This is the second episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is also the title of my new book). There seems to be a movement afoot, a new wave of nonfiction about how to reduce all this argumentative madness and epistemic chaos. I want to boost everyone's signal on this issue, so I thought it would be nice to collaborate instead of compete, since that's part of what we are all proselytizing with these books. So this episode’s guest is Bo Seo, the author of Good Arguments – a book about how he became a world debate champion in which he not only teaches us how to apply what he has learned to everyday life but imagines communities built around, not despite, constant arguing and disagreement. Seo says that a political life without constant disagreement would be impoverished. As he puts it, quote, "Nations are, at their best, evolving arguments. As he writes, “In a liberal democracy, good arguments are not what societies should do but also what they should be.” See believes that on well curated, well moderated platforms, ones that value good faith interactions, arguing and disagreement would flip from being catalysts for polarization to the very engine of depolarization and change. In the interview, he not only tells us how to defend ourselves against bad arguments, but explains how in his mind a great democracy isn’t a place where everyone agrees and sees eye-to-eye, but one where we work to have better quality disagreements. - Bo Seo’s Website: www.helloboseo.com - How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome - David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney - YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog - Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com - Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com

This is the first episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is also the title of my new book). There seems to be a movement afoot, a new wave of nonfiction about how to reduce all this argumentative madness and epistemic chaos. I want to boost everyone's signal on this issue, so I thought it would be nice to collaborate instead of compete, since that's part of what we are all proselytizing with these books. So this episode’s guest is Mónica Guzmán, the author of I Never Thought of It That Way – a book with very practical advice on how to have productive conversations in a polarized political environment via authentic curiosity about where people’s opinions, attitudes, and values come from. In short, it’s about how to reduce polarization and learn from those with whom we disagree by establishing the sort of dynamic in which they will eagerly learn from us as well. - How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome - Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com - Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com - David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney - YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog - Mónica Guzmán’s Website: https://www.moniguzman.com - Mónica Guzmán’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/moniguzman - I Never Thought of it That Way: https://www.moniguzman.com/book - Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org - My Article on Intellectual Humility: https://bigthink.com/the-well/change-your-mind-intellectual-humility/

In this episode, we sit down with famed stage magician and infamous instructor of the school of scams, Brian Brushwood, whose new podcast explores the world's greatest con artists and con jobs from World War II to modern game shows. We cover everything in this episode from why you can't con an honest person to the power of shame and fame to folk psychology to how the British conned Hitler using one of the oldest tricks in the book to how one man broke the code for Press Your Luck earning him the most money ever awarded in a single day on any program in the history of game shows. The World's Greatest Con: https://worldsgreatestcon.fireside.fm/ Brian Brushwood's Twitter: https://twitter.com/shwood Brain's Website: http://shwood.com How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog

It’s February. It’s that time of year when we start to wonder if we might not follow through with our New Year’s resolutions. It’s that time of the year when procrastination becomes a centerpiece of our psychological concerns. Our guest in this episode is professor, author, therapist, and speaker Britt Frank, a trauma specialist who treats people with a unique and powerful set of techniques and approaches which, taken together, helps clients to get out of the feeling of being STUCK. Author of The Science of Stuck, she says, “Procrastination is not a character flaw. Nor is it a sign of weakness. Nor is it a sign of laziness.⁣ Procrastination is an indicator that internal consent has not been given. When our inner parts are distressed, afraid, sad, angry, grief-stricken or anxious, it is important to listen to their concerns, not to shame them or coerce them into action.⁣” In the show you’ll learn about the physiological origins of procrastination – the inner brake pedal and gas pedal – and what to do to escape the two different versions of this universal challenge to getting unstuck and getting things done. Britt Frank: https://www.scienceofstuck.com How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog

Nick Sonnenberg doesn’t believe there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. That’s because when his business was in crisis mode, he developed a framework for eliminating inefficiencies and preventing the sort of metawork – working on working – that leads to scavenger hunts and meetings that could be emails, and for that matter, email runarounds that get everyone ever farther from inbox zero. He turned that framework into a consultancy business, and put it all together in a new book for people who feel underwater titled Come up For Air. Come Up For Air: https://comeupforair.com Nick’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nick_sonnenberg How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com

In this episode we sit down with psychologist Dacher Keltner, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of emotion, the man Pixar hired to help them write Inside Out. In his new book – Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life – he outlines his years of work in this field, the health benefits of awe, the evolutionary origins and likely functions, and how to better pursue more awe and wonder in your own life. Dacher Kelter: https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/dacher-keltner Greater Good: https://twitter.com/GreaterGoodSC How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog

In this episode, Micheal Rousell, author of The Power of Surprise, explains the science of surprise at the level of neurons and brain structures, and then talk about how surprises often lead to the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, the different personal narratives that guide our behaviors and motivations and goals, and, perhaps most importantly, our willingness to be surprised again so that we can change and grow. In the show, you will how we can use the current understanding of how surprise leads to learning, and how learning depends on interpretation, to improve our lives, and the lives of others How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com

Temple Grandin was born in 1947 at a time when words like neurodivergent and neurotypical had yet to enter the lexicon, at a time when autism was not well understood, and since she didn’t develop speech until much later than most children she might have led a much different life if it hadn’t been for people around her who worked very hard to open up a space for her to thrive and explore her talents and abilities. In this episode we discuss all that as well as her latest book, Visual Thinking, all about three distinct ways that human brains create human minds to make sense of the world outside of their skulls. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com

In this episode we explore what narcissism is (and what is most-definitely is not). There is a form of narcissism which has been, up until now, confused with psychopathy. But a new paper, the result of years of experiments, suggests narcissists are not psychopaths, and psychopaths are not narcissists. In the psychological literature, narcissism comes in two varieties. Grandiose narcissists tend to really, truly love themselves and heavily manipulate their social environment for personal gain. Vulnerable narcissists don’t love themselves, not their true selves. Vulnerable narcissists love their image, and they are highly aware of the fact that it is an image and work very hard to prevent anyone else realizing that. According to the research explored in this episode, there is no such thing as a grandiose narcissist – that’s just another way to describe a psychopath. Vulnerable narcissists like Don Draper in Mad Men cope with their insecurity by donning a mask, and then spend most of their lives protecting that mask out of a fear of what will happen if people ever see what it hides. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Narcissism through the lens of performative self-elevation

In this episode we sit down with Jeremy Utley of the Stanford d.school to discuss his new book, Ideaflow, which is all about how to create a practice for producing and trading ideas in massive quantities – whether in an organization or as an individual entrepreneur or content-creator – along with a system for sorting the garbage from the gold. We discuss, among many other things, why it is important to focus on input more than output, how to stop obsessing over quality while generating quantity, and peanut butter pumps. Jeremy Utley: https://www.jeremyutley.design Ideaflow: https://www.ideaflow.design Stanford d.school: https://dschool.stanford.edu How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Jeremy Utley’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyutley David McRaney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidmcraney YANSS Twitter: https://twitter.com/notsmartblog Berkeley Alembic Event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-minds-change-with-david-mcraney-tickets-443811591417

Here’s a special bonus episode featuring my recent conversation with Tim Harford, author, economic journalist, and host of the Cautionary Tales podcast. We discussed a story from my new book, How Minds Change, about a conspiracy theorist who was certain 9/11 was an inside job until he actually visited Ground Zero to meet architects, engineers and the relatives of the dead. Tim and I reflect on what he can teach us about those who hold strong beliefs even in the face of damning, contrary evidence and why persuasion, especially if attempted poorly, isn't always the right answer. • Hear more from Cautionary Tales at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/ctsmart • How Minds Change: https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome

I recently sat down for a live event and Q&A with the great Annie Duke to discuss her new book, Quit: The power of knowing when to walk away. This episode is the audio from that event. Quit is all about how to develop a very particular skill: how to train your brain to make it easier to know which goals and plans are worth sticking to and which are not. - Toronto Live Event: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-minds-change-a-conversation-lab-with-david-mcraney-misha-glouberman-tickets-410047431907 - How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome - Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com - Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com - Annie Duke's Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnieDuke

In this episode we sit down with NYU psychologist Jay Van Bavel who is very good at Twitter. His feed is always overflowing with the absolute latest and greatest research from psychology with links to papers as they come out – on many of the topics we so often explore on this podcast – and in this episode we discuss ten of those tweets and the research he’s shared. Toronto Live Event: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-minds-change-a-conversation-lab-with-david-mcraney-misha-glouberman-tickets-410047431907 How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Jay Van Bavel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayvanbavel

In this episode we sit down with Douglas Rushkoff, a media scholar, journalist, and professor of digital economics who has a new fire in his belly when it comes to the world of billionaire preppers, which comes across in his new book Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires – inspired by his invitation to consult a group of the world’s richest people on how to spend their money now to survive an apocalypse they fear is coming within their lifetimes. Live Event at Caveat: https://caveat.nyc/event/how-minds-change-9-20-2022 How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Douglas Rushkoff's Website: https://rushkoff.com

In this episode we welcome back author Will Storr whose new book, The Status Game, feels like required reading for anyone confused, curious, or worried about how politics, cults, conspiracy theories communities, social media, religious fundamentalism, polarization, and extremism are affecting us - everywhere, on and offline, across cultures, and across the world. What is The Status Game? It’s our primate propensity to perpetually pursue points that will provide a higher level of regard among the people who can (if we provoked such a response) take those points away. And deeper still, it’s the propensity to, once we find a group of people who regularly give us those points, care about what they think more than just about anything else. In the interview, we discuss our inescapable obsession with reputation and why we are deeply motivated to avoid losing this game through the fear of shame, ostracism, embarrassment, and humiliation while also deeply motivated to win this game by earning what will provide pride, fame, adoration, respect, and status. Live Event at Caveat: https://caveat.nyc/event/how-minds-change-9-20-2022 How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Will Storr’s Website: https://willstorr.com Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

When we talk about conspiracy theories we tend to focus on what people believe instead of why, and, more importantly, why they believe those things and not other things. In this episode, we sit down with two psychologists working to change that, and in addition, change the term itself from conspiracy theory to conspiracy narrative, which more accurately describes what makes any one conspiracy appealing enough to form a community around it and in rare cases result in collective action. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

Our guest in this episode is the behavioral scientist Jon Levy who wrote a book titled You’re Invited, the Art and Science of Cultivating influence. The book details how Jon was able to convince groups of Nobel Laureates, Olympians, celebrities, Fortune 500 executives, and even a princess to not only give him advice, but cook him dinner, wash his dishes, sweep his floors, and then thank him for the experience. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Contest: https://sites.prh.com/hmc-giveaway Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Jon Levy's Website: https://www.jonlevytlb.com Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

In this episode we sit down with Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, author, speaker, and professional poker player whose new book, Chess Queens, is the true story of the greatest female players of all time interwoven with her own experiences as a chess champion. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Contest: https://sites.prh.com/hmc-giveaway Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com Jennifer Shahade’s Website: https://jennifershahade.com Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

New research suggests people on opposite sides of wedge issues want to listen to each other. We are each eager to hear differing opinions and understand opposing views, and when we do it can change our minds (at least a little), but only when we aren't triggered by the psychological phenomenon of reactance - one of several ideas we explore in this episode. How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Newsletter: https://davidmcraney.substack.com/subscribe Show Notes: www.youarenotsosmart.com Michèle Belot on Twitter: http://twitter.com/belotmichele Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart

In this episode I read an excerpt from my new book How Minds Change, a portion concerning how to change minds about abortion rights, and Chris Clearfield interviews me about that very same book - which is out now and available everywhere. Link to learn more about How Minds Change: www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome Link to learn more about Deep Canvassing: www.newconvo.org Link to my new newsletter: davidmcraney.substack.com/subscribe Link to Chris Clearfield’s handout: www.chrisclearfield.com/change Patreon: http://patreon.com/youarenotsosmart