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The Power of Family Stories

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

The Power of Family Stories

Hidden Brain

Nov 17
Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain

Nov 17
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

There’s a tradition around many Thanksgiving dinner tables that’s as consistent as pumpkin pie: the family stories that get told year after year. Sometimes these stories are funny; sometimes they make us roll our eyes. No matter how we feel about them, we ...

Highlights

Around holiday tables, stories are shared not just to entertain but to connect, guide, and shape who we become. These repeated tales—of triumphs, mishaps, and family lore—are more than tradition; they're powerful tools in shaping identity and emotional resilience across generations.
18:45
The process of storytelling helps children learn emotional regulation
40:34
Oscillating family stories—acknowledging both highs and lows—are most predictive of positive psychological outcomes.
1:03:43
Stoicism teaches that we should not suppress emotions, but manage them rationally and pro-socially.
1:29:43
If I'm going to be shark meat, I'm going to be happy shark meat — a modern Stoic mantra.

Chapters

How do family stories shape who we become?
00:00
The hidden power of stories that mix struggle and success
22:30
Stoicism: Not suppression, but mastering your reactions
48:33
Can ancient philosophy fuel modern activism?
1:15:48
What would Seneca say about your anger?
1:32:58

Transcript

Shankar Vedantam: This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. Many years ago, when I was a child, my mother told me a family story. It had to do with her brother, my uncle. He was an extremely creative man with varied interests in books and music and art. ...