TED Radio Hour How does your brain perceive the world?
101 snips
Mar 20, 2026 
Francesca Hoagie, a relationship coach who teaches flirting as a skill, John Wixted, a memory researcher who studies eyewitness reliability, and Alex Rosenthal, TED editorial director who speaks about aphantasia. They explore how mental imagery varies, why confident memories can be wrong, and how small social cues shape connection. Short, surprising takes on perception, memory, and everyday chemistry.
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Confident 9/11 Memory Turned Out Partly False
- John Wixted recalls the vivid scene of watching 9/11 unfold in his kitchen and a friend's chilling remark about firefighters.
- He later discovered his memory included a visitor who in fact hadn't been there, highlighting fallibility.
Confidence Doesn't Guarantee Eyewitness Accuracy
- Jennifer Thompson's confident courtroom ID of Ronald Cotton shows sincere memories can be wrong and lead to wrongful convictions.
- DNA later exonerated Cotton, revealing hundreds of similar confident misidentifications in exoneree cases.
First Identification Is Most Reliable
- Initial eyewitness responses often show low confidence or rejection, but later testing and courtroom pressure can inflate certainty.
- John suggests the first memory test is the most reliable snapshot before contamination occurs.