I do not think there is a clearer or more insightful science writer on the planet than you. I would love to hear a little about how you go about synthesizing evidence, and how you take what are often very complex and sometimes confusing studies and make them understandable. When you're writing, all of that empathy for the reader has to be sort of imaginative. And so to me, it's am. i like being a magpie to kind of im to borrow a metaphor of my own which i used to describe the mind. But i like the idea of gathering things from here and there and weaving them together into something new. That's what i enjoy most about what i do.
Our curators — Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — recently named “The Extended Mind” by Annie Murphy Paul one of the best books of the year. In this episode, Annie returns to the Next Big Idea podcast for a spirited conversation with Adam in which she defends the fine art of fidgeting, suggests ways to improve group brainstorms, and gives Adam advice on how to talk to his childhood sensei.
By the way, Adam's brilliant TED podcast "WorkLife" is back now with a new batch of interviews — including a Nobel Prize winner, one of the world’s most influential leaders, a daredevil who’s mastered fear, and one of the most decorated Olympians ever. Find them on "WorkLife with Adam Grant" wherever you listen.