Recommended listening this week.
All in the Mind – The Psychology of Curiosity
Psychological insight: Recorded at the Cheltenham Science Festival, this is an interesting live discussion with psychologists Gosia Goclowska and Matthias Gruber (and astronaut Tim Peake!). Among the points raised, the dopaminergic circuit in the brain means that people feel rewarded for being curious. There is also a difference between trait curiosity (people who are generally curious) and state curiosity in specific moments.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ysTxFGyB1oEiromj2Aqyf?si=1ici-jXKTqmNqhFbsm9iLA
Remarkable People – Emotions Don’t Have to Control You
Psychological insight: Guy Kawasaki chats with Ethan Kross about emotion. Emotions are often seen as an end in themselves, but really they serve a purpose i.e. they are a tool for stimulating a reaction. People can be guided to experience (or avoid) certain emotions through either self-regulation or the effect of sensory external experiences. Emotions can therefore ‘shift’.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0VJ8ZWNXfce7fP6cE8yyep?si=WyWPCGpHSWmSxkZXgDfc8Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-your-emotions-dont-have-to-control-you-with-ethan-kross/id1483081827?i=1000714471660
Behavioural Science for Brands – Rory Sutherland interview
Psychological insight: Many great points here as Richard and Michael host a very long interview with Rory, including: The opposite of sour grapes (feeling bitter or resentful) is sweet lemons (finding the positives in an unexpected experience). There is also a good point here about the illusory benefits of marketing products/services to people who were already going to purchase. The effectiveness of search engines for example might be overstated if we include people searching for a brand or a product name – who had already made the decision to purchase.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MOJBlQ4kV1iAIA19JndVo?si=PPZ0sGnCTOKRhiYR3wKDkw
Speaking of Psychology – Wealth, Empathy and Entitlement
Psychological insight: This interview with Paul Piff is filled with references to interesting research. For example, relative wealth seems to negatively affect kind or generous behaviour. There is also a limit to the extent that money buys happiness, but spending money on others is more likely to increase happiness.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5v7jiD997GTdvMvBsoTIOH?si=Re3B8LgXRTynHUKVhRhiCg
Nudge – Persuading (almost) Anyone
Psychological insight: Will Storr discusses two of his books (The Status Game and The Story is a Deal) with Phill. They discuss the importance of mimicry and how examples of social proof encourage others to mimic behaviour. It’s good to show people how similar they are to you. People are also more likely to be motivated by status than money.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VhYgdj7gqHDDu7VGYLYy0?si=w5Rm5JP9SIq2Gm73vaoxaA
Photo by C D-X on Unsplash
