Positive Psychology Founder: How To Stop Your Negative Thoughts - Martin Seligman - #1167

Dr. Martin Seligman is a psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneer of positive psychology, and author.

Expect to learn why some people experience exactly the same adversity and come out more resilient; which traits matter the most in life: efficacy, optimism, or imagination; what people 2,000 years from now possess psychologically that we don’t possess today; if you can be highly competent but still have very little agency, what actually makes life worth living and much more…

Sponsors:

Sign up for a free trial from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom

Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom

Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom

Get 35% off your first subscription to the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom

See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: ⁠⁠https://chriswillx.com/deals⁠

Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com

Timestamps:

(00:00) Has Martin Always Been a Scientific Rebel?

(03:07) Why Martin Chose Mastery and Agency

(09:24) The Epiphany That Changed Martin’s Career

(17:50) Can You Train Your Brain to Be Optimistic?

(27:50) Optimism vs Agency: What’s the Difference?

(29:16) Is Agency the Biggest Predictor of Success?

(32:04) How Our Understanding of Agency Has Evolved

(38:55) How to Inject Agency Into Your Life

(42:22) Is AI the Key to Unlocking Human Creativity?

(54:41) Does Our Environment Shape Our Understanding of Agency?

(57:08) Were Humans Conscious 3000 Years Ago?

(01:02:04) Why Agency Is Double-Edged

(01:04:39) Are Optimists More Successful?

(01:13:48) What Actually Makes a Good Life?

(01:15:04) Martin’s Most Underrated Work

(01:18:48) Why Being Boring Is a Choice

(01:19:34) Where to Find Martin

Extra Stuff:

Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/books⁠

Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: ⁠https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom⁠

Episodes You Might Enjoy:

#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠

#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠

#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠

-

Get In Touch:

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx⁠

Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast⁠

Email: ⁠https://chriswillx.com/contact⁠

- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices