The Leaky Bucket Brigade

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When I used to teach a lot of undergraduates, they often would want to spend their junior year abroad. And I'd say, well, why don't you just go take a semester off and go have fun? You're going to be in a nice in London or some other place. Go enjoy it. He said, well, my parents will pay for that. So let's, we're clear. We're pretending it's this illustrious thing. It might not be as good as when you're getting here. Maybe it was true then, but it's not true now.

Psychologist and writer Adam Mastroianni says our minds are like the keep of a castle protecting our deepest held values and beliefs from even the most skilled attacks. The only problem with this design for self-preservation is that it also can keep out wisdom that might be both useful and true. Mastroianni's summary of the problem is "you can't reach the brain through the ears." Listen as Mastroianni talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the implication of this view of mind for teaching, learning, and our daily interactions with the people around us.