving, decorated evergreen trees - irresistibly or unthinkingly, we all act out this time of year in a similar way. Do we simply copy each other? Is it about reinforcing group identity? Or do we fear the consequences if we transgress tradition?

In fact, how traditions arise and take hold - and more widely, what becomes conventional behaviour - is core to being human. How did Captain James Cook use convention to win over Fuegian tribesman? Is tradition as much about the present as the past? And why is there moral outrage when we violate these traditions?

Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Contributors this week include Professor Robert Sugden, an economist from University of East Anglia; Professor Anne Murcott, anthropologist from SOAS, University of London; and Dr Björn Lindström, researcher at the Emotion Lab, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.

The programme also includes writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe on Midnight Mass and when is the correct time to cook the turkey, and the cast of Andrew Pollard's Little Red Riding Hood from the Greenwich Theatre.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Strangeness of Tradition

Storms rage and floods take their toll - is this nature taking its revenge? Michael Blastland turns the lens of psychology on how we treat objects and other entities as if they are 'alive'.

Not just the weather - we rail against a crashed laptop, dote on our cars and have conversations with our pets. Why do we anthropomorphise the things around us?

In fact, we tend to exaggerate what psychologists call 'agency' in all kinds of ways - as if there's a mind behind what goes on in the world, with feelings and intentions. Does this mean we see conspiracy, blame, praise, and power where it doesn't belong?

Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Lives of Things

Amidst public anxiety over any number of threats to British interests, Michael Blastland turns the lens of psychology from 'us' to 'them', and perceptions of 'the other'. 

From sports teams to supermarkets, politics to religion, we define ourselves partly by the other. And with the news full of fear of terrorist attacks, talk of war and immigration, the question of how we perceive groups outside our own is increasingly relevant. 

How do we see 'them', whoever they are? Are we naturally fearful of those who aren't like us? What is the morality of otherness? Can our categorising of the other lead to a potential for racism? 

Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness. 

Contributors this week include sports commentator Alison Mitchell on otherness in cricket, and comedian Simon Evans on its function in standup. 

Producer: Eve Streeter 
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Other

The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.

Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? All human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo - including yours.

In this episode, Michael Blastland explores why so many people - be they the leaders of political parties, or people who drink too much - think other people share their beliefs and choices. All political parties tell us that the tide is going their way. But it's a strange tide that flows in all directions. Even extremists and revolutionaries, it seems, are likely to think that there are many other supporters eager to join them. 

Why do we think so many more people are like us? Even when we're asked to describe the typical height of people we see around us, we're more likely to estimate too low if we're short and too high if we're tall.

How far does this tendency go, why do we do it, and what are its implications for politics, public health or extremists? Find out in The Human Zoo, recorded before an audience at Warwick University's Festival of the Imagination, featuring the latest psychological research, and the author AL Kennedy on how she goes about becoming someone else in fiction.

Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Tide Is With Us

The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations. 
 
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.
 
In the last episode of the series - how does advice work? The government tells us to cut down on sugar in our diets. Obama suggests Britain should remain committed to the EU. And poor Greece has been inundated. How, psychologically, do we receive this 'expert' advice? When do we accept it and when do we ignore it?
 
And what about advice from friends, especially the unasked-for kind? On relationships, how to live your life, what job to take - we find it annoying to hear and take on - but why? And at the same time, we can't resist dolling out what we think are our wise words of wisdom. 
 
Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
 
Special guests this week include Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to the USA; Prof Nigel Harvey, psychologist at University College London; Dr Stephan Dombrowski, psychologist at the University of Stirling; Professor Daniel Oppenheimer, psychologist at the UCLA Anderson School of Management; plus Daily Telegraph columnist Sally Peck.

A Word of Advice

The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations. 
 
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? The programme blends intriguing experiments that reveal our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news and what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.
 
We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.
 
This week, is what's expected of us as citizens psychologically absurd? The law punishes us if our attention lapses at the wrong moment. The state says we should be able to judge whether to cash in our pension.
 
We are all supposed to have read the terms and conditions - famously described as "the biggest lie on the internet". So are these expectations fit for real people? And what are the implications?
 
Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, professor of behavioural science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
 
Special guests this week include Guardian tech reporter Alex Hern; Greg Davies, head of behavioural and quantitative finance at Barclays; from UCL, Professor of law Cheryl Thomas and psychologist Dr David Lagnado; plus writer and comedian Rosie Wilby on dating and pre-nups.

Perfect People

The Human Zoo is the programme that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations. 

Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? The programme blends intriguing experiments that reveal our biases and judgements, explorations and examples taken from what's in the news and what we do in the kitchen - all driven by a large slice of curiosity.

We like to say that all human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo, including yours.

In this episode: the flat mind. What if our 'inner world' of images, thoughts and beliefs isn't as three-dimensional as the world around us? What if we're just making it up as we go along? 

Recorded at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Michael Blastland investigates, with resident Zoo psychologist Professor Nick Chater and reporter Timandra Harkness.

Special guests this week are advertising guru Rory Sutherland, psychologist Dr Kate Cross from St Andrews University, Elleke Boehmer, professor of world literature in English at at Wolfson College Oxford and author of The Shouting in the Dark, neuroscientist Dr Peter Zeidman from University College London, Dr Martin Coath from the Cognition Institute at Plymouth University and experimental psychologist Professor Bruce Hood from the University of Bristol.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Eve Streeter and Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Improvising Mind

The Human Zoo is a place to learn about the one subject that never fails to fascinate - ourselves. In this episode, morals and norms. Naked tourists on Malaysian mountains? Professional footballers sprawling on the streets of Tenerife? The team turns the lens of psychology on news of bad behaviour.

How do we know about the unwritten rules that govern us? And why does it cause such outrage when we get them wrong?
Michael Blastland investigates with resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick University, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.

Special guests include Richard Holton, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University, Digital Human presenter Aleks Krotoski, psychologist Dr Kate Cross, as well as writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe on how his mother started a bread roll fight with a Lord.

Presenter: Michael Blastland
Producer: Eve Streeter and Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The Human Zoo

The Human Zoo

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