The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane

Philosopher Kieran Setiya on his book, "Life Is Hard," about accepting adversity, sorrow and pain.

Do you ever feel like a fraud at work or in your daily life? That people overestimate your talent or intelligence? We're digging into the imposter phenomenon this hour.

Social scientist and physician Nicholas Christakis on our social evolution, our need for connection and why he is optimistic about human nature and the future.

If we want to make progress, we need to talk honestly about the most painful parts of America's history. So how do we help people reckon with, and not resist, the past?

Will Senator John Fetterman's openness about his depression help remove some of the stigma around mental illness?

How can survivors of the Turkey-Syria earthquake recover after losing so much? And what helps people withstand large-scale trauma like natural disasters?

What drives people to invest so much time, emotion, energy, and money following a sports team, a rock band, or a celebrity? We'll explore the fan mindset.

For many of us, our relationship with a sibling will be the longest we'll ever have. We'll talk about our sibling relationships and how they shape who we are.

What makes a happy and healthy life? That’s the question at the heart of the longest study on happiness, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which began in 1938. Researchers have been following participants for 85 years, trying to untangle what it takes to thrive in this world. And the answer they found? Fulfilling relationships. In our debut episode of The Connection, we talk with the study’s researchers about why positive relationships are the essential ingredient to happiness. They’re the co-authors of  the new book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Our guests ROBERT WALDINGER, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and  MARC SCHULZ, professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College and associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.

Who doesn’t feel burnt out by the stresses of life, with the pressures of work and family and the onslaught of bad news? It’s easy to feel helpless, overwhelmed and confused. One key experience that can guide us through the challenges we all face is human connection. It makes us feel understood, valued and gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. In fact, connections have allowed us to survive as a species and are critical to our wellbeing as individuals. Every Friday at noon on WHYY, The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane will feature unique and wide-ranging conversations about developing a richer understanding of the bonds that unite us, the forces that can drive us apart, the possibilities that life offers all of us and the qualities that make us unique…and human.