Viewpoints

While there are a number of factors that can affect the success that an individual will have in the pursuit of a goal, grit is one with high value. Angela Duckworth, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Scientific Director of the Character Lab, and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, defines grit as a combination of two things: perseverance in the pursuit of a long-term goal and passion for that goal. While talent is an important determinant in achieving a goal, passion for that talent plays a role, too. Duckworth explains that it could take many years for an individual to develop their passion, but that it usually is something an individual finds interesting and meaningful. Without passion, an individual may lack the drive to persevere through obstacles. Finding a passion may be difficult, but grit is something that can heavily influence how an individual deals with life. Duckworth believes that adults can instill in children the grit to achieve their goals from a you

Experts talk about how schools are teaching young adults to think critically at a time when when students are taking an active role in political conversations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Authors Richard and Billy Chizmar aren’t just partners, they’re family. Their new horror novella, Widow’s Point, tells the story of a haunted lighthouse. Despite its scary plot, the father and son say writing it was a blast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While grief is an innate part of human life and something everybody experiences, the way in which people manage this grief is different. Some people choose to sulk, others choose to listen to music. But, Tom Malmquist, author of In Every Moment We Are Still Alive, chose to write a novel after the death of his partner to deal with the pain he was feeling. Through the novel, he was able to create something meaningful out of his grief. Despite being based on real events, In Every Moment We Are Still Alive is not a memoir or an autobiography. Malmquist explains that he wrote this story as a novel because he made conscious decisions to include or add certain events, while leaving out others, and by choosing to focus more on some details than others. In sharing his grief in this novel, he hopes that other grieving people will read his book and realize that they are not alone. Listen in to hear Malmquist tell us more about his experiences with grief, and pick up a copy of his book. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz

Like other mental illnesses, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is highly misunderstood within the culture. Many people believe that the disorder is just behaviors, such as persistent organization, washing one’s hands all the time, or checking the lock on the door constantly. But, what people do not realize is that OCD is a lot more than just these behavioral actions. The misconceptions overlook one prevalent aspect of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. David Adam, reporter at Nature and author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought, explains that OCD begins with an obsession, which is usually a disturbing thought that will not stop, and a compulsion is usually a repetitive behavior in response to the thought. Once someone acts on this thought, they increase the likelihood that the thought will return which creates a cycle. Adam explains that this cycle is what defines the obsession and compulsion as a disorder because it has the ability to to affect the person’s quality o

There was a time when science fiction stories had to be a part of some established arc or it wouldn’t get made. Now the stand-alone sci-fi is thriving once again. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With technology constantly changing, new ways of documenting stories are being used to allow people access to reading them. These new inventions have led many people to wonder just how storytelling happened in the past, and what changes have allowed for stories to continue to be told over time. Storytelling has always been an important part of human communication. In the past, stories relied on oral communication. Martin Puchner, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University and author of The Written Word: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization explains that before written word, stories had to be able to withstand being told from one generation to the next by remaining relevant. He also explains that there were rare exceptions to this rule, in which some stories were lost and then rediscovered, a feat that Dr. Puchner says is very lucky. The only way to ensure that a text survived from one generation to the next was to continue to verbally communicate the story. Si

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YouTube stars rack up huge followings and a lot of cash. But YouTube’s hottest star is in a lot of hot water over one of his videos. How should the internet regulate itself? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Authors Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein use humor to explain philosophical beliefs from deep thinkers, like Immanuel Kant and John Locke. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TV theme songs: they’re the soundtrack to our childhoods. But have you ever stopped to think about their evolution or how many of them you’ve grown fond of? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many directors and authors have used Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window as a frame for their own story line. The plot details the events of a person who is spying on their neighbor and witnesses a murder. A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window, talks about his book that follows a similar narrative, and how he used his personal experience to make it a story of his own. Despite sharing some of the same details with other books, Finn wanted his version to rely on the emotional aspects of the story because of his experience with mental illness. He explains, “ ...I plugged into the narrative this character who had experienced much of what I’ve experienced, who had struggled much as I had struggled, whose grief felt to me comparable in intensity even though our circumstances were different, and if The Woman in the Window is notable for anything, and I hope it is, I would like it to be the emotional resonance.” Listen to Finn tell us more about the inspiration behind his debut novel, as well as his own story of me

We talk to marketing specialists about how to craft a good ad, how ads are effectively measured and what makes an ad memorable. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We highlight Binge Mode, a podcast made for obsessive fans of cultural touchstones, like Game of Thrones, Pixar’s Coco, and Star Wars. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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In the last year, two movies including Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster have introduced the story of Dunkirk to American audiences. We talk to Michael Korda, a historian and author, who explains some of the real history, including why Hitler and Churchill acted the way they did throughout the ordeal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Awards season is here and one contender is the divisive Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film’s racial politics has set the stage for an interesting stretch run to Oscars season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We like to think we’re in control of our own actions… but are we? We talk to Dr. John Bargh, a professor of psychology at Yale University and author of Before You Know It: The unconscious reasons we do what we do, to discuss just how much of what we do is dictated by our unconscious minds. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We talk about the reasons for cities, their role as cultural epicenters, and a radical plan to stop American cities from decaying under our very feet. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.