Season 10 of the Academy’s podcast, The We Society, produced in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust, has begun today.
Hosted by acclaimed author, journalist and the Academy’s President, Will Hutton, The We Society invites leading social scientists and public figures to explore the stories behind the news and share their ideas that can help to improve the way we live.
To celebrate ten seasons of the podcast so far, this new series particularly highlights a range of ways in which the social sciences can provide evidence led insights that lead to positive change, from positive environmental tipping points to what we can learn from the happiest countries in the world.
Will said, “I’m so excited to be involved in a tenth season of The We Society podcast – it’s a real milestone to have reached and this new season celebrates it with evidence-led insights into creating a better society. It’s been a privilege for me to speak to another fantastic line up of brilliant expert guests. This season is uplifting, inspiring and positive – and shows that we could all do with a bit of ‘magical thinking’ every now and then.”
In the first episode, we welcome psychologist and member of the Inner Magic Circle, Professor Richard Wiseman to discuss the psychology of luck. Richard, who is Professor of in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and has written several popular psychology books, joins Will for a wide-ranging conversation exploring the importance of humour, the benefits of magic, and draws on his research studies to share how we can use psychology to create our own good fortune and become luckier.
Richard said, “I’m interested in giving people the tools that allow them to change in a positive way. To add purpose to their lives, to help other people, sometimes to help themselves, to help society, to build a better society, that’s what psychology should be. It isn’t always like that, but at its best that is what psychology should be.”
Other topics this season offer expert insights into what it means to be grown up today and how we can overcome the generational divide, best practice in working towards inclusivity in healthcare, what does privacy look like in a world of AI, and what the World Happiness Report tells us about making a happier society, amongst others.
Our other guests this season include Professor Philippe Aghion (Nobel Prize winning economist and Professor at the College de France, INSEAD, and London School of Economics), Professor Bobby Duffy FAcSS (Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London), Professor Stephani Hatch FAcSS (Professor of Sociology and Epidemiology, King’s College London), Professor Tim Lenton (Chair in Climate Change / Earth System Science, University of Exeter), Professor Jan-Emmanuel de Neve (Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science, University of Oxford), Carey Oppenheim (Strategic Project Lead, Nuffield Foundation), Imogen Parker (Associate Director (Social and Economic Policy), Ada Lovelace Institute), and Dr Carissa Veliz (Tutorial Fellow in Philosophy, University of Oxford).
New episodes will be released every Wednesday and listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform so they don’t miss an episode. All episodes of the past nine seasons, featuring guests including Hillary Clinton, Ai Weiwei, Professor Mariana Mazzuccato FAcSS, Professor Gary Younge FAcSS, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are available to listen now.