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Video 1: The Psychology of Your Future Self
Description: “Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished.” In this fascinating TED Talk, Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the “end of history illusion,” where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.

Video 2: The Looking Glass Self
Description: This clip from a student project shows Vern who explains Charles Horton Colley’s term, the “looking-glass self.” Vern dances through the hall and imagines how he appears to others, then imagines how others will judge him and lastly develops an emotional response as a result of how others have judged him.

Video 3: Who Am I?
Description: Throughout the history of mankind, the subject of identity has sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the agora and seekers to the oracles. These murky waters of abstract thinking are tricky to navigate, so it’s probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch used the story of a ship. Check out this wonderfully animated presentation about the self, provided by TED-Ed.

Audio 1: Why Social Media Isn’t Very Social
Description: Millions of people around the world use social media every day, every hour, every minute to stay in touch with friends and family. And yet, social media isn't always very social. Studies show that people who spend more time on Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat may feel more socially isolated than people who don't. In this episode of Hidden Brain, learn why this might be because of a disconnect between our online lives and our real ones.

Audio 2: Who Am I?
Description: The “mind” and “self” were formerly the domain of philosophers and priests. But in this episode of Radiolab, neurologists lead the charge on profound questions like “How does the brain make me, Me?” We stare into the mirror with Dr. Julian Keenan, reflect on the illusion of selfhood with British neurologist Paul Broks, and contemplate the evolution of consciousness with Dr. V. S. Ramachandran. Also: from Dr. Robert Sapolsky, the fascinating story of a woman who one day woke up as a completely different person. Note: This is the first ever episode from Radiolab, and you can hear why it launched successfully from this report.

Audio 3: Lying to Ourselves
Description: Can we lie to ourselves? If you are the liar, wouldn't you know the truth? In this episode from Radiolab, we explore the confusing and contradictory idea of self-deception. We go back to the early 70s, when a pair of psychiatrists came up with a set of embarrassing questions that they say reveal the lies we tell ourselves. We then meet a psychologist who tells us that swimmers who lie to themselves swim faster than those who do not. And finally we explore the power of self-deception to make us more successful, and happier, people.