The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

How Psychology and Neuroscience Prof. Kurt Gray Writes

Jan 31, 2025

34:20

Psychology and Neuroscience Professor Kurt Gray spoke with me about the timely release, and inspiration behind his latest book OUTRAGED: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.

Kurt Gray is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.

Kurt Gray's, new book OUTRAGED: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground “... explains the science behind the United States' current political divide.”

A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST-READ BOOK • It is described as “A groundbreaking new perspective on the moral mind that rewrites our understanding of where moral judgments come from, and how we can overcome the feelings of outrage that so often divide us.”

#1 New York Times best-selling author Adam Grant called it, "A riveting read. . . . Overturns widespread assumptions about why we’re divided and reveals how we can come together."

Kurt Gray received a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University, has published over 120 scientific papers, and his findings have been featured in The New York Times, the Economist, Scientific American, Wired, and Hidden Brain.

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In this file Kurt Gray and I discussed:

What it finally feels like to publish a book after decades of research

How we have misunderstood the moral mind

Who makes a profit from the “outrage machine”

Why humans are innately storytelling creatures

How to unplug, get words on the page, keep going

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

kurtjgray.com

Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground By Kurt Gray (Amazon)