Makena Bauss - Thanksgiving PoliticsThe Matt Townsend Show • Season 6, Episode 272, Segment 3
Nov 15, 2017 • 25m
Thanksgiving with family can be tough as relatives sit down to eat and put aside any disagreements. The current state of politics may make this holiday feast more awkward. Producer Makena Bauss shares the upside of this potentially uncomfortable family meal.

Surprising Science of Infectious Behaviors and Viral EmotionsNov 15, 201725mLee Daniel Kravetz is a bestselling author.   He has written for print and television, including The New York Times, Psychology Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, and PBS.  In 2009, tragedy struck the town of Palo Alto: A student from the local high school had died by suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train. A few weeks later, it happened again. And again. And again. In six months, the high school lost five students to suicide at those train tracks. Author Lee Kravetz’s purpose in writing his new book “Strange Contagion” was to explain how it was possible that a suicide cluster could develop in a community of concerned, aware, and hyper-vigilant adults. The answer is what Kravetz calls a “strange contagion:” a perfect storm of highly common social viruses that, combined, can form unconscious mirroring motivations triggered by our environment.
Lee Daniel Kravetz is a bestselling author.   He has written for print and television, including The New York Times, Psychology Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, and PBS.  In 2009, tragedy struck the town of Palo Alto: A student from the local high school had died by suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train. A few weeks later, it happened again. And again. And again. In six months, the high school lost five students to suicide at those train tracks. Author Lee Kravetz’s purpose in writing his new book “Strange Contagion” was to explain how it was possible that a suicide cluster could develop in a community of concerned, aware, and hyper-vigilant adults. The answer is what Kravetz calls a “strange contagion:” a perfect storm of highly common social viruses that, combined, can form unconscious mirroring motivations triggered by our environment.