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)

A cry for help from failed podcast host and author Zachary Elwood

A cry for help from failed podcast host and author Zachary Elwood

Apologies for the sad clickbait-y title. I'll be okay. I was trying to be a little funny. This is just some updates on things I've been working on and how you might help me if you'd like to do so. Or ...

13 Aug 20247min

Psychological tactics magicians use to misdirect attention and manipulate audiences | Anthony Barnhart

Psychological tactics magicians use to misdirect attention and manipulate audiences | Anthony Barnhart

Psychologist and magician Anthony Barnhart discusses some behaviors magicians use to misdirect attention and manipulate an audience. Other topics include: the role blinking can play in misdirection; m...

5 Aug 20241h 4min

Objections to efforts to reduce American political polarization

Objections to efforts to reduce American political polarization

Media bias specialist Vanessa Otero, founder of Ad Fontes Media, talks to me (Zach Elwood) about my books aimed at reducing toxic political polarization in America. Topics discussed include: common ob...

31 Jul 20241h 9min

The psychology of how minor language choices can influence and manipulate, with Liz Stokoe

The psychology of how minor language choices can influence and manipulate, with Liz Stokoe

I talk with Liz Stokoe, who studies conversation analysis (CA) and is the author of the book "Talk: The Science of Conversation." Stokoe studies how language choices can impact us and change our behav...

21 Jul 202458min

If lie detectors don't work, why are they used?, with Leonard Saxe

If lie detectors don't work, why are they used?, with Leonard Saxe

A talk with psychologist Leonard Saxe, who is known for, amongst other things, his research into lie detectors (also known as polygraphs). Topics discussed include: why polygraphs and other forms of d...

14 Jul 202451min

Indicators that a 2020 video depicting racist harassment was staged

Indicators that a 2020 video depicting racist harassment was staged

This episode examines a video from 2020 that seemed to show a black person being harassed by a racist white woman. The video was shared by the celebrity gossip personality Perez Hilton, and was then p...

3 Jul 202424min

The awe and horror of existence, with existential psychologist Kirk Schneider

The awe and horror of existence, with existential psychologist Kirk Schneider

A reshare of a 2022 talk I had with existential psychologist Kirk Schneider. We talk about existential psychology and the power of being able to better understand and recognize the core anxieties we a...

24 Jun 20241h 1min

Life is *%$@ing strange: how does that relate to existential psychology?

Life is *%$@ing strange: how does that relate to existential psychology?

Thoughts about how an awareness of life's strangeness might impact us, both positively and negatively, and how that might relate to existential psychology concepts. Topics include: how an awareness of...

16 Jun 202421min

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