Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement - podcast cover

Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement

Growth Mindset Psychologywww.growthmindsetpodcast.com
There are a lot of opinions on how to master your mind, but then there’s PSYCHOLOGY. We’re all stuck with the brain we’re born with, but we aren’t stuck with how we use it. Learn science-backed answers to make the most of your mind and your life. CURIOUS? Growth Mindset Psychology is the "self-help sceptic" podcast for the curious. Whether you want to improve performance, navigate setbacks, or know who you are. We find answers to the true science of self-improvement. So put down the astrology chart and start working with your mind, instead of against it. With over 8 million downloads and 60,000 monthly listeners, you’re invited to join. PROCESS Instead of telling you what to think, we discuss how thinking works. Armed with a stack of science journals, textbooks and a boatload of curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of the mind. Why? >>> Success is personal! You might want to make the most of your neurodiverse strengths, start a business, or simply find more reasons to smile. Hone your ability for independent thinking and growth with mental models to pursue your definition of success. HOST I’m Sam Webster Harris, a lifelong learner with ADHD, a raging curiosity, and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching several businesses, travelling the world and nearly dying a few times I concluded that science and Psychology are where it’s at. What actually makes people happy? What’s the best way to treat a brain? How can I get more done? Studying the answers we find that changing behaviours requires building mindsets, mental models, and a healthy relationship with failure. I run the show to help listeners enjoy nutritious content that feeds their minds (and I needed a legitimate excuse to cover for my reading addiction). PREMIUM Go Ad-Free and listen to exclusive content. Support the show and access the AMA features and community Discord. Growth Mindset Premium ARCHIVE Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum. Past series: — Psychology vs Stoicism — Time Management for busy mortals — Independence and knowing yourself — Cognitive biases and rational thinking — Psychology of connection — Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets

Episodes

7 Time Management Tips for Busy Mortals

The anti-hustle guide to finding a balance that maximises happiness through intention and wisdom. Optimising every second of your calendar to the nth degree isn't a recipe for dreamlike productivity, it's a collision course for anxiety-riddled burnout. In our era of ever more time demands what are we to do? Oliver Burkman in his book 4,000 week presents a guide to living as a human being in a messy and demanding environment that allows you to prioritise what's essential in a calm and rational ma...

Oct 01, 202421 min

Abundance vs. Ego: How to Shift Your Mindset and Take Control of Your Life w/ Kyle livingston

Identify scarcity mindsets and unpack your relationship with money, success and purpose. We revisit a discussion with Kyle Livingston that explores how we find meaning in our lives and where the biggest sources of stress and anxiety come from for many. Money and success. A story-powered episode where we travel through Kyle's journey as an abandoned orphan and living with anxiety to being able to calm himself from the constant stress and consistently create opportunities. Top lessons: How to make...

Sep 27, 202455 min

The Single Most Important Life Skill To Lead An Impactful Life

Stop Chasing the Self-Improvement Treadmill - Learn to focus on making the world a better place. We are drowning in self-improvement content to make us wealthier, wiser, more productive sexier versions of ourselves. Yet at the same time, it seems like humanity is going backwards. What gives? In the modern-day obsession with ourselves, we are missing out on the bigger picture of how to lead an impactful life that genuinely touches those around us. Yet if we want to be the most impactful version o...

Sep 24, 202423 min

Consciousness: How Emotional Intelligence, Pain Perception & Free Will Combine w/ Stephen Porges

Conscious experience is a result of our awareness, but how do we take back our free will from external drivers? This episode explores the links between the conscious experience and what Free will really is. Building on that we explore how the body deals with pain and negative emotions and how we can learn to carve free will, awareness and control into our day-to-day lives. Dr Stephen Porges is the father of Polyvagal Theory and how the body perceives threat and safety. His lessons are crucial fo...

Sep 20, 202426 min

The Paradox of Genius: How To Be A Remarkably Unbalanced Individual

Let's talk about Power Moves - Lethal Combinations of traits that can unlock your full potential Most of us have strengths and with each strength is a corresponding weakness. Says who? History has shown time and time again that embodying seemingly contradictory traits can result in outsized success. We look at the weaknesses we accept and how to overcome the fixed mindset, break out of our natural blockers, and become a spikey, unbalanced individual with additive strengths. Balancing lessons fro...

Sep 17, 202446 min

4 Hidden Fears That Secretly Sabotage Your Life (And what to do about them)

A masterclass on our hidden mindsets and diagnosing the real problems behind our internal blockers. Your mind lies to you about what you can and can't do and creates infinitely logical reasons to hide your real fears. To overcome the real blockers in achieving our goals, we need to spend less time diagnosing external problems and more time understanding what's happening inside us. Humans are ultimately driven by underlying fear and desire, coming up with reasons that ignore this is hiding the tr...

Sep 13, 202438 min

The Neuroscience of Fear - Understanding anxiety, trauma & tools to overcome fears (Lessons from NPD, BPD and ADHD)

Anxiety is built into all our brains, examining the role of trauma in building fear responses helps us understand how to combat fear. We can also learn how trauma manifests in General Anxiety Disorder, Borderline (BPD), Narcissism (NPD) and ADHD. By studying the neuroscience of how fear and anxiety work in the brain we understand how life events and trauma shape our perceptions. To overcome the different fears we can learn from strategies required for individuals with specific disorders relating...

Sep 10, 202454 min

How to Spend Money to Buy Happiness

Learn the economics of satisfaction, according to psychology. Our earliest lessons in life include that money can't buy happiness. But is that completely correct? We explore tactics to change your spending that can boost your mood on both a daily level and additionally build a longer-term sense of content satisfaction. Learning how to escape the nudges of advertising and society's expectations of spending and instead live in line with your values and priorities. Everyone has different needs and ...

Sep 06, 202442 min

AMA #1 - Best Decision Frameworks, Overcoming Resistance to Learning, Understanding Blockers & Building a Network

From deciding what to work on to overcoming blockers - All the questions from August were answered in the Ask Me Anything of the month. Free listeners will only have access to the first 20 minutes. Premium subscribers can listen to the whole episode and be able to submit their own questions for future episodes. Questions answered in this episode: What causes resistance to learning? How do you differentiate an indie podcast? (especially when many podcasts have backing by network / business) What ...

Sep 03, 202428 min

3 Rules to Build Remarkable Opportunities - (And uncover your purpose)

How to take the best shots in life and enjoy the process. In this episode of the Growth Mindset Psychology podcast, Sam Webster Harris delves into the psychology behind creating and seizing life's opportunities and overcoming the scarcity mindset. We are surrounded by pressures to achieve and plenty of people selling us the way, yet find ourselves going nowhere. Sam outlines practical steps you can take from any point in life to build a system around discovering opportunities and building a life...

Aug 30, 202446 min

How To Slow Down Time: Hidden psychology to improve productivity & reduce overwhelm

Expand your perception of experience and build more flow and joy into your daily life. Many people hate time, it is a constant enemy we fight against. Yet it is simply a continuous element of the Universe that we can't change. However, like illusions that can make a straight line seem bent in our minds, we can use our own mind to bend time for ourselves. This episode expands on several psychological phenomena to help you build a better relationship with time: Live a life that feels longer, riche...

Aug 27, 202423 min

Environment Design: 3 Ways to Improve Your Thinking (without thinking)

Channel productivity or creativity on-demand - experience more progress, positivity, and freedom using the power of your environment. In this episode of the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast, we explore the significant impact of our environment on our overall mindset and actions. Delve into lesser-known productivity tips from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy and the actionable take-homes you can directly apply to your own life. Key insights explained: Cathedral Effect - for creativity or...

Aug 23, 202425 min

How to Decide What To Focus On - When you want to do everything

3 ways to stay dedicated to what is important in life, in a noisy world (and with a noisy mind). We are immersed in infinite options and distractions of alluring things we could be doing. Naturally we often find ourselves wanting to do all the things. A holiday in the Mediterranean, surfing in Bali or visiting pyramids - Why choose? Pursuing a career in finance, running a YouTube about cars, or becoming a teacher - Frustrating huh... Leaning into philosophy and the inner workings of our psycholo...

Aug 20, 202437 min

The Secrets Behind Curiosity Without Worry - Building Inner-Peace w/ Stephen Porges PhD [Father of Polyvagal Theory]

Live a life well lived by exploring the depths of Psychology and Polyvagal Theory with Dr. Stephen Porges. Join host Sam Webster on the Growth Mindset Psychology Show as he engages in a deep and enlightening conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges, the renowned researcher behind polyvagal theory. This episode delves into fundamental truths about psychology, societal norms, and personal growth. Dr. Porges shares insights on the body's physiological reactions to safety and threat, how they impact our...

Aug 16, 20241 hr 2 min

The Psychology of Fear, Security & Emotional Intelligence (Neuroscience lessons from Polyvagal Theory)

How to manage stress, build a calmer state of mind and create a foundation for growth and autonomy. Polyvagal Theory is an intriguing sounding term that holds a lot of answers to how the body perceives threats and gives a surprising amount of actionable take homes that we can use in our everyday lives. Join Sam Webster in this episode of the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast as he dives deep into the fascinating world of fear, security, emotional intelligence and neuroscience. There are three ma...

Aug 13, 20241 hr 7 min

The Lost Art of Listening to Yourself

Principles to enhance learning, independent thinking, and problem-solving, whilst reducing the feeling of being lost. Ever feel like you're constantly consuming information but losing touch with your own thoughts? This episode takes you on a journey back to the essential skill of listening to yourself. We'll explore the impact of continuous content on our ability to think independently and how it can dilute our personal insight. Hear expert advice on creating the mental space necessary for profo...

Aug 09, 202425 min

How to Build Free Will & Self-Control [Psychology of Default Behaviours]

Developing the freedom to choose how you respond to situations in life is a core part of building a growth mindset. A fixed mindset approach leaves you at the mercy of events in life that will make you angry or sad and blame your circumstances with no control from you. A growth mindset allows you to build the space to determine how you react in any situation and be the person you want to be rather than the person the world pushes you to be. To achieve that we examine: The nature of Free Will and...

Aug 06, 202458 min

3 Tactics to Leave Your Comfort Zone and Overcome Fear of Failure

Growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Learn to expand your mental horizons and build a healthy relationship with the fear of failure. To build new connections in the brain and learn we need to fail. Becoming an expert in anything requires being comfortable with being a crappy amateur. A great paradox of success is that it is built on a foundation of failure. Perfection is actually a common cause of fixed mindset attitudes and can block growth. Learn practical strategies to embrace the ...

Aug 02, 202422 min

The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset, Learning and Behaviour Change

How our brain chemistry and architecture works are fascinating. It can also help us embrace challenges, learn faster and reconfigure our mindsets. Today we are diving deep into how the brain lays down its wiring and builds beliefs and behaviour patterns. We can then better understand how our mindsets are formed, how they shape our outcomes and what we can do about them. This is core knowledge for anyone wanting to invest in their personal journey and influence their outcomes in life. Instead of ...

Jul 30, 202438 min

Eternal Laws of Human Nature: Timeless Investing Principles from “Same As Ever" - Morgan Housel

Dive into the timeless insights of Morgan Housel's book 'Same As Ever' and the nature or things that never change. We unpack the most profound lessons from the book, exploring how subtle shifts in perspective can lead to monumental changes in personal finance and decision-making. Sam invites his book review cohost Nicolas Vereecke on the show to discover how Housel's principles can be applied to everyday life, providing clarity and guidance through the complexities of economics and behavioural f...

Jul 26, 202456 min

Navigating the River of Time - How to decide what matters

There is no better time to contemplate the meaning of your existence than a Tuesday. Tackle the meaty questions of life, using philosophical tools and some lessons from the school of Positive Psychology. We curiously dive through the principles of physics and the lessons of history to contemplate the effect of time on our lives. Opposingly we examine the effects of our life on everything else and why we even do things. Along the way, we'll take on ideas from Ghengis Kahn and Julius Caesar to son...

Jul 23, 202425 min

7 Weird Life-Changing Skills That Will Make You Happier [+How to build them]

Some of the most important life skills sound strange to work on. But high-performers work on them anyway. From building your curiosity and enthusiasm to a better sense of humour. Several life skills make all the difference in your social and professional life. We'll even learn essential ideas that make us happier, more patient and more right. Yes, that's a thing. What's odd is that society says many things like our interests and humour are just part of who we are. We feel ashamed to want to work...

Jul 19, 20241 hr 4 min

Ditch Perfect: A Guide to Embracing Wins and Boosting Your Happiness[Repeat]

Why top performers embrace imperfection and celebrate victories. We dig into the show archives to uncover the timeless topic of perfectionism. Hedonic adaption is a major reason we aren't as happy as we should be and relentlessly pursue the next thing without taking time to even reflect on the happiness we are seeking. Lessons from the episode: Balancing perfect with good enough When our work is better than we think it is Why we aren't as happy as we deserve The importance Recognising achievemen...

Jul 16, 202429 min

Thinking Fast and Slow: How to Make Better Decisions - [Cognitive Biases #6]

The surprising psychology of rationality, bias, numbers and happiness can improve your decision-making. Daniel Kahneman's 'Thinking Fast and Slow' explores the interplay between our fast, intuitive thinking (System 1) and our slow, rational thinking (System 2). Sam discusses various cognitive biases and how our thinking systems cause them such as the anchoring effect, availability heuristic, confirmation bias, and overconfidence bias. He also covers fundamental theories like prospect theory and ...

Jul 12, 202453 min

Unravelling the Step-By-Step Anatomy of Having Big Ideas

What do we learn from the legends of history and how they approached innovation and making things happen? An action-packed episode today to inspire curious minds to think big and act accordingly. What blocks ideas? How to make progress? The power of consistency Why do Greek statues have tiny packages? All that and more in this Growth mindset masterclass into the psychology of genius thinkers and the behaviours and mental models behind making things happen. Sponsors: ManScaped: Leading the charge...

Jul 09, 202424 min

The Surprising Truth About Independence & Being Yourself

Standard Self-improvement advice is usually beige, unhelpful and often just wrong. We dive into the topic of "You are the 5 people you spend most time with" and learn where it is wrong and dangerous to follow. Instead, we learn a toolkit to be ourselves wherever we are and build relationships that nourish us. Lessons: Where common advice falls short Signs of toxic relationships blocking you from your potential Signs of healthy relationships Using the Growth Mindset to control your influences and...

Jul 05, 202422 min

4 Mindsets Proven To Radically Improve Your Life w/ Ryan Gottfredson

Research has shown 4 mindset pairs as recurring themes for success in life and leadership: Fixed vs. Growth Mindset Closed vs. Open Mindset Prevention vs. Promotion Mindset Inward vs. Outward Mindset By looking into the science of how these mindsets show up in our lives we can build a more robust approach to success and happiness. These mindsets affect how we show up, how easy we are to get on with, and our relationship with fear. Ryan Gottfredson PhD is a researcher, author and consultant who h...

Jul 02, 202454 min

Cognitive Rigidity: How Einstein Overcame The 5 Biases That Keep Us Stuck (You Can Too) - [#5 Cog biases]

How to uncover our fixed mindsets and the biases that keep us stuck? We dive into the concept of cognitive rigidity and the five cognitive biases that affect our daily lives: Functional fixedness and how to be more creative The endowment effect and irrational valuation of possessions The bandwagon effect and are terrible relationship with social pressure Hyperbolic discounting and why we are so lazy The Zeigarnik effect and why we endlessly ruminate Through personal anecdotes and historical exam...

Jun 29, 202448 min

Life's Infinite Games: Understanding Our Choices & Playing By Our Rules

Practical Psychology for navigating life's challenges and cultivating joy. Sam Webster Harris explores the concept of life as a series of games, blending psychological insights with practical wisdom. He discusses how every aspect of life involves some form of gameplay, from professional networks like LinkedIn to personal decisions and social interactions. We dig into the intersection of Philosophy and Psychology to understand the experiencing self and how we navigate our moments. Sam emphasizes ...

Jun 26, 202425 min

Curious Psychology: Overcoming Cognitive Load, What Is Expectation Violation & How Reactance Theory Explains War

What is the source of anger and how do we learn from everything in life? This episode explores how to investigate our assumptions and find a deeper understanding of the world around us. We use psychology to investigate our curiosities and find unexpected and useful lessons for life whilst having fun. Cool moments coming up: The difference between Intrinsic load, Extrinsic Load and Germane Load How Expectation violation is the worst thing ever Where does anger come from? Which is Sam's favourite ...

Jun 23, 202428 min
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