Segregation By Design, Choice Overload, Psychopaths

How Local Governments Reinforce Segregation in Favor of White Homeowners (0:31) Guest: Jessica Trounstine, PhD, Professor of Political Science, University of California–Merced, Author of “Segregation by Design” Is the neighbor who lives next door the same race as you? How about the people living on the next block? Or a mile away, in your same town? Chances are pretty good that you live in a community where most everyone is your same race. Despite decades of anti-discrimination laws and policies, America remains deeply segregated. Is it that deep down, we’re all impossibly racist? No, political scientist Jessica Trounstine says our city and county governments have played an important role in shaping these patterns. Are More Choices Better... Or Worse? (20:30) Guest: Thomas Saltsman, Senior Lab Director, Social Psychophysiology Laboratory, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York You’re studying the menu at a new restaurant you’ve heard great things about. The menu is long. But everything looks really good. So your mouth is watering and you keep telling the server to give you a few more minutes to decide. And now you’re starting to feel a little anxious because the rest of your group is ready to order but you can’t decide. So you just pick something. And you’ve got high hopes for what you’ve ordered. But the moment it arrives, you’re regretting your choice. This happens to me every time I go to a new restaurant. And apparently it’s common enough psychologists have a name for it: ““choice overload.” It also happens when people are faced with an endless array of options on streaming TV sites or dating apps. Can Perfectionism Be Toxic? Guest: Thomas Curran, Professor of Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science A common job interview question is “What’s your greatest weakness?” A common, clever answer is perfectionism. It may seem like the perfect response to twist the question in your favor, but psychologist Thomas Curran says that this characteristic is dangerous and n