This is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedantam.
So often, when we're thinking about who we are and what we want from our lives, we think about the choices that we make.
How do we get from point a to point b?
What steps can we take to improve our careers, our relationships, our personal health?
As we ponder these questions, it can be tempting to assume that all we need is the right blueprint and we can build the exact life that we want.
But the choices we make are only part of the equation.
So often, the trajectory of our lives is shaped by moments when our decision making goes haywire, when we act in ways that feel completely out of character.
What are we to make of these moments?
What do they tell us about our inner selves?
This week on Hidden Brain, as part of our annual U 2.0 series, we bring you a favorite episode about certain situations that cause us to become strangers to ourselves.
I definitely didn't maintain cool and calm.
My entire body froze.
I was just an absolute blubbering mess.
I became filled with anger, and I.
Just kind of lost it.
And we look at the deep psychological mystery that occurs during these moments.
No matter how many times we discover the strangers living inside us, the next time always catches us by surprise.
Quick heads up.
This episode contains stories about sex, sex work, and sexual harassment.