In this episode, William Lam and Michael Mahoney sit down with Dr. Emily Balcetis, an American social psychologist and associate professor of psychology at New York University. The discussion centers around Dr. Emily Balcetis's research on how people's perceptions of the world are influenced by their motivations, goals, and emotions. Dr. Emily Balcetis shares insights from her lab's work on uncovering tools that people may not be aware of and helping them to develop intentionality and explore their own personal body, mindset, and social environment.

William and Michael also highlight Dr. Emily Balcetis's meticulous nature in her work and her compassion for individuals and humanity. Dr. Emily Balcetis shares moving stories from her experiences with the UPGRD program, which has transformed people's lives.

The conversation also delves into mental construals and how they can affect decision-making. Dr. Emily Balcetis explains a 90-year timeline exercise that helps clients prioritize their goals and focus on achieving what truly matters to them. They also explore the concept of inattentional blindness and its impact on face-to-face communication, referencing the famous gorilla experiment. Dr. Emily Balcetis touches on how filters from past beliefs and conversations can limit human potential, and they discuss the importance of gaining different perspectives to see the bigger picture.

Overall, the episode offers fascinating insights into psychology and how we can improve our decision-making and perceptions of the world.

About Dr. Emily Balcetis:

Dr. Emily Balcetis is an American social psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University. Her research focuses on people's perception of the world and how their motivations, goals, and emotions influence it, especially with regard to visual perception.

She was a recipient of the SAGE Young Scholars Award from the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology in 2011. Also in 2011 Her co-authored paper with David Dunning titled Considering the Situation: Why People are Better Social Psychologists than Self-Psychologists was named Best Paper by the International Society of Self and Identity. In 2016, she received the International Society for Self and Identity Outstanding Early Career Award and the Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences.

She is also the author of Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World

Currently, she is the Lab Director of New York University’s - SOCIAL PERCEPTION ACTION and MOTIVATION LAB.