What if ageing well isn’t about stopping cognitive decline, but helping our brains become more adaptable and resilient?

In this episode, I chat with physician, broadcaster and bestselling author Dr Norman Swan about his new book, The Brain Cliff.

Norman also reflects on more than four decades communicating health and medical science to Australians through the ABC, including The Health Report, What’s That Rash?, 7.30 and Four Corners.

Recorded 31 August 2026, Cultural Centre Kambri ANU

Nicholas Epley is one of the world’s leading social psychologists and a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research explores how we understand other people, why we so often get their reactions wrong, and how small changes in our behaviour can strengthen our relationships and improve our wellbeing.

In this episode, Nicholas discusses his new book, A Little More Social, and the surprising science of human connection.

We chat about the Chicago train experiment that found commuters were happier talking to strangers than sitting alone, why our pessimism about social interaction can become self-fulfilling, and the evidence that acting more extroverted can make even introverts happier.

From chatting to a stranger on the train to reaching out to someone we care about, Nicholas’s advice is simple: when in doubt, reach out.

Professor Michael Smithson joined me to discuss his entertaining new book, “The Psychology of Ignorance”. We talk about why ignorance is more than stupidity, how certain unknowns make us anxious, what happens when people don’t realise how ignorant they are, and when we might be happier not knowing certain things.