What makes us ask why? And what actually happens in our brains when we try to understand something?
In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with psychologist and cognitive scientist Dr. Tania Lombrozo to explore the science of explanation, curiosity and how we make sense of the world.
We get into why explaining something can be one of the most effective ways to learn it, how our brains can convince us we understand something when we don’t, and why the explanations we find satisfying aren’t always the ones that are true.
Tania also explains how our drive to understand is shaped by language, social interactions and the different ways we learn. We discuss why reasoning by analogy can be so powerful (and where it can go wrong), and how different learning systems can sometimes leave us holding contradictory beliefs.
One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is what happens when AI enters the picture. As large language models become increasingly good at explaining things, what happens if we start outsourcing the very thinking that helps us learn? And could making learning easier actually make us worse at it?
We also get into desirable difficulties, why putting more effort into learning can help information stick, and Tania’s advice for making your own learning process more effective.
Plus, Tania shares what has surprised her most about human behaviour, and why we might be better off giving people a little more credit for the way they think.
Her new book, Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand, is out on October 6th.
00:00 Introduction to the human drive to ask why
02:19 Carl Rogers, the self and cognitive dissonance
04:23 Language, communication and why we explain
06:35 Curiosity in animals and humans
09:10 Why explaining something helps us learn
11:54 Explanatory illusions and cognitive biases
13:10 Are humans really rational?
14:58 The evolution of explanation and social cognition
17:07 Why we explain things for different reasons
18:05 How humans learn and the power of explanation
19:54 Why we can hold contradictory beliefs
21:38 Learning by thinking
24:20 The feedback loop between explanation and learning
27:01 AI, large language models and the future of explanation
29:18 Could AI change how we understand the world?
31:37 Desirable difficulties and effective learning
34:37 Why learning needs a little friction
36:41 Are humans more rational than we think?
37:02 What has surprised Tania most about human behaviour?
38:41 Tania’s new book and final thoughts
📚 Tania’s book: Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand — out October 6th.
Find out more about Tania’s research and work at tanyalombrozo.com or whyweaskwhy.com.
Subscribe to Degrees of Health for more conversations with researchers, scientists and thinkers exploring the questions that help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
#Psychology #Learning #Curiosity #AI #CognitiveScience #Education #DegreesOfHealth
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