My Favorite Podcasts on Work and Psychology

What I love most about podcasts is getting to learn and be entertained without having to look at a screen. I don’t just listen when I’m commuting—they’re ideal for workouts, making dinner, and general procrastination.

Many people listen for breaking news or escapist entertainment. I prefer shows that focus on work and psychology, and are informed by evidence. Here are my top picks:

1. Invisibilia

Start with How to Become Batman—it’s about a blind man who taught himself to “see” using a version of echolocation. IMHO, it’s the greatest podcast episode ever made, and it’s one of many in which brilliant storytelling meets spellbinding science. 

2. Armchair Expert

Dax Shepard and Monica Padman exude intellectual curiosity and emotional honesty as they draw out fascinating insights from celebrities and thought leaders. Among my favorite conversations: Bill Gates, Monica Lewinsky, and Yuval Noah Harari.

3. Revisionist History

Malcolm Gladwell takes us on a rollicking journey through the past. He examines why opening the door for one woman or minority often closes the door to others (The Lady Vanishes), how we should rethink about resolving moral dilemmas (The Standard Case), and what stops star basketball players from making a simple change that will improve their game (The Big Man Can’t Shoot).

4. Where Should We Begin?

Listen in on actual couples therapy sessions with Esther Perel as she explores fundamental questions of trust, conflict, love, and intimacy. It’s raw, riveting, and wise—and it’s also worth checking out her new show, How’s Work?

5. Cautionary Tales

Tim Harford, the Financial Times undercover economist, is full of bedtime stories of big decisions gone wrong. He gives us an eye-opening look at why experts misread markets and captains steer their ships to doom, and teaches us how we can make better choices.

6. Terrible, Thanks for Asking

Author Nora McInerny hosts an unusually funny and relatable show. In her words: it’s about “our pain, our awkwardness, and our humanness, which is not an actual word.”

7. How I Built This

Guy Raz interviews great entrepreneurs about how they launched and grew their businesses. Highlights include Bumble, Patagonia, Southwest Airlines, Spanx, and Zappos.

8. No Stupid Questions

Freakonomics meets grit as Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth ask when to quit, whether to aim for the best or good enough, and how to be alone with your thoughts.

9. The Knowledge Project

Shane Parrish of Farnam Street does a deep dive into the science and practice of better thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.

10. Happiness Lab

Psychologist Laurie Santos teaches Yale’s most popular class—it’s on happiness, and her podcast animates and illuminates the key insights. She explains why bronze medalists are happier than silver medalists, TV laugh tracks actually work, and trying to suppress our thoughts backfires.

11. Making Sense

Sam Harris engages fearlessly with controversial topics and unpopular opinions. You don't have to agree with him to learn from him—I always come away from his show with fresh perspectives and questions.

12. Tilted

Lean In cofounder and CEO Rachel Thomas tackles the big questions about gender and culture. Topics range from likability and confidence to tokenism and burnout.

13. Unlocking Us

Brené Brown puts her signature strengths of courage, vulnerability, and empathy into action as she digs into what makes us fundamentally human.

14. Ten Percent Happier

Dan Harris—the ABC News anchor who had a panic attack on live TV—hosts a candid show about mental health. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to wanting to meditate.

15. Hidden Brain

Shankar Vedantam takes complex research and breathes life into it, showing what the latest behavioral science means for all of our lives.

16. TED Radio Hour

Manoush Zomorodi engages TED speakers around their ideas worth spreading, weighing in on some of the most pressing problems of the present—and the future.

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Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton and the host of WorkLife, a TED original podcast about the science of making work not suck.