Chasing Life: How nudge theory can help us make better choices

The Power of Nudges

What if we told you that every time you make a decision, there are subtle factors beyond your control that steer your choice? It turns out, the way the options are laid out for us – on restaurant menus or even government forms – has a significant impact on the choices we make. Once we understand how these so-called “nudges” work, we can use them to improve our lives: everything from managing exercise routines to curbing the opioid epidemic. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta dive…Show mores into the science behind nudge theory with former White House nudge expert Maya Shankar, and takes a look at a nudge in action right now to help fight Covid-19. 

Trust Me

Trust is hard to build and all too easily broken. It’s the essential foundation for all our relationships, and the glue that keeps our society together. But over the past two years, many Americans have lost trust in our government, our medical institution, and each other. On today’s episode, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with trust expert Professor Karen Cook about the reasons why we trust, how we can foster it, and how we can restore it when it’s been lost. And Dr. Sha…Show morentanu Nundy weighs in on why mistrust between doctors and patients is one of the biggest dangers facing public health today.

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Why Am I So Angry?

As one of the few female rockstars of the 1970s and ‘80s, Joan Jett was frustrated by the misogyny and disrespect she experienced … but rather than be consumed by her anger, she channeled it into her music with hits like “Bad Reputation.” And she’s not the only one who’s felt that experience of seeing red, especially now. There’s so much to be angry about in the United States: political divisiveness, an ongoing global pandemic, racial injustice, and even just everyday life not going as planned…Show more. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with Joan Jett and anger expert Brad Bushman about why we experience anger in the first place and how we can make our anger work for us instead of against us. Plus, Dr. Gupta finds out one of the anger management strategies he’s been using his whole life is actually making it worse.

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Preparing for the Next Pandemic

Covid-19 taught the world a tough lesson: if we aren’t prepared for a viral threat, the consequences can be catastrophic. But what does it mean to be truly prepared? The question feels more urgent now that public health officials warn that many of us may experience another pandemic in our lifetimes. CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta turns to former F.D.A. Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who anticipated our current crisis and offers specific recommendations for preventing the ne…Show morext one. They talk about why Dr. Gottlieb believes future pandemics should be viewed as a matter of national security, and what all of us can do to prepare in our own lives.

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Feeling the Heat

Chasing a Cure

Grief is something we all experience at different stages of life, even more so during this pandemic. But what happens when you must mourn the loss of your own child? CNN journalists Andrew Kaczynski and René Marsh received terrible diagnoses within months of each other: their infant children had brain tumors. Yet in the midst of great tragedy, they found strength in chasing a cure for others. So in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares the great strides being made in…Show more the fight against pediatric cancer through the passionate commitment of parents, doctors and healthcare advocates.

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Presenting Hidden Brain: Unlocking Your Purpose

Chasing Life returns on September 7, but until then, here’s an episode of Hidden Brain. Having a sense of purpose can be a buffer against the challenges we all face at various stages of life. Purpose can also boost our health and longevity. Cornell University psychologist Anthony Burrow explains why purpose isn’t something to be found — it’s something we can develop from within.

Presenting NPR’s Life Kit: How To Deal With Burnout

While season 2 of Chasing Life is in production, here’s an episode of NPR’s Life Kit you’ll love. Burnout is common across the globe, and the pandemic has only exacerbated it. In this episode, experts unpack the signs of burnout and how you can gain more control over your work and your life.

Helping Grandma and Grandpa Get Back in the Groove

For the past year and a half, the pandemic has kept many older adults apart from their loved ones. But now that people are getting vaccinated, many older Americans are finally reuniting with their friends and family. On today’s episode, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives CNN’s Don Lemon advice about reuniting with his risk-averse mother now that they’re both vaccinated, Dr. Preeti Malani explains how to best support the older adults in our lives through the pandemic and beyon…Show mored, and gerontologist Karl Pillemer talks about the ways older adults can teach the rest of us about living through difficult times.

Olympians Go For Gold — Without Fans

The upcoming Tokyo Olympics will be one of the few Games ever to take place during a global pandemic. That means zero fans in the host city, no family or friends allowed and a ban on cheering. What effect will all of this have on the athletes? CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to two-time Olympic rower Gevvie Stone about this week’s competition and her difficult decision to postpone medical residency an extra year to train. Dr. Gupta also hears from an athlete whose Olympi…Show morec dreams were crushed by a positive Covid-19 test. And sports psychologists Catherine Sabiston and Kanyali Ilako reflect on how the lack of fans and added Covid stresses could impact athletes’ performances.