What do we really want when we want fame, love, pleasure or a different life? And can desire shape our choices even when we don’t recognise it? Join Leon, a psychologist, for an exploration of the psychology of desire through excerpts from Californication, the hugely popular album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of the defining bands of modern rock. With its distinctive sound and enduring place in pop culture, the album offers a compelling starting point for discussing longing, temptation, escape and the distance between what we chase and what actually satisfies us.

Together, we’ll listen closely, explore the songs’ ideas and discuss how desire can become entangled with identity, insecurity and our need for connection. How do we learn what to want? When does wanting something give us purpose, and when does it leave us feeling that nothing is enough? We’ll consider how desires can operate beneath our explanations of ourselves—even when we think they aren’t there. No knowledge of psychology, the band or the album is necessary. Expect powerful music, thoughtful conversation and fresh discoveries about both an important cultural work and the minds and emotions we bring to it.

当我们想要名气、爱、快乐，或者想过上另一种生活的时候，我们真正想要的到底是什么？欲望会不会在我们自己都没意识到的时候，悄悄影响我们的选择？跟着 Leon 来聊聊欲望心理学。他是心理学家。这次我们会借红辣椒乐队那张超火的专辑《Californication》里的片段来聊。这支乐队是现代摇滚里很有代表性的一支，这张专辑声音很有辨识度，在流行文化里也一直站得住，很适合拿来聊渴望、诱惑、逃离，还有我们追的东西和真正让我们满足的东西之间那段距离。

我们会一起认真听，聊聊歌里的想法，也会讨论欲望是怎么跟身份、不安全感，还有我们对连接的需求缠在一起的。我们是怎么学会自己该想要什么的？什么时候想要一个东西会给我们方向，又是什么时候它会让我们觉得怎么都不够？我们还会想想，欲望是怎么在我们对自己的解释底下运作的——哪怕我们觉得它根本不在那儿。不需要任何心理学、乐队或者专辑的知识。会有很有力量的音乐、有想法的聊天，也会对一张重要的文化作品，还有我们带进其中的大脑和情绪，有一些新的发现。