Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement

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

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

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    AI & Personal Growth: How to Spark Creativity and Deeper Thought Using ChatGPT (with Tim O'Shea)

    How to use AI to avoid lazy thinking traps and think deeper, faster, and with greater perspective. Tim O'Shea joins the podcast to talk about ways to genuinely improve your thinking with AI. Employing a self-improvement coach is expensive. As well as a writing coach or a therapist or a coder or an accountant or an SEO strategist. Generative AI has been heralded as giving us the tools to do all of these things on one simple interface. But the reality of using it can seem clunky and well-limited. We explore ways to make the most of AI's like ChatGPT and Claude to improve your creativity and problem solve. How to uncover lost memories Improve your writing and storytelling Get an elite advisor on anything Think bigger and think differently Generate useful and surprising ideas and connections. Whether you want Warren Buffet to review your investing choices and teach you to be a better investor or you want Morpheus's advice on finding your purpose in life. With a playful approach you can unlock a lot fo fun and creativity and this episode should give you some ideas you haven't thought of before. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Tim O'Shea X - @TimOSheaHQ Website - TheBoost.ai Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 Balancing technology and personal growth 03:45 Using AI as a guide 05:40 Creative prompts to spark ideas 08:15 Unlocking hidden memories using AI 10:00 How to ask for help 13:23 Writing and Creativity: A Personal Journey 17:05 Great stories happen to people who tell great stories. 19:13 Using AI for Personal Stories 25:46 Capturing elusive thoughts in real time 27:45 AI and Thought Translation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min
  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    34 Unconventional Life Lessons You Don't Learn In School

    Mental models, hard truths & priceless wisdom I wish I knew 10 years ago. From how to really think about IQ or Money to establishing the point of your life in a confused society. This episode covers 34 of my favourite and unintuitive lessons this year for getting along in the world without regrets. Some of the main themes covered: Pursuing the right things Working with your emotions Improving your career and work life Making the most of your potential Building your own independent beliefs Focussing on what truly matters Creating your own luck Overcoming ego and identity Seeing society with a rational viewpoint If you enjoy psychology, philosophy and contemplating how the world and our minds work this episode will have a few insights for you. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 34 Lessons for life - Exploring Thought-Provoking Ideas 02:14 The Importance of Understanding Books 03:03 Are You Pursuing a Shadow Career? 03:41 The Reality of Side Hustles 04:23 The Necessity of Exercise 04:56 Doing Your Best Work When Not Working 05:48 Ideas are stepping stones 06:23 Money as a Tool 07:03 Life is Too Short for the Wrong Pursuits 07:45 The Importance of Approach 08:32 Practicing Desired Emotions 09:44 Finding Yourself 10:16 Developing Your Personal Voice 11:13 Discipline Over Talent 11:49 IQ and Success 13:10 Apply Yourself Accordingly 14:17 Making Others Feel Clever 15:07 Think Bigger 16:06 Setting Higher Standards for Yourself 16:26 No One Thinks About You as Much as You Do 17:02 Make Your Life Story Interesting 17:55 First Principles Thinking 19:05 Learn from Others' Mistakes 20:04 Too Much of Anything is Bad 21:07 Society is an Accident 21:44 Embrace Unplanned Opportunities 22:30 The World is Duct Taped Together 24:15 Question What You Take for Granted 26:02 Build Your Own Beliefs 28:04 Keep Your Identity Small 28:51 Understanding Biases 30:41 Empathy Makes the World Nicer 30:51 Life is About Contrasts 31:33 Anger is a Useless Emotion 32:30 Camera Angles and Stories 33:56 Big and Small Things Matter 34:34 Final Thoughts and Birthday Wish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
  3. 29 OCT

    The Psychology of Mistakes - 7 Ways To Fix Lazy Thinking

    We celebrate 'hard work" but forget to consider the benefits of thinking "hard thoughts". This episode teaches how to navigate uncertainty without taking easy options by building a capacity for complexity. Allow doubt to improve our decisions Understand multiple causes behind outcomes Reduce judgement of others Improve your field of vision Weight statistics properly Take ownership of forming opinion without using others Accept lower confidence and greater accuracy The mind is full of complexity and it relentlessly tries to optimise and take shortcuts. This serves is well in many aspects but cultivating a practice of taking the harder path in our thinking allows us to see hidden truths behind out assumptions. To arrive at better decisions we need to learn to balance uncertainty with statistics and see beyond our limited field of view. It isn't easy but the benefits can greatly improve your outcomes and your mindsets. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 Benefits of thinking hard thoughts 01:12 Optimizing for the wrong things 03:59 1st - Elimination of doubt 06:55 2nd - Single cause explanation to complex events 09:12 3rd - Justification of your own action whilst judging the actions of others 12:02 Morgan Housel - we are blind to the vast majority of what people are thinking 12:12 Lessons from the book 'Evil' 14:20 4th - Your own field of vision is the same as everyone else's 18:05 5th - The desire to prioritize stories over statistics 20:46 6th - Outsourcing our hard decisions to the opinions of pundits, consultants, and experts 24:09 7th - Overconfidence 26:21 Annie Duke - Thinking of bets 28:22 Accepting probabilities and the reality of a situation 29:33 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    35 min
  4. 25 OCT

    7 Painful Paradoxes of Self-Improvement that Create More Problems Than They Solve

    A lot of the self-improvement industry and advice is backwards. The more books we read the further away from our goals we become. Ultimately we want to be happier yet we are accruing more and more things to fix before we are happy with ourselves. In this episode, we explore the biggest paradoxes where the work we do can make us more brittle and breakable: Effortlessness Paradox - The harder we try the harder we make it Happiness Paradox - Pursuing Happiness instead chases it away Validation paradox - Seeking external validation prevents internal validation Emotions paradox - Suppressing emotions makes them overwhelm us The Shadow - Rejecting our flaws makes them worse Planning Paradox - Overplanning reduces adaptability Self-Improvement Paradox - The more things you find to fix the more broken you feel Searching and finding can be different things. We learn a more subtle approach to self-improvement that spends more time building wisdom and focusing on smaller immediately actionable steps with less chasing and running in circles. We find answers to the question "How do we balance the art of wanting to improve whilst also wanting to live in contentment in the present?" Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 The Effortlessness Paradox 03:08 The Messy Reality of Self-Improvement 04:23 Introduction to the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast 05:14 The Paradox of Pursuing Happiness 07:49 The Paradox of Validation 10:52 The Paradox of Emotions 12:53 Carl Jung and the Shadow Concept 13:49 Acceptance Over Rejection 15:07 The Planning Paradox 16:29 Understanding Uncertainty Tolerance 16:47 Steve Jobs' Journey of Adaptability 17:27 Embracing the Unexpected 18:06 The Paradox of Self-Improvement 18:44 The Dunning-Kruger Effect in Self-Help 19:49 The Slow Process of Real Change 22:12 Balancing Self-Improvement and Acceptance 25:22 The Timid Cat Analogy for Happiness 26:33 Final Thoughts and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    32 min
  5. 22 OCT

    Psychology of Mental Strength: 3 Habits to Build Resilience, Inner Toughness & a Growth Mindset

    A masterclass on showing up as your best self. No toxic overworking or ultra-positive crap, but instead knowing and being yourself. We learn how to: Honestly understand our emotions Resist unnecessary mental time travel Distinguish our wants and our values Get a grip on reality and get a grip on yourself with this short episode with no punches pulled, only real and important lessons. Join host Sam Webster Harris on the Growth Mindset Pyscholgy podcast for an insightful exploration of mental strength and emotional resilience. This episode delves into the differences between mental strength and emotional suppression, and provides practical tips for harnessing mental resources, controlling self-defeating thoughts, and practicing emotional honesty. Learn about 'mental time travel' and its impact on anxiety and depression, and discover mindfulness, meditation techniques, and grounding exercises to stay present. Additionally, the episode covers 8 proven habits to build mental toughness, including gratitude, self-compassion, and embracing a growth mindset. Enhance your mental resilience and face life's challenges with greater fortitude with these valuable strategies. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 Sam: 3 habits to build mental strength 04:25 #1 Be Honest About Your Emotions 06:05 Practical step #1 - Self Reflection 06:15 Practical Step #2 - Naming Your Emotions 06:30 Practical Step #3 - Avoid Judgement 06:47 Practical Step #4 - Seek Some Feedback 07:19 #2 Be Present and Resist Unnecessary Mental Time Travel 09:38 Mindfulness, Meditation &Grounding Techniques 10:36 Schedule some reflections 10:56 Practicing Activities that Require Full Engagement 11:26 Genlty Reminding Yourself 13:20 #3 Distinguish Your Wants and Values 16:00 Reflection, Journaling, Visualization & Accountability 18:30 5 Bonus Habits 18:37 Cultivating Gratitude 19:21 Self Compassion 20:08 Setting and Communicating Your Limits 20:25 Social Support 21:10 Setting Goals and Plans 21:38 Building Growth Mindset = Building Mental Toughness 22:39 Send Off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    27 min
  6. 18 OCT

    Master Finishing Things - Unblock Creative Constipation, Avoid Side-projects & Find Focus

    Unconventional Strategies to finish important things and ease the overwhelm in your life. You might have a burning pile of unfinished side projects. For some reason reading another book on productivity doesn't solve the problem. This episode covers uncommon ideas that actually work even for people with ADHD. This episode will help you: Let go of baggage - cut the things slowing you down Stop fighting - Work with your energy and interests instead of against yourself Identify blockers - stop your projects getting sidetracked Value your time - spend energy where it means the most Overcome perfection - turn ideas into stepping stones From handling creative constipation to finding your calling, understanding the psychology of intentional productivity will provide a kinder way to look at your goals and task list and get your ducks in a row. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 The Junkyard of Unfinished Projects 02:10 The Myth of Finishing Everything 03:02 The Power of Abandoning Unrewarding Tasks 04:30 Start more of What you Finish 05:51 The 80/20 Rule in Practice 08:22 Identifying and Overcoming Blockers 08:58 The Danger of Perfectionism 11:04 Absolute No Go's - The blockers you can't beat 14:06 When to use Delegation and Collaboration 14:27 The Pitfalls of Incomplete Processes 16:44 Growth Mindset and Leaning into Strengths 17:14 Identifying and Delegating Blockers 18:18 Valuing Your Time 20:12 The Paradox of Finishing Unwanted Tasks 21:35 Framework for Achieving Goals 23:33 The Power of Imperfect Action 26:25 Unblock Creative Constipation 30:05 Questions to Ponder and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    37 min
  7. 15 OCT

    How to Be Remembered in a Forgetful World - 3 Rules to Build Lasting Impressions

    Win friends and influence people by being yourself, with style We all have different skills that are worth others knowing about. What isn't so easy is communicating those qualities in a believable, effective, and timely manner. Today's episode will show you how to build and tell your story whilst crafting a better presence: Psychology of authenticity Identifying your real strengths How to be memorable Why a little kindness does go a long way You don't need to change yourself but instead work on the art of uncovering the things you hide behind to help you put your best foot forward. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Related Episodes: 7 Wierd Life-Changing Skills: That will make you happier - 19th July 2024 Ego Blindspots: 9 Cognitive Biases to avoid - 7th May 2024 Living the 4-Hour Work Week: Felix Chandler's strategy for being content - 14th Feb 2018 Sponsors 🥙 Hello Fresh - America's #1 meal kit provider 10 free meals across 7 boxes HelloFresh.com/FreeGrowthMindset Get in Touch 👋 Free Call - Schedule Link 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail,com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 The Power of Perception & Emotional Impact 01:42 Common Mistakes in Self-Presentation 04:58 Being Yourself: The Key to Authenticity 05:35 Developing Your Personal Style 08:12 The Concept of 'Show, Don't Tell' 08:51 The Power of Humor in Self-Presentation 10:07 Actions Speak Louder Than Words 12:09 Crafting Everyday Stories 14:02 Identifying Your Strengths & Turning Strengths into Stories 15:34 Communicating Your Qualities 18:08 Making Your Work Understandable 19:12 The Importance of Kindness 21:57 Sharing Your Cheese Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    26 min
  8. 11 OCT

    How to Build Worldly Wisdom - The Greatest Mental Models of Charlie Munger

    Practical Psycholgoy lessons from Warren Buffet's business partner. Ideas used to create rational thinking and build a Trillion-Dollar empire. Today we dissect the best lessons from "Poor Charlies Almanac" A blueprint for rational thinking and sensible investing. Charlie Munger loved Psychology and wanted there to be a course on Practical Psychology to be taught at all universities. He believed it would make the world a better place. His book combines his favourite tools from psychology as well as other lessons and mental models he found to build worldly wisdom and the best investing record in history. Upgrade to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content 💬 Community Discord GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Related Episodes: Greatest Mental Models of Jeff Bezos: Principles behind his success - 24th May 2024 Thinking Fast and Slow: Where Biases come from - 12th July 2024 Ego Blindspots: 9 Cognitive Biases to avoid - 7th May 2024 Meet Sam Free Call - Schedule Link Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) Website - GrowthMindsetPodcast.com Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Mastering Wisdom 00:23 Charlie Munger's Influence 01:13 The Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast 02:07 Exploring Poor Charlie's Almanac 03:54 #1 - Interdisciplinary Thinking 06:40 Understanding Circle of Competence 07:50 Opportunity Costs in Decision Making 08:45 The Inversion Principle 11:39 #2 - Cognitive Biases 12:47 Confirmation Bias and Clear Thinking 14:34 Authority Bias and Independent Thought 16:26 Social Proof and Individuality 17:51 Arguing Against Your Own Beliefs 18:49 # Weaknesses 19:20 Lack of Emotion and suspension of belief 20:41 Binary thinking and Fixed Mindset 21:30 Arrogance and assumption that others are stupid 25:46 #3 - Rational Decision Making 26:59 First Principles Thinking 28:47 Probabilistic Thinking and Risks 30:22 The Margin of Safety 31:37 Chauffeur Knowledge vs. True Understanding 33:51 Applying Mental Models in Real Life 34:39 Sharing Wisdom and Building Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min

About

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

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