Yowei Shaw : NPR

For better or worse, asking for things is easier than you think

Asking for things can be easier than you think, but be aware of any power imbalances at play. Jakob Helbig/Getty Images/Image Source hide caption

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Jakob Helbig/Getty Images/Image Source

Culture

For better or worse, asking for things is easier than you think

October 13, 2022 • For her research, author Vanessa Bohns has people ask strangers for favors — sometimes quite odd ones. Participants consistently expect rejection, but most strangers agree to help.

James Blue for NPR

Invisibilia

Power Tools

October 7, 2022 • Bad bosses. Obnoxious coworkers. Unfair compensation. There are so many reasons people feel disempowered in the workplace. But how can our feelings about power enable or disrupt the larger dynamics we hate at work? This week, Yowei Shaw seeks answers from a power researcher and a union organizer.

Power Tools

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Sasha Fominskaya for NPR

Invisibilia

The P-Word

September 9, 2022 • Alex is a comic who feels perfectly comfortable commanding a packed, rowdy audience, but consistently submits to what other people want in everyday life. This week, a look at how uncomfortable feelings about power can backfire on ourselves and the people we love. We get the help of a power expert - a dominatrix - to untangle Alex's power dynamics, and find out what it takes to treat a power allergy.

The P-Word

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Sonnenzimmer for NPR

Invisibilia

Therapy, with Friends

November 4, 2021 • Would you ever consider going to therapy with a friend?Two best friends who call themselves brothers were drifting apart, so they asked psychotherapist Esther Perel to help — and we listened in. This episode was recorded in collaboration with Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel and a companion episode can be heard on her podcast.

Therapy, with Friends

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Sonnenzimmer for NPR

Invisibilia

A Friendly Ghost Story

September 16, 2021 • It's one of the most common and infuriating friend mysteries out there - a friend disappears into thin air. But where do these ghosts go? And why are we so haunted by them? If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

A Friendly Ghost Story

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Short Wave

How To Correct Misinformation

August 5, 2021 • (Encore episode) The World Health Organization has called the spread of misinformation around the coronavirus an "infodemic." So what do you do when it's somebody you love spreading the misinformation? In this episode, Maddie talks with Invisibilia's Yowei Shaw about one man's very unusual approach to correcting his family. And we hear from experts about what actually works when trying to combat misinformation.

How To Correct Misinformation

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Artwork by Qieer Wang. Qieer Wang for NPR hide caption

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

May 13, 2021 • Is 209 Times helping or hurting the community it claims to serve? What does the site mean for the future of local news in America? And what can be done about it? In the final installment of "The Chaos Machine" series , Yowei finds herself in the middle of a long-standing tug of war over who owns the truth.

The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

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Art by Qieer Wang. Qieer Wang for NPR hide caption

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

May 6, 2021 • The man behind 209 Times is not who you'd expect. In Part 2, co-host Yowei Shaw discovers the website's surprising origin story, and ends up at the frontlines of a revolt against the mainstream media and a fight over who gets to own the truth.

The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

April 29, 2021 • Yowei gets a tip about Russian trolls in Stockton, California and falls down a hole of swirling conspiracy theories. At the center is a scrappy, controversial website that has become one of the most popular sources of local news in town. Some say it's doing important investigative journalism while others say it's spreading hateful lies about progressive leaders. In part 1 of The Chaos Machine series, what happens when traditional local news runs out of resources and reporting the narrative of a community is anybody's game?

The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

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Short Wave

The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers

February 2, 2021 • With a lot of us stuck at home, trying to physically distance from each other, one part of daily life has largely disappeared: bumping into strangers. On today's show, Maddie talks with Yowei Shaw, co-host of NPR's Invisibilia, about the surprising benefits of stranger interactions. And Short Wave tries out QuarantineChat, a workaround to our current strangerless existence. (Encore episode)

The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers

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Artwork by Leonardo Santamaria. Leonardo Santamaria for NPR hide caption

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Leonardo Santamaria for NPR

Invisibilia

White v. White?

April 3, 2020 • A city council candidate says he's black. But his opponent accuses him of being a white man pretending to be black. If race is simply a social construct and not a biological reality, how do we determine someone's race? And who gets to decide? We tell the story of a man whose racial identity was fiercely contested... and the consequences this had on an entire city. | To learn more about this episode, subscribe to our newsletter. Click here to learn more about NPR sponsors.

White v. White?

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Race

How The 'Majority-Minority' Projection Took On A Life Of Its Own

March 30, 2020 • Maybe you've heard that by mid-century, the United States will no longer have a white majority. But what if that projection wasn't realistic? Here's how a statistic took on a life of its own.

How The 'Majority-Minority' Projection Took On A Life Of Its Own

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Chrissy Tashjian

Invisibilia

The Profile

September 20, 2019 • A mysterious profile pops up on a dating app - leading to a bubble of chaos and confusion. A story about trying to sort fact versus fiction, how destabilizing that can be, and a very strange confrontation with the truth. NOTE: Since this story was originally published, we have added some background reporting and context to the episode.

The Profile

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Research News

'Invisibilia' Team Takes A Deep Dive Into The Science Of Desire

April 22, 2019 • Most of us have a "type" — certain quirks and qualities we're just more into, that pique our sexual desire. But why are we attracted to the people we're attracted to?

'Invisibilia' Team Takes A Deep Dive Into The Science Of Desire

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Christina Chung for NPR

Invisibilia

A Very Offensive Rom-Com

April 5, 2019 • A young woman discovers a pattern in her dating habits that disturbs her - a pattern that challenges her very conception of who she is and what she believes in. The realization sets her off on a quest to change her attractions. But is this even possible? And should we be hacking our desire to match our values?

A Very Offensive Rom-Com

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