Stories of Impact

Is science fundamentally in opposition to religion, or do they just have little to do with each other? Is the way you engage with science and religion in your life informed by your core beliefs, or are your core beliefs informed by them? Do you think it's scientists or religious experts, or both, or neither, that are best equipped to help humans explore the meaning of life? People might find these questions to be provocative or controversial. But our guest in today's episode, science educator and researcher Dr. Berry Billingsley, was raised in a family culture of curiosity, so she's been asking these sorts of really big questions all her life. Now a professor in Education at the University of Swansea and the former Director of the Learning about Science and Religion Centre at Canterbury Christ Church University, Dr. Billingsley, as devoted as she has been to young people's science education throughout her career as a researcher, has built a body of work critiquing the way science is traditionally taught and breaking down the siloes between religious education and science education classes. Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Did you know that you are part of one of the most significant revolutions in the last 85 years? If you're one of the 180-million Americans in the labor force, and at some point since the 2020 pandemic, you joined the ranks of work-from-home, you are historically revolutionary. Today, we sit down with Dr. Nicholas Bloom, economist and professor of economics at Stanford University. He's studied work-from-home habits for over 20 years—so long before covid-19—and now, his data is showing how the revolutionary shift that happened during the pandemic, is reverberating through society and affecting everything from sports and real estate to crime, taxes, and politics. Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

We're back this episode for our second timely interview focusing on political polarization, wrapping up in conversation with Dr. Kurt Gray, professor of moral psychology and neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill, and the director of the Deepest Beliefs Lab in the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. Moral psychology is the descriptive understanding of our moral judgments, or concern with not just how people should make moral decisions, but how they actually do. Why does this matter? In Dr. Gray's words: "To understand our contentious and divided political moments where people are unwilling to discuss politics across the aisle or entertain even that the other side is a reasonable human being in the way that you feel about yourself and your own side. We do disagree already when it comes to politics. But where does this political disagreement come from? …Once you get that, then you can understand where this political animosity comes from. But it's really a question of moral disagreement. And for that you need to understand our moral psychology." Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

When we spoke recently with Dr. Sean Westwood, associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and the director of the Polarization Research Lab, we knew we wanted to share the conversation with you as quickly as possible, because it speaks so directly to the current moment. Dr. studies American politics and how partisan conflict manifests in the United States, its consequences and its origins. Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the researchSubscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today we wrap up an enlightening series of conversations on religious ritual as a pathway to human flourishing with Dr. Anna Corwin. When Dr. Corwin became connected to the Diverse Intelligences initiative and researchers who collaboratively examine the variety of intelligence on the planet or beyond, whether plant, animal, human, alien, or artificial, she was inspired to see new possibilities for her own unique research interest, and to embark on a scientific exploration into spiritual intelligence. Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the researchSubscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today we're back in conversation with Dr. Adam Cohen, social psychologist and psychologist of religion at Arizona State University, who shares another research project that explores the way religious ritual connects participants more deeply not only with faith, but with community — this time, not through the practice of abstaining from food, but from breaking bread together. Dr. Arielle Levites, Managing Director of the Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education and a Research Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University had the same idea — that observing Shabbat wasn't just a nice idea, it was a practice with measurable impact. So the team designed a study, enlisting the participation of Aliza Kline, founding President and then-CEO of OneTable, an organization designed to help young Jews develop independence and confidence in observing the ritual of Shabbat dinner in their homes. The question they wanted to answer? Does Shabbat dinner as a spiritual practice increase social connectedness? Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the researchSubscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

In today's episode, we continue the discussion about fasting, as we hear from two scholars about research focusing on what is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism: Yom Kippur. During the 25-hour Day of Atonement, observant Jews focus on deepening their relationship with God through prayer, community connection, and by fasting. Over the last three years, two Arizona State University researchers, professor of psychology Dr. Adam Cohen and associate research professor Dr. Kathryn A. Johnson, have been on a scientific mission to understand the universal impact of the fasting ritual, asking whether abstaining from food and drink during this Jewish High Holiday deepens virtue, social cohesion, and personal well-being. Read the transcript of this episode Learn more about the researchSubscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTubeShare your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Meet Dr. Mostafa Salari Rad, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the New School in New York City. Born in Iran in a Shia Muslim practicing family, he always had an interest in philosophy, psychology, social science. He wondered why people behaved the way they did, why countries developed the way they did, and later, as a high school student in Japan, when he was the only person observing Ramadan, he started asking deeper questions about the self control he had to exert to fast, as Ramadan asked of him, from sunrise to sunset. Perhaps the first time, Dr. Rad questioned, why am I doing this? Why isn't anyone else doing this? What does this ritual mean? When Dr. Rad decided to pursue a PhD in psychology, he focused his research on the fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which the vast majority of the 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide observe. He wanted to find out more about the psychological, behavioral, and social benefits of fasting, and he especially wanted to better understand the self-control Ramadan requires. Listen and learn more. • Read the transcript of this episode • Learn more about Dr. Rad's research • Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts • Find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube • Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Meet Dr. Santiago Tobón. Born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, Dr. Tobón grew up in the 80's and 90's while the country surged with gang violence. As a kid, young Santiago was lucky to have enough privilege to keep himself safe and to give him a promising future of education and employment. But there was no denying the impact that gang violence was having on kids — kids his own age. When he graduated from college with a degree in computer science, and got a job working in rural economic development, it was the first time he saw gang activity up close. For four years he witnessed violent conflict around the local drug trade. Dr. Tobón started to dream of finding a way to stop gang violence and stop kids from sacrificing their lives to gang culture. He wondered how kids could instead find a path to a flourishing future? What could he do to keep gangs from bringing in hundreds of new teenage recruits each year? He decided to arm himself with PhD in economics. Read the transcript of this episode Subscribe to Stories of Impact wherever you listen to podcasts Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Share your comments, questions and suggestions at info@storiesofimpact.org Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

This season on Stories of Impact, we look through a new lens at old traditions, see new generations explore new solutions, and search for new ways to help kids make sense of modern life. Over the last seven seasons, Stories of Impact has brought listeners conversations about the art and science of human flourishing. We've met luminary artists like dancer Judith Jamison, pioneering researchers like Dr. Jane Goodall, and national leaders like Freddy Mutanguha. In this year's programming, we bring you a whole new series of inspiring stories, like our conversation on how ancient practices continue to have a purpose today. We learn how citizens are solving systemic problems like violence, and find hope in hearing about the research that will help kids in Colombia have a brighter future. We hear from educators working to increase agency and choice in kids' classrooms, so that students are empowered to follow their individual spark of curiosity. In every episode, we travel the world and dive deep into the intersection of spirituality and science on Stories of Impact, The American Writing Awards Science Podcast of the Year, generously supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation. I'm writer, performer, producer Tavia Gilbert, and along with journalist Richard Sergay, every first and third Tuesday of the month, I'll bring you a new conversation on the Stories of Impact podcast, which offers uplifting explorations about the art and science of human flourishing. You can find the award-winning Stories of Impact podcast wherever you find the podcasts you love. Be sure to follow us so you don't miss an episode.