Episode 415 - Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There with Tali Sharot

Becoming Your Best | The Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

Have you noticed we overcome trauma at the same pace we get used to waking up to a breathtaking view? Our brain is an adaptation machine working tirelessly to keep us alive, yet that tendency to habituate to everything might also diminish our happiness.

In this episode, Professor Tali Sharot joins us to reflect on habituation and its impact on daily happiness. Tali Sharot is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Experimental Psychology and The Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry at University College London and on the faculty of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. Her research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study how emotion and motivation influence people's beliefs and decisions. She is also the director of the Affective Brain Lab, a sought-after speaker and the author of two award-winning books, "The Optimism Bias" and "The Influential Mind," and her latest, "Look Again."

Throughout our conversation, Tali shares bits of her research on habituation and adaptation, how they affect our happiness, and what we can do to "make what's thrilling on Monday, also thrilling on Friday." We also discuss her first book, "The Optimism Bias," the impact optimism has on our motivation, and why an optimistic attitude is crucial.

Additionally, we talk about the link between habituation and dishonesty, habituation and creativity, the transformational power of trying new things, and more.

Tune in to Episode 415 and learn how to turn every day into your best day so far.

Some Questions I Ask:

Please share a one or two-minute overview of The Optimism Bias, your first book (4:20)

Do you think habituation is cousins with complacency? (8:30)

Is there a link between habituation and dishonesty? (22:30)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A bit about Professor Tali Sharot's background (1:30)

What moved Tali Sharot to write "Look Again" (6:20)

How can we turn what's thrilling on Monday into thrilling on Friday, too (10:10)

Why change translates into happiness (14:00)

The importance of trying new things (26:10)

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Tali Sharot - The Optimism Bias: Why we're wired to look on the bright side

Book: Tali Sharot - Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There

TED Talk: Tali Sharot - The optimism bias

Connect with Professor Tali Sharot:

Website

Becoming Your Best Resources:

Becoming Your Best Website

Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

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