The Gray Area with Sean Illing

  • Do Americans have too much ‘me time?’

    Americans are spending an historic amount of time alone, a phenomenon that is often referred to as an “epidemic of loneliness.” But are we actually lonely? Or do we prefer being by ourselves? And if…


  • Attention pays (with Chris Hayes)

    Where is your attention right now? Where was it a minute ago? A second ago? Where will it be a minute from now? One of the primary features of this age — the age of…


  • How to be happy

    What does it take to be happy? Professor of psychology Laurie Santos just might have the answer. This week The Gray Area takes a break from its regular programming to bring you an episode of…


  • The screens between us

    What is the first thing that you touch in the morning? What about the last thing you touch before you go to sleep? For many of us, it’s our phone. Digital devices are with us…


  • The importance of failure

    At the beginning of the new year, many of us make pledges to change ourselves. We want to work out more. Or read more. Or cook more. Within a few months, some of us will…


  • What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief

    How can we find happiness? That’s an old question. Since the beginning of philosophy people have been wondering what makes us happy and how to get more of it. But if you’re a real person…


  • What do animals feel?

    Can you ever really know what’s going on inside the mind of another creature? In some cases, like other humans, or dogs and cats, we might be able to guess with a bit of confidence.…


  • Are men okay?

    This week, host Sean Illing gets personal when he asks professor and podcast host Scott Galloway: What’s going on with men? There’s a growing body of evidence that men are falling behind in education, the…


  • How to feel alive

    The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many different forms. Maybe it’s going for a long run at night. Or free-climbing a mountain. Or an intense…


  • The antidote to climate anxiety

    In this episode, host Sean Illing speaks with marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. Johnson approaches climate change with informed optimism, encouraging us…