Good Life Project Psychology Researcher: Why Always Being Good Can Be Incredibly Bad for You | Dr. Sunita Sah
17 snips
Feb 3, 2025 
Dr. Sunita Sah, author of "Defy" and a leading expert in psychology at Cornell University, challenges the idea that always being good is beneficial. She discusses the importance of defiance as a means to honor personal values against societal pressures. Sah highlights the psychological patterns that lead to compliance and the necessity of asserting boundaries. She also outlines a five-stage process of defiance that promotes personal growth, urging listeners to recognize their discomfort and navigate their own moral compass.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Compliance vs. Defiance
- We are conditioned to believe compliance is good and defiance is bad.
- This makes questioning authority or standing up for ourselves difficult.
Healthcare Defiance Difficulty
- Sunita Sah felt uncomfortable questioning a superior's decision regarding patient care.
- The situation left her feeling frustrated and powerless.
Milgram Experiment
- The Milgram experiment showed most people comply with authority even when asked to inflict harm.
- This highlights how easily we can be manipulated, even against our values.
