The Science of Success

In this episode we explore emotions and facial expression in depth with one of the world’s top experts - the psychologist who pioneered much of the work in this field - Dr. Paul Ekman. We discuss the 6-7 major universal emotions, how emotional reactions are unchanged across cultures, ages, and even species, we discuss micro expressions, reading people’s faces, how to manage and control your emotions, and much much more.      Dr. Paul Ekman is best known for his work as a pioneer researching the field of emotions and how they relate to our facial expressions and as founder of the Paul Ekman Group. These studies along with many others led to Paul being named one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine and One of the Most Influential Psychologist of the 20th Century by the American Psychological Association. Paul has written over 14 books and 170 published articles having his work appear in Psychology Today, The New Yorker, Oprah, Larry King, and more.Reading facial expressions with definitive evidenceThere is some universality to our expressions across cultures, ages, and even species Expressions are a product of evolution There are 6-7 major universal emotions FearAngerSadnessDisgustSurpriseEnjoyment Contempt (maybe not as robust evidence)You have to avoid “Othello’s error” - you can read an emotion, but that doesn’t tell you what TRIGGERS itThe face, as a universal signal system, conveys a tremendous amount of informationThere are 16 different types of enjoymentHow poker tells can teach us about emotional expressions and how we often read them wrongWe can know HOW people feel, but we cannot know what triggered how they feelIn one hour you can learn to read anyone's faceThe hardest emotion to turn on is enjoymentEmotions are memories, expectations, changes in what we think, and changes in how we can rememberWhen we are in the grip of an emotion - we most readily perceive things that fit the emotion we are experiencing and ignore things that don'tIt’s not easy to manage your emotions, but it is possibleFast onset vs slow onset emotional reactivenessFast vs slow emotional offsetThe specific steps you can take to manage your emotions and create a gap between emotional triggers and emotional reactionsDiary / journal is a powerful tool for understanding and managing your emotional statesRecord negative emotional experiencesSee what they have in commonSee if you can anticipate and prepare for negative emotionsEmotion is useful, powerful, but also can become cumbersome Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss everything you ever wanted to know about sleep. We examine the findings from hundreds of studies across millions of people and pull out the major findings about how vitally important sleep is, the global sleep loss epidemic, the stunning data about sleep and productivity, the simplest and most effective evidence based strategies for getting better sleep and much more with Dr. Matthew Walker.    Dr. Matthew Walker is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He has published over 100 scientific studies and is the author of the book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Which is currently the #1 Amazon Bestseller in Neuroscience . He has been featured on numerous television and radio outlets, including CBS 60 Minutes, National Geographic Channel, NOVA Science, NRP and the BBC.Global sleep loss epidimic - the average American sleeps only 6.5 hours per nightSleep has slowly been eroded by our society over the last 60 yearsSleep is vital and essential from an evolutionary standpoint - you can’t just lop off 25% of the necessary sleep you need If you sleep less, you will be dead sooner, lack of sleep kills your more quicklyLack of sleep is a major predictor of “all cause mortality” including cancer, alzheimers, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, and suicideHard science shows why a lack of sleep is tremendously bad for youSleep has an image problem, we stigmatize sleep and think its lazy and slothful - people wear lack of sleep as a badge of honor to be celebratedThe 5 clear truths of sleep research and productivity Under-slept employees take on less challenging problems They produce fewer creative solutions They exert less effort when working in groups (slacking off, social loafing) They are more likely to lie, cheat, and engage in deviant behavior The more or less sleep that a CEO has had, the more or less charismatic they will be Chronic exhaustion cost most first world nation 2% of the GDP - 411 billion dollars lost each year to a lack of sleepThe evidence is resoundingly clear - cutting on sleep makes you less productive and less creative and less effectiveAfter being awake for 21 hours, you’re as cognitively imparied as someoen who is legally drunkThe two principle types of sleep - REM sleep and non-REM sleepThe different stages of sleep - the 4 stages of REM sleepHard science shows that deep Sleep is critical to clearing toxins out of your brainSleep is like a sewage system for your brian - it cleans all the toxins and debris out of your brainThe less sleep you have, the higher your probability of getting alzheimersDifferent cognitive systems in your brain also work during sleep - its like saving files to a hard drive, you have to sleep to get the save button Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is a bit off the beaten path for us here at the Science of Success. Given this time of year, when many are thinking, reflecting, and being a bit more spiritual - we wanted to offer a different perspective. This episode is not as science based, but still provides a fascinating dialogue with a Buddhist monk, who was the first westerner ordained by the Dalai Lama, on life, meditation, mindfulness, and much more with our guest Robert Thurman.    Robert Thurman is a Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. Time magazine has called Robert “the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism.” and named him one of Time Magazine most influential Americans in 1997. Robert was the first westerner ever to be ordained as a Tibetan Monk by the Dalai Lama and his work and books have been featured all over the globe.How Robert’s journey took him to becoming a Tibetan Monk under the Dalai LlamaThe dogma of materialism - mind is the power that directs matter The basic misunderstandings of buddhism from a western perspectiveLife is sufferingIt’s just meditationMeditation without context isn’t useful The two kinds of meditationClearing your mind of thinking / emptying the mindAnalytic / critical meditation or “insight meditation”Thinking something directed towards the exploration of yourself, ideas, or things around youHow an egotistical approach creates “guaranteed misery” - you could become the most powerful person on the planet and people still wont think you’re important Why enlightenment is not clearing your mind of thoughtsThe importance of focusing on and being open to other peopleYou can learn if you examine yourself and your worldLook more objectively at your thought flow - see where thought flows arise, penetrate the thought flow, see the negative thoughts and the positive thoughts What thought is that? How accurate is it? Where does it come from? Whose voice is it? my mother’s voice? my fathers? my uncles? my teacher? Gain leverage on how the mind works, edit how the mind works reinforce the positive insights, de-enforce the negative insights  It’s helpful to have help of others - mobilize minds that are further along the path than you are - your the only one who can learn your reality in a  viscerally transformative way - use their help and follow their methodsHow Eckart Tolle battled back from the verge of suicide - looking critically at negative thoughts Experiential understanding of the nature of reality - reality is beyond anyone’s idea of realityHow does the Dalai Llama keep up his joy, good humor, and happiness in a world full of so much suffering?The nature of life itself is blissful. Reality is good. The more you’re open to reality, the happier you are. Broaden your attitude and orientation, don’t deny the bad experiences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss one of the most important evidence based psychology principles that make people successful - self awareness. We look at the difference between people who succeed and those who plateau. We talk about why self awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century and the foundational skill required to succeed in anything, and we examine conclusions form over 800 scientific studies about self awareness with our guest Dr. Tasha Eurich.       Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and principal of The Eurich Group. She received her Ph.D in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University and a BA in Theatre and Psychology. She is the New York Times Bestselling author of Bankable Leadership and INSIGHT. Her TED talk has been viewed over one million times and her work has been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, The New York Times and many more!    How Tasha uses evidence based psychology principles to make people more succesful The difference between people who plateau and people who meet and defeat challenge head on Self awareness “the meta skill of the 21st century" What does the data show is linked to high self awareness? Self awareness is foundational to all skills required to succeed What does the Science say about Self Awareness? Self aware people are: More fulfilled Better communications More confidence Have better relationships More effective leaders Run more profitable companies Self awareness sets the UPPER LIMIT for the skills you need to be successful in the world today 95% people of people think that they are self aware but only 10-15% actually are On a good day 80% of people are lying to themselves about lying to themselves Conclusions from reviewing over 800 scientific studies to figure out WHAT self awareness was The 2 broad categories of self awareness - the ability to see yourself cleary Internal Self Awareness (introspective people) External Self Awareness (pleasers) Self awareness is an “infinitely learnable skill” There are no demographic commonalities between self awareness The 3 categories of Self Awareness Unicorns  Being in a new role / new set of rules Earthquake events - usually negative - that are so devastating that they either cause is to bury our heads in the sand, or they become a catalyst for self awareness The MOST LIKELY - everyday insights The barriers to self awareness are myriad Internal wiring of human beings - change the way you introspect The power of substituting the word WHY for the word WHAT The world we live in today - social media, reality TV, the “cult of self” The cult of the self - and how our culture damages self awareness The challenges of excavating our subconscious / unconscious mind Moving forward with purpose, logic, and curiosity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Relationship expert Keith Ferrazzi discusses shifting from networking to authentic relationship building, leading with generosity, and the power of co-elevation. He emphasizes taking responsibility for relationships, moving from individualism to co-creation, and the importance of mutual growth and collaboration in achieving success.

In this episode we explore rejection in depth. We talk about the incredible power of rejection, go deep into rejection therapy, look at the incredible results created by seeking out rejection and living beyond your comfort zone, talk about the magic of asking why, hear a few incredible stories from 100 days of rejection, and much more with our guest Jia Jiang.      Jia Jiang is the founder 100 Days of Rejection and the author of Rejection Proof. In an effort to overcome his fear of rejection Jia spent 100 Days forcing himself into situation after situation where rejection was almost guaranteedJia has been featured on the TED Stage, Forbes, Business Insider, and much more.    Jia’s personal relationship with rejection The misalignment between wanting to achieve and being afraid of rejection The only way to overcome your fear is to embrace it and meet it head on How to become a badass and become fearless Saying no with grace - how to say no with grace Show people alternatives Give them something else / help them to get a yes in some way Have respect "Everything amazing and beautiful happens outside your comfort zone" The amazing power of forcing yourself to constantly challenge and operate outside your comfort zone The importance of understanding the vast majority will stay say no to you and why that doesn’t matter It doesn’t matter when you get rejected The few people that say yes make a huge impact - a real breakthrough "How many yesses have I missed in my life?” You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take It’s not about getting a yes - it’s about EXPLORING and CREATING SOMETHING The worst thing that can happen is you saying no to yourself It’s about having fun and challenging yourself Jia’s advice for someone who is afraid to take the first step How to take the first step and overcome the inertia of facing your first rejection Start small, just a little bit outside of your comfort zone, and grow If you ask enough, there is no request that will get rejected by everyone What to do if you feel like you’re bothering people when you ask them for something Be curious, don’t make your goal to get a yes - make your goal to ask 10 people  Turning no into yes, and the magic of asking “why” Ask people why they said no to you - find out what the reason is What Jia learned from asking a stranger to plant a flower in his back yard The power of doubt and empathy Humor and positivity - don't take yourself too seriously We go through a bunch of rapid rejection techniques you can use right now You can do rejection therapy for FUN - or you can align it with you goals!  Embrace rejection - rejection means something GOOD not something BAD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we explore what it takes to succeed at the highest possible levels, we get science and data from years in the trenches with top performers to uncover the strategies that really work for achieving results, we dig deep into the life long quest of discovering your own personal philosophy and much more with Dr. Michael Gervais.      Dr. Michael Gervais - Michael is a high performance psychologist who trains mindset skills and practices that are essential to revealing one’s potential. Michael has worked with some of the world’s top performers including sports teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Felix Baumgartner (The Red Bull Sponsored Athlete Who Completed the Stratosphere Jump)Olympians, musicians, and more! His work has been featured on ESPN, CNN, The New York Times, and much more!     NOTES:    Years in the trenches with top performers to get the best strategies The importance of rugged and hostile environments to cultivating presence and peak performance The value of working hard and getting right on the edge of capacity in order to grow Our ancient brain is the thing that gets us stuck, keeps us safe, and keeps us small There are only 3 things you can train as a human You can train your body You can train your craft - this varies by person - can be anything from writing to motorcross to partening You can train your mind Everything falls into those buckets when we talk about the development of the human experience A personal philosophy is one of the most significant anchors you can ground yourself with. Great achievers always have clarity of personal philosophy Line up your thoughts, words, and actions across any environment - there is a sense of power that comes from that - an inner knowing and being that is so rock solid that you can move eloquently in any environment when you have that mindset The life-long quest of discovering your own personal philosophy - and the 3 methodologies Mindfulness - being present with your inner experience Being around wise people - people who are switched on, people who are having deep convos, talking about their philosophies, having those conversations Writing - the art of writing, taking a thought and all the words in your native tongue and lock down these ideas and concepts Start with putting your philosophy to memory, and then most importantly begin putting your philosophy into practice There’s nothing new in the world of self help - the science is super clear - this is what we know to be true - you just have to do the work Optimism is a foundational pillar for mental toughness, optimism is about how you think about your future Relentless belief that you can focus your mind on what’s good First function - without awareness of inner dialogue you’re dead in the water - you must have meditation/mindfulness - train your inner experience to become more aware of thoughts and sensations Second - Martin Seligman - focus on 3 good things - gratitude journal  Become a researcher of amazing / researcher of good in your own life  Mindfulness is the backbone that runs through all of these strategies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're extremely excited to introduce to you a new occasional segment of The Science of Success, Tuesday Talks! Are you tired of all the BS and fluff that oftentimes accompanies personal development? Tuesday Talks delivers to you Evidence Based Growth tactics that are proven to work and deliver maximum impact in your life in under five minutes.  In this episode, we dive into the 80/20 principle and the impact it can have on your life starting today. This principle can be applied to everything in life. By utilizing it the right way, you can ensure you are focusing on the right things, getting the most out of your time, and ultimately, begin producing more results than you ever thought possible.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss the proven strategies building effective relationships, why it’s vital to understand that the results you get in the world are a result of working with other people, how you can see the world from other people’s perspectives, tactics for building your credibility, how to get better feedback and much more with Todd Davis.      Todd Davis is the Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Franklin Covey and author of the new book Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work. Todd is responsible for Franklin Covey’s global talent development in over 40 offices in 160 countries and previously served as director of innovations, developing many of the company’s core offerings.    The culture of an organization can make all the difference The nature of relationships between people becomes a companies ultimate competitive advantage Todd’s lessons from working with and coaching hundreds of companies and executives What did Sarte mean when he said that “Hell is other people?” The ultimate way you are measured is by the results you get You get your results WITH and THROUGH and other people What we see determines everything we do, and what we do determines the results we get Consider stepping back and understanding that their may be a different way to view things - that can powerfully impact your relationships Ask yourself “have you considered the other person’s perspective?” An exercise can you use right now to start to see the world from other people’s perspectives The power of examining your real motives Journaling exercise you can use to understand your real motives “The Five Whys” - keep asking why until you get to the root cause The most effective, successful, and influential people start with themselves first Your circle of influence vs your circle of concern Why you should focus your time, energy, effort, and resources on things that you can impact and control The power of asking “Can you help me understand something?” Start with humility - the power of having humility in dealing with tough conversations Proactive, effective people don’t wait for feedback, they actively go and seek it out The 4 common reasons why we don’t seek feedback (and what you can do about them) A great opening line for dealing with tough conversations and situations  Seeking validation vs actually seeking feedback How to “behave your way to credibility” The 2 key components for credibility - character and competence  An exercise you can use to build your credibility over the long term The single biggest mistake of influencing other people - not “walking your talk” Make sure someone deeply understands your intent When emotions are high - that’s not the moment to start addressing the problem With people - "fast is slow and slow is fast" The socratic method of influencing people - if you ask the right questions, seek understanding, and uncover the real issues - you can solve serious problems Todd shares a personal story that deeply impacts the lessons we discuss in the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode we discuss how our guest went from a childhood head injury to becoming an accelerated learning expert. We cover memory, speed reading, improving your focus, taking notes like an expert and go deep into tactics for accelerated learning. We talk about the importance of mastering the fundamentals, and get into tons of highly specific and actionable advice you can use today with our guest Jim Kwik.      Jim Kwik is the founder of Kwik Learning and Superhero You. Jim is a brain coach in speed reading, memory improvement, brain performance, and accelerated learning. Jim’s methods and work have been utilized by with several high profile companies including Nike, SpaceX, and GE, as well as individuals such as the Clintons, Oprah, Richard Branson and more.    We’ve discovered more in the last 20 years about the human brain than we learned in the 2000 years before that How Jim went from growing up with learning challenges from an early childhood head injury to become an expert in accelerated learning and speed reading How to read 30 books in 30 days How we can actually retain what we read Knowledge is not power, its only potential power  The one super power you want to master in the 21st century (learn faster) Traditional speed reeding, skimming, skipping words, getting the gist of something is not enough - its about fully capturing and retaining the information The average person reads 1-2 books per year, but the average CEO reads 4-5 books per month What Bill Gates said the #1 super power he would pick would be How you can gain 2 months of productive time per year Why motivation is such a critical component of accelerated learning - have a purpose for why you read "H-Cubed” - 3 things you need for motivation to have accelerated learning  The fastest way to read something is not to read it at all - figured out what your end goal is How you can remember names more effectively & become a great connector If you forget someone’s name, you show that they’re not important to you How to give a speech without notes Brain Hacks for Speed Reading “Leaders are readers” and why Jim thinks you should read 30 minutes per day  12 things Jim does every morning to jumpstart his brain Mental fitness is as important, if not more important, than mental intelligence Using a “visual pacer” and how that brain hack can help you instantly double your reading speed One of the biggest traps in the personal development field is the “next new thing” People who are truly on the path to Mastery focus on the fundamentals and get REALLY REALLY GOOD at the BASICS How to get a 20-50% boost in your reading speed right now Excellence comes down to a set of routines, rituals, and habits If we always do the easy thing in life, life becomes hard, if we do the hard things, life becomes easy BEMAT = behavior equals motivation ability and trigger The primacy principle and the recency principle - and why you should chunk and take breaks to create more “beginnings and ends" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.