Season 8, Episode 42

To treat stroke patients, we can retrain parts of the brain to assume the functions of damaged sections. So why do we keep calling our brains “hard-wired” for anything? (Photo: Harris A Ewing/Wikimedia Commons)

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. But don’t worry — the experts are getting it wrong, too.

To find out more, check out the podcast from which this hour was drawn: “5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing.”