Podcasts about affective brain lab

People think happiness comes from getting everything you want. But the science shows, it's the absence, the novelty, and the change that bring joy back - Tali Sharot  Ever wonder why lasting happiness can feel so elusive? This episode delves into the neuroscience of habituation, and why our brains, despite achieving desires, tend to filter out positive experiences. We'll explore this phenomenon and uncover practical strategies to consciously re-engage with what's already good in your life. My guest is Dr. Tali Sharot, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London, where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. Tali's research blends neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics to study how emotion and motivation shape decision-making, memory, and belief. Tali's work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The BBC, and her TED Talks have been viewed over 15 million times. We talk about her research behind why we adapt so quickly to both the good and the bad—and how this helps us survive, but can also rob us of happiness, creativity, and even the desire to change. This is the crux of her book, Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There, co-authored with Cass Sunstein. If you've ever wondered why joy fades faster than it should—or why we stop seeing the beauty around us—this conversation offers a fresh perspective on how to disrupt that pattern. Some highlights from the pod: Tali's research background and the Affective Brain Lab Research insights into human–AI bias feedback loops Habituation: How our brains are built to ignore what doesn't change Why the mechanism that makes us resilient also makes us take good things for granted The problem of perfection; and getting everything you want Dis-habituation —and how to apply it to relationships and daily life Happiness and the evolutionary role of novelty How to use imagination and attention to rekindle joy and gratitude Why people with depression often struggle to recover—and the role of rumination How learning and effort unlock happiness Refreshing the familiar: Savoring, small changes, and role-play This is one of those episodes that can help you feel more alive—not by adding more to your life, but by changing how you see what's already there. Enjoy!  

New research shows that your work, your life, and your relationships will get boring. Today, you'll learn a simple tool you can use to make your life exciting, joyful, and energizing again. This profound conversation will allow you to truly understand and connect the dots between why you've become bored with what used to excite you – and how you can create more meaning in your life.In this episode, Mel is joined by the renowned neuroscientist from University College London and MIT, Dr. Tali Sharot. She is here to teach you the groundbreaking science and research about how you can start feeling excitement about your life again.Dr. Sharot is a behavioral neuroscientist and the director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London. Her research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study how emotion and behavior influences people's beliefs and decisions.After today, you will know how to use Dr. Sharot's research to make your life sparkle again and reignite happiness in your day-to-day life.You'll also learn very specific, tactical things you can do to make your vacations better, avoid a midlife crisis, and improve the experience of your everyday life.For more resources, including links to Dr. Tali's books, website, and research, click here for the podcast episode page. If you liked this episode with Dr. Tali Sharot, you will love her first appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast: How to Motivate Yourself (and Others) to Change Any BehaviorAnd to go deeper in the themes of this episode, you'll love this one: 5 Fun Ideas to Shake Up Your Life & Get Out Of A RutConnect with Mel: Watch the episodes on YouTubeGo deeper with Mel's free video course, Make It HappenFollow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast InstagramMel's TikTok Sign up for Mel's personal letter Disclaimer

Do you want to know the secret to unlocking motivation in yourself or someone you love? If you want to change any behavior for the better…. Or if you've got someone in your life (don't we all?!) who you wish would change… Today's episode is for you. You'll learn why guilt, pressure, fear, crying, threats, and ultimatums will not help anyone change, and there's a scientific reason why. Then, you'll learn the 3 very specific tactics that inspire anyone to quickly change their behavior for the better, including specific scripts that you can use with even the most stubborn people.Teaching you today is #1 neuroscientist, Dr. Tali Sharot. She's here to debunk the myths of behavior change and teach you how to make any change, big or small. Dr. Sharot is a behavioral neuroscientist, professor at both University College London and MIT,  and the director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London.Her research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study motivation and behavior change.By the time you finish listening, you'll know EXACTLY what to do to create any change you want.For more resources, including links to Dr. Tali Sharot's research, website, and social media click here for the podcast episode page. If you liked this research-packed episode, you'll love this episode: The #1 Neuroscientist: After Listening to This, Your Brain Will Not Be the Same.Connect with Mel: Watch the episodes on YouTubeGo deeper with Mel's free video course, Make It HappenFollow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast InstagramMel's TikTok Sign up for Mel's personal letter Disclaimer

We all want to be happy. In fact, it's our desire for happiness that drives most of our decisions, like our friendships, our activities, even our purchases. Yet, over time, we find that the things that made us so happy at the start – that new car or delicious meal – end up losing their luster. I was curious about why this happens and what, if anything, we can do about it. That's why I wanted to talk to Tali Sharot, cognitive neuroscientist, professor at University College London and MIT, and director of the Affective Brain Lab. In her latest book, Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There, she explains why the things that once made us happy no longer do. She also shares what we can do about it. Episode Links The Big Idea: This Simple Behavioural Trick Can Help You Get More out of Life Your Life is Better Than You Think Why People Fail to Notice Horrors around Them David Robson on How Our Expectations Shape Us (Interview) The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

Dr. Tali Sharot is a professor of cognitive neuroscience at MIT and University College London, and the founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab, a cognitive neuroscience research laboratory dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the human brain. She's the author of The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain, The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others. Her newest book, co-authored with Cass Sunstein is titled Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There.Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always ThereAffective Brain LabFollow the Affective Brain Lab on X: @affectivebrain----------If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with someone you think might like it too.Email: michael@wherewegonext.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Everyone loves getting flowers – but of course they don't last very long. To make them last as long as possible, what works best, the flower food that comes with the flowers, or maybe aspirin in the water or maybe something else? This episode begins by revealing a surprising additive that will keep your flowers perky – longer. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12981249/ No matter how excited you get about something or someone – it is impossible to stay excited for very long. It's just how humans are wired. We get used to things no matter how great they are at first. It is called habituation. Still, there are ways to “resparkle” some of that excitement and appreciate things again that you have come to take for granted, as you will hear from my guest Tali Sharot. She is a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College, London and at MIT. She is the founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab and co-author of the book Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There (https://amzn.to/49F5vLD). I bet you know someone who is simply a joy to talk to. They make you feel smart, they listen to what you say and you just feel better speaking to them. That person is what Charles Duhigg calls a “super communicator” And really anyone can master the skill and Charles is here to explain how and why it is so important for your personal and professional success. Charles is the author of a new bestselling book called Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (https://amzn.to/3wmhwHv). Next time you are trying to figure out a problem or come up with a solution, you might want to switch your body position. Listen and I'll tell you which position appears to be best. https://phys.org/news/2005-05-creative-lying.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 sideBook: Tali Sharot - Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always ThereTED Talk: Tali Sharot - The optimism bias Connect with Professor Tali Sharot:Website Becoming Your Best Resources:Becoming Your Best WebsiteBook: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Tali Sharot is the director of the Affective Brain Lab. She is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London and on the faculty of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. Sharot holds a BA in Economics and Psychology from Tel Aviv University and a PhD from New York University. Sharot's research integrates neuroscience behavioral economics and psychology to study how emotion and motivation influences people's beliefs and decisions. Prof. Sharot's award winning books – The Optimism Bias (2011) and The Influential Mind (2017) – have been praised by outlets including the NYT, Times, Forbes and more. Her two TED talks have been viewed more than 15 million times total.  Today on the show we discuss: How to motivate yourself to change a behavior that you don't like, Is it really necessary to develop a “why” before trying to achieve a goal, How to start a new healthy habit even if you don't enjoy it, Whether or not manifestation actually works, Why you must learn to develop optimism and how to actually use it to your advantage, Why resilience is beneficial for your overall health and much more.  ⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠ Please be advised; the topics related to mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you've consumed. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help: Emergency Medical Services—911 If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.  SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is new always better? Instead of always chasing the newest thing, is there not a way that you can appreciate the people and possessions already in your life? In this new episode Steven sits down again with leading neuroscientist, Dr. Tali Sharot. Dr. Tali Sharot is the director of the Affective Brain Lab and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. Sharot's research combines neuroscience with the study of behaviour and psychology to examine how emotions and motivation lead to people's beliefs and decisions. She is the author of the award-winning books, ‘The Optimism Bias' and ‘The Influential Mind'. In this conversation Dr. Sharot and Steven discuss topics, such as: How to shake up your life Ways to break the feeling of being in a repetitive cycle Why people become immune to joy How to see what you've always missed How to have the best holiday Why you should take a break from your partner to improve your relationship How to keep a relationship spicey Why humans need the feeling of being in control The secrets of motivation Why the midlife crisis is real and the ways to beat it How VR can help people overcome fear Why happiness is low in midlife How to increase productivity Why humans get bored of happiness Why the idea of living your best life doesn't exist Why people need to disrupt their life How to increase your levels of happiness Why 40% of people quit a new job How to use change to improve your life The ways that social media is like prison Why social media is ruining expectations Ways to make people believe you How changing incentives can change your life Why Gen Z will change the world People becoming addicted to risk Why risk can help get rid of anxiety You can pre-order Dr. Sharot's new book, ‘Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There', here: https://amzn.to/3SEbVp5 If you enjoyed this episode, I recommend you check out my first conversation with Dr. Tali Sharot, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DZK1nawEXQ Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/3kxINCANKsb My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now: https://smarturl.it/DOACbook Follow me: Instagram: http://bit.ly/3nIkGAZ Twitter: http://bit.ly/3ztHuHm Linkedin: https://bit.ly/41Fl95Q Telegram: http://bit.ly/3nJYxST Brand Sponsors: Huel: https://g2ul0.app.link/G4RjcdKNKsb ZOE: http://joinzoe.com with an exclusive code CEO10 for 10% off WHOOP: https://join.whoop.com/en-uk/CEO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While working on her Ph.D. on traumatic memory in New York, Dr. Tali Sharot witnessed the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. She set out to investigate people's memories of the terrorist attacks and discovered that although people felt their memories were as accurate as a videotape, they were often filled with errors. She decided then to focus her research on how emotion affects people's memories and decisions. In today's episode, Tali tells us about the ways we are hardwired to be optimists and what determines how, and if, we are able to influence others.   Dr. Tali Sharot is the director of the Affective Brain Lab. She 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. Sharot's research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study how emotion and motivation influence people's beliefs, decisions, and social interactions.   In this episode, Hala and Tali will discuss:  - Why memories are not as accurate as we think they are - Why most of us have an optimism bias - How optimism bias helps us to survive - Why we're optimistic about our own lives but not the world around us - Ways to bolster optimism and better performance - Ways to deter negative actions in others - How hope and fear influence people's beliefs - Why emotions influence our decisions more than facts - Why fake news goes viral - And other topics… Dr. Tali Sharot is the director of the Affective Brain Lab. She 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. Sharot holds a BA in Economics and Psychology from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. from New York University. Sharot's research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study how emotion and motivation influence people's beliefs, decisions, and social interactions.    Resources Mentioned: Tali's Website: https://affectivebrain.com/ Tali's Twitter: https://twitter.com/affectivebrain  Tali's Book The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others: https://www.amazon.com/Influential-Mind-Reveals-Change-Others-ebook/dp/B06XC621TK  Tali's Book Optimism Bias: Why We're Wired to Look on the Bright Side: https://www.amazon.com/Optimism-Bias-Were-Wired-Bright/dp/1780332637   LinkedIn Secrets Masterclass, Have Job Security For Life: Use code ‘podcast' for 30% off at yapmedia.io/course.    Sponsored By:  Shopify - Go to youngandprofiting.co/shopify to take your business to the next level The Kelly Roach Show - Listen to The Kelly Roach show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Green Chef - Go to GreenChef.com/yap50 and use code yap50 to get 50% off plus free shipping. Millionaire University - Find The Millionaire University on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts Pipedrive - Go to youngandprofiting.co/pipedrive and get 20% off Pipedrive for 1 year! More About Young and Profiting Download Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com  Get Sponsorship Deals - youngandprofiting.com/sponsorships Leave a Review -  ratethispodcast.com/yap Watch Videos - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting   Follow Hala Taha LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@yapwithhala Twitter - twitter.com/yapwithhala   Learn more about YAP Media Agency Services - yapmedia.io/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we lie? And what is happening in our brain when we do it? Nuala asks psychologist Dr Sharon Leal, Senior Research Fellow and Member of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and Professor Tali Sharot, director of the Affective Brain Lab. a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, and the author of The Optimism Bias. A 2019 study by Portsmouth University found that men were more than twice as likely to consider themselves expert liars who got away with it. But women can be just as good at lying. Nuala speaks to two women who are very good at it! Amanda Lovett, from the BAFTA award winning BBC gameshow The Traitors, won legions of fans for her steely ability to lie during the show, and Kirsty Mann is a writer and comedian - but she's been keeping a very big secret from some of her comedy pals. She has a show about having a double life is called SKELETONS and is playing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Some lies are bigger than other and can have a huge impact on your life. Nuala talks to writer Miranda Doyle about exposing her family's lies in her memoire Book of Untruths, and a listener we are calling Ravi, explains why she lied to her family about moving to the US for love. Plus, you can't read a tabloid newspaper without some form of cheating scandal filling the headlines. But what makes someone lie to the person they love? Nuala asks Natalie Lue, a boundaries and relationships coach, and author of The Joy of Saying No, and writer Rosie Green, author of How to Heal a Broken Heart and host of podcast Life's Rosie about the big and little lies we tell in relationships. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sophie Powling

Rafael Behr talks to Professor Tali Sharot about optimism bias Rafael Behr talks to neuroscientist and author Tali Sharot about the optimism hard-wired into our thought processes, how it affects the way we look at the world – and what it means for politics. The conversation also covers the relationship between emotion and reason, how we should respect some of the more primitive parts of our brains, what messages work best to encourage people to act on climate change, and what connects sourdough and the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine. Tali Sharot is a professor at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, where she is Director of the Affective Brain Lab, and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/experimental-psychology/person/dr-tali-sharot/Sheis the author of The Optimism Bias: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optimism-Bias-were-wired-bright/dp/1780332637 and The Influential Mind: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Influential-Mind-Reveals-Change-Others/dp/0349140634/ This podcast is hosted by wwww.zencast.fm

What allows people to push on even during the darkest times?  And how can we use that answer to influence our behavior, or the behavior of other people? Today Rick and Forrest are joined by Dr. Tali Sharot to explore the optimism bias, how optimism can exist alongside negativity, and how we can influence others more effectively. About our Guest: Dr. Sharot is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, and the director of the Affective Brain Lab. She’s also the author of a number of wonderful books, including The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain, and The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others. Support the Podcast: We're on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Key Ideas:1:30: What is the optimism bias, and how does it appear in people’s lives?3:30: Where does the optimism bias come from? Did we evolve it?8:45: How can someone cultivate an attitude of optimism? 13:00: Bringing good things into our awareness.16:30: The negativity bias vs. the optimism bias. 19:30: Negativity, positivity, and memory.23:00: The impact of surprise on our memory.27:30: What helps us change our behavior and form new habits?30:00: Changing behavior and beliefs on a national scale.34:30: What really influences people's behavior?40:00: Is human nature more positive or more negative?44:00: RecapFrom Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Our holiday sale is going on now, and don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Also, podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL10  for another 10% off!Sponsors:Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/BEINGWELL and get a free trial of their Premium Membership.Want to sleep better? Try the legendary Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription.Connect with the show:Follow us on InstagramFollow Rick on FacebookFollow Forrest on FacebookSubscribe on iTunes

Saira Shah hosted the first ISF Webinar on RISK, on the 11th of November, 2020. We think of ourselves as rational beings, but the way we perceive risk is rarely rational. When emotions run high, our judgement can go out the window. And as the current pandemic goes to show, there are some things that trigger our fear more than others. This event will investigate the ways we perceive danger and make decisions based on those perceptions. We'll be speaking to thinkers and experts in the field, and participants will get a chance to ask questions. Together, we'll try to understand whether we can get better at evaluating the increasingly complex risks we face. She was joined by: Paul Slovic. Founder and President of Decision Research and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, Paul studies human judgment, decision making, and risk analysis: arithmeticofcompassion.org; www.decisionresearch.org; The Perception of Risk (Risk, Society and Policy): Slovic, Paul. Tali Sharot. Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. Her research combines Psychology, Behavioral Economics and Neuroscience to reveal the forces that shape our decisions and beliefs: www.affectivebrain.com Tali Sharot (Author of The Optimism Bias) Alice Morrison. A professional adventurer who takes risks for a living. Described as ‘Indiana Jones for girls’, she’s cycled from Cape Town to Cairo, run the Marathon of the Sands and the Everest Trail race and was the first woman to trek the 1500 kilometres of the Draa river in Morocco. She currently lives with an extended Moroccan family in a tiny village in the Atlas Mountains. https://www.alicemorrison.co.uk/ Saira Shah. Author, former reporter with Channel 4 News and a veteran documentary filmmaker whose films have garnered multiple awards, including five Emmys, two BAFTAs and three Royal Television Society awards. In her best-known film, Beneath the Veil (2001), Saira travelled undercover into Afghanistan to document life under the brutal Taliban regime.

Tali Sharot is the director of the Affective Brain Lab. She is a professor of cognitive neuroscience in the Experimental Psychology department at University College London and a senior research fellow at the Wellcome Trust. Professor Sharot received her bachelor’s degree in economy and psychology from the University of Tel Aviv and her doctorate from New York University. She has received grants from the British Academy and the Forum for European Philosophy. Sharot’s research combines psychology and neuroscience behavioral economics with the aim of studying how emotion influences beliefs, decisions, and social interactions.

In her new book, The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes readers on a thrilling exploration of the nature of influence, so she and Shermer start the conversation by discussing how we can influence, for example, climate deniers to accept climate science, anti-vaxxers to accept vaccines, and creationists to accept evolution. As Sharot shows in her research, merely presenting people with the facts will not change their minds. There are other forces at work, which she reveals in this conversation and in more depth in her book. It turns out, for example, that many of our instincts—from relying on facts and figures to shape opinions, to insisting others are wrong or attempting to exert control—are ineffective, because they are incompatible with how people’s minds operate. Sharot shows us how to avoid these pitfalls, and how an attempt to change beliefs and actions is successful when it is well-matched with the core elements that govern the human brain. Sharot reveals the critical role of emotion in influence, the weakness of data and the power of curiosity. Relying on the latest research in neuroscience, behavioral economics and psychology, she provides fascinating insight into the complex power of influence, good and bad. Since she grew up in Israel, she and Shermer discuss the role of religion in terrorism and politics along with health and happiness. Tali Sharot is a Professor of cognitive Neuroscience at University College London where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. She combines research in psychology, behavioural economics and neuroscience to reveal the forces that shape our decisions and beliefs. Dr. Sharot is the author of The Influential Mind and The Optimism Bias. Her papers have been published in top scientific journals including Nature, Science and Nature Neuroscience. This work has been the subject of features in many outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the BBC and others. She has also written essays for Time (cover story), the New York Times, the Guardian among others. She was a speaker at TED’s annual conference 2012 and a British Academy and Wellcome Trust fellow. She received her Ph.D from New York University. Listen to Science Salon via iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Soundcloud. This remote Science Salon was recorded on August 17, 2018.  

Tali Sharot is a leading expert on human decision-making, optimism and emotion. A neuroscientist by trade, Tali combines research in psychology, behavioral economics and neuroscience to reveal the forces that shape our decisions, beliefs and inaccurate expectations of the future. She is currently a visiting professor at MIT, and is also an associate professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London where she directs the Affective Brain Lab. Tali is the author of The Influential Mind, The Science of Optimism, and The Optimism Bias.  Our conversation tackles many of the issues Tali has studied in her career, including the optimism bias, sense of control, confirmation bias, behavioral change, and overconfidence.  We then touch on some of the applications of her work to investing, including the home country bias, making non-economic financial decisions, active management, emotion-driven decisions, team-based decisions, and research heuristics.  Lastly, we learn a few parenting tricks from the Influential Mind. This conversation took place behind closed doors at the Context Leadership Summit in Las Vegas.  Learn More Join Ted's mailing list at CapitalAllocatorsPodcast.com Write a review on iTunes Follow Ted on twitter at @tseides For more episodes go to CapitalAllocatorsPodcast.com/Podcast   Show Notes 3:18  – Tali’s educational path to becoming a cognitive neuroscientist 4:58 – Why people make mistakes, optimism bias 7:24 – Does optimism bias impact our view of others as strongly as ourselves 9:12 – What should we do about our optimism bias 12:37 – How does controlling your environment impact how your brain works 14:47 – How do we work around our problems in decision making? 17:40 – How do you get more people to conform to things that are beneficial 21:11 – The impact of different personality types on these tactics 22:05 – How do we use this information to impact financial decisions 23:53 -  Home country bias among investors 25:00 – Is home country familiarity a bad thing? 27:12 – Impact of well-being on investment decisions 28:20 – Picking stocks because of the illusion of control 29:52 – The role of emotion in driving our decisions 32:39 – How do you use this information to help individuals or teams make better decisions 36:23 – New research 40:41 – Raising kids 42:29 – Closing questions

Can facts change someone’s mind? Most times, this approach is a dead end, especially when we try to convince those with top-notch analytical skills. In fact, neuroscience shows that analytical people will tend to use data to find fault with facts they don’t like. If we want to bring someone closer to our way of thinking, Tali Sharot suggests another way in her book, The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals about our Power to Change Others. Tali is founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London and an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and the BBC. Tali is also author of the book, The Optimism Bias. In this interview we discuss: Why we tend to seek out information that confirms what we already believe Our attraction to information associated with people who think like us How bias compounds as we filter for information that aligns with, and people who agree with, our beliefs How we will avoid getting advice from experts - on something completely unrelated to politics - if they are not aligned with our political beliefs Why people with strong math and analytical skills can become even more entrenched in their beliefs on a topic How our brains tend to encode information from people who agree with us and how that impacts the decisions we make Why starting a conversation by focusing on an area of agreement can help us view one another as more similar than originally thought and help us listen more fully to a different perspective How our brains can synchronize when we listen to an emotional, compelling speech and how that helps us predict what the speaker may say How feelings of happiness, sadness, stress, and so on, can be emotionally contagious for others in a family, group or organization How social media serves as the amygdala of the internet, rousing us emotionally in ways associated with how the amygdala works How immediate, positive feedback, associated with progress and situated in a social setting, can improve performance The fact that our phobias arise from areas of our life we cannot control How our brains view choice as a reward Links to Topics Mentioned in the Podcast Tali Sharot @affectivebrain Affective Brain Lab Dan Kahan Mentalization How Emotions are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett Susan Cain Uri Hasson Weizmann Institute of Science Hospital Hand Hygiene Project Discovery health insurance If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes - your ratings make all the difference. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening! Thank you to Emmy-award-winning Creative Director Vanida Vae for designing the Curious Minds logo, and thank you to Rob Mancabelli for all of his production expertise! www.gayleallen.net LinkedIn @GAllenTC

Tali Sharot (@affectivebrain) is an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience, the founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London, and author of The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others. What We Discuss with Tali Sharot: When hope is a better motivator than fear -- and vice versa. Facts and figures don't tend to change minds already aligned to a certain opinion -- in fact, they can have a backfire effect that further entrenches people in their beliefs. The four factors that determine whether or not we're likely to change our beliefs. What happens when new evidence doesn't fit our beliefs, but it fits what we want to believe. When trying to persuade, it's better to seed a new belief than to contradict the old one. And much more... Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally! Full show notes and resources can be found here.

Tali Sharot is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, and director of the Affective Brain Lab. Affective, as in emotions and motivation. Brain, as in processing and decisions. Drawing on recent groundbreaking work in behavioral economics and neuroscience, Sharot shows us how to navigate the intricacies and predictable biases of minds; our own and those of others. Dr. Sharot is the author of the new book The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others. When I saw the title, I knew I had to discover what she knows about influence: how we can do it well, and how we often screw it up.

Before he was hobnobbing with the rich and famous, Steve Sims, worked as a humble doorman in Hong Kong. The modest Bluefish founder reveals his secret strategy to unlocking impossible opportunities and luxe experiences in his new book, Bluefishing. Then, Tali Sharot, Ph.D of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London, explains how to increase workplace motivation as we explore the enlightening discoveries chronicled in her latest work, The Influential Mind. Chase Jarvis of CreativeLive ends the show with a lesson on corporate storytelling (ie: advertising). Discover more. [00:00:00] Extra-ordinary: Bluefish Founder Steve Sims [00:06:28] How to Accomplish Anything (Seriously, Anything) [00:11:31] E-mail is Dead. Vampires are Real. [00:18:22] Exploring the 'Optimism Bias' with Dr. Tali Sharot [00:26:38] Manage Your Mental State, Improve Morale [00:33:22] Communicating Your Corporate Story

(There was a very short period in Mike's life where he thought he could handle his teaching job, write a book, host The Politics Guys, and start a new podcast – Politics Plus. It soon became evident to Mike how insane trying to do all this at once was, and so he quickly shut down Politics Plus. But before he did, he'd posted four interviews – all of which he thinks are pretty good and are worth sharing with you as Politics Guys bonus episodes.) *****   *****   ***** Mike talks to Tali Sharot, director of the Affective Brain Lab ( http://affectivebrain.com/ ) and an Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the department of Experimental Psychology at University College London. Dr. Sharot's research integrates neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology to study how emotion influences people's beliefs, decisions and social interactions. She's the author of The Optimism Bias ( https://amzn.to/2MAAduT ) and, most recently, The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others ( https://amzn.to/2MBvZDz ). Mike and Dr. Sharot discuss: * how some information is like sex and plum pie * why Donald Trump was so much more influential than his Republican presidential rivals * how our attempts to persuade others can actually boomerang on us, leaving them less persuaded than they were to start with * how to go from getting someone to agree with you to getting them to act * when crowds are wise and when they're not * and lots more Follow the Affective Brain Lab on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/affectivebrain ) *Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible*. If you're interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support ( http://www.politicsguys.com/support ). Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-politics-guys/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy