Our memory and sense of self are full of illusions | with Anne Wilson

Our memory and sense of self are full of illusions | with Anne Wilson

Psychologist Anne Wilson studies how we construct our identities over time—how we remember the past, imagine the future, and tell ourselves stories that shape who we believe we are. In this episode, we explore why our memories are often less reliable than we think, and how that inaccuracy might actually be a feature, not a bug. Anne shares insights from her work on temporal self-appraisal theory, including surprising research showing how people often rewrite their pasts to make it seem like they're always improving. We also talk about how memory malleability impacts mental health, relationships, and political polarization. Why do people remember the same childhood in radically different ways? Why do people recall their past selves as worse than they actually were? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episoder(205)

The polarization of Elon Musk: His high-contempt approach to political disagreement

The polarization of Elon Musk: His high-contempt approach to political disagreement

In June of 2024, I got an op-ed published in TheHill.com about Elon Musk's polarization -- specifically his affective polarization, which refers to how people perceive and treat their political oppone...

12 Jan 202520min

Explanations for those UFO videos released in 2017 (Gimbal, GoFast, others)

Explanations for those UFO videos released in 2017 (Gimbal, GoFast, others)

Brian Dunning, creator of the podcast Skeptoid, made a documentary that brings a skeptical, analytical eye to the recent UFO craze – including those three famous UFO videos released by the Pentagon th...

9 Jan 202521min

Reading faces: A dumb 1960s book on reading physical facial traits

Reading faces: A dumb 1960s book on reading physical facial traits

I thought it'd be interesting to read a very dumb book from 1969 called "Face Reading: A Guide to How the Human Face Reveals Personality, Sexuality, Intelligence, Character, and More." It's about find...

21 Des 20241h 22min

I interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and other creatures

I interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and other creatures

I ruthlessly interrogate an 8-year-old about her belief in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and other magical creatures.  Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-po...

21 Des 20249min

The psychology behind the self-reinforcing nature of conflict and polarization

The psychology behind the self-reinforcing nature of conflict and polarization

A piece I wrote for my Defusing American Anger Substack (learn more at american-anger.com) about the psychological aspects of how toxic conflict grows and builds. When you see the self-reinforcing asp...

11 Nov 20247min

Many take Trump's words out of context: How this relates to toxic polarization

Many take Trump's words out of context: How this relates to toxic polarization

In a recent Fox News interview, Trump was asked whether he thought there would be chaos and violence if he won the election, and his response included mentioning that, if necessary, the National Guard...

22 Okt 202426min

Analyzing the behavior of Peter Todd, who's accused of being Bitcoin creator | Jeremy Clark

Analyzing the behavior of Peter Todd, who's accused of being Bitcoin creator | Jeremy Clark

In the documentary Money Electric, filmmaker Cullen Hoback put forth the theory that developer Peter Todd was Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. In this episode, I talk to cryptocurr...

18 Okt 202453min

Scammer on Nextdoor gets my personal info: Tips for spotting online marketplace scam tells

Scammer on Nextdoor gets my personal info: Tips for spotting online marketplace scam tells

On the Nextdoor app, a fake account succeeded in getting some personal info from me before I realized they were a scammer. I discuss how that scam went down, share an audio call I had with the scammer...

15 Okt 202415min

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