You Can't Afford To Lose Your Curiosity w/ Hank Green

Welcome back to Curiosity Theory with Dr. Dakotah Tyler (@dr.starkid) and Justin Shaifer (@mr.fascinate).

In this episode, we’re joined by Hank Green, science communicator, author, and co-creator of Crash Course, for a wide-ranging conversation about curiosity, consciousness, credibility, evolution, and what it really means to understand the world.

We talk about why humans are wired to be curious, how visibility gets mistaken for expertise online, why confidence is so persuasive even when it’s wrong, and how our brains constantly nudge us without our awareness. Hank shares insights on science communication, imposter syndrome, cancer, meaning, and how asking better questions might matter more than having answers.

The conversation weaves through evolutionary psychology, animal behavior, ants and beehives, free will, intelligence, and why curiosity might be one of the most important traits for mental health and human progress.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro and welcoming Hank Green
02:20 Being cosmically connected and star stuff
05:45 Visibility vs credibility in science communication
10:30 Why confident voices dominate public discourse
15:40 Humans as animals and subconscious drives
22:10 Hunger, instincts, and hidden brain signals
28:45 Curiosity, anxiety, and evolutionary mismatch
36:30 Losing curiosity as adults
42:15 What makes a good science communicator
48:30 Free will, intelligence, and how we think
55:10 Ants, beehives, and brute-force intelligence
1:01:20 Meaning, curiosity, and why we do this
1:08:40 Hank on asking “why am I doing this?”
1:14:30 Closing thoughts and staying curious

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Dr. Dakotah Tyler: @dr.starkid
Justin Shaifer: @mr.fascinate
Show: @curiositytheorypod

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