Talk Doesn't Cook Rice

John and Danny discuss the notion of a psychologically rich life. Unlike happy or meaningful lives, psychologically rich lives are characterised by complexity, in which people experience a variety of interesting things and feel and appreciate a variety of deep emotions via firsthand or vicarious experiences. We explore the work of Shigehiro Oishi and colleagues in this area and examine the ways we can all make psychological richness a bigger part of our day to day existence. There’s also a guest appearance by Micky Flanagan (sort of!).The Psychologically Rich Life (Besser & Oishi, 2020): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09515089.2020.1778662A Psychologically Rich Life: Beyond Happiness and Meaning (Oishi & Westgate, 2021): https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/rev-rev0000317.pdfMicky Flanagan - Thick people on television: https://youtu.be/5GyUmJBqNusGet our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Adam Curtis’ documentary series “The Century of the Self” (2002), which focuses on the work of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Anna Freud, and PR consultant Edward Bernays. We explore Curtis’ analysis of how those in power have used Freud's theories to encourage mass consumerism and control people in an age of mass democracy, and we examine the ways they continue to shape the way we live and think today.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Simone de Beauvoir's classic book "The Ethics of Ambiguity" (1948), which explores the existentialist tension between absolute freedom of choice and the constraints of life’s givens. We explore de Beauvoir's powerful analysis of the five types of people who are not free, discuss their relevance and application in everyday life, and consider the responsibility we have to others in the actualisation of their freedom too.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Friedrich Nietzsche's three metamorphoses story, which appeared in his now iconic work of philosophical fiction, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883). Nietzsche believed that the purpose of human existence is to achieve one's full potential. To achieve that, a spirit had to go through three transformations: a camel, a lion, and a child. We explore what characterises each of the phases and examine their relevance and application in everyday life.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Martin Heidegger's concept of Dasein. In his fundamental text Being and Time (1927), Heidegger introduced Dasein as a term for the type of being that humans possess. We explore what it is to be a Dasein and look through the lenses of thrownness, fallenness, and existentiality to examine its relevance and application in everyday life.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Jean-Paul Sartre's notion of bad faith, whereby individuals act inauthentically by yielding to the external pressures of society to adopt false values and disown their innate freedom as human beings. Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠’. All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search For Meaning (1946), an arresting account of survival in the Nazi concentration camps and his exploration of our ability to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠.’ All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss schadenfreude and wonder why it is we derive such distinctive pleasure from others' misfortune. If you don't enjoy the episode, at least you might get some pleasure from our misfortune of having made it!Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠.’ All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss sunny nihilism and why it might appeal to modern people. Don't worry, it's more fun than it sounds! Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠.’ All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/

John and Danny discuss whether it's a good idea to focus too hard on living in the "now." We ask whether it's possible (and desirable) for humans to be more animalistic in our thoughts and discuss the implications of distinguishing between the past, present, and future, including why it might be dangerous to dismiss memory and imagination in favour of the present moment.Get our book, ‘⁠⁠BEING WELL⁠⁠.’ All royalties go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.Music by Kabbalistic Village: ⁠https://kabbalisticvillage.com/