On August 23, 1973 a bank robbery at the Kreditbank in Stockholm went badly wrong. It turned into a hostage situation that lasted six days, and gave its name to a phenomenon.Stockholm Syndrome is a way of describing the emotional bonds which some people can form with a captor or abuser. And it all started in that bank in Stockholm.During the siege, despite being held against their will in a dangerous situation, the four hostages bonded with the bank...

This 2011 Falling Walls lecture video explores the human aversion to change. Collective histories have showcased human avoidance, and in some cases, inability, to change course and learn from mistakes. Elke Weber, whose contributions lie at the intersection of psychology and economics, sheds new light on behavioral models of judgment and decision making under risk and uncertainty. Her diverse academic career has led her to serve in leadership roles...

It’s understandable that first responders like police, EMTs and firefighters might suffer some trauma after working through a natural disaster, or saving victims from wildfires or an earthquake. But what about meteorologists? They’re often left helpless watching severe weather, like a tornado, unfold and causing havoc in their own town.

Are we really in control of our own thoughts? In this documentary, filmmaker Jason Brett Serle travels from the mall to the mountains to expose just how powerful the subliminal messages of advertising, politicians, and mass media really are. Arguing that "we don't perceive what's there, we change what we perceive, and we perceive what's not there," Serle simplifies complex neurological theories with the help of his young son, then explains how neuro-linguistic...

Psychological experiments have shown that the natural human desire to conform can lead people to mistrust their own experiences, turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, and even inflict harm on the defenseless. But these findings have come at a price: the potential emotional damage of those being studied. This three-section program grapples with some of the thorny ethical issues arising from psychological research into obedience and conformity...

How far should a person go to reshape his or her body? Is it natural, healthy, and wise to want to match a cultural ideal of beauty? Or is it the most foolhardy kind of narcissism? Is there a middle ground? This program shows how people around the world go to extremes to meet dramatically varying standards of physical attractiveness. Viewers encounter Mentawai women in Sumatra who file their teeth to sharp points, American men who get buttock implants,...

With eye-opening footage, expert interviews, and many humorous anecdotes, this provocative program explores the alleged use of subliminal messages in advertising, music, film, politics, and the military. Documentarian Jeff Warrick leads viewers through the subconscious mind while examining the history, scientific validity, and potential effects of such techniques on society. From hidden sexual imagery in Disney cartoons and satanic messages in rock...

Operation Breaking Stereotypes is a high school exchange program that allows inner city students to attend school in Maine, and students from rural Maine to attend school in New York City. The goal is to promote mutual understanding - but are the teens more different than they are alike? This program follows a group of young people who took part in the exchange, documenting the experience of being paired up with peers from difference ethnic and cultural...

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as management thinker Margaret Heffernan shows us in this TEDTalk, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren't echo chambers - and how great research teams, relationships, and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

More than 50 million North Americans every week read gossip magazines, reality TV shows are exploding in popularity, Twitter feeds buzz incessantly with rumors, and office conversation continually feeds the innuendo mill. But while this kind of talk can indeed be nasty when idle chatter turns out to be a lie, gossip can also be beneficial. Researchers now say that gossip often serves as a tool for allowing people to gauge their own moral behavior,...