David DeSteno
@daviddesteno.bsky.social
Psychological Scientist, Author, and host of PRX podcast "How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality." Studying the Science of Emotion, Morality, & Religion. Words frequently in NYT, WSJ, etc. https://davedesteno.com https://www.howgodworks.org
When things are difficult, gratitude can feel out of reach. That's when it's important to remember that gratitude isn't an act of complacency. It can be an act of resistance - a way to know you matter, a way to find strength. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
November 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
When things are difficult, gratitude can feel out of reach. That's when it's important to remember that gratitude isn't an act of complacency. It can be an act of resistance - a way to know you matter, a way to find strength. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Religions always influenced diet. But Christian influencers like Alex Clark are taking modern diet & wellness ideas and dressing them up in theological claims, with a big one being: God doesn't want you to be fat. I talk with @jessgrose.bsky.social about it on HGW podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
November 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Religions always influenced diet. But Christian influencers like Alex Clark are taking modern diet & wellness ideas and dressing them up in theological claims, with a big one being: God doesn't want you to be fat. I talk with @jessgrose.bsky.social about it on HGW podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Diet has always mixed with morality in religion. But today's Christian influencers are taking it to new & potentially problematic levels. I talk with @nytimes.com writer
@jessgrose.bsky.social & religious historian Catherine Newell about the history of food & faith podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
@jessgrose.bsky.social & religious historian Catherine Newell about the history of food & faith podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
November 16, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Diet has always mixed with morality in religion. But today's Christian influencers are taking it to new & potentially problematic levels. I talk with @nytimes.com writer
@jessgrose.bsky.social & religious historian Catherine Newell about the history of food & faith podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
@jessgrose.bsky.social & religious historian Catherine Newell about the history of food & faith podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Wisdom isn’t about what you think; it’s about how you think. It’s using a set of mental tools. On this week’s episode of How God Works, we explore the science behind wisdom with @igi.bsky.social and take a look at modern & centuries old ways of cultivating it. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
November 4, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Wisdom isn’t about what you think; it’s about how you think. It’s using a set of mental tools. On this week’s episode of How God Works, we explore the science behind wisdom with @igi.bsky.social and take a look at modern & centuries old ways of cultivating it. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
When it comes to making better decisions, science backs up what St. Ignatius figured out centuries ago: distancing yourself by taking a 3rd person or other perspective helps. This week, I talk with @bostoncollege.bsky.social Father Bart Geger about seeking wisdom www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
November 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
When it comes to making better decisions, science backs up what St. Ignatius figured out centuries ago: distancing yourself by taking a 3rd person or other perspective helps. This week, I talk with @bostoncollege.bsky.social Father Bart Geger about seeking wisdom www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
What does it mean to be wise? How do you become so? On today's episode, we explore the science of wisdom with Igor Grossmann (@igi.bsky.social) & see how some Christian traditions developed exercises for it long ago with
@bostoncollege.bsky.social Fr. Bart Geger podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
@bostoncollege.bsky.social Fr. Bart Geger podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
November 2, 2025 at 1:51 PM
What does it mean to be wise? How do you become so? On today's episode, we explore the science of wisdom with Igor Grossmann (@igi.bsky.social) & see how some Christian traditions developed exercises for it long ago with
@bostoncollege.bsky.social Fr. Bart Geger podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
@bostoncollege.bsky.social Fr. Bart Geger podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
On this week’s episode of How God Works, we explore views of what it means to be spiritual. Here’s Father Greg Boyle with his: Be in the world as God would be. Do in the world what God would want you to do. Cherish each other. Don’t focus on piety. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
October 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
On this week’s episode of How God Works, we explore views of what it means to be spiritual. Here’s Father Greg Boyle with his: Be in the world as God would be. Do in the world what God would want you to do. Cherish each other. Don’t focus on piety. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Is withdrawing from the world into a life of contemplation or being in the world trying to heal it the best route to growing spiritually? Turns out, as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social notes, they're not mutually exclusive. The two paths can reinforce each other. More here podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
October 20, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Is withdrawing from the world into a life of contemplation or being in the world trying to heal it the best route to growing spiritually? Turns out, as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social notes, they're not mutually exclusive. The two paths can reinforce each other. More here podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
This week on How God Works, we explore friendship. Right now, that includes implications of AI chatbot friends. While people report feeling more heard & valued by chatbots, that’s not what makes for a good friend philosopher Samuel Kimbriel (and Aristotle) note. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
October 7, 2025 at 3:55 PM
This week on How God Works, we explore friendship. Right now, that includes implications of AI chatbot friends. While people report feeling more heard & valued by chatbots, that’s not what makes for a good friend philosopher Samuel Kimbriel (and Aristotle) note. www.howgodworks.org/podcast/seas...
Loneliness is on the rise. That's not news. But maybe part of the reason is: we're no longer sure what it means to be a good friend or lack tools to make it happen. I talk with Samuel Kimbriel & Robert Waldinger about what science, philosophy, and religion offer. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
October 6, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Loneliness is on the rise. That's not news. But maybe part of the reason is: we're no longer sure what it means to be a good friend or lack tools to make it happen. I talk with Samuel Kimbriel & Robert Waldinger about what science, philosophy, and religion offer. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
We explored this tension with Miroslav Volf with respect to both Christian nationalism and the war in Gaza, and looked at the science behind how religion works in our minds. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
September 28, 2025 at 1:52 PM
We explored this tension with Miroslav Volf with respect to both Christian nationalism and the war in Gaza, and looked at the science behind how religion works in our minds. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
It's fall, and that means How God Works is back with a new season! We'll explore the wisdom the world's faith traditions offer to improve our friendships, our decision-making, and lots more about our lives. Plus, why shamans are everywhere & how Tibetan monks control their dreams.
September 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
It's fall, and that means How God Works is back with a new season! We'll explore the wisdom the world's faith traditions offer to improve our friendships, our decision-making, and lots more about our lives. Plus, why shamans are everywhere & how Tibetan monks control their dreams.
This is how you do it. @jamestalarico.bsky.social is bringing the language of faith back to the left. It should never have been ceded to the right.
September 10, 2025 at 3:51 AM
This is how you do it. @jamestalarico.bsky.social is bringing the language of faith back to the left. It should never have been ceded to the right.
I'm often asked what to do if you want to start a spiritual path but feel like you just can't believe in a higher power. Here's Rabbi Shira Stutman with my favorite answer. Sometimes it's the doing - and doing good - that comes first. From @aspenideas.bsky.social www.aspenideas.org/sessions/los...
September 9, 2025 at 4:25 PM
I'm often asked what to do if you want to start a spiritual path but feel like you just can't believe in a higher power. Here's Rabbi Shira Stutman with my favorite answer. Sometimes it's the doing - and doing good - that comes first. From @aspenideas.bsky.social www.aspenideas.org/sessions/los...
From my conversation with @hubermanlab.com, here's why you shouldn't believe any scientist who says they know for certain that God doesn't exist. Science can & does adjudicate ideas about how the world works. But it can't answer whether God is out there. www.hubermanlab.com/episode/scie...
September 5, 2025 at 5:44 PM
From my conversation with @hubermanlab.com, here's why you shouldn't believe any scientist who says they know for certain that God doesn't exist. Science can & does adjudicate ideas about how the world works. But it can't answer whether God is out there. www.hubermanlab.com/episode/scie...
Data show that happiness drops at midlife. But, according to
Arthur Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, it doesn't have to if you make the right changes. We explore the science & spiritual wisdom of thriving at midlife. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Arthur Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, it doesn't have to if you make the right changes. We explore the science & spiritual wisdom of thriving at midlife. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
September 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Data show that happiness drops at midlife. But, according to
Arthur Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, it doesn't have to if you make the right changes. We explore the science & spiritual wisdom of thriving at midlife. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Arthur Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, it doesn't have to if you make the right changes. We explore the science & spiritual wisdom of thriving at midlife. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Prayer & action should go together. But the left makes a mistake when it cedes spiritual language & motives to the right or says things that seem to condemn faith practices -- practices that help people in times of distress. From my session at @aspenideas.bsky.social, here's Rabbi Shira Stutman 1/2
August 31, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Prayer & action should go together. But the left makes a mistake when it cedes spiritual language & motives to the right or says things that seem to condemn faith practices -- practices that help people in times of distress. From my session at @aspenideas.bsky.social, here's Rabbi Shira Stutman 1/2
Why do we have religion? As society becomes more secular, what are we leaving behind? Is there a way to regain religion's benefits? Out now on How God Works, a discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stuntman from @aspenideas.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
July 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Why do we have religion? As society becomes more secular, what are we leaving behind? Is there a way to regain religion's benefits? Out now on How God Works, a discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stuntman from @aspenideas.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Here we look at the role religion can play in helping men through this crisis, why some young men are turning to faith, and the dangers that can result if the version of religion they get from influencers like Peterson is inaccurate. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
July 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Here we look at the role religion can play in helping men through this crisis, why some young men are turning to faith, and the dangers that can result if the version of religion they get from influencers like Peterson is inaccurate. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
I was happy to explore two fundamental yet frequently underestimated dimensions of the human experience - mattering and creative making - with @JBrehenyWallace & Kelly Corrigan @aspenideas. We need them both to flourish. www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXw...
July 5, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I was happy to explore two fundamental yet frequently underestimated dimensions of the human experience - mattering and creative making - with @JBrehenyWallace & Kelly Corrigan @aspenideas. We need them both to flourish. www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXw...
As Americans leave organized religion, the moral & emotional needs once met by faith communities remain. Is there a danger in leaving faith, or can we adapt its wisdom to meet our needs today? My discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stutman www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJAJ...
July 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
As Americans leave organized religion, the moral & emotional needs once met by faith communities remain. Is there a danger in leaving faith, or can we adapt its wisdom to meet our needs today? My discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stutman www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJAJ...