SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by airplanes and pilots. How in the world do those massive chunks of metal called airplanes fly? And what’s it like to fly one? Fortunately, I know just the guy to talk about all things involving being a commercial pilot. Dan Jacobson has spent his career as a pilot and has flown for many years as a captain with United Airlines. As you’ll hear, he loves his work and is able to speak candidly about what it's like to fly millions of miles in the cockpit with the joys as well as challenges including flying after 9/11. So, join Dan and me as we explore the life of a commercial pilot.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to write a great work of fiction? To create a world of characters never before seen or heard, perhaps in a place that doesn’t even exist except in the mind of the author? Recently, I read such a book and found myself asking, “How in the world did the author do that?” Fortunately, that same author, Max Gross, agreed to be on the podcast. His book, The Lost Shtetl, was published last year and is an immersive, unputdownable book about an imaginary Jewish town called Kreskol. In the year 2020 Kreskol had survived the Holocaust and World War II without being discovered and, as if it had been hermetically sealed, was unchanged and unaffected by the passage of time for centuries. It is simultaneously hilarious, heartbreaking, and because it was so well thought out, Max made it entirely believable. It received rave reviews from media outlets as diverse as USA Today, Vogue, and Kirkus Reviews. It was also widely loved by my book club and has become one of my favorite novels. So, join Max and me as we explore the world of a fiction writer and how an entirely new world emerges from the writer’s mind. Book link: https://amzn.to/43Bhw2a This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

I remember being in 8th grade science class. The teacher asked me to go home, close my eyes, and listen deeply for two minutes, and then to write down everything I heard. Have you ever done that? If not, I recommend you give it a try. What shows up is utterly mind-blowing and reminds me of an idea from Ferris Bueller, who noted that “life moves pretty fast and if we don’t pay attention, we might miss it.” As it turns out, if you want to feel more alive, it’s important to listen. And if you want to be heard, the answer is the same: we must listen, according to my expert guest. Bestselling author, Julian Treasure (https://www.juliantreasure.com/) has given 5 TED talks about listening and being heard that have been viewed over 100 million times. His messages clearly resonate with people and for good reason: he’s brilliant. As you’ll hear in this interview, Julian has an unusual ability to notice important things that most of us overlook but need to pay attention to. His book called “How to Be Heard” is one of the finest communication books I have encountered, and I am not alone. Dozens of luminaries have endorsed it including audio expert, Bernie Krause who said it is “clear, powerful, and fun,” and “the go-to resource for learning how to listen and express ourselves in ways that can only enrich our lives.” Book link: https://amzn.to/3Xa1ObN This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

The latest episode contains skills that can provide levity and improve relationships and are right on time for the holidays!  As we come together with family, it's all about improv and our ability to build on whatever is happening in the room in real-time.  Improv isn't just on stage or about being funny, as you'll learn. Years ago, I took improv classes and was initially terrified.  My fear vanished when I learned the goal wasn't to be funny but to be present and to be able to “yes, and” (an awesome skill you'll learn in this episode). It was a blast and taught me tons about life.  The skills I gained were immediately useful to me both personally and professionally.  In fact, here’s a great article that explains how it can boost a crucial life skill of helping us improve our ability to tolerate ambiguity: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187119302470 Because of improv’s ability to help us live more fully, I simply had to dedicate an episode to it. And I found the perfect person to interview: Rick Andrews. Rick is an adjunct professor at Columbia University where he teaches acting to MFA students and he’s been a performer and instructor of improv for over 20 years.  Yes, he is very funny.  More importantly, he helps people improve their listening, public speaking, leadership, professional innovation, and so much more.   You will hear Rick explain what improv is, what it’s not, you'll get a sense of how it's done, and you'll even hear a live improv exercise featuring me and Rick! So please, listen in and learn how to improve life through improv.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001.  It is a date of heartbreak and tragedy and, if you’re of an age allowing you to remember it, it is a date that likely holds a specific spot in your memory.  We remember it because of deeds that are some of the worst of what humans can do.  In the days following, however, there were heroic deeds representing some of the best of what humans can do. It was an honor to speak with a psychologist who decided to use her skills to bring healing to people at the epicenter of the destruction in New York City. Dr. Francine Toder is a psychologist, author, and a professor of psychology who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and who originally hails from New York.  As you will hear, she felt compelled to volunteer to provide her therapy skills wherever they could be used in the aftermath of 9/11 in her hometown. Her days were surreal, long, and deeply meaningful. Also, like many 9/11 first responders, Francine’s health took a huge hit years after her service when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fortunately, her health has been restored allowing her to share her gripping and important story. So, join Francine and me as we talk about the experiences of a psychologist who was a first responder after 9/11.

Imagine the people who have most influenced your life. I speculate that at least one teacher should be on that list. Teachers are so important in our lives and their teachings go beyond the subject of the class they teach. They can be role models. They can teach us how to think. They can bring out our best. And so much more. Yet, on average, we take classes from teachers, and we move on without really knowing who they are, or how hard they’ve worked. What compels a person to teach? What’s it like to be in front of the class? And what has it been like to teach during COVID? These, and many other questions, are answered by my guest, Fifth Grade Teacher, Mr. Zack Sleep. Mr. Sleep earned his master’s degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania, and he has brought his passion for teaching to Vietnam, Northern Philadelphia, and where he now teaches in Silicon Valley. He also created an after-school program called The Young Detectives, an immersive mystery-solving experience in which children employ the cognitive processes of learning to crack codes, assessing alibis, and synthesizing evidence. I have witnessed Mr. Sleep’s brilliance in real time. I am a fan of his work, and you will hear why I positively had to interview him. So, listen in as Mr. Sleep and I talk about the behind-the-scenes world of the modern teacher.

Chronic pain can seriously alter the quality of a person’s life. And, sadly, chronic pain is prevalent in the United States with more people suffering from it than the total diagnoses of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. When the source of pain can be diagnosed and treated it is a relief. Yet, far too many people have pain without a diagnosable, treatable, physical root cause of their pain. Their experiences can be lonely, which can cause or exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Why are so many people suffering and what can be done? And how might psychologists be able to help? On this episode, you will hear answers to these questions from physician Dr. Howard Schubiner, Clinical Director and co-founder of the Freedom From Chronic Pain program (https://www.freedomfromchronicpain.com/).  Freedom From Chronic Pain is a structured, online pain management program that has been effective for people suffering from various types of pain, including: back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, and many others. Howard is also the author of several books for both laypeople and professionals, including a very popular self-help book called Unlearn Your Pain. He has also authored over 60 publications in scientific journals and has been consistently named one of the best physicians in the United States. So, please join Howard and me as we discuss how to unlearn our pain. Book link: https://amzn.to/3p25DDx This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

Among the needs all 7 billion of us on the planet have in common is our need to eat. Food allows us to survive, thrive, and it can bring immense pleasure.  However, how things taste and what we like is unique to us all. But despite our uniqueness, there are certain trends.  For example, we order tomato juice on airplanes at a far greater frequency than we do on land. Why is that?  And have you ever noticed you can have an entirely different experience of taste depending on how a food or drink is presented, where they're consumed, the type of music that’s playing in the background, and even based upon the color of the plate it’s served on? These will all be addressed on this episode. Dr. Rachel Herz (https://www.rachelherz.com) is a neuroscientist, a professor at Brown University, and a world-leading expert on the psychological science of smell. She is the author of several books including one on smell called, The Scent of Desire. Another book of hers called That’s Disgusting, and it takes a scientific look at repulsion.  Her most recent book explores the science behind our relationship with food and is called, Why You Eat What You Eat.  I loved the book and couldn’t stop smiling as I devoured the audio version.  And I am not alone—it was listed among the “Best Food Books of 2018” by The Smithsonian and The New Yorker and has been praised high and low by the press and thought leaders. Book link: https://amzn.to/3qKlTtr This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

Last week, I watched as my beloved San Francisco Giants lost in the final game of the Division Series to their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was heartbreaking. Afterward, I found myself thinking, “Why squander a heartbreak?”  So, I decided to make an episode dedicated to the psychological principles that outline what happens when a person is a sports fan and their team loses. And, while the content appears rather San Francisco-centric, the principles apply to any team you love! This 15-minute solo episode is about the following: looking at being a sports fan and loss, some of the problems with our   memory and biases as they pertain to being a fan, a plea to expand the definition of “winning,” and the types of thinking that can interfere with the enjoyment of watching and playing sports.  As bonus, I share an answer to this question: why don’t we like watching sports when they’ve been pre-recorded?  (The answer comes from Harvard professor, Dr. Daniel Gilbert, and I’m quite confident that it’s not the answer you expect!) It's my hope and belief that you will come to appreciate being a sports fan in a new way after hearing this!

This week, I thought I would share my own thoughts in a solo episode about psychology through my feelings about the Bee Gees and disco. As you will hear over the next 10 minutes, due to peer pressure and my low level of conviction at the age of 12, I repressed my love for this band and the genre of music. It turns out that many people experienced the same thing around this time concerning disco and the Bee Gees. So, I thought it was a good idea to share my own experience and how it relates to social psychology, conformity, and other psychological phenomena.