Dr. Adam Alter: The hidden influences shaping our thoughts, beliefs, & actions.

Summary: Amy Alkon's Advice Goddess Radio: "Nerd Your Way To A Better Life!" with the best brains in science. NOTE: ***"Best Of" holiday replay today -- new live shows starting next Sunday! We aren’t the independent thinkers we like to believe ourselves to be. Psychologist and researcher Dr. Adam Alter shows in his fascinating book, Drunk Tank Pink, that a host of forces -- internal, social, and environmental -- drive our thinking and beliefs, and in turn, our actions. On tonight’s show, he’ll lay out the ways we are influenced, sometimes causing substantial changes in our behavior that make the difference between success and failure in our endeavors. Knowing these influences is the best way to avoid being swept away by them, so don’t miss this show. Join me and all my fascinating guests every Sunday, 7-8 p.m. Pacific Time, 10-11 p.m. Eastern Time, at blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher. My show's sponsor is Audible.com. Get a free audiobook download and support this show financially at no cost to you by signing up for a free 30-day trial at audibletrial.com/amya (It's $14.95 after 30 days, but you can cancel before then and have it cost you nothing.) Please buy my new book, the science-based and funny "Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck," here. (St. Martin's Press, June 3, 2014.)  And please ask a newspaper near you to carry my award-winning syndicated, science-based advice column...if they don't already.