Big Think

Aided by best-selling psychology books of the last decade, such as Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, discussions about trauma and how to deal with it have entered popular public discourse. From police departments to school classrooms, trauma-informed approaches have taken center stage. But leading neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges the popular notion that trauma resides solely in the body. She asserts that trauma is rooted in the brain’s predictions and the construction of our experiences. When an adverse experience becomes traumatic, the brain heavily weighs and anticipates that experience in its future predictions. This ongoing prediction and re-experiencing of the traumatic event strengthens the neural connections associated with it, making the predictions more likely to occur in the future. Rather than focusing on the body as the site of healing, she suggests that changing the brain’s models of prediction is what needs to be addressed to break free from the cycle of trauma. By understanding the role of predictions and the brain’s plasticity, Feldman Barrett offers hope for transforming traumatic experiences and finding new, lasting paths to healing. 0:00 Why your brain creates trauma 1:44 Does your body keep the score? 2:53 Effective treatments for trauma 4:33 Trauma IS in your head (but everything else is too) Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/the-well/neurosc... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Lisa Feldman Barrett: Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world, having published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr. Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of psychology at Northeastern University with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. She is the recipient of a NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for transformative research, a Guggenheim Fellowship in neuroscience, the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and from the Society for Affect Science (SAS), and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA). She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and a number of other honorific societies. She is the author of How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, and more recently, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This video was made in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. What happens when the boundaries of “you” disappear? James Fadiman, PhD, Jamie Wheal, and Matthew Johnson, PhD explore how supported experiences with psychoactive drugs can dissolve identity and reveal a deeper reality. What if one experience could make you lose your sense of self, forget time, and feel deeply connected to everything around you? Experts Jamie Wheal, Matthew Johnson, PhD., and James Fadiman, PhD. Give us a deeper look at psychedelic medicine, exploring how substances like psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca change the way we see ourselves and the world. Used carefully, they can bring insight and unity. However, without support, they can be overwhelming and reveal just how fragile our sense of reality can be. These researchers explain the difference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Matthew Johnson, PhD: Matthew W. Johnson, PhD, is The Susan Hill Ward Endowed Professor of Psychedelics and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins. Working with psychedelics since 2004, he is one of the world’s most widely published experts on psychedelics. He has published research on psychedelics and mystical experience, personality change, tobacco smoking cessation, cancer distress treatment, and depression treatment. About James Fadiman PhD: Dr. James Fadiman is a leading scientific expert on the use of psychedelics for personal exploration, healing, and transformation. He has been researching, writing and lecturing on the topic for more than fifty years. His research focuses on exploring the potential of psychedelics to help individuals achieve a more meaningful, balanced and enlightened life. About Jamie Wheal: Jamie Wheal is the author of the global best-seller and Pulitzer Prize-nominated Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, Navy SEALs and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of ultimate human performance. Since founding the organization in 2011, it has gone on to become the leading voice of evidence-based peak performance in the world, counting award-winning academics, legendary professional athletes, special operations commanders, and Fortune 500 business leaders among the hundreds of thousands of people in its global community. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evolution doesn’t fix things — it reinvents them. Michael Levin, a biologist, explains. Esteemed biologist Michael Levin explores a captivating biological perspective of evolution — one that’s hard for engineers to come to terms with. In their work, making random changes to a system usually makes things worse, not better. But evolution, on the other hand, doesn't just produce specific solutions to specific challenges; instead, it creates what Levin calls "problem-solving machines." These machines are made up of hierarchical biological hardware with incredible adaptability, capable of tackling various challenges without assuming specific environmental conditions. Contrary to commonly held ideas about evolution, it doesn't just search for the best possible physical characteristics in organisms. It also uses signals and behaviors to shape how organisms function, so when things change or get damaged, the different parts of an organism can continue to function. From metabolic to physiological dilemmas, Levin highlights evolution’s remarkable ability to adapt. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Flow states have triggers: these are preconditions that lead to more flow. 22 of them have been discovered.” What if peak performance wasn’t a mystery, but a state you could wire your brain to enter on-demand? This isn’t about "getting in the zone." It’s about specific brain circuits, chemicals, and triggers that anyone can learn to activate. Backed by science, stripped of fluff, Steven Kotler explains the science of flow, from the inside out. 00:00 Introducing Steven Kotler 00:11 Chapter 1: The biology of our brains 00:35 Psychology’s “outside-in” blind spot 03:45 The brain works in networks 06:35 Making biology your ally: the four performance pillars 07:40 Finding flow’s sweet spot 08:49 Chapter 2: What is flow? 09:55 Six signs you're in flow 12:15 A brief history of flow 15:00 22 triggers that spark flow 19:00 The golden rule of flow: challenge-skills balance 21:47 What do we mean by "challenge" and "skills"? 24:16 How to harness intrinsic motivation 26:28 Why purpose is better than passion 31:50 Flow is a focusing skill 32:35 What is your primary flow activity? 37:39 Chapter 3: Flow and peak performance 37:50 We are all wired for flow 39:05 How flow impacts creativity and happiness 40:50 Group flow: empathy, cooperation and innovation 41:55 Physical boosts and evolution’s logic 43:00 The brain’s internal drug store 49:30 Using flow to rewrite PTSD 52:00 From chemicals to habits 56:15 Final takeaways: The 6 basics 1:02:20 Support Big Think and explore further ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About Steven Kotler: Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He is the author of ten bestsellers (out of thirteen books total), including The Art of Impossible, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, translated into over 40 languages, and appeared in over 100 publications, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, TIME and the Harvard Business Review. Steven is also the cohost of Flow Research Collective Radio, a top ten iTunes science podcast. Along with his wife, author Joy Nicholson, he is the cofounder of the Rancho de Chihuahua, a hospice and special needs dog sanctuary. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if our incessant drive for self-improvement isn't always conducive to happiness? Cognitive scientist Laurie Santos proposes this intriguing question. She notes that while evolution has wired us for relentless self-enhancement, our modern environment, ripe with comparisons and demands for excellence, amplifies this instinct, often to our detriment. The incessant push for "more" and "better" can lead to societal harm, fostering a competitive, individualistic society rather than one rooted in collective harmony and goodwill. Moreover, it can compromise personal happiness. Genuine well-being, Santos suggests, arises from extending compassion towards others and ourselves. Self-compassion, defined as mindfulness, recognition of common humanity, and self-kindness, can surprisingly enhance performance and resilience without a drill-sergeant approach. Breaking free from the pervasive "hustle culture" requires acknowledging its illusory nature, prioritizing kindness towards oneself, orienting towards others, and practicing gratitude to appreciate one's journey. 0:00 The drive for perfection 1:48 2 consequences of pushing too hard 2:38 3 parts of self-compassion 4:15 Why hustle culture is toxic 4:59 Happiness comes from other-oriented behavior .com/the-well/how-hus... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- About Laurie Santos: Dr. Laurie Santos is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Her research provides an interface between evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, exploring the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of human and non-human primates. Her experiments focus on non-human primates (in captivity and in the field), incorporating methodologies from cognitive development, animal learning psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If we didn't find helping other people pleasurable, we wouldn’t be altruistic.”.   One of the reasons that many people argue that there is no such thing as “true altruism,” that people are never purely motivated to help other people for their own sake, is because, paradoxically, altruism is a source of enormous joy for those who help others. Those who have made significant sacrifices for the benefit of others, such as donating a kidney, will attest to this. They’ll often say that it was one of the best decisions they made and would make it over and over if possible because of how happy it made them to help out the recipient. With this in mind, it’s easy to assume that nothing is ever truly altruistic because of the pleasure doing good can evoke. Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh says that this perspective can be a bit puritanical. Marsh says that actually, the best part of altruism is the sense of joy it brings, because these feelings encourage people to engage with it more often. Here’s why that principal actually underscores altruism, instead of contradicting it. About Abigail Marsh: Abigail Marsh is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 2004. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Traumatic experiences are here to stay, and we shouldn’t view them as a prison.” Professor of Neuroscience Rachel Yehuda on how psychedelics may help liberate us from our post-traumatic stress. For myriad reasons, trauma is becoming a bigger part of everyday life in our society. Rachel Yehuda, who studies PTSD and the psychological effects of trauma, believes while many of us have become more educated on how traumatic events affect our mental health, we also might be inadvertently convincing ourselves that suffering from mental illness after trauma is inevitable. Yehuda believes trauma is survivable with the right tools and treatments. She is particularly interested in the potential of psychedelics, like MDMA, to facilitate post-traumatic growth and healing. She discusses potential of psychedelics in assisting psychotherapy, allowing individuals to delve deep into their trauma while remaining coherent. She also emphasizes that the success of these therapies depends on the setting, intention, and therapist's expertise. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drawing from the wisdom of ancient philosophers like Aristotle, history has taught us that the pursuit of a good life is found in cultivating virtues. Yale psychologist Laurie Santos brings us into the modern era of virtuous living by unpacking various schools of thought — from Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson’s 24 character strengths to the Japanese practice of ikigai. While engaging with character strengths enhances our sense of meaning and happiness, it’s our unique “signature strengths” that have a profound impact on our lives. Contrary to the common belief that monetary rewards drive job satisfaction, engaging more of our signature strengths at work not only leads to increased job fulfillment but also improves performance and potentially increases earnings. But the application of virtue extends beyond the workplace. Finding ways to incorporate humor, zest, or a love of learning into our leisure activities can unlock greater fulfillment and meaning during our free time. Whether through self-reflection or a systematic survey, identifying our signature strengths and committing to their regular practice empowers us to live a more virtuous and meaningful life. 0:00 The wheel of virtue: 6 domains, 24 character strengths 1:11 Your signature strengths 3:06 Job crafting 4:54 Take the signature strengths test ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You’re not punished for failing, you’re punished for not trying.” Former Uber exec Emil Michael on how to truly achieve success. Looking to bring Emil Michael’s insights to leaders across your company? Great. This video is part of an 11-part expert class on emotionally intelligent leadership and it’s available to organizations that subscribe to Big Think+. Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer at Uber, believes failure is vital to success. According to him, failure played a pivotal role in the stratospheric expansion that made Uber one of the world’s fastest-growing companies. Michael points to Uber's endeavors in China, where immense opportunities clashed with daunting operational costs, including intense competition with local rival DiDi. He delves into the complex decision-making by both himself and Uber’s founder, Travis Kalanick, that ultimately led it to merge with its competitor. Michael believes a high level of business acumen is required to transform setbacks into strategic victories. He encourages anyone trying to create something to embrace failure and harness their ambition to foster exponential growth. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our one-size-fits-all approach to sex education hasn't worked for a long time. Sex educator Emily Nagoski explains what we know (and don't know) about the role neurodiversity plays in intimacy. Sex educator Emily Nagoski discusses why we need to better understand the role of sex among neurodivergent people. Are the sexual needs of neurodivergent people different from those who are neurotypical? And if they are, how can we teach about it in a way that makes an impact? Nagoski believes it is time to ditch the one-size-fits-all approach to sex education that leaves neurodivergent people behind. Factors such as sensory sensitivities, social dynamics, and behavioral patterns likely shape their experiences, as well as that of their partners.  More in-depth research will not only help sex educators provide more inclusive guidance, but also help neurodivergent people, and the people who love them, have better sex. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We control nothing but influence everything.” Political scientist Brian Klaas on how every decision we make - both massive and miniscule - shapes our futures. How does your entire life change when you decide, one morning, to hit the snooze button? How did one vacation to a Japanese city prevent it from a national attack? Political scientist Brian Klass explains what is commonly known as “the butterfly effect,” the idea that tiny changes divert the trajectory of our entire lives. These “ripples” show us that while nothing happens “for a reason,” every single thing we do matters. One random choice has the power to alter the course of history. These invisible “flukes” influence our lives, societies, and the world as we know it. Chapters: 0:00 The vacation 1:33 The noise 1:57 Everything doesn’t happen for a reason 2:20 Contingency vs. Convergence 3:00 The Snooze Button effect 4:35 The interconnectedness of life 6:20 Cosmic purpose vs. Accident ----------------------------------------------- About Brian Klaas: Dr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London, an affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is also the author five books, including Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (2024) and Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us (2021). Klaas writes the popular The Garden of Forking Paths Substack and created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, which has been downloaded roughly three million times. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's an illusion around generative AI. 🤖 Headlines promise it’ll revolutionize everything, solve business problems, and displace workers. But that’s hype. Generative AI is *impressive*, yes — capable of first drafts, conversations, and mimicking human language. But it isn’t magic. It's not autonomous. You still need to proofread, verify, and correct it. ✍️ Meanwhile, **predictive AI** — the older cousin — quietly delivers real, measurable value. It improves operations by making **data-driven predictions** that inform decisions: - Who to market to 🛒 - Which transaction is likely fraud 💳 - Which train wheel or building might fail 🚂🔥 - Which patient might be readmitted 🏥 These predictions help prioritize and triage at scale — fast, autonomously, and effectively. Timestamps: 0:00 - The Generative AI illusion 1:05 - Generative AI’s function 3:13 - Generative vs. Predictive 4:21 - The Predictive AI process 6:57 - Moving towards AGI? I’m Eric Siegel — CEO of Goodr AI and author of *The AI Playbook*. I’ve watched AI hype evolve since the '80s, and I believe **value lies in action**. Predictive AI is the real engine behind enterprise optimization. Take UPS, for example. 📦 They use predictive AI to forecast tomorrow’s deliveries — even before all packages arrive — allowing for optimized routes and loading. The result? $350M saved yearly, and major emissions cuts. ♻️ It’s not about perfection. It’s about probability, scale, and deployment. Generative AI is amazing to watch — but if you're chasing **Artificial General Intelligence** (AGI), you're buying into a sci-fi dream. The real power of AI today? Concrete, credible, enterprise use cases. 🚀 Forget the hype. Focus on **what improves operations now** — and deploy it. About Eric Siegel: Eric Siegel is a leading consultant and former Columbia University and UVA Darden professor. He is the founder of the long-running Machine Learning Week conference series, a frequent keynote speaker, and author of "The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment," as well as the bestselling "Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die." Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the future with visionaries Kevin Kelly, Peter Schwartz, Ari Wallach, and Tyler Cowen. While each is looking into the future through a different lens, they all share a belief in the power of optimism and proactive engagement as essential tools for overcoming today's challenges. Wallach introduces "Longpath," urging long-term thinking, while Kelly advocates for "Protopia," emphasizing gradual progress. Schwartz highlights scenario planning's importance, emphasizing curiosity and collaboration. Cowen reflects on America's progress and calls for urgency. Together, they stress empathy, transgenerational thinking, and diverse futures to collectively build a better tomorrow. The message: the future is a continuous creation requiring proactive, collective action. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

### 😊 Happiness Isn’t a Feeling—It’s a Formula (Backed by Science!) We think happiness = joy, love, laughter. But what if we’ve been chasing the *wrong thing*? 🎯 **Happiness is *not* a feeling**—it’s the **cause** of feelings. Think of happiness like Thanksgiving dinner, and feelings as the delicious smell. Smells come and go. The feast is deeper. **Lasts longer.** That’s *good news.* Because if you’re sad, tired, or frustrated sometimes… 👏 **You’re normal. You’re human.** Negative emotions are survival tools. Without them, you’d be dead in a week. ## 🧠 Emotion ≠ Good or Bad All emotions are **information** from your brain. - 😡 Fear, anger, sadness? Signals of danger—crucial for survival. - 😄 Joy, surprise, curiosity? Clues that something’s good for you. They're all helpful. Just like hunger reminds you to eat, **feelings guide your actions**. ## 💛 What Actually Makes Us Happy? Arthur Brooks has studied **millions of people**, and found 3 key ingredients that define lasting happiness: ### 1️⃣ **Enjoyment** ≠ Pleasure 🍕 Pleasure is basic—like eating pizza. 👫 Enjoyment = pleasure + people + memory. Think *beer with friends,* not chugging alone. ### 2️⃣ **Satisfaction** Comes **after struggle**. The “I earned this” feeling after hard work. Cheating might get you the prize, but never the pride. ### 3️⃣ **Meaning** We *need* it constantly. Go even one hour without it, and you’ll feel empty. **Meaning =** - **Coherence:** Why do things happen? - **Significance:** Why do *I* matter? - **Purpose:** Where am I going? Find answers, and you find **fulfillment.** ## 🧘‍♂️ So... How Do We Find Real Happiness? Not through **money, power, pleasure, or fame**—those are *traps.* Instead, pursue the **4 Pillars of Happiness:** ### 🌌 1. Faith (or Awe) Not just religion. It’s about **connecting to something bigger**—nature, music, philosophy, silence. ### 👨‍👩‍👧 2. Family You don’t have to love every relative, but **you do have to show up**. Family bonds = long-term emotional security. ### 🤝 3. Friendship Not followers. **Real friends.** You need more than just your partner. Old friends are like emotional vitamins—**don’t skip the dose.** ### 💼 4. Work (That Serves Others) Work brings joy **only** when you: - Create value (💪 *earned success*) - Help others (❤️ *service*) You don’t have to save the world. Just lighten someone else’s load. ## 🛤️ Happiness = Direction, Not Destination You *don’t find* happiness. You **build it**, by changing habits, seeking meaning, and serving others. And yes—you *can* get better at it. That’s the best part. ### 🔑 Keywords: Happiness science, Arthur Brooks, emotional intelligence, meaning of life, faith and awe, real happiness vs pleasure, satisfaction and struggle, prefrontal cortex joy, happiness vs feelings, happiness habits, emotional survival, friendship and connection, happiness pillars, positive psychology, work-life fulfillment, happiness and purpose, slow living, service and meaning, family values, faith alternatives, direction not destination, how to be happy, happiness research Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ideas that seem wildly controversial today may move humanity towards progress. Philosopher Peter Singer asks —how do we keep them from being stifled? Peter Singer explains why he helped create the “Journal of Controversial Ideas,” a platform for discussing and examining controversial topics without fear of backlash or censorship. According to Singer, history is rife with examples of people challenging beliefs that were once considered certain but were later proven false. Persecuting those people who challenged those prevailing notions, Singer says, stifled progress. Singer underscores the importance of protecting academic freedom and freedom of thought and expression as fundamental to societal progress and knowledge advancement. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Brian Klass unpacks the truth behind history’s evil leaders, explaining how they so easily acquire power, and how we can change the pattern. How people choose to wield their power affects our daily lives, whether it’s a dictator or simply an obnoxiously officious member of a homeowner’s association. Brian Klaas, a political scientist and author of "Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us,” joins Big Think to talk about the nature of power, the people who are drawn to it, and the ways we can improve how power is wielded within institutions. So, what’s one way to ensure that reasonable people rise to positions of power? Klaas proposes the strategy of asking politicians a fairly straightforward question before they take office: What would it take for you to think that you are no longer necessary in power? Answers to questions like these can reveal deep insights into what kind of a leader a person is likely to be. An intro to power 0:00 Meet Brian Klaas 0:21 Why is it important to understand power? 1:55 Why did you start studying power? 3:12 Who is Lord Acton and how does he relate to power? 5:43 What are your 4 main arguments about power? Who gains power and why? 6:18 Why do bad people often end up in positions of power? 11:12 Should we only give power to those who don't seek it? 14:04 What is self-selection bias? 15:21 What is survivorship bias? 18:12 Does evolution play a role in survivorship bias? Psychopathy and the ‘dark triad’ 20:43 Why are we drawn to bad leaders? 25:23 Why do certain demographic groups often end up in power? 33:51 How can physical appearance affect our preference for leaders? 38:53 Who is Steve Raucci and what are the dark triad traits? 53:20 Can psychopathy ever be a beneficial trait? 55:04 Why might some psychopathy be beneficial to leaders? 58:32 Do the dark triad traits always occur together in individuals? 1:02:02 How common are the dark triad traits amongst dictators? Stopping the “worst person in the world” 1:05:52 How can systems help us select better leaders? 1:10:34 Why are systems so important when it comes to power? 1:14:43 What real-world systems have you observed to learn about power? 1:19:02 Why does society often fail to screen out bad leaders? 1:21:18 How can we rethink democracy to help us choose better leaders? 1:27:17 Does policing attract people who are more likely to abuse power? 1:33:35 How do you believe we can improve policing? 1:37:12 How can thought experiments help us evaluate the decisions of our leaders? 1:41:30 Who is Abhisit Vejjajiva and what do his decisions teach us about power? 1:49:33 How can being thrust into power affect our decision-making? 1:53:45 How can we evaluate the decisions of individuals in power? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- About Brian Klaas: Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Because of the efficiency worship that we have developed in our industrial age, we are now seeing procrastination as a character flaw rather than what it is, a signal that is worth listening to.” For centuries, we’ve treated procrastination as proof of personal weakness. A defect to be optimized, to be fixed. But what if we thought of procrastination as a signal, rather than a flaw, suggests neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff. To decode these signals, Le Cunff introduces ‘The Triple Check Method,’ a diagnostic tool to understand the root cause of the delay. She also reveals how to identify your personal “magic window,” a tool for effortless concentration that can help you rewire against procrastination. 0:00 The moralization of procrastination 1:47 The Triple Check Method 2:29 Using the method to take action 3:24 Looking for systemic barriers 3:55 Finding your ‘Magic Windows’ 5:56 Using procrastination to connect with our emotions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Anne-Laure Le Cunff: Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Ness Labs, where her weekly newsletter is read by more than 100,000 curious minds. Her research at King’s College London focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of lifelong learning, curiosity, and adaptability. Her book, Tiny Experiments, is a transformative guide for living a more experimental life, turning uncertainty into curiosity, and carving a path of self-discovery. Previously, she worked at Google as an executive on digital health projects. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Financial Times, WIRED, and more. ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly Richmond Pope, a forensic accountant, shares a simple test that puts your ethics under the spotlight. What would you be willing to do if you thought you’d get away with it? Kelly Richmond Pope, a forensic accountant, delves into how we often unintentionally ignore our moral compasses and veer into unethical behavior when possible consequences are intangible. Kelly says we do this mainly by convincing ourselves that everyone else behaves similarly. But is that true? She shares the results of an ethics survey she uses in her class, where her students found themselves divided about whether a social lunch with a colleague, discussing personal and work matters, should be expensed as a work-related activity. She also shares her experience of accidentally receiving an extra handbag and how different people advised her to proceed. Maybe we’re all a little unethical. But Kelly assures that there’s no need to panic. She believes that acknowledging these vulnerabilities and implementing internal controls can help us prevent unethical behavior. Fostering an environment of self-awareness and accountability can help us all make better decisions in the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Kelly Richmond Pope: Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope is the Dr. Barry Jay Epstein Endowed Professor of Accounting at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Pope is a nationally recognized expert in risk, forensic accounting, and white-collar crime research, and an award-winning educator, researcher, author, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. She’s the author of Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion Dollar Fraud Industry (Harvard Business Review Press, March 2023). Pope teaches managerial and forensic accounting both at the undergraduate and graduate level. ------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philosopher Meghan Sullivan is asking us to rethink how we give to others. Instead of relying solely on logic and efficiency, she argues for a love ethic rooted in emotional connection, moral character, and deep respect for human dignity. Giving, she says, shouldn't be reduced to numbers and outcomes but should reflect genuine care for both present and future people. Even those we haven’t met (especially including future generations) deserve to be seen as individuals with value and potential. In a world that often prizes calculation, Sullivan reminds us that love might be the most ethical response of all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Meghan Sullivan: Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where she leads the Ethics Initiative and founded the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. With support from the John Templeton Foundation, the Institute advances research and teaching on human flourishing. Sullivan’s work spans ethics, metaphysics, and religion. She’s the author of Time Biases and co-author of The Good Life Method, based on her acclaimed course “God and the Good Life.” Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices