Your Brain on Nature: Dr. Marc Berman on the Surprising Science of Nature’s Impact on Attention Restoration and Optimism

What if one of the most powerful tools for restoring your mental health, sharpening your focus, and cultivating optimism has been outside your door all along? In this episode of Blue Sky, neuroscientist Marc Berman—pioneer of the field of environmental neuroscience and author of Nature and the Mind—shares groundbreaking research on how nature literally rewires the brain… More

Is the World Getting Better? The Economic Evidence Says Yes — An Encore Presentation with Charles Kenny

What if the relentlessly negative news cycle is giving us a distorted picture of reality? In this episode of Blue Sky, Charles Kenny from the Center for Global Development makes a compelling, data-driven case that the world is truly getting better — in ways most of us rarely hear about… More

Optimist Economy Co-Host Kathryn Anne Edwards on Why America's Best Economy Is Still Ahead

Kathryn Anne Edwards, a labor economist and co-host of Optimist Economy, discusses economic optimism, career paths, and the impact of policy on the American economy. She shares her insights on the job market and AI, and explains how her work is motivated by a belief in the importance of investing in children and families to build a stronger economic future… More

Dr. Adam Mastroianni Explains How Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking That Everything Is Worse

Adam Mastroianni says he likes to "study how people perceive and misperceive their social worlds, from the person sitting across the table to the whole country buzzing around them." In this Blue Sky conversation, Dr. Mastroianni describes research he and a colleague conducted that demonstrates that human beings falsely assume that the world used to be better, and that we continue to decline in terms of moral standards and civil behavior… More