
The Pulse Archive
Getting to the basics of humor for people on the autism spectrum
Many don’t perceive jokes that rely on sarcasm and dual meanings. Improv comedy can help with understanding that, and teach other life skills.
5 years ago
Listen 5:07Why we sometimes laugh during inappropriate times
Some people laugh when they want to cry, or cry when they want to laugh. Turns out, there’s a type of emotion regulation at work.
5 years ago
Listen 8:41How bad cartoons helped relieve the chronic-disease blues
When my spouse spent 48 weeks on chemo, I got markers and paper lunch bags, and tried the gallows humor thing.
5 years ago
Listen 5:44Think about the millions of details stored in your memory: what you had for breakfast; how to get to work; the smell of lavender; your fi ...
Air Date: October 23, 2020
Listen 49:00In science, we tend to focus on the destination, not the journey. But for every big breakthrough, every historic discovery, there are cou ...
Air Date: October 16, 2020
Listen 49:15How research labs contribute to the pollution problem
Single use plastic and energy-hogging equipment are among the culprits. Some scientists are trying to find a better way.
5 years ago
Listen 7:28For some graduate students, the cost of doing science is their mental health
Years of research, classwork, teaching and study can take a stressful toll in almost any area.
5 years ago
Listen 12:21The pandemic has changed the way a lot of us understand and experience happiness. In normal times, we think of happiness as a big-picture ...
Air Date: October 9, 2020
Listen 48:42Selling happiness and finding it in the process
Social media can feel fake — until it brings real joy. By being more herself, one influencer found her community.
5 years ago
Listen 6:39We all know that drinking a lot of alcohol is bad for your health. It’s tied to heart disease, heightened risk for some cancers, addict ...
Air Date: October 2, 2020
Listen 50:08Will synthetic alcohol mean the end of hangovers?
A compound called Alcarelle, now being developed, may promise a buzz without the buzzkill.
5 years ago
Listen 6:34We’re trying to have more meaningful conversations about racism as a country. Part of that means talking about implicit bias — assump ...
Air Date: September 25, 2020
Listen 49:35Can you train people to be less biased?
Seminars and workshops on implicit bias promise to change cultures at police departments, organizations and universities. But how effective are these trainings?
5 years ago
Listen 8:55Science and Medicine, Under Pressure
The pandemic has put a lot of pressure on both our health care system and the scientific process — exposing weaknesses that have long e ...
Air Date: September 18, 2020
Listen 48:24How faulty data, Big Pharma and the fallout from hydroxychloroquine has haunted the research world, as desperate doctors and researchers look for a COVID-19 treatment.
5 years ago
Listen 14:52Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.