Leaving things unsaid with our intimates can lead to misunderstandings and missed connections.
People are not as good at discerning the thoughts, intentions, and emotions of others as they think they are, leading to misunderstandings in relationships.
Deep dives
Hidden Messages in the Christmas Letter
Charlotte discovers that her father's annual Christmas letter does not mention her, which leads her to suspect that he is disappointed in her career choice and has been excluding her from the letter since 2010.
The Complexity of Understanding Others
Nick Epley, a professor at the University of Chicago, reveals through his studies that people are not as good at discerning the thoughts, intentions, and emotions of the people around them as they think they are. This lack of understanding can lead to misunderstandings and missed connections in relationships.
The Complicated Love between Frances and Mister Zoo
Frances, Charlotte's grandmother, forms a deep bond with Mister Zoo, a mysterious tenant in her apartment building. While Charlotte's father suspects Mister Zoo may be a spy, it is revealed that he was likely not a spy but a lonely man who found a sense of family and purpose in taking care of Frances.
Unsaid Things and Misunderstandings
The podcast reflects on the many unsaid things in relationships and the consequences they can have. It explores how assumptions and lack of communication often lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and emotional distance between loved ones.
Your aging mother lives in another country. Then a tenant moves into her house – he's clean, polite, helpful. At first you are relieved, until you begin to suspect that man has sinister motives. That's the situation two brothers found themselves in, in Taiwan. Then something happened between the tenant and the mother that unsettled the brothers' lives even more. We examine how leaving things unsaid with our intimates can lead to misunderstandings and missed connections.
