Your Brain On Climate

Psychology vs climate change: what we think, why we think it, and how it all adds up to a planet-sized emergency. Each episode host Dave Powell interviews experts in how our brains work - from PhDs in psychology to writers, activists and beyond. They'll talk about how their brains and our brains do (and don't) work, and how all of that might help make sense of the climate crisis - and possibly what to do about it.

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Your Brain On Climate

Disgust, with Yoel Inbar

March 22, 2022 • Episode 9

What disgusts you? For starters, I bet, other people's oozings, or rotten meat, or other such things that hint at the Unclean. But you might also say corruption, or pollution. Or a particular politician, or a group of people. Or perhaps... even climate change itself?

It's one of our most base, guiding emotional responses to the world, so in this episode we find out all about disgust - how it shapes societies, defines what's right and wrong, and affects how we think about who's to blame for a changing climate, and what to do about it.

Joining Dave this week is Professor Yoel Inbar from the University of Toronto. Yoel's an expert in disgust and how it shapes morals, politics and societies, and a very funny and warm fellow to boot. You can follow him on Twitter at @yorl.

Extra reading as highlighted by the owl noises:
-- 11:10: Plutchik's wheel of emotions idea.
-- 12:30: More on Jonathan Haidt's musings on elevation.

Your Brain on Climate is a podcast about human psychology vs the climate crisis: what we think, why we think it, and how it all adds up to a planet-sized emergency. Contact the show: @brainclimate on Twitter, or hello@yourbrainonclimate.com.

The show is hosted by Dave Powell, who you can find @powellds on Twitter. All music throughout the show and audio production is by Dave, because he's far too much of a control freak to let anyone else loose on it.

Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.