

Changing Minds with Owen Fitzpatrick
Owen Fitzpatrick
Changing Minds Podcast is a podcast about thinking for a change. Each week, Psychologist Owen Fitzpatrick will be exploring how you can use behavioral science to learn how to run your brain better, influence others better, and believe better.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 22, 2025 • 46min
May Contain Lies: How to See the World with Clarity with Alex Edmans
Join Alex Edmans, a finance professor at London Business School and author of 'May Contain Lies', as he delves into decision-making and the quirks of human bias. Discover how confirmation bias and black-and-white thinking distort our views. Alex unveils his Ladder of Mis-Inference and offers practical strategies to combat bias, like imagining opposing outcomes and embracing critical feedback. He also emphasizes recognizing AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human insight. A must-listen for anyone seeking clarity in a noisy world!

Sep 15, 2025 • 1h 4min
The Neuroscience of Revenge with James Kimmel Jr.
James Kimmel Jr., a lawyer, violence researcher, and Yale psychiatry professor, dives into the science of revenge and its addictive nature. He shares his harrowing personal story of bullying and how he broke free from the cycle of violence. Kimmel distinguishes between justice and revenge, discussing how the drive for revenge can lead to widespread societal issues. He introduces his innovative Nonjustice System and Miracle Court app, designed to help people manage grudges and embrace forgiveness, revealing how forgiveness can literally rewire our brains.

Sep 8, 2025 • 51min
RERUN - How to Change Your Mindset and Change Your Life
Dive into the fascinating world of mindset as belief effects reveal how expectations shape our experiences. Discover the brain's prefrontal cortex role in interpreting situations and physiological reactions. Owen shares eye-opening studies on how our perceptions of exercise, food, and sleep can drastically alter outcomes. Explore the growth mindset concept, and learn actionable strategies to cultivate positive change. Plus, find out how culture influences our mindsets and the surprising power of the placebo effect.

Sep 1, 2025 • 1h 6min
RERUN: How your Brain Tricks you: Cognitive Biases of Perception
Explore the fascinating world of cognitive biases that shape your decisions daily. Discover why first impressions are so sticky (anchoring bias) and how negativity grabs our attention more than positivity. Learn about the mere exposure effect, where familiarity boosts our preferences. Dive into the illusion of control and why we misjudge our influence on outcomes. Unpack biases like conformity and the spotlight effect, revealing how they distort our perceptions and decision-making. Tune in to outsmart your brain's blind spots!

Aug 25, 2025 • 51min
RERUN: How Dopamine Works: Understanding Your Brain's Most Important Chemical
In this rerun of the Changing Minds Podcast, we explore the remarkable power of dopamine—the brain's motivation molecule. Far more than just a "feel-good" chemical, dopamine shapes our habits, fuels our ambitions, and even influences how we see ourselves and the world. In this episode, I break down the science of how dopamine drives desire, learning, and belief change, and why it plays such a central role in both short-term behaviors and long-term goals. You'll also learn practical strategies to boost, balance, and make the most of your dopamine levels—so you can sharpen your focus, strengthen your motivation, and create lasting change. If you've ever wondered why dopamine gets so much attention in neuroscience, or how you can harness it to improve your life, this episode is for you.

Aug 18, 2025 • 1h 4min
RERUN: The Science Behind How to Change Your Habits
In this classic episode of Changing Minds, I dive deep into the fascinating science of habit change. Drawing from over 30 years of helping people worldwide transform their routines, I unpack the psychology, history, and neuroscience behind how habits are formed and how to break or build them effectively. You'll learn research-backed strategies from groundbreaking works like Atomic Habits and Tiny Habits, discover how dopamine drives your behavior, and explore practical techniques to create lasting change. Whether you want to finally drop a bad habit or lock in a powerful new one, this episode will give you the tools to make it happen. Visit my website: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/Join my Newsletter: https://owenfitzpatrick.com/newsletter/ Subscribe 🔴

Aug 11, 2025 • 41min
RERUN: Stop Thinking Negative
Dive into the layers of negative thinking and its surprising roots. Discover how cognition affects both mental and physical health. Explore the brain's inclination toward pessimism and the science behind it. Learn about common cognitive distortions that fuel negativity and practical strategies to change your mindset. From gratitude journaling to redefining your identity, find actionable tools to cultivate optimism. Plus, understand when negative thoughts can actually serve as motivation.

Aug 4, 2025 • 51min
Rerun: How to read a person like a book
Dive into the art of reading people with intriguing insights on body language, voice tone, and micro-expressions. Discover how empathy and curiosity can enhance your understanding of others. Learn to spot deception through congruence and behavior clusters, while navigating the biases that cloud perceptions. Explore the nuances of lifestyle clues, personal stories, and deliberate signaling. This engaging discussion offers practical strategies for forging deeper connections and recognizing authenticity in a world full of pretension.

Jul 28, 2025 • 34min
RERUN: How to Be Smarter Than Everyone Else
Dive into the intriguing world of intelligence and discover what it truly means to be smart. Explore key concepts like spaced repetition and deep work that can enhance cognitive abilities. Unearth the historical evolution of intelligence testing and the multifaceted nature of intelligence, from emotional to analytical. Learn how lifestyle choices, such as sleep and social interaction, play a crucial role in brain health. Plus, get insights on overcoming cognitive biases and improving critical reasoning skills for sharper decision-making.

Jul 21, 2025 • 36min
Rerun: How to Handle Change
Change can be daunting, but understanding its psychological underpinnings makes it manageable. Explore a five-step framework for developing 'change confidence' and learn why our brains resist shifts. Discover the importance of reframing change as part of your journey and the power of embracing discomfort. From practical strategies like negotiating resistance to adopting a growth identity, gain insights that empower you to thrive in an unpredictable world. Uncover how navigating change can catalyze personal and societal transformation.


