The Psychology Podcast

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio discusses consciousness, the relationship between mind and consciousness, perception, mental illness, evolution, panpsychism, AI, and machine learning. He explores the evolution of emotions, feelings, and consciousness, emphasizing the social aspect of emotions and the distinction between feelings and emotions.

Noam Chomsky, a legendary linguist and political activist, discusses the cognitive revolution, modern-day behavioral genetics, intelligence, creativity, social justice movements, human nature, race consciousness, and his views on Trump. He also shares thoughts on cancel culture, 'defund the police,' and reflects on his life regrets.

David Epstein, author of bestsellers Range and The Sports Gene, discusses the complex relationship between talent and hard work in various domains, the limitations of the 10,000 hour rule, the importance of self-knowledge, finding fulfillment through finding one's best fit, the link between mental illness and creativity, genetic traits and creative thinking, and the relationship between autism and specialization in the sciences.

George Bonanno, an expert in trauma and resilience, discusses the misconceptions about trauma and the invention of the PTSD diagnosis. He defines resilience and its correlation to individual differences. George explores the flexibility mindset and sequence for navigating personal traumatic events and global tragedies like 9/11 or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Angela Duckworth, researcher and author on grit and perseverance, discusses her background in psychology and her interest in studying the relationship between talent and effort. They also delve into the genetic influence on human behavior and characteristics, the concept of equifinality in achieving goals, and measuring grit while acknowledging criticism in the field of science.

Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman discusses judgment, decision-making, reducing noise and bias, and thinking fast and slow. Personal experiences during World War II, collaboration research on intuition and expertise, system one and system two processing, measuring and defining emotions, wealth and happiness connection, role of bias and noise in decision making, growth and wisdom, and cognitive biases are explored.

Renowned neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges traditional views of emotions and discusses her theory of constructed emotion. They cover topics such as the impact of past experiences on cognition, hallucinogens, culture, education, relationships, and authoritarianism. They also explore the new frontier of researching the human brain, the role of metabolism and body budgeting in perception, and the predictive nature of the brain. They discuss the relationship between mind and brain, variations in emotion perception based on cultural differences, and the need for diverse research on emotions. They also delve into individual differences, social awkwardness, and the importance of gaze in regulating attention and learning.

Robert Waldinger, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Zen priest, discusses the findings of the longest scientific study of happiness, highlighting the power of connection. Topics covered include psychodynamic therapy, defense mechanisms, attachment, and psychological research.

In this episode, Orin Davis, a self-actualization engineer, discusses the new science of flow. He explores Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's work, studying flow at a group level. Topics include increasing flow, microflow, hypnosis, positive psychology, and self-actualization.

Michael Slepian, an expert on the psychology of secrets, discusses how secrets affect relationships and well-being. He shares a personal story of discovering a family secret and explores different categories of secrets. The podcast also covers topics like personality, morality, trauma, developmental psychology, and communication.