Harvard Thinking Changing how we deal with change
Dec 11, 2024
Mahzarin Banaji, an experimental psychologist from Harvard known for her work on implicit bias, joins Bob Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Harvard Study on Adult Development, to explore the power of change. They discuss how change is not only possible at any age but often essential for a fulfilling life. The conversation dives into cognitive biases, the importance of narratives in fostering empathy, and the dynamics of personal transformation, emphasizing that embracing change can lead to greater happiness and self-acceptance.
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Embrace Change to Reduce Suffering
- Change is constant and inevitable in life and the universe.
- Resisting change leads to increased suffering, so embracing it eases our experience.
The Fiction of the Unchanging Self
- People can make dramatic changes at nearly any life stage.
- Our sense of 'self' feels constant but is actually a fiction that continually changes.
Temperament Shapes Change Openness
- Temperamental differences influence openness to change and risk.
- These differences may be biologically based and affect political and social behavior.
