We have more ways than ever to escape feelings of boredom, but what would happen if we didn't try to escape those feelings? This brief episode highlights how our ideas about happiness and boredom tie into adaptation and addiction.

Lucas Cantor is a podcaster, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and speaker. He hosts his own show, the Book Society podcast, featuring weekly conversations with fascinating guests from diverse backgrounds.

Lucas and I are both hooked on great storytelling and popular history, and today’s conversation is a great example of how re-reading a book that we love draws us down a winding path of intrigue and ideas. Lucas has re-read Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek several times, and we explore the reasons why this topic is so fascinating. We cover thousands of years of Mesopotamian history and mythology and Lucas makes some intriguing connections to Julian Jaynes’ 1976 book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.

Dr. Nicole Tschierske is a scientist and positive psychology coach who helps experts and teams in STEM do better work. Today’s conversation covers Nicole’s story and how she became interested in coaching through her experience of "boreout".

Elena Iacono designs and facilitates well-being and mental health programs to help people thrive in the workplace. Looking back to our initial podcast conversation in 2021 on Audiobook Reviews in Five Minutes, we revisit timely themes, including managing stress, toxic positivity, languishing, finding new ways to thrive, and finding flow.

Brian Asingia is the CEO and co- founder of the Dream Galaxy platform, an innovation studio that trains, advises, and funds ethical entrepreneurial leaders to launch, grow, and scale content, programs, and businesses. Asingia's forthcoming book, Cashless Society 101, will be published in March 2022. In his book, Asingia captures the essence of how humanity-first design and innovation can leverage technology in delivering meaningful solutions for the 21st century and beyond.

This episode highlights the problematic science AND the useful ideas from Matthew Walker's book, Why We Sleep, so you can simplify your approach to improving your sleep.

Jane Austen novels set in the English countryside and various drawing rooms help transport me to a delightful fantasy world – and I'm in good company. Austen's writing is so strongly associated with providing solace that she was prescribed to World War One soldiers suffering from severe shell-shock (PTSD). In the UK, Austen experienced a sales rise of 20% throughout much of 2020, compared to 2019.

What is it about Austen’s work that keeps us perpetually entertained? This humble homage to the original Regency Romance writer explores why there's nothing quite like the real thing – and why it's never too late to discover great literature.

What drives our fascination with the fictional Roy family? HBO's Succession follows the dysfunctional owners of Waystar RoyCo, a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family's patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

Succession's ringtone-worthy musical theme, stellar writing, and acting make it an obvious winner. This episode of Access Ideas takes a closer look at some details that take it from good to great TV territory, including Shakespearean themes, observational cinematography, and oh-so-subtle costume design.