Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor, director, and writer Ricky Gervais and his favorite smart friend, neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, are back again - this time for Season 3.

Why do we laugh?

Sep 24th, 2021 13m 8s

Ricky calls Sam to ask why humans laugh. They break down the mechanics of stand up comedy, the science behind tickling, and the mistakes of a very sad middle school teacher... Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolutelymental.c

The Monkey Mind

Sep 24th, 2021 16m 28s

Ricky asks Sam to explain the “monkey mind.” They also explore the illusion of free will, the nature of thought and distraction, and more of Sam’s mumbo jumbo. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

Why can’t we cure pain?

Sep 24th, 2021 11m 15s

Ricky calls Sam to ask why there isn’t a cure for all physical pain. They discuss phantom pain in amputees, the origins of language, and the dangers of tying your shoes. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

Lions, Twitter, and Billionaires...

Sep 24th, 2021 11m 28s

Ricky asks Sam what single concept he’d like everyone in the world to understand. They also discuss space tourism, the morality underlying animal behavior, and Ricky’s award-winning tweets. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://abso

3 Questions for the Aliens

Sep 24th, 2021 8m 39s

Ricky poses a thought experiment where Sam would act as a human representative to speak with super-intelligent aliens. Sam would ask the aliens to cure aging. Ricky would rather know which version of the Office they liked more. Get access t

Q&A

Sep 24th, 2021 19m 30s

Ricky poses Sam a question from a listener. They discuss mental illness, the relationship between mind and body, and why, when Christ returns to earth, it definitely won’t be on a spaceship. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://abs

The certainty (and uncertainty) of death

Sep 24th, 2021 16m 10s

Ricky and Sam debate whether or not it would be better to know the date of your death. They also discuss the flaws in human memory, what uploading our consciousnesses might look like, and why snails would make terrible comedians. Get access

What is anxiety?

Sep 24th, 2021 14m 16s

Ricky and Sam explore the origins of anxiety. They also discuss aging, stand up comedy, and having a heart attack on stage. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

S2 EP 2: How does hypnosis work?

Sep 24th, 2021 13m 30s

Ricky and Sam discuss the mechanics of hypnosis and the possibility of a “truth serum.” They also condemn swallowing live frogs at parties. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

S2 EP 1: Why do we care about the future of humanity?

Sep 24th, 2021 18m 20s

We care about what happens after we die... but why? Ricky and Sam kick off season two by discussing our desire to leave the earth better than we found it. Ricky officially denounces Satan. Get access to all 10 full episodes at https://absolu

Trailer

Season Two is Available Now

Sep 24th, 2021 1m 24s

Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor, director, and writer Ricky Gervais and his favorite smart friend, neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, are back at it and this season Absolutely Mental is going deeper. Get access to all 10 full episod

S1 EP 2: What makes something funny?

Aug 17th, 2021 14m 51s

In this teaser of episode 2, Sam calls Ricky to discuss where to draw the line in comedy. Ricky thinks everything is on the table. Except the word “vagina.” Get access to all 11 episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

S1 EP 1: Why do we dream?

May 10th, 2021 29m 19s

Ricky calls Sam to ask why we dream. They discuss why puns are terrible and explore some of the mechanics of comedy. Get access to the other 10 episodes at https://absolutelymental.com

Trailer

Introducing Absolutely Mental

May 6th, 2021 1m 47s

All 11 episodes available at AbsolutelyMental.com In this new podcast series, the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor, director, and writer Ricky Gervais phones his favorite smart friend, the neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, to ask s