Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement

How To Build Free Will

Jan 20, 2026

Explore the complexities of free will, revealing it to be much smaller and stranger than it seems. Discover how behaviors are often automatic, influenced by pain and social pressure rather than conscious choice. Delve into the idea that while we can't select our thoughts, we can decide our responses, a concept popularized by Viktor Frankl. Learn practical strategies for cultivating awareness, managing strong emotions, and transforming reactive impulses into personal growth. The journey encourages a deeper understanding of autonomy and resilience.

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INSIGHT

Free Will Frames Growth Mindset

Free will is central to growth mindset because it determines our capacity to choose responses and shape outcomes.
Sam Webster Harris frames growth mindset as building autonomy rather than passively reacting to circumstances.

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ANECDOTE

The Sleepwalking Killer Case

Charles Duhigg recounts Brian Thomas, a sleepwalker who killed his wife while unconscious.
The story shows consciousness can be offline and actions may occur without moral blame in the usual sense.

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ANECDOTE

The Gambler Who Lost Control

Sam Webster Harris tells Angie Barkman's gambling descent from controlled play to addiction and ruin.
Her conscious awareness didn't prevent addiction, illustrating limits of online consciousness.

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Why free will matters for growth mindset

02:44 • 2min

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Sleepwalking and the limits of conscious control

05:10 • 2min

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Compulsive gambling: desire versus control

07:02 • 6min

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Philosophy: do we choose our desires?

13:26 • 9min

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Conscious vs subconscious memories

22:33 • 3min

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Why resolve often arrives too late

25:28 • 4min

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Viktor Frankl: the space between stimulus and response

29:15 • 5min

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Practical gap-work: environment and triggers

34:28 • 5min

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Revenge and channeling anger productively

39:17 • 6min

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Pain, meditation, and non-reactivity

45:46 • 8min

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Growth mindset as practicing free will

The Map is Mostly Water

David Foster Wallace

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#72

• Mentioned in 197 episodes

The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg

In this book, Charles Duhigg explores the science of habit formation and change. He explains the 'habit loop' consisting of a cue, a routine, and a reward, and how understanding this loop can help in changing bad habits or forming good ones. The book includes numerous examples from various fields, such as how Procter & Gamble successfully marketed Febreze, how Alcoa transformed its business by focusing on safety, and how individuals like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. benefited from specific habits. Duhigg argues that by harnessing this science, individuals and organizations can transform their lives and businesses.

#11783

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The Upside of Irrationality

Dan Ariely

In 'The Upside of Irrationality', Dan Ariely delves into the many ways our behavior is influenced by irrational forces, such as expectations, emotions, and social norms. The book covers a wide range of topics, including what truly makes us happy, the effectiveness of large bonuses, the dynamics of online dating, and how we learn to love those we are with. Ariely uses his own experiments and research to shed light on these issues, offering insights into how to break through negative patterns of thought and behavior to make better decisions.

#2266

• Mentioned in 18 episodes

Conscious

A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

Annaka Harris

• Mentioned in 609 episodes

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl

The book is divided into two parts. The first part recounts Frankl's harrowing experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, between 1942 and 1945. He describes the inhumane conditions and the psychological and emotional struggles of the prisoners. The second part introduces Frankl's theory of logotherapy, which posits that the primary human drive is the search for meaning, rather than pleasure. Frankl argues that meaning can be found through three main avenues: work (doing something significant), love (caring for another), and suffering (finding meaning in one's own suffering). The book emphasizes the importance of finding purpose and meaning in life, even in the most adverse conditions, as a key factor in survival and personal growth.

#1402

• Mentioned in 26 episodes

Free Will

Sam Harris

In 'Free Will,' Sam Harris argues that the concept of free will is inherently flawed and incoherent. He contends that our thoughts, intentions, and actions are determined by prior causes outside our conscious control, whether these causes are deterministic or the result of chance. Harris uses examples such as the Cheshire murders to illustrate how even heinous crimes can be seen as the product of uncontrollable experiences and neurological mechanisms, rather than free will. The book challenges readers to reconsider their views on morality, law, and personal responsibility in light of this understanding.

Free will sounds easy until you look closely. Then it turns out to be smaller, stranger, and far more difficult than advertised.
We take a cheerful scalpel to the idea that we’re the conscious captains of our lives. With help from psychology experiments, philosophical detours we find out what's really going on.

Examining stories involving casinos, concentration camps, meditation cushions, and more, we discover that most behaviour is automatic. Pain, habit, desire, and social pressure do most of the driving.

Yet, whilst we can’t choose our thoughts or impulses, we can choose how we respond to them. Viktor Frankl called it “the space between stimulus and response,” and it turns out to be the most valuable square inch of mental real estate you’ll ever own.

Cultivate that space, and you get resilience, wisdom, and the rare ability to not punch metaphorical holes in windows.

Actionable takeaways

Treat strong emotions as data, not instructions
Reduce temptation before relying on discipline
Train non-reactivity through small, deliberate discomforts

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Growth Mindset Psychology:

Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 What Personal Growth Really Means: Free Will

00:33 Fixed vs Growth Mindset as Freedom vs Reaction

01:59 Welcome to the Growth Mindset Podcast

02:08 Why You Can’t Understand One Part of Psychology in Isolation

03:34 Setting Expectations: Consciousness, Free Will, and Big Ideas

05:13 Habits, Consciousness, and the Sleepwalking Killer Case

06:44 The Compulsive Gambler and the Illusion of Choice

11:45 How Much Free Will Do We Actually Have?

15:35 Why You Don’t Choose Your Desires

18:24 Conscious vs Subconscious Memories

21:51 Why Willpower Often Arrives Too Late

25:04 Free Will, Fixed Mindset, and Hard Truths

25:39 Viktor Frankl and the Space Between Stimulus and Response

26:27 How to Build Free Will in Everyday Life

28:17 Emotional Triggers and Losing Autonomy

30:25 David Foster Wallace on Learning How to Think

33:12 The Psychology of Revenge

38:34 Pain, Discipline, and the Limits of Control

39:43 Meditation, Pain, and Non-Reactivity

45:30 Applying Free Will to Daily Life

47:04 What We’ve Learned: Growth Mindset as Choice

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