AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman
Ep92 "Why is it hard to keep a secret?"
Feb 17, 2025
Secrets have a profound impact on our brains and relationships, with their psychological and social dynamics explored in depth. The burden of keeping secrets can affect mental health and decision-making, drawing parallels to historical figures like Abraham Lincoln. The podcast also discusses how both humans and AI deal with secrecy, raising questions about trust and negotiation tactics. Additionally, it examines the evolutionary role of deception and the complexities that arise when hidden truths become tangled webs.
42:41
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Keeping secrets engages various neural networks in our brain, creating cognitive tension and emotional stress from the struggle to conceal or reveal information.
- The dynamics of secrets significantly shape social relationships by fostering trust and intimacy while also influencing power structures within groups.
Deep dives
The Cognitive Burden of Secrets
Keeping a secret requires continuous mental effort to monitor one's speech and actions, ensuring that hidden information isn't accidentally revealed. This ongoing vigilance can create cognitive tension, leading to emotional stress and anxiety. Research by psychologist James Pennebaker shows that discussing or confessing deeply held secrets can positively impact health by reducing doctor visits and lowering stress hormone levels. The act of revealing a secret can therefore serve as a powerful mechanism for alleviating mental burdens.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode