The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane

Rebecca Davis explores the 400-year tension between sex, sexual identity and prudery in America and how it explains some of today’s political conflicts.

How does a psychologist fail to recognize that her intelligent, sensitive, and book-loving mother has started hoarding? A new memoir seeks to answer that question.

Ask most third graders if they like school and there’s a good chance they will give you an enthusiastic “yes!” Fast forward to high school and most students will tell you that school “sucks!” Children are built for learning, yet the more time they spend in a classroom, the more likely they will check out, feeling bored or overwhelmed — or both. Our guests this week, Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, interviewed students, parents and teachers to understand why this is happening. While technology and the pandemic have played a part in this crisis, teens wonder why they have to learn the Pythagorean theorem when the world is falling apart. That’s from their new book, The Disengaged Teen. Anderson is a journalist who covers the science of learning and Winthrop is an education researcher

Psychiatrist Richard A. Friedman on what’s behind the country’s malaise and why we’re not helpless…or alone.

Eamon Dolan severed his relationship with his abusive mother when he was in his 40s. He had endured her physical and psychological violence as a child and later her emotional cruelty as an adult. He had tried to lay down some ground rules to prevent her from hurting him, but she broke them all so he broke off all contact. On this week’s episode, Eamon Dolan tells us what it took to cut ties with his mother. His new book, The Power of Parting, is about how child abuse undermined him well into his adulthood and how estrangement, while difficult, set him free. He says that society is overly protective of the family as the ideal unit, putting too many abused children at risk for a life of psychological pain and physical ailments. He argues that the mental health community over-values connection when disconnection is the right thing to do.

A new book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, reveals the hidden architecture of good conversation and how we can become better communicators.

Princeton professor Elizabeth Margulis explains why music can affect our mood, transport us to another time and place, and connect us to others.

Historian Judith Giesberg, author of "Last Seen," and genealogist Adrienne Whaley on the families ripped apart by slavery and the search to find their loved ones.

Death doula Alua Arthur guides people through death and grief. She explains why we should face our mortality and shares lessons on living well.

Stress, exhaustion and negativity can lead to workplace burnout. Kandi Wiens explains how to reset your relationship with work.

Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on her life as a transgender women and the ongoing fight for acceptance and rights.

Psychologist Ethan Kross explains how to master your emotional life.

Psychology professor Tessa West on why job satisfaction doesn’t mean you have to love for your work. Her new book is “Job Therapy: Finding Work that Works for You.”

Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah grew up a "good girl," always willing to comply. Now she studies the power of defiance and when to use it.

Marketing companies can be pretty sneaky when trying to get new customers. Instead of straightforward sales pitches, they’ve turned to manipulative tactics used by cults.

Do you dread wintertime? Learn how to love it. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz explains how to cultivate a winter mindset to cope with cold days and the dark times in life.

Do you feel blah? Does your life feel drab and unexciting? Do you have a vague sense of emptiness? You could be languishing…and you’re not alone.

Jamie Wyeth comes from an artist dynasty. His father is Andrew Wyeth and grandfather N.C. Wyeth. Jamie Wyeth join us to talk about finding his own artistic vision.

How to have conversations with people on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

Dr. Ramani Durvasula explores the toxic effects of narcissism and how to deal with narcissistic people.