The Psychology Podcast

Today we have Dan Pink on the podcast. Pink is the author of six provocative best-selling books— including his newest: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. His other books include A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell is Human. Pink’s books have won multiple awards and have been translated into 38 languages. In this episode we discuss the following topics: What is the best way to motivate people? The case for “metapay” among self-actualized people How purpose is a powerful motivator The “motivation continuum” The ways contingent rewards can go awry Is it possible to be "unhealthily autonomous"? The importance of “killing your darlings” Dark triad selling vs. cooperative selling The “identity civil war” and zero-sum thinking The new ABCs of communication The myth of the necessity of extraversion for sales success The importance of time management The best and worst times to do… When is the best time to have a mid-life crisis? Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today it’s a great delight to have James Clear on the podcast. Clear’s website, jamesclear.com, receives millions of visitors each month, and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his email newsletter. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Time, and Entrepreneur, and on CBS This Morning, and is taught in colleges around the world. Clear is the creator of The Habits Academy, the premier training platform for organizations and individuals that are interested in building better habits in life and work. His latest book is called “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”.   - How the mind is a “suggestion engine”   - How James has grown since his last appearance on The Psychology Podcast   - The importance of “dichotomy transcendence”   - The importance of choosing the best environment for your genes   - How was easily fall into “frictionless” habits   - How environment design plays a crucial role in habit change   - The four laws of behavior change   - The multiple levels of behavior change   - The link between identity and habit change   - The importance of small habits   - Why we should stop focusing on goals and focus on systems instead   - Why it’s easier to build a new habit in a new environment   - How to go from good to great Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today it’s a great honor to have Dr. Robert Plomin on the podcast. Dr. Plomin is Professor of Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London. He previously held positions at the University of Colorado Boulder and Pennsylvania State University. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and of the British Academy for his twin studies and his groundbreaking work in behavioral genetics. He is the author or coauthor of many books, including G is for Genes: The Impact of Genetics on Education and Achievement (with Kathryn Asbury), and most recently, BluePrint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the following topics: How Robert became interested in genetics The importance of going “with the grain” of your nature Robert’s twin studies methodology How genotypes become phenotypes How kids select their environments in ways that correlate with their genetic inclinations The genetic influence on television viewing How virtually everything is moderately heritable The effects of extreme trauma on the brain The developmental trajectory of heritability How the abnormal is normal How we could use polygenic information to inform educational interventions The potential for misuse of genetic information to select children for particular educational tracks Recent research on shared environmental influences on educational achievement The “nature of nurture” The variability of heritability across different cultures and levels of SES The role of education on intelligence How teachers can and cannot make a difference The genetics of social class mobility Free will and how we can change our destiny Further Reading Fifty years of twin studies: A meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits The nature of nurture: effects of parental genotypes Variat Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have Dr. Justin Lehmiller on the podcast. Dr. Lehmiller is a Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute and author of the book Tell Me What you Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life. Lehmiller is an award winning educator, having been honored three times with the Certificate of Teaching Excellence from Harvard University, where he taught for several years. He is also a prolific researcher and scholar who has published more than 40 pieces of academic writing to date, including a textbook entitled The Psychology of Human Sexuality. On this episode we cover a wide range of provocative and fascinating findings from the largest survey on sexual fantasies of all time. Topics include: The most common sexual fantasies among humans The most taboo sexual fantasy category Fantasy vs. desire Reducing shame for the content of one’s sexual fantasies The relationship between the fantasy-prone personality and sexual fantasies The importance of sexual self-actualization for well-being The benefits of open communication of our fantasies with our partners Sexual orientation vs. sexual flexibility The truth behind widely held stereotypes about BDSM Gender differences in sexual fantasies What your sexual fantasies say about you The sexiest superhero OCD and gender bending Does size really matter? Which fantasy is the least likely to work out when it’s actually acted out? How can more people turn their fantasies into reality in a healthy way? How can we break the barriers in society that prevent us from properly communicating our sexual desires? Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have Michael Shermer and Philip Goff on the podcast. Michael is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, and Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia. Goff is an associate professor in philosophy at Central European University in Budapest. His main research focus is trying to explain how the brain produces consciousness. His first book, which was published by Oxford University Press, is called Consciousness and Fundamental Reality. Goff is currently working on a book on consciousness aimed at a general audience. In this episode we cover the following topics: Is reasoning the ultimate route to truth? What if human rational faculties can’t comprehend the ultimates realities of existence? Will the hard problem of consciousness ever be solved? Panpsychism as a scientific alternative for explaining consciousness The latest neuroscience of consciousness and its implications for understanding the hard problem of consciousness The insights that can be gleaned through understanding subjective experience Will we ever discover if free will exists? To what extent can our understanding of cognitive neuroscience and genetics can elucidate the extent of our free will? The possibility for “free won’t” Can science ever solve the mystery of the existence of God? How can the science of consciousness, free-will, and God help alleviate fundamental existential concerns of humanity? Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this engaging discussion, Sara Algoe, an Associate Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Virginia, shares her insights on the power of gratitude and laughter in building strong relationships. She explains the "find, remind, and bind" theory of gratitude, illustrating how it fosters deeper connections. The conversation dives into the nuances of mixed emotions and the role of gratitude in mental health. Algoe highlights the effectiveness of gratitude interventions, emphasizing their importance for well-being in everyday life.

“There are two ideas about safe spaces. One is a very good idea, and one is a terrible idea. The idea of being physically safe on a campus, not being subjected to sexual harassment and physical abuse, or being targeted for something specifically for some sort of hate speech… I’m perfectly fine with that. But there’s another that is now ascendent, which I just think is a horrible view, which is ‘I need to be safe ideologically, I need to be safe emotionally, I just need to feel good all the time. And if someone says something that I don’t like, that is a problem for everyone else, including the administration.’ I think that is a terrible idea for the following reason: I don’t want you to be safe ideologically. I don’t want you to be safe emotionally. I want you to be strong. That’s different. I’m not going to pave the jungle for you. Put on some boots, and learn how to deal with adversity. I’m not going to take all the weights out of the gym. That’s the whole point of the gym. This is the gym.” — Anthony Van Jones Today we have Jonathan Haidt on the podcast. Dr. Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Dr. Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures— including the cultures of American progressive, conservatives, and libertarians. Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis, and of The New York Times bestseller The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. His third book, co-authored with Greg Lukianoff, is called The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure. In this episode we discuss:  “The tumultuous years” on college campuses from 2015-2017 Wisdom and its opposite The three great untruths The main aims of Heterodox Academy The importance of exposing students to opposing views on campus The detrimental effects of moral amplification How moral foundations theory helps explain political divides The common humanity of liberals and conservatives The psychological function of having a common enemy How social media amplifies tribalism The rise of antifragility The net effect of “callout culture” The importance of play in early childhood The importance of cognitive behavioral therapy and sharpening your intuitions The importance of both racial/ethnic minority diversity and viewpoint diversity How to help young people flourish in college Links Heterodox Academy Wisdom as a classical source of human strength: Conceptualization and empirical inquiry https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have Carl Zimmer on the podcast. Zimmer reports from the frontiers of biology, where scientists are expanding our understanding of life. Since 2004 he was written about science for the New York Times, where his column “Matter” has appeared weekly since 2013. Zimmer has won many awards for his work, including the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, awarded by the Society for the Study of Evolution to recognize individuals whose sustained efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science. Zimmer is the author of thirteen books about science. His latest book is She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Power, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.   In this episode, we discuss:   - The difference between genetics and heredity   - The perils and promises of gene-editing technologies   - The potential for unethical application of emerging genetics findings   - The potential for misuse of the genetics of intelligence in education   - The potential perils of genetically modified mosquitoes    - The potential perils of genetically modified crops   - The quirky nature of epigenetics   - The existence of “human chimeras”   - The limitations of DNA testing Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 "When you turn your back on reality you lose the ability to manipulate reality. One would think that is self-evident. I didn't go into this to not try to find the truth." -- James Flynn* Today it is an honor to have Dr. James Flynn on the podcast. Dr. Flynn is Professor Emeritus at the University of Otago and recipient of the University’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Career Research. In 2007, the International Society for Intelligence Research named him its Distinguished Contributor. His TED talk on cognitive and moral progress has received over 3.5 million visits. His long list of books include Are We Getting Smarter?, What is Intelligence?, Where Have All the Liberals Gone?, Fate and Philosophy, How to Improve Your Mind, and most recently, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Does-your-Family-Make-Smar Support this podcast: <a href=">https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we have Michael Steger on the podcast. Dr. Steger is a Professor of Psychology, and the Founding Director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. He studies the link between meaning in life and well-being, as well as the psychological predictors of physical health and health-risk behaviors, and the facilitators and benefits of engaging in meaningful work. In this episode we discuss the following topics: - The definition of meaning in life - The measurement of meaning - The dark triad and meaning - “The Hitler Problem” - Life satisfaction vs. meaning in life - Different forms of pleasure - The possibility for “meaning exhaustion” - Meaningful work - The difference between coherence, purpose, and significance - Different meanings of purpose - The strongest sources of meaning in life Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.