Stanford Psychology Podcast

George Mashour, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan, discusses the study of psychedelics, defining psychedelic drugs, comparing altered states of consciousness, and prominent theories of consciousness. He explores shared connectivity patterns in the brain under the influence of psychedelics and anesthetics. Mashour reflects on their personal journey and the importance of rigor and learning from the past in psychedelic research.

Matt Abrahams, leading expert in communication, discusses public speaking, stage fright, and his upcoming book. Overrated advice, reducing filler words, and being engaging on and off stage are explored. The role of humor in communication and translating academic research for non-academic audiences are also discussed. The chapter concludes by exploring career paths for psychology graduates in communication and teaching, as well as improving podcast engagement and connection.

Gillian Sandstrom, Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness, discusses the misconceptions and benefits of talking to strangers. She explores fears and interventions, lasting changes after engaging with strangers, conversation starters, cultural considerations, societal norms, and flexibility of social norms in social interactions.

Jon Jachimowicz, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Harvard Business School, discusses the complex link between passion and productivity. He explores how passion can lead to exhaustion and emphasizes the importance of maintaining passion in the long run. The podcast also touches on cultural differences in pursuing passion, challenges faced in discovering one's passions, and the struggle to balance financial return and personal values.

Welcome to Week 6 of our REAIR SUMMER! From this week till September 21st, we will be revisiting some of our favorite episodes around topics related to personal development and self-improvement!Eric chats with Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and Co-Director of the Greater Good Science Center. Dacher has worked on many topics such as compassion, power, and social class. He has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to “The Science of Happiness” through his online course and podcast with the same name. He has written multiple best-selling books, most recently on awe.In this chat, Eric asks Dacher about all things awe, from traveling to psychedelics to Beyonce. Does everyone feel awe? Should everyone feel it? What is the most common form of awe? How can awe help people through grief? What does it have to do with ASMR? Does awe make people naïve? Finally, Dacher shares what it was like to work on movies such as Inside Out and adds some kind words about his former advisor and psychology legend, the late Lee Ross.WE NOW HAVE A SUBSTACK! Stay up to date with the pod and become part of the ever-growing community :) https://stanfordpsypod.substack.com/If you found this episode interesting at all, consider leaving us a good rating! It just takes a second but will allow us to reach more people and make them excited about psychology.Links:Dacher's new book on aweDacher's websiteEric's websiteEric's Twitter @EricNeumannPsyPodcast Twitter @StanfordPsyPodPodcast Substack https://stanfordpsypod.substack.com/Let us know what you think of this episode, or of the podcast! :) stanfordpsychpodcast@gmail.com

Dr. Jay Van Bavel, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU, discusses his book 'The Power of Us' exploring how collective concerns shape behavior. They touch on bias in academia, the influence of implicit bias, and the importance of social identities in addressing issues like inequality and climate change.

James Gross, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Psychophysiology Lab, discusses the effects of emotion regulation interventions during the pandemic. He explores the concept of reappraisal as a tool for managing emotions, the relationship between anxiety and health behaviors, and the lasting effects of brief interventions. The podcast also highlights the connection between emotions and thoughts, emphasizing the importance of understanding and regulating them.

In this episode, Eric chats with Juliana Schroeder, Associate Professor in the Management of Organizations at Berkeley Haas. They discuss Juliana's recent work on 'undersociality,' highlighting the benefits of engaging in meaningful conversations and the anxieties associated with initiating them. They also explore the concept of dehumanization and the challenges of balancing motherhood and academia.

Welcome to Week 2 of our REAIR SUMMER! From this week till September 21st, we will be revisiting some of our favorite episodes around topics related to personal development and self-improvement! Eric chats with Abigail Marsh, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Georgetown. Her work has focused on phenomena as diverse as empathy, altruism, aggression, and psychopathy. In 2017,  Abby published her book, The Fear Factor, describing her fascinating research with extreme altruists on the one hand and individuals with psychopathy on the other. She is the former President of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society.In this episode, Abby challenges the common assumption that individualism means selfishness. Instead, she has found that individualism predicts more kindness, just like being healthy and wealthy predicts being kinder to others. Eric and Abby discuss if our understanding of individualism is wrong, if kindness might look different in individualistic versus collectivistic cultures, and if people are too cynical these days.If you found this episode interesting at all, consider leaving us a good rating! It just takes a second but will allow us to reach more people and make them excited about psychology.Links:Abby's paperAbby's book The Fear FactorAbby's Twitter @aa_marshEric's websiteEric's Twitter @EricNeumannPsyPodcast Twitter @StanfordPsyPodLet us know what you thought of this episode, or of the podcast! :) stanfordpsychpodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to Week 1 of our REAIR SUMMER! From this week till September 21st, we will be revisiting some of our favorite episodes around topics related to personal development and self-improvement! This week, we revisit the conversation between Eric and Josh Greene, Professor of Psychology at Harvard. Josh is a leading researcher of moral judgment and is the author of Moral Tribes. Several graduating classes have named him their favorite professor at Harvard! In this chat, Eric asks Josh how he has raised over 2 million $ for charity through Giving Multiplier. Listeners are invited to give to both their favorite and some of the most effective charities - and have their donation matched at a higher rate than usual at this link! Josh also shares how he is trying to fight polarization with games, how to do the most good as a researcher, why cooperation is the story of life, what his next book is about, the future of moral psychology, and how his thinking has changed since he first started thinking about moral philosophy in high school.JOIN OUR SUBSTACK! Stay up to date with the pod and become part of the ever-growing community :) https://stanfordpsypod.substack.com/If you found this episode interesting at all, consider leaving us a good rating! It just takes a second but will allow us to reach more people and make them excited about psychology.Links:Do good by donating through Giving Multiplier (with higher matching rate!)Paper showing why Giving Multiplier worksJosh’s book Moral TribesEric's websiteEric's Twitter @EricNeumannPsyPodcast Twitter @StanfordPsyPodPodcast Substack https://stanfordpsypod.substack.com/Let us know what you think of this episode, or of the podcast! :) stanfordpsychpodcast@gmail.com