

Things could be better
Nov 14, 2023
The podcast explores a bias in human imagination towards envisioning better scenarios, even unrealistically improving aspects of life. It compares cultural differences in idea generation between Polish, Mandarin, and American participants. The study reveals the complexity of human perception and the struggle to imagine things being worse, despite a typical psychology finding. The constant pursuit of improvements is linked to happiness.
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction
00:00 • 4min
Imagining Better
04:18 • 9min
Exploring Cultural Differences Through Studies with Polish and Mandarin Participants
13:11 • 2min
Imagining Better vs. Worse vs. Different Scenarios Study
15:24 • 2min
Exploring the Complexity of Human Imagination and Perception
17:34 • 6min