296. Staying Curious - with Carol Tavris, PhD

In this episode of the You Are Not Broken podcast, Dr. Kelly Casperson interviews Dr. Carol Tavris, a renowned social psychologist and feminist. They discuss the evolving definition of feminism, the impact of cognitive dissonance on women's health, and the collaboration between Dr. Tavris and Dr. Avrum Blooming on hormone therapy.

The conversation highlights the importance of staying curious, the role of fear in controlling women, and the challenges women face in navigating medical information. Dr. Tavris emphasizes the need for women to advocate for their health and to question outdated medical warnings. In this conversation, Dr. Kelly Casperson and Carol Tavris discuss the complexities surrounding hormone therapy, particularly estrogen, and the societal and medical biases that influence women's health. They explore the implications of labeling estrogen as hazardous, the challenges of mobilizing women for advocacy, and the cognitive biases that affect perceptions of hormone therapy. The discussion emphasizes the need for informed activism, understanding causation versus correlation, and the evolution of medical beliefs over time. Dr. Tavris offers insights on how to engage effectively with both the medical community and the public to foster change in women's health policies.

Takeaways

• Feminism is about equality and justice for all genders.
• Cognitive dissonance can hinder our ability to accept new information.
• Women have historically been misrepresented in medical research.
• Collaboration between psychology and medicine can improve women's health.
• Fear is a powerful tool used to control women's choices.
• Women must navigate a complex landscape of medical information.
• The medical community often overlooks women's health needs.
• Outdated medical warnings can create unnecessary fear.
• Women should advocate for their health and question misinformation.
• Understanding cognitive dissonance can help in making informed decisions. Estrogen patches are being labeled as hazardous without proper justification.
• Women need to mobilize and organize for advocacy efforts.
• Apathy among women in advocacy is a significant barrier to change.
• Cognitive biases can distort perceptions of hormone therapy.
• Correlation does not imply causation, especially in health matters.
• Personal anecdotes can shape beliefs about medical treatments.
• The evolution of medical beliefs often requires a critical mass of evidence.
• Activism should focus on engaging those who are open to change.
• Mistakes in medicine are common, and learning from them is essential.
• Holding beliefs lightly allows for adaptation to new evidence.

Dr. Tavris' Books:

Estrogen Matters

Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)

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