We were going back and forth at Hidden Brain on what to bring you for this final episode of the year.
And then it hit us.
The turn of the year is a time when we set the old aside and welcome the new into our lives.
And so today we bring you a tale of loss and renewal.
It appeals to me for two reasons.
The first is, it's a very particular and universal story.
I was really devastated to lose something that I was completely in love with and so passionate about.
And that had really constituted such a large part of my life and my identity.
You know, I was first and foremost a violinist.
The second reason is that this is also about social science research and its applications in the real world.
What we found was a 9% increase in college enrollment rates as a result of eight text messages.
I mean, that is really profound.
Eight text messages is what I send my best friend on any given day.
This is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedantam.
Today we're telling you a story that begins in the attic of a home in Connecticut and ends at the White House.
And on our theme of loss and reinvention, we'll bring you a poem I came across from Elizabeth Bishop, read by musician Amy Mann.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster places and names and where it was you meant to travel.
None of these will bring disaster.
My grandmother was an indian classical violinist, and so my mom had her old violin in our attic for many years.