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The word "ALONE" in large white letters on a purple background, with a sad person's face visible inside the letter "O.

So you spend a lot of time alone. Here’s why that’s not a bad thing.

“The media is 10x more likely to describe experiences of being alone as negative, as compared to positive.” Psychologist Ethan Kross shares how reframing the idea of loneliness can help us feel more peace when we’re on our own.

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3 min

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with

Ethan Kross

Class

How to Recognize Bad Arguments

This class, featuring insights from experts like Steven Pinker and Gary Marcus, equips learners with critical thinking tools to navigate biases, understand scientific research, and make informed decisions in a media-saturated world, emphasizing the importance of questioning assumptions and grounding perceptions in data.

Collage of ancient philosophers' portraits partially revealed through cutouts on a textured background with handwritten script, evoking the timeless influence of history.

Mini Philosophy

One of the most quoted lines in philosophy is completely misused and misunderstood

We don’t learn from history because we can’t learn from history.

A minimalist drawing of a duck outlined in white against a gradient background, with an orange star shape marking the eye, invites you to question your perception.

The Learning Curve

Why you should always question your perceptions

“Who ya gonna believe: me or your own eyes?” Until you can assess your perception, the answer should be neither.

A person wearing a wide-brim hat and vest crouches beside a tree stump covered with various fungi, gazing in wonder at the fascinating growths in the green forested area.

Mini Philosophy

3 ways to find and invite more wonder

Wonder is like a guest you haven’t planned for.

A human silhouette filled with birds and insects is overlaid with a circular target, binary code, and abstract shapes against a sky background with clouds.

The Well

Social media supercharged our disagreements. Could AI help us resolve them?

Duke sociologist Dr. Christopher Bail on the tech’s potential to foster empathy in an age of division.

Starts With A Bang

The Universe is not the same forward and backward in time

Whether you run the clock forward or backward, most of us expect the laws of physics to be the same. A 2012 experiment showed otherwise.

Starts With A Bang

What we’ve learned after 35 years of NASA’s Hubble

When the Hubble Space Telescope first launched in 1990, there was so much we didn’t know. Here’s how far we’ve come.

A green skull in the background appears to stare through a glass of champagne centered in the foreground, evoking Agatha Christie poisons, all set against a black backdrop.

Big Think Books

Murder, she measured: The impressive science behind Agatha Christie’s poisons

Kathryn Harkup, chemist and author of V Is for Venom, joins Big Think to discuss why Christie isn’t just a brilliant writer but a unique science communicator.

A large circular particle accelerator laboratory with various machines, cables, and equipment; two people are working near the center on experiments related to the muon g-2 anomaly.

Starts With A Bang

Anomaly no more! “Muon g-2” puzzle resolved at last

When theory and experiment disagree, it could mean new physics. This time, they solved the muon g-2 puzzle, and saved the Standard Model.

Bold black letters "MTWTF" on a light background, with the final "F" scribbled over in red crayon-like marks—a playful nod to the 4-day week.

Business

Our jobs and AI: Why the 4-day week should anchor our work-lives

A reduced working week, argues Juliet Schor, is part of a sane response to the impacts of AI and robotization on human labor.

Black-and-white portrait of Andrew Mayne centered on a collage background featuring sharks on the left and a hand holding a magician’s hat and wand on the right.

Business

The Andrew Mayne interview: How to succeed as a polymath

The outrageously accomplished magician-inventor-author chats to Big Think about fear, multitasking, and successful work-life reinvention.

The word "change" appears three times; the top two are crossed out in purple, while the bottom one—creativity highlighted—is circled in purple, all on a black background.

Business

Why “high tolerance of ambiguity” should anchor your creative toolkit

Creative thinkers are unafraid of the ambiguous spaces where innovation often resides — and this trait is vital when navigating change.

A geometric collage with partial photos of two people, a delivery robot labeled "prime" inspired by Amazon robotics, and vintage map textures, overlaid by the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER.

Business

A deep dive into Amazon robotics and AI

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Black and white portrait of David Aaker, an older man in a suit and glasses, centered between artistic backgrounds of a handshake, grid, and abstract curved lines.

Business

The David Aaker interview: “Trust is vital and fragile”

The marketing guru outlines the current state of brand-building — and highlights four outstanding opportunities for the immediate future.

An old black and white photo showing a man smoking a cigarette.

Mini Philosophy

Saṃvega: The urgent realization that you need a more meaningful life

If you feel like you’re missing out on something bigger, you might be feeling saṃvega.

Image split in two: left side has the words "an excerpt from" on an orange background; right side shows the book cover of "The Creativity Choice" by Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, PhD, on a blue background—perfect for those looking to find your passion.

Books

The passion trap: The misguided advice that limits creativity and drives burnout

Nurture your passions instead.

Two men pose for a formal portrait; one wears a dark shirt and the other a suit and tie, set against a patterned background evocative of Alex Garland’s visual style, divided into green, gray, and blue sections.

Business

The Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza interview: “As a team, you can accomplish anything”

Want to know how to handle work-life pressure? Big Think asked Warfare co-directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.

Starts With A Bang

How come we’ve never observed a black hole decaying?

According to Stephen Hawking, spontaneously emitted radiation should cause all black holes to decay. But we’ve never seen it: not even once.

Several microphones facing forward against a blue background with the text "Agents of Conflict" above them.

Depression and anxiety triggers are ‘best practices’ in bad journalism

“These days, no national news network is trusted by more than half of American adults. And that’s a problem.”

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11 min

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with

Amanda Ripley

Stylized graphic featuring two separate, partial illustrations of faces in blue and yellow tones against textured backgrounds, subtly capturing a nod to Seth Godin's bold and thought-provoking style.

The Long Game

The Seth Godin interview: What I learned about the long view from sci-fi legends

Bestselling author Seth Godin urges us to rethink our definition of longevity — and to step back and measure what matters.

A red star is at the center, with five orbiting paths marked by yellow dots, resembling exoplanets around the nearest single star, set against a starry night backdrop that illustrates a planetary system.

Starts With A Bang

Confirmed at last: exoplanets found around nearest single star

Barnard’s star, the closest singlet star system to ours, has long been a target for planet-hunters. We’ve finally confirmed it: they exist!

A person in shorts and a cap balances on a tightrope with "LEADERSHIP MATERIAL" written in large white text over the image against a clear blue sky and mountain backdrop.

Ben Horowitz: Quit being a coward and do the hard thing

“You need to run towards the pain and darkness and not away from it. I think the best leaders always run towards the darkness. They always run towards a problem.”

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7 min

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with

Ben Horowitz

Illustration of a comet from an old manuscript on the left, and a black and white image of a comet in space on the right.

The Past

Asteroid anxiety: Astronomy’s 300-year quest to predict cosmic collisions

Fears of celestial collisions — and calculations of their likelihood — go back to the very origins of modern science itself.

In the store aisle brimming with products, a person examines the label of a purple bottle, curious about the latest scienceploitation claims that promise groundbreaking benefits.

Thinking

Exploring the wild and disturbing world of “scienceploitation”

Timothy Caulfield, a leading science communicator, discusses the challenges of combatting misinformation in an age of information overload.

The Earth is partially illuminated against a dark space background, showing glowing city lights and a blue atmosphere.

13.8

At what distance could a “twin Earth” detect our signals?

A new SETI study shows how far the field of technosignatures has come.

Basketball player in a yellow jersey with number 8, showcasing his leadership mentality, prepares to shoot a jump shot on the court.

Business

How poker and Kobe shaped a Silicon Valley leader

Webflow CEO Linda Tong tells Big Think how her lifelong love of sports has guided her ascent to the C-Suite.

An athlete skillfully executes the Fosbury Flop, soaring gracefully in mid-air over the high jump bar, while colorful flags flutter and spectators watch in awe.

Business

Innovation essentials: How the “Fosbury Flop” demolished a “local maximum”

The story of how the world high jump record was smashed in 1968 contains golden lessons for business and innovation.

A person with a bald head, white beard, and black glasses is wearing a light blue shirt, standing in a softly lit kitchen.

Perception Box

How one moment of shamelessness saved Andrew Zimmern’s life

After decades of drug and alcohol abuse, the chef and television personality labeled himself as an ‘irredeemable human being.’ Everything changed when he found the courage to ask for help.

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8 min

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with

Andrew Zimmern

Starts With A Bang

The Ring Nebula’s true structure revealed at last

The Ring Nebula, a bright, circular planetary nebula, is created by a dying Sun-like star. After centuries, we finally know its true shape.