Show Notes
Your emotions don’t just change how you feel—they can change what you remember, how you judge other people, and even who you become in the moment.
AJ sits down with behavioral economist George Loewenstein to explore the “empathy gap”: our surprising inability to predict how we’ll think and behave when our emotional state changes. George explains why anger can distort judgment, rejection sensitivity becomes self-fulfilling, negative experiences outweigh positive ones, and the happiness we chase often disappears faster than we expect.
You’ll learn why high performers can still choke under pressure, why venting anger often makes it worse, how emotions influence self-esteem and relationships, and why you should never respond immediately to an email that makes you furious. This conversation offers a fascinating look at the hidden forces shaping our decisions—and why understanding our emotions doesn’t always mean we can control them.
Episode Resources:
https://www.amazon.com/Opposite-Happiness-Feelings-Make-Break/dp/0063427060/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
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Chapters
00:00 – The empathy gap: why we misjudge our own emotions 08:00 – How your mood changes the way you read other people 17:15 – Why one negative moment outweighs all the good 24:20 – Why empathy may not work the way we think 31:00 – Why we can’t predict ourselves under pressure 39:05 – How emotions distort moral judgment 45:00 – Why high performers still choke under pressure 51:10 – Why venting anger can make it worse 57:30 – Never respond to an angry email immediately 01:03:00 – Negative emotions, self-compassion, and being human
Keywords
emotional intelligence, emotions, empathy gap, psychology, behavioral economics, emotional regulation, anger, self awareness, happiness, negative emotions, self esteem, rejection sensitivity, decision making, cognitive bias, stress, performance under pressure, relationships, emotional health, self compassion, human behavior
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