Are You Being Sucked Into A Negativity Vortex? with Ethan Kross

Aug 16, 2019

Ethan Kross, a distinguished psychology professor at the University of Michigan, delves into the ways our inner dialogue shapes our well-being. He reveals how falling into a negativity vortex can hinder our work life and offers practical self-distancing techniques to combat it. Discover the transformative power of language in self-reflection and learn simple hacks to boost resilience. Kross also discusses the science behind self-control, providing insights into emotional management and the importance of fostering healthy workplace relationships.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

Mastering Self-Regulation Through Self-Distancing

01:37 • 9min

Harnessing Nature's Power to Combat Negativity

10:28 • 2min

Exploring Self-Control and the Neuroscience of Willpower

12:40 • 3min

Navigating Emotions through Connection

15:56 • 9min

Ethan Kross is a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan's top-ranked social psychology programme. He's an award-winning scientist and teacher who studies how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions, and relationships. And his research has been published in academic journals and featured in the New York Times, the Economist and the New Yorker, to name just a few.

In this week’s episode, we explore how we can avoid being sucked into negativity vortex by using self-distancing and other simple hacks to improve our self-regulation at work.

Connect with Ethan Kross:

Emotion & Self-Control Lab at The University Of Michigan

You’ll Learn:

[02:03] - Ethan outlines the consequences of becoming stuck in a negativity vortex at work.
[03:38] - Ethan explains how the practice of self-distancing can help us to avoid the negativity vortex.
[05:14] - Ethan provides examples of how the language we use can help us to self-distance during moments of rumination.
[07:27] - Ethan shares some tips for practicing self-distancing successfully.
[08:47] - Ethan explains how self-distancing can be taught in workplaces.
[10:41] - Ethan shares some other simple hacks to help us avoid the vortex of negativity at work.
[13:48] - Ethan offers some insight into the current evidence-based debates on how self-control and willpower works.
[16:05] - Ethan explains how to avoid co-rumination when it comes to our relationships at work and instead be an effective supporter of others.
[19:37] - Ethan provides some cautions on using distancing wisely and not as an avoidance strategy.
[21:33] - Ethan completes the Lightning Round.

Your Resources:

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care! Thank you Ethan!