SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Puzzles have a long history and are loved by millions of people worldwide. The New York Times crossword alone attracts 20 million people daily. And puzzles come in multiple forms: jigsaws, mazes, manipulable objects like Rubik’s Cubes, and even puzzles that require teams like escape rooms and scavenger hunts. Why do we love puzzles? Can they make us smarter? If so, how? Can they improve our mental or physical well-being? And might there even be a case for them making us better people? These and so many other questions will be answered by my most delightful guest, journalist, lecturer, and, my friend, New York Times best-selling author, AJ Jacobs (https://ajjacobs.com/)! AJ captured my attention nearly 20 years ago when I read his first major book, The Know-it-All, in which he put himself through one of his many self-imposed challenges.  That time he read the entire 33,000-page Encyclopedia Britannica in one year and wrote about his insights. Subsequently, as a human guinea pig, he has put himself through many experiments including one in which he lived according to the rules of the bible outlined in The Year of Living Biblically.  As a result of these experiments, he has become one of the most curious, open-minded, and creative thinkers I have ever met. What’s more, he has the gift being able to write intellectually stimulating and simultaneously hilarious material!  His latest book just dropped and is called The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. I absolutely loved it!  In it, AJ went deep into more than a dozen different types of puzzles learning their history, and writing about the challenges and insights he encountered. AJ has been consistently lauded by literary critics, thought leaders, comedians, and people from all walks of life. Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project, described her experience reading the book in words that resonated with me, saying “Even though I’ve never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik’s Cube, I couldn’t put down The Puzzler.” This is AJ's second visit to the SuperPsyched podcast, and I am over-the-moon delighted to host him and for you, my listener, to be the beneficiary of this extraordinary man’s heart and brain. So, listen in as AJ and I have a lively conversation about becoming smarter and, possibly, better people through puzzling. Get The Puzzler here: https://amzn.to/45YXy2S 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'm going to guess that, like me, you have written out some resolutions or aspirations at some point. Perhaps it was New Year’s or a birthday and it related to exercise, diet, or some other area of importance to you.  And that, like me, you had fun writing those resolutions—especially imagining how incredible life looked in your mind’s eye as you imagined the benefits of those realities coming to life. And, I'm going to take another guess that like me, you have experienced disappointment or worse when, despite the great intentions of the resolutions, at least one of them failed to hold. What gets in the way of us claiming our best lives? And what can we do to increase the chances of making our lives consistent with our aspirations? Fortunately, I know just the person to ask!  Dr. Michelle Segar (https://michellesegar.com/) is an award-winning, NIH-funded researcher at the University of Michigan with almost thirty years studying how to create sustainable changes in healthy behaviors that can survive in the real world. Her research is widely recognized as relevant and pragmatic. She is also the author of two great books on psychology and performance, including her latest, The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise.  In a user-friendly and relatable way, she unpacks the stumbling blocks that most of us experience as we aim for better habits as well as the science on how we can make positive and sustainable changes in our lives. So, join Michelle and me as we talk about how to finally achieve the lasting changes we deeply desire. Book Link: https://amzn.to/42Boy5N 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).

A common theme that shows up on SuperPsyched relates to the importance of naming things. When we don’t have a name for a stressor, it tends to be even more distressing. You may have even heard me say that you need to “name it to tame it.” And that is why I am pleased that there is a working name for an anxiety that has perplexed many people living in the modern world in the face of climate change.  I’m talking about what is called “eco-anxiety.” Many of us feel overwhelmed by eco-anxiety and understandably ask, what can we do? Thankfully, I know just the person to ask!  Heather White is an attorney by training who has taught at Georgetown University Law Center but who now devotes her efforts to a non-profit organization she founded called One Green Thing (https://www.onegreenthing.org/).  She wrote a book, also called One Green Thing, with a foreword by Erin Brockovich that I thought was superb.  Heather suggests that each of us—like members of an orchestra playing our unique instruments—can do something to reduce climate change based upon our unique strengths and personality styles.  There’s even a questionnaire on her website that will help you identify your skills and personality relative to climate change, and what you can do to help.  Doing so may reduce anxiety and help the planet now and for future generations. And, as always, the content on SuperPsyched is for informational purposes only and not intended to diagnose or provide any kind of healthcare treatment. For that, please consult your doctor. So, listen in as Heather and I talk about eco-anxiety and one green thing each of us can do. Link to Heather's book One Green Thing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785291296/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_JPCCTK1Z7058YZY2HD5S?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 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). Greta Thunberg TEDx Talk: https://tinyurl.com/mr2n5c46

One way to ensure that we are living, and I mean truly living, during this lifetime, is to live an examined life. By that, I mean living consciously with the humility to examine what’s going on, how we’re living, the choices we’re making, and the unconscious drivers that may lead us down the wrong roads. A good method to deal with this, of course, is through psychotherapy. I am so grateful for my years that I have invested in examining my own life, and for the benefits I’ve received from this service I also provide. One of my favorite stories of engaging therapy comes from a highly esteemed colleague, Lori Gottlieb (https://lorigottlieb.com/). Lori is one of the most well-known therapists in the world today.  She has a thriving psychotherapy practice in Los Angeles, she’s the author of multiple books including one with over a million copies sold, her TED talk is magnificent and has millions of views, she writes a column in the Atlantic, and her podcast, Dear Therapists, with Guy Winch, is top-notch. And, like all of us, she is human. She has had her own existential crises during which she recognized she needed her own therapy, a process she details extensively in her brilliant book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. This is a book that has received spectacular praise and is packed with wisdom, goodness, and it is so unputdownable that I have listened to its audio version twice. It provides profound psychological truths and, in captivating story form, shows the internal struggles we all experience when we are thinking about starting our own psychotherapy. To add a layer of richness, Lori courageously describes her own process of being in psychotherapy and from the vantage point of a highly seasoned therapist. What gets in the way of us seeking our own therapy? What gets in the way of us asking for what we want? What are some of the pain points as we grow even as we attain some of the results we have been seeking? These and so many other questions are answered in this captivating interview. So, listen in as Lori and discuss that nagging feeling of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1328662055/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_VX9HB1AJP89MHM1ERNG9?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 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).

From 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself as an influencer? Would you like to improve your strength in this area? And, imagine the people in your life who have been positive influencers. How do you hold them in your mind? What qualities do they have in common? Whether or not you think you are an influencer, you are. And whether or not you think you are influenced by others, you are as well. And, fortunately, when it comes to influence, we can all improve our skills at exerting it and noticing how we are influenced. One of the best people on the planet with whom to discuss this important topic is my new friend, Dr. Zoe Chance (https://www.zoechance.com/). Zoe is one of the most powerful and likable people I’ve ever met.  She is a researcher and a professor of the most popular course taught at Yale School of Management on the topic of influence. She is also the author of a book I absolutely loved and have recommended extensively called Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen.  I am not alone in my love of Zoe’s work and scores of luminaries like Adam Grant and Daniel Pink have endorsed this brilliant book that I believe will make you smile as you get smarter.   Zoe’s work is not about influencing through manipulation or blindsiding people.  Rather, it is about helping people access their authentic truths and reaching their goals through kindness and collaboration. So, listen in, as Zoe and I have a lively talk about how to rock your superpower of influence. Link to her book: https://amzn.to/43Soq2P 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).

Parenting is a tough gig. We love and adore our children and, yet, there are so many aspects of their lives over which we don’t have control.  Our instinct is to want to protect them from the impacts of failures and their bad choices -- all while keeping them physically and mentally and healthy. We intellectually know that protecting our children too much isn’t good for them, either. So, how do we navigate these conflicting imperatives? Two of the best books I have recently enjoyed on parenting come from the brilliant woman interviewed in this episode. Jessica Lahey (https://www.jessicalahey.com/) is the author of The Addiction Inoculation and the Gift of Failure.  The New York Times Book Review, Publisher’s Weekly and many well-regarded thought leaders hold her work in the highest regard and for good reason: she has identified and provided user-friendly solutions for much of what challenges modern children and parents daily. So, listen in as Jess unpacks the parenting tips everyone needs! Addiction Inoculation: Gift of Failure: https://amzn.to/3X0CS6I 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).

Imagine that you've just come back from running your first half marathon. Imagine further that you’re not a natural runner and that the half marathon took you months of preparation.  You feel excited to share the news on social media when, lo-and-behold, you see a post of a friend that reads, “I just finished my 3rd Iron Man Triathlon.” You think, “Damn.  I ran 13.1 miles, and my friend swam a few miles, biked 100, and then ran 26.2… and for the third time.” Suddenly, you feel bad about something that had felt so good just minutes before.  You’ve engaged in social comparison, and that’s something all humans do. How can we enjoy who we are, what we do, and so much of what life has to offer when our brains go into social comparison and make us feel worse? Fortunately, I know just the guy to ask.  Dr. Ronald Siegel (https://drronsiegel.com/) is a professor at Harvard Medical School, a psychologist, and best-selling author who just wrote a must-read book called The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary: Finding Happiness Right Where You Are.  Ron explains how our brains can both harm us or serve us and how to regain control over the default programming in very user-friendly ways.  The book has been widely loved by luminaries in the field of psychology and readers of all walks of life. So, listen in as Ron unpacks how to override the brain’s tendency toward social comparison. Ron's Book: https://amzn.to/3N1CT5D 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 can hardly believe it—we are at episode number 100! And, for this special mile-marker, I thought I would do a solo on a topic I care about deeply: mentorship.  One of the biggest difference makers in my life (and nearly every awesome guest’s life on the SuperPsyched Podcast) has been mentorship.  Nearly everyone I have spoken to has acknowledged a mentor who fundamentally changed their lives and helped them propel to the space they now occupy. What is a mentor? What are the potential benefits of having such a person in your life? How can you find one? And how might you benefit from becoming a mentor? I address these and many other questions in this solo episode… I even share two very personal accounts of my own relationships with mentors. So, please, listen in and perhaps you’ll come to appreciate your mentors more deeply, or start a mentor relationship of your own. (Photo is of Adam and his academic mentor, Dr. Allen Greenberger.  It is in his memory and Martin Doerner's that this episode is dedicated)

Parenting can be tough. To be sure, there are external challenges like when our children behave in ways we don’t like. But there are also internal challenges—like when we beat up on ourselves as we undertake this enormous task. And when we beat up on ourselves, it tends not to be good for our children. What if there was a way to be kinder to ourselves and simultaneously be better parents? Turns out, there is, and my guest is the perfect person to help us unpack the playbook for better parenting through self-compassion.  Dr. Susan Pollak (https://www.drsusanpollak.com/) is a psychologist and the cofounder at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance.  She is also the author of a book I loved called Self-Compassion for Parents. So, listen in as Susan masterfully explains how to be kinder to ourselves and to our children. Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3X5DAzm 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).

Our brains cause us to crave many things. It might be material like a new car. It might be an experience like a vacation. It might be advancement like a promotion at work. And, of course, it might be a substance like sugar or alcohol. For too many of us, this craving can lead to addiction and we can begin to feel as though the addiction controls our very lives. Why do we become addicted to things that are bad for us? What do all addictions have in common?  And, how can we get back in the driver’s seat in our lives and regain control over our addictions? Fortunately, I spoke with the right guy to answer these and any other questions you’ll want answered! Dr. Judson Brewer is a world class psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and a bestselling author of several books including one we’ll draw from in this interview called The Craving Mind.  Jud earned a doctorate in medicine as well as a PhD in immunology, and he is a professor at Brown University Medical School.  He gave a TED talk with over 10 million views on how to break a bad habit and he’s developed apps to assist people in gaining control over their craving minds. I’m confident you’ll love learning from Jud as I did on this episode as we talk about our craving minds and how to handle them. Book link: https://amzn.to/3qLHstz 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).