Big Think

• The grindset has left us depressed. Here’s one thing that can save us. | Lisa Miller

  Excessive goal-setting has made us depressed. Lisa Miller, a Columbia psychology professor, explains what could save us. What if our innate spirituality was the antidote to the escalating rates of mental health issues in the world? Dr. Lisa Miller, a Columbia University professor, studies the profound interplay between spirituality and mental health. She argues that our modern obsession with achievement has led to neglect of our spiritual side, contributing to increased depression and despair. In contrast, "awakened awareness," a state where we are receptive to life's signals and guidance, can serve as a neuroprotective mechanism against such issues. Emphasizing the universality of spirituality, irrespective of religiosity, she suggests altruistic acts as a means to strengthen our spiritual core. Such acts, according to her, could ignite a journey of recovery and holistic wellness. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Lisa Miller: Lisa Miller, Ph.D., is a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the Founder and Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute in spirituality and psychology, and has held over a decade of joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School. Her innovative research has been published in more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Cerebral Cortex, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child. ------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Debunking doomerism: 4 futurists on why we’re actually not f*cked | Kevin Kelly & more

  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

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• Have a controversial idea? Good. Here’s why you should share it. | Peter Singer

  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

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• The world’s biggest problem? Powerful psychopaths. | Brian Klaas

  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

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• Use the Triple Check Method to jumpstart your brain | Anne-Laure Le Cunff

  “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

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