Understanding a dog's perspective can provide insights into their behavior and perception.
Experiencing events outside of our personal preferences opens doors to diverse experiences and connections.
Deep dives
Understanding Dogs Through Smell
Psychology professor Alexandra Horwitz discusses her lifelong ambition to understand dogs and how she turned to studying their sense of smell. Through extensive smelling exercises and observing her own dog, Alexandra was able to see the world from a dog's perspective and gain insights into their behavior and perception. Smells play a crucial role in a dog's understanding of the world, and by embracing this sensory experience, Alexandra gained a deeper appreciation for the complexity of their lives.
Bubble Hopping to Expand Perspectives
Max Hawkins, an engineer at Google, developed an algorithm that randomly selected public events for him to attend, aiming to break out of his own bubble and experience new perspectives. By surrendering his preferences to the algorithm, Max explored events and communities he would not have otherwise encountered. Through this experiment, he realized how much of our lives are oriented around personal preferences and how breaking free from these preferences opens doors to diverse experiences and connections.
Randomized Adventures and Challenging Preconceptions
Max, along with podcast hosts Abby Wendle and Hannah Rosin, engaged in an experiment where they allowed random events chosen by Max's algorithm to guide their experiences. From attending different social gatherings, talking to strangers, and exploring new locations, they discovered the richness and unpredictability of life beyond their bubbles. They encountered surprise, vulnerability, and moments of connection with people they wouldn't have encountered otherwise. This experiment demonstrated the power of embracing randomness and stepping outside our comfort zones to challenge preconceived notions and expand our understanding of the world.
The concept of bubbles (social bubbles, media bubbles, political bubbles) has become popular lately as people grapple with the unexpected outcomes of the 2016 election. We talk to two people who are making attempts to break out of their bubbles, and expose themselves to new points of view. We start with a woman seeking to break out of the confines of the human bubble altogether, by teaching herself to experience the world more like a dog. Then we meet a young man named Max, who has made a life out of hopping from bubble to bubble.
