The Psychology Podcast

Today it’s great to have Steven Pinker on the podcast. Dr. Pinker is the Johnstone professor of psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books. He’s been elected to the National Academy of Science, and named as one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People”, and one of Foreign Policy’s “100 Leading Global Thinkers”. His books include How the Mind Works, The Blank State, The Stuff of Thought, The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, Enlightenment Now, and most recently, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.  In this episode, I talk to Steven about the definition of rationality, how it relates to truth, and how it’s different from logic. We also discuss the trade-offs in decision making, the limited usefulness of strategic irrationality, the boundaries of socially acceptable fiction, and why people have weird beliefs among other things.Website: stevenpinker.comTwitter: @sapinker Topics01:02

Today it’s great to have Annie Murphy Paul on the podcast. Annie writes about how the findings of cognitive science and psychology could help us to think and act more intelligently. Annie contributes to the New York Times Magazine and the New York Times Book Review, Slate, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among many other publications. She’s also the author of a number of books including The Cult of Personality, Origins, and most recently, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. In this episode, I talk to Annie about the research and concepts in her new book The Extended Mind. We debunk the notion that intelligence is only in the brain by discussing how our bodies, spaces, and relationships all contribute to thought processes. Finally, we also touch on how to build knowledge and expertise through productive cognitive loops, cognitive unloading, and imitation.  Topics 01:05 Thinking outside the brain 03:54 Individual differences in interception 09:51 Annie’s definition of intelligence 13:30 Cogni

Today it’s great to have Paige Harden on the podcast. Dr. Harden is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where is the director of the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and co-director of the Texas Twin Project. Her new book is called The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality. Topics· Heritability does not imply determinism· What is the value of the heritability coefficient?· Nature and nurture are always intertwined· Genes, giftedness, and responsibility· Separating individual differences from hierarchy· Genetics as a tool for social policy· Can we systematically improve general intelligence?· Prioritizing self-actualization in education· Group differences data, racism, inequality· Anti-eugenics and the great synthesis· Polygenic scores: evaluations, correlations, and applicationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today it’s great to have Nick Gillespie on the podcast. Nick is a libertarian journalist who is currently an editor at large at Reason. A two-time finalist for digital National Magazine Awards, Gillespie’s work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, Slate, Salon, Time.com, Marketplace, and basically any other publication that you’re ever going to read. The Daily Beast named Nick one of “The Right’s Top 25 Journalists”, calling him “clear headed, brainy…among the foremost libertarians in America.” Topics· Reason: “free minds and free markets”· What does being a libertarian mean?· A critique of American’s intervention in Afghanistan· Nick’s childhood and upbringing· The values of libertarianism· Parallels between Maslow and libertarianism· Nick’s pseudonym Mr. Myxzptlk· Child-proofing the world· How parenting styles and expectations shape children· The millennial experience of pressure and self-actualization· The paradox of mar

Today it’s great to have Richard Ryan on the podcast. Dr. Ryan is a professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University in North Sydney and professor emeritus in psychology at the University of Rochester. Dr. Ryan is a clinical psychologist and co-developer of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), one of the leading theories of human motivation. He’s among the most cited researchers in psychology and social sciences today, ranking among the top 1% of researchers in the field. Dr. Ryan has been recognized as one of the eminent psychologists of the modern era, listed among the top 20 most influential industrial organizational psychologists and has been honored with many distinguished career awards. He’s co-author with Edward Deci of the book Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Topics· Dr. Ryan’s interest in psychology· Dr. Ryan’s influences in psychology and philosophy· What is self-determination?· The conti

Today we have Ron Friedman on the podcast. Dr. Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation. He has served in the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, political leaders, and world’s leading non-profits. His books include The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace and most recently Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success.  Topics· Achieve greatness through reverse engineering· Reverse Outlining, the most popular TED Talk· The Xerox Story with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates· Why complete copycats fail· Originality is not creativity· Start a collection of masterpieces· How The Ritz-Carlton Hotel uses the Scoreboard Principle· Courage alone is not enough for success· Strategic practice and cross-training· Does visualization increase chances of success?· How copying can facilitate creativity      See omnyst

Today we have Brad Stulberg on the podcast. Brad is an internationally known expert on human performance, well-being, and sustainable success. He’s co-author of the bestselling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Wired, Forbes, and more. He’s a contributing editor to Outside Magazine. In his coaching practice, Brad works with executives and entrepreneurs on their performance and well-being and he regularly speaks to large organizations on these topics as well. His latest book is called The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds−Not Crushes−Your Soul. Topics · The truth with a capital T · Brad’s coaching practice · The Practice of Groundedness · Benefits of exercise and movement · What is groundedness? · The right way to strive · The problem with hustle culture, optimization, and biohacking · Research findings about loneliness, alcoholism, and anxiety · Accepting where you are to get where

Today it’s great to have Irvin Yalom on the podcast. Yalom is emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and author of many internationally bestselling books including Love’s Executioner, The Gift of Therapy, Becoming Myself, and When Nietzsche Wept. He was the recipient of the 1974 Edward Strecker Award and the 1979 Foundations’ Fund Prize in Psychiatry. His textbooks Inpatient Group Psychotherapy and Existential Psychotherapy are classics and have influenced me personally, deeply. Dr. Yalom lives in Palo Alto, California. Topics · Dr. Yalom’s childhood and upbringing · Dr. Yalom’s interest in existential psychology · Group therapy and death anxiety · Rollo May’s influence on Dr. Yalom · Dr. Yalom’s books · Death anxiety and regret · Coping with his wife’s death · Meeting Viktor Frankl, Carl Rogers, and other legends in psychology · Last moments with Rollo May · A Matter of Death and Life with the Yaloms · Dr. Yalom’s advice to therapists · Overcoming the terror of death ·

Today we have Heather McGhee on the podcast. Heather is an expert in economic and social policy. The former president of the inequality-focused thinktank “Demos” McGhee has drafted a legislation testified before Congress and contributed regularly in news shows including MBC’s “Meet the Press”. She now chairs the board of “Color of Change”, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. McGhee holds a BA in American Studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California Berkeley School of Law. Her latest book is called “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together”. Topics · Disconnect between policy makers and working families · Heather’s hope for America · Zero-sum racial competition in White and Black People · The true definition of “White Privilege” · Racist policy-making in determining economic opportunity · How the Subprime Mortgage Crisis was fueled by racism · Heather meeting a white supremacist-turned-anti-racist advocate · “The Big Lie” in elec

Today it’s great to have Gary Heil on the podcast. Gary is an author, educator, lawyer, consultant, and coach. He’s the co-founder for The Center for Innovative Leadership where he continues to advise leaders in a wide range of industries and cultural issues. And he has served in a number of public and private boards including Gymboree, Red Envelope, and Front Range Solutions. He presently serves as the chairman of the board of CellTech Metals. He’s the co-author of a number of bestselling books including Leadership and the Customer Revolution, One Size Fits All, Maslow on Management, The Leader’s New Clothes, Revisiting the Human Side of Enterprise, Douglas McGregor Revisited, and Choose Love Not Fear: How the Best Leaders Build Cultures of Engagement and Innovation that Unleash Human Potential. Topics· Build great teams with love not fear· Why aren’t we developing better leaders?· Organizations’ outdated motivation strategies· Culture homogenizes behavior· Leaders suffer from motivated blindness· The democr

Today it’s great to chat with Jon Levy on the podcast. Jon is a behavioral scientist best known for his work on influence, human connection, and decision making. Jon specializes in applying the latest research to transform the way companies approach marketing, sales, consumer engagement, and culture. His clients range from Fortune 500 brands like Microsoft, Google, AB InBev, and Samsung to startups. His latest book is called You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence. Topics· Jon’s interest in influence and social networks· The Influencers Dinner· The influence of meaningful connections· What is trust and how does it work?· Giving a platform to the voiceless· How being generous can help you succeed· "Relationship hack: Use the vulnerability loop"· Connecting is not the same as networking· Stories from the Influencers Dinner· Jon’s personal metric of successSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today it’s great to have Gleb Tsipursky on the podcast. Gleb is the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts where he consults, coaches, and trains leaders on decision making and risk management strategy. A cognitive neuroscientist and behavioral economist, Dr. Tsipursky has over 550 articles and 450 interviews in prominent venues such as Psychology Today, USA Today, Fast Company, CBS News, Time, and elsewhere. He’s also a bestselling author known for Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters. His new book is The Blind Spots Between Us: How to Overcome Unconscious Cognitive Bias & Build Better Relationships available at disasteravoidanceexperts.com/blindspots. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, and to avoid disaster in his personal life, he makes sure to spend ample time with his wife. Topics· Should you ever go with your gut?· Why our fight or flight response is a blind spot· Tribalism fuels disagreement in modern society· In-group and out-group bias· The halo

Today it’s great to have Michael Lewis on the podcast. Michael is an orthopedic surgeon at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. He’s been an orthopedic consultant to the Chicago White Sox baseball team and Chicago Wolves hockey team and the Chicago Bulls basketball team, with whom he earned two championship rings. Dr. Lewis has treated numerous world-class athletes from several continents including All-Star professional basketball and baseball players and Olympic medal winners. He’s the author of several books including a memoir entitled, The Ball’s in Your Court, where he shares life lessons from Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and none other than Abraham Maslow. Topics: · The Ball’s in Your Court · Michael’s childhood and upbringing · A life-changing epiphany with Abraham Maslow · Classroom experience of a Maslow lecture · How students reacted to Maslow’s ideas · From psychiatrist to orthopedic surgeon · Meeting the White Sox and Bill Veeck · Chicago Bulls and The Last Dance · Game-changing medical decisio

Today it’s great to have Colin DeYoung on the podcast. Dr. DeYoung is a professor in the psychology department at the University of Minnesota and the director of the Personality, Individual Differences and Behavioral Genetics program. He researches the structures and sources of psychological traits using neuroscience methods to investigate their biological substrates. He developed a general theory of personality: Cybernetic Big Five Theory which identifies psychological functions associated with major personality traits as well as their connection to other elements of personality and various life outcomes including mental illness. Topics · Definitions of mental illness · The problem with DSM-5’s diagnostic categories · The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) · What is cybernetics? · A Cybernetic Theory of Psychopathology · How Colin’s theory differs from abnormal psychology · Differences between mental disorder and psychopathology · Characteristic adaptations and personality traits · Moving towa

Today’s episode includes a conversation between Dr. Jordan B Peterson and Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman. Dr. Peterson is professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, and the author of the bestsellers 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. Note that this episode originally appeared on the Jordan B Peterson Podcast on June 17, 2021. Topics · Combining cognitive science with the humanistic psychology tradition · Scott’s experience studying IQ and intelligence · The link between openness to experience and mystical experiences · Scott discusses his book Transcend · Self-actualization and The Big Five personality traits · Does increased aggression lead to stable human societal hierarchies? · Jordan and Scott discuss mating patterns among humans · Sex differences towards abuse of power · Mentorship and transcendence · The transition from naivety to cynicism to courage Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/supportSee omn

Today it’s a great honor to chat with the legendary Paul Wong on the podcast. Dr. Wong is Professor Emeritus of Trent University. He’s a fellow of APA and CPA and president of the International Network on Personal Meaning and the Meaning-Centered Counselling Institute Inc. Editor of the International Journal of Existential Positive Psychology, he’s also edited two influential volumes on The Human Quest for Meaning. A prolific writer, he is one of the most cited existential and positive psychologists. The originator of Meaning Therapy and International Meaning Conferences, he has been invited to give keynotes and meaning therapy workshops worldwide. Dr. Wong is the recipient of the Carl Rogers Award from the Society for Humanistic Psychology. Topics: · Dr. Wong’s childhood and upbringing · Animal learning research: optimism vs. helplessness · Locus of control is not a dichotomy · The unheard cry of a successful Asian psychologist · Positive Psychology 2.0 · Embracing the dark side to enhance well-being · Dual

Today it’s great to chat with Kristin Neff on the podcast. Kristin is currently an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She’s a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion almost 20 years ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she’s the author of the book, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion which is taught by thousands of teachers worldwide. They co-authored The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. Her newest work focuses on how to balance self-acceptance with the courage to make needed change. Her latest book is called Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

Today it’s great to chat with Daniel Goleman on the podcast. Daniel is an internationally known psychologist who lectures frequently to professional groups, business audiences, and college campuses. As a science journalist, Goleman reported on the brain behavioral sciences for the New York Times for many years. His 1995 book Emotional Intelligence was on the New York Times bestseller list for a year and a half with more than five million copies in print worldwide in 40 languages and has been a bestseller in many countries. Apart from his books on emotional intelligence, Goleman has written books on topics including self-deception, creativity, transparency, meditation, social-emotional learning, ecoliteracy, and the ecological crisis. Topics: · Daniel’s current research · Does IQ outweigh emotional intelligence? · Competency modeling for emotional intelligence · Correlation between general intelligence and social-emotional intelligence · Cognitive control and social-emotional learning · Daniel’s interest in m

Today it’s great to have Dean Keith Simonton on the podcast. Dean is distinguished professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California Davis. His well over 500 single author publications focus on topics such as genius, creativity, aesthetics, and leadership. In 2018, MIT Press published his book The Genius Checklist but he has also published many other books on these various topics of genius, leadership, and aesthetics. I just want to personally say his book, Greatness: Who Makes History and Why, is one of the major books that inspired me to go into the field that I’m in today. Topics: · Dean’s interest in genius, creativity, and leadership · The historiometic approach · Child prodigies and the savant syndrome · Dean’s schooling years · Can late bloomers become geniuses? · Fame and creativity in the age of social media · Using the equal odds rule to create a masterpiece · Grit and openness to experience predict genius · Dean’s solo publications and collaborations · Re-analysis of Cox’s data on g

Today it’s great to have Robert Sternberg on the podcast. Robert is a psychology professor at Cornell University. Among his major contributions to psychology are the triarchic theory of intelligence and several influential theories relating to creativity, thinking styles, love, and hate. A Review of General Psychology survey ranked Sternberg as the 60th most cited psychologist of the 20th century. He’s authored and co-authored over 1,500 publications including articles, book chapters, and books. Topics · Robert’s childhood experience with IQ tests · Robert’s passion for psychometrics · Development of the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence · How the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence relates to Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences · The world’s fixation on general intelligence · How society and the environment create correlations with intelligence · Expanding college admissions’ metrics of intelligence · Is psychological testing still valuable today? · Real world problems VS academic problems · Rethinking a