Shows
On WisdomThe Wisdom Turing Test - Part Two (with Steve Rathje)What can insights from the psychology of technology teach us about wisdom in the age of AI? In this special follow-up episode, Igor and Charles are joined by Steve Rathje to explore how classic ideas like the Turing Test hold up now that AI can talk compellingly about human wisdom. Steve unpacks what today’s generative models are actually capable of, Igor is intrigued by how quickly the line between human and machine reasoning seems to be blurring, and Charles realises that telling human insight from machine insight isn’t nearly as straightforward as he'd hoped. The trio also reve...
2025-11-1649 min
How God Works: The Science Behind SpiritualityBecoming WiseWe often think of wisdom as something that comes with age, or as a gift reserved for a chosen few. But what if wisdom is more like a muscle… one that becomes stronger with practice?On this episode, we’re exploring the true meaning of wisdom. We’ll talk to psychologist Igor Grossmann and Jesuit priest Barton Geger about how science and spirituality have come to many of the same conclusions about what wisdom looks like in practice and what we can all do to train our hearts and minds to see more clearly and make choices that a...
2025-11-0238 min
The Last Show with David CooperIgor Grossmann: Making Wise Choices - October 31, 2025Psychology professor Igor Grossmann shares the key to making wise choices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2025-11-0110 minThe Last Show with David CooperIs Wisdom Thinking About Thinking? - October 31, 2025Foreign correspondent from the UK Tony Five covers some actual, current, and relevant news by discussing Prince Andrew being stripped of his royal title. Cognitive scientist Mark Miller explains a theory on why horror films help us manage uncertainty. Psychology professor Igor Grossmann shares the key to making wise choices. Leisure researcher Emily Messina examines how Dungeons & Dragons is more than just a game. Environmental economist Eyal Frank reveals to David and Tony the many benefits of bats. For Conspiracy Corner, political science professor Dr. Lee Kuhnle brings up the many strange and bizarre CIA assassination attempts of Fidel Castro. (Check out Lee's...
2025-11-011h 27On WisdomThe Wisdom Turing Test - Part OneWhat happens when we ask our own fantastic listeners — and AI — what it means to live wisely? In this episode, Igor and Charles hand the mic to members of the On Wisdom audience to hear their answers to the big questions usually reserved for scientists and philosophers. But there’s a twist: one set of responses was provided by AI. We invite you to vote on who gave the wisest answers — and to guess which one wasn’t human. Igor is surprised by just how insightful the answers from the regular folk (compared to experts) turn out to be, while Char...
2025-10-2640 minOn WisdomReligion as Make-Believe (with Neil Van Leeuwen)Is religious belief a form of make-believe — and if so, what deeper truths might we be acting out? Neil Van Leeuwen joins Igor and Charles to explore the psychological roots of religion, the nature of belief, and how sacred values shape group identity. Igor reflects on the blurring line between religious and political convictions, Neil argues that religious credence operates more like imaginative play than factual belief, and Charles considers whether conspiracy theories might be filling the same social and psychological roles. Welcome to Episode 65.Special Guest: Neil Van Leeuwen.Links:Neil Van Leeuwen' si...
2025-05-0958 min
The Vancrux Podcast - Host Jeevan MatharuSolomon’s Paradox – The Secret to Unlocking Your Own Wisdom Have you ever given someone advice so good, it could’ve changed their life… but when you faced the same problem yourself, you froze?You knew exactly what they needed to hear — but when it came to your own situation, the answers just… disappeared.Why is it so easy to be wise for others, but so hard to apply that wisdom to ourselves?In this episode of The Vancrux Podcast, we unpack the fascinating psychological concept known as Solomon’s Paradox — a phenomenon that shows how we become smarter, calmer, and more strategic when we take...
2025-04-1607 min
Choose to be CuriousEp. #272: Curiosity & Wisdom, with Igor GrossmannI see clear curiosity overtones in the ways we think about wisdom -- the meta-cognition processes of wisdom -- including intellectual humility, openness to others’ ideas and insights, even the search for constructive conflict resolution.
So I wondered: is anyone thinking about wisdom through a curiosity lens?
Igor Grossmann, Ph.D. leads the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. He’s passionate about how people make sense of the world -- and how cultural forces shape behavior and societal change.
We talk about those meta-cognitive characteristics of wisdom, how our idea of "curiosity" influences how it mig...
2025-03-2728 minOn WisdomThe Potency and Potential of Social Networks (with Nicholas Christakis)Are your choices really your own — or are they quietly shaped by the people around you? Nicholas Christakis joins Igor and Charles to reveal the hidden power of social networks, from the surprising spread of kindness and cooperation to the ripple effects that shape our health, decisions, and even our wisdom. Igor uncovers the invisible social forces influencing our daily lives, Nicholas shares how our deep-rooted instincts for love, friendship, and teaching have shaped human civilization, and Charles considers how tapping into these instincts could help us build stronger, wiser communities. Welcome to Episode 64.Special Guest: Nicholas Ch...
2025-03-1259 min
BEYOND THE OBVIOUSFASCINATING PSYCHOLOGY SOLOMON’S PARADOX: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVEFASCINATING PSYCHOLOGY SOLOMON’S PARADOX: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVESolomon’s Paradox, named after the biblical King Solomon, refers to the psychological phenomenon where individuals are wiser in solving others' problems than their own. Despite being renowned for wisdom and fair judgment, Solomon's personal life, particularly his relationships and decision-making, was marked by contradictions and failures. The paradox suggests that emotional distance enhances rational thinking, whereas personal involvement clouds judgment.Origins and Psychological Foundations:The term was introduced by Igor Grossmann and Ethan Kross in 2014 through psychological studies. Their research demonstrated that people adopt a more reaso...
2025-03-0503 minOn WisdomThe AI Mirror: Why Machines Reflect Us More Than They Think (with Shannon Vallor)Can AI ever be truly wise, or are we just seeing reflections of ourselves? Philosophy Professor Shannon Vallor joins Igor and Charles to explore how technology shapes human wisdom, why we’ve been thinking about AI all wrong, and what it really means to align machines with our values. Shannon unpacks the AI Mirror metaphor, suggesting that today’s AI isn’t a thinking mind but a reflection of human data, Igor considers whether technology could ever help us become wiser rather than just more efficient, and Charles wonders if philosophy can guide better decisions in a world increasingly shaped...
2025-02-2344 minOn WisdomExperimental Philosophy: Testing the Limits of Wisdom and Knowledge (with Edouard Machery)What happens when philosophers start running experiments? Edouard Machery joins Igor and Charles to explain the principles of experimental philosophy, the surprising geography of wisdom, and why we should be skeptical about trusting science too much. Igor digs into what's universal vs what's local about how we think, Edouard explains why bad habits keep creeping into research, and Charles wonders if philosophy can support wise decisions around ordering another glass of wine when out with friends. Welcome to Episode 62.Links:Edouard Machery's HomepageEdouard Machery | University of PittsburghGeography of Philosophy ProjectPhilosophy Within Its Proper Bounds | Oxford University...
2024-12-0957 min
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life PodcastHow can we Measure Wisdom?In this episode, I speak with Igor Grossmann, a professor of psychology, and renowned researcher in the field of wisdom. Prof. Grossmann directs the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, where he investigates the factors that contribute to wise reasoning. He is also the co-host of the On Wisdom podcast. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how wisdom can be fostered and applied in everyday life. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid...
2024-11-281h 26On WisdomBeyond Bias: Group Identity, Wisdom, and the Climate Crisis (with Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman)Can our political identities get in the way of wise action, even on existential issues like climate change? Leaf Van Boven and David Sherman join Igor and Charles to unpack how we perceive environmental policy through the lenses of group identity and social norms, revealing how misperceptions fuel inaction. Igor considers how group beliefs can override personal values, Leaf explores the power of asking, “What if I’m wrong?”, David suggests we may be following louder voices over wiser ones, and Charles wonders if we’re wired to stick to our “tribe” or if we can really think beyond our social b...
2024-11-101h 08On WisdomWisdom, Love, and the Lexical Fallacy (with Alan Fiske)Why do we have such a hard time figuring out what we’re feeling? Alan Fiske joins Igor and Charles to unravel the mystery of emotions, revealing why your gut feeling might not be as clear-cut as you think. Drawing from his research into Kama Muta—a heartwarming rush of connection—and his critiques of how we label emotions, Alan sheds light on why most of us are pretty terrible at naming what we feel. Igor tackles the complexities of universal emotions, Alan shares why cultural differences make this even trickier, and Charles wonders if anyone truly knows what’s going...
2024-10-211h 13On WisdomShaping Reality and Relationships: The Science of Connection and Expectation (with David Robson)Can our expectations about ourselves and others reshape our lives? Science writer David Robson returns to explore how our expectations don’t just change personal outcomes—they influence how we connect with others. Drawing from his books The Laws of Connection and The Expectation Effect, David reveals the hidden psychology behind social interactions and how our misconceptions about what others think can hold us back. Igor delves into how expectations can foster or hinder meaningful relationships, David explains how small mindset shifts can help overcome social anxiety, and Charles reflects on why connecting with strangers can be easier (and more...
2024-09-2449 min
The Ralston College PodcastLevels of Intelligibility, Levels of the Self: Realizing the Dialectic with Dr John Vervaeke | Ralston College Ralston College Humanities MA Dr John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist and philosopher who explores the intersections of Neoplatonism, cognitive science, and the meaning crisis, focusing on wisdom practices, relevance realization, and personal transformation. Ralston College presents a lecture titled "Levels of Intelligibility, Levels of the Self: Realizing the Dialectic," delivered by Dr John Vervaeke, an award-winning associate professor of cognitive science at the University of Toronto and creator of the acclaimed 50-episode "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" series. In this lecture, Dr Vervaeke identifies our cultural moment as one of profound disconnection and resulting...
2024-08-022h 56
What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny MomsWhy Is It Easier to Solve Other People's Problems?Why are the solutions to other people's problems so easy, while our own problems seem so much harder? Turns out this phenomenon is real, and even has a name: "Solomon's Paradox." In this episode we discuss how distance from a situation gives us clearer perspective, and how we might transfer that clarity to the problems in our own lives. Amy and Margaret discuss:
Why it's easier to see other people's situations more clearly than our own
Why it's easier for us to see what our kids need to do in sticky situations than for...
2024-01-3142 minOn WisdomThe Social Robots are Coming! (with Kerstin Dautenhahn)Can we create wise robots? Kerstin Dautenhahn joins Igor and Charles to dive into the intriguing world of social robots, the finer points of “Robotiquette,” and the potential role such robots can play in supporting therapeutic treatments. Igor reflects on the limits of robot-based wisdom, Kerstin reveals the potential of Generative AI like ChatGPT to generate false information about her own professional identity, and Charles considers the perils of socially awkward machines. Welcome to Episode 58.Special Guest: Kerstin Dautenhahn.Links:Kerstin Dautenhahn's page | University of WaterlooSocial and Intelligent Robotics Research Laboratory (SIRRL)Robots are not...
2023-11-0249 minOn WisdomThe Epic Challenge of Knowing Thyself (with David Dunning)Can we ever really know ourselves, or are we destined to always make overly optimistic self-assessments? David Dunning joins Igor and Charles to discuss the Dunning-Kruger effect, the importance of asking the right questions, why arriving at an accurate view of ourselves is so challenging, and the implications for teaching, medicine, and even scientific research. Igor explores the possible reemergence of group assessments in education as a result of advances in AI, David shares why conversations with smart people often end up as competitions to ask the most questions, and Charles reflects on the wisdom-enhancing experience of jury service...
2023-10-081h 03On WisdomAwe Reloaded (with Dacher Keltner)Have we overlooked a major source of awe, right under our collective noses? Dacher Keltner returns to the On Wisdom studio to discuss his new book "Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life", the power of moral beauty, the desire for connection, and the importance of wandering. Igor suggest that awe can also entail feelings of terror, Dacher reflects on the perils of awe being used against us, and Charles shares his experience of an awe walk-around-the-bloc. Welcome to Episode 56.Special Guest: Dacher Keltner.Links:Dacher Keltner...
2023-08-3050 minOn WisdomWise of the Machines (with Sina Fazelpour)How can we make AI wiser? And could AI make us wiser in return? Sina Fazelpour joins Igor and Charles to discuss the problem of bias in algorithms, how we might make machine learning systems more diverse, and the thorny challenge of alignment. Igor considers whether interacting with AIs might help us achieve higher levels of understanding, Sina suggests that setting up AIs to promote certain values may be problematic in a pluralistic society, and Charles is intrigued to learn about the opportunities offered by teaming up with our machine friends. Welcome to Episode 55.Special Guest: Sina...
2023-08-051h 04
Mahon McCann#73 - Dr Igor Grossmann - The New Science of WisdomIgor Grossmann is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he leads the Wisdom and Culture Lab. As a cognitive/social scientist, Grossmann has been working on demystifying what makes up a “wise” judgment in the context of revolving societal and cultural changes. His chief work aims to uncover misconceptions about wisdom and societal change and to identify cultural and psychological processes that enable people to think and act wisely.In this podcast, we are discussing 1) What is wisdom? 2) How can we cultivate it? 3) Can wisdom help us address the challenges we face in t...
2023-06-151h 02On WisdomEmotions Are Not What You Think (with Lisa Feldman Barrett )What actually are “emotions” and how are they made? Lisa Feldman Barrett joins Igor and Charles to discuss what we’ve got right and what we’ve got completely wrong about the nature of our emotional lives. Igor grapples with the idea that red apples aren’t necessarily red, Lisa shares that anger doesn’t always look like anger, and Charles learns that a racing heartbeat can be interpreted in fundamentally different ways. Welcome to Episode 54.Special Guest: Lisa Feldman Barrett.Links:Lisa Feldman Barrett's Website (Public)Interdisciplinary Affective Science LaboratoryYou Aren't at The Mercy of You...
2023-05-3049 min
Historically ThinkingEpisode 313: Intellectual Humility, Social Psychologically SpeakingThis is the second of our continuing series on intellectual humility and historical thinking.
Today I'm interested in exploring the social science of intellectual humility. Igor Grossman is a social psychologist, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Waterloo in Canada. “Most of our work,” he writes, describing his lab, “either focuses on how people make sense of the world around them—their expectations, lay theories, meta-cognitions, forecasts—or it concerns how larger cultural forces impact human behavior and societal change.” That makes him the perfect person to talk to about intellectual humility, and historical thinking.
For Further Investigatio...
2023-04-1751 minOn WisdomMoral Reframing and The Science of Political Persuasion (with Robb Willer)How can you persuade someone who disagrees with you on everything? In this episode, we discover the secrets of political persuasion with Robb Willer, a leading expert on political persuasion and moral reframing. Igor grills Robb on the ethics of activism in social science, Robb defends his mission to make a difference in the world, and Charles is amazed to find out that he can fix his misperceptions with a few simple tricks. Don’t miss this inspiring and ground-breaking conversation that will transform how you communicate with others. Tune in to Episode 53 now!Special Guest: Robb Wi...
2023-04-1059 minOn WisdomWorld Wide Wisdom (with Deepak Ramola)Imagine gathering hard-earned lessons from survivors of human trafficking in Nepal, middle school children in Afghanistan, refugees in Europe, and even a man who has witnessed over 12,000 deaths. Deepak Ramola has been on such a lesson-gathering mission for a while, and he joins Igor and Charles to discuss the life lessons he has collected, who gets to define moral behaviour, and how we might change our culture to encourage more perspective-taking. Igor highlights the challenge of stepping outside ourselves in the heat of the moment, Deepak asks some challenging questions about love, and Charles learns the surprising value of...
2023-01-0555 minOn WisdomTricky Colleagues and Contagious Emotions (with Tessa West)How do we respond wisely to foolish behaviour in the workplace? Tessa West joins Igor and Charles to talk about the most common types of ‘jerks at work’ - including the bulldozer, the credit stealer, and the gaslighter, discussing what drives such unhelpful behaviour, and how best to deal with it. Igor explores the different ways we can respond to uncertainty in the workplace, Tessa suggests that we’re surprisingly nice to moral violators, and Charles learns the importance of building ‘affect contagion buffers’ into his day! Welcome to Episode 51.Special Guest: Tessa West.Links:Tessa We...
2022-11-1657 minOn WisdomMorality Meets World (with Joshua Greene)To give to both your favourite charity and a super-effective charity recommended by experts, visit Giving Multiplier:
https://givingmultiplier.org/invite/ONWISDOM
Can insights from moral psychology increase donations to more effective charities? Joshua Greene joins Igor and Charles to discuss ventilator allocation and other pandemic-related trolley problems, deep pragmatism, the dual process theory of moral judgement, and the power of the veil of ignorance. Igor gets excited about the role of metacognition for wisdom, Joshua reveals in what contexts we feel more comfortable pushing a fat man off a bridge, and Charles learns that when...
2022-10-1057 minOn WisdomWise Goals (with Ayelet Fishbach)What does goal-setting have to do with wisdom and how do we pick wise goals? Ayelet Fishbach joins Igor and Charles to discuss the dangers of moving too swiftly from planning-mode to action-mode, how to compromise across multiple goals, and why we need to rethink our relationships with vegetables! Igor underscores the importance of thinking of wisdom as a process rather than an outcome, Ayelet encourages us to change our situation rather than ourselves, and Charles learns the benefits of approaching a choice as if you’d make it 100 times. Welcome to Episode 49.Special Guest: Ayelet Fishback....
2022-09-0147 minOn WisdomA Joyous Journey from Black-and-White to Grey (with Tom Gilovich)Is "the spectrum" a more helpful way to think about the world than "categories"? Tom Gilovich joins Igor and Charles to discuss the perils of black-and-white thinking, the evolving data on the hot hand phenomenon, the science of regret, why foxes are wiser than hedgehogs, and the freedom that comes from learning that we are of less interest to other people than we think. Igor considers the limits of psychological nudging in tackling society’s structural problems, Tom shares the perspective that leads him to be so unrelentingly joyful, and Charles learns that even scientists have to work hard to...
2022-08-0148 minOn WisdomCharting Pandemic Waters: A Common Wisdom Model for Uncertain Times (with Howard Nusbaum) - Rebroadcast(First Broadcast - 21st June 2020)
What is the value of wisdom in the time of the global pandemic? Does the community of behavioural scientists studying wisdom agree on anything about the nature of wisdom? Can we say what we now know about wisdom and, conversely, what do we know we don’t yet know? Howard Nusbaum joins Igor and Charles to discuss the recently assembled Toronto Wisdom Task Force and the resulting Common Wisdom Model, meta-cognition, the thorny issue of moral-grounding, and sage advice regarding how to measure wisdom in the lab. Igor stresses the importance of bu...
2022-07-201h 02On WisdomAntifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt) - Rebroadcast(First Broadcast - 4th November 2019)
Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, but unwise, ideas be doing to a rising generation of young adults? Jonathan Haidt joins Igor and Charles to discuss the three great untruths of modern life, the nature of antifragility, the 'great awokening,' rising violence on US university campuses, and the origin story of the Heterodox Academy. Igor suggests that diversity can help some pr...
2022-06-2758 minOn WisdomWisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz) - Rebroadcast(First Broadcast - 28th December 2018)
Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz joins Igor and Charles to discuss how Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom applies in the 21st Century, the reasons why we work, idea technology, the unintended consequences of rules-based systems, and the moral dangers and limits of incentives. Igor proposes the idea of algorithm-based wise machines, Barry suggests companies hire for character rather than skill, and Charles lear...
2022-06-0759 minOn WisdomA Special AnnouncementIgor and Charles return with a special announcement for On Wisdom listeners ...
2022-05-2501 min
Mormon Discussion Podcast: Leading With FaithWhere Will You Go – 007 – Second Visit with John Vervaeke
Marti finishes her discussion with John Vervaeke. Wisdom is one of the things John Vervaeke studies. They discuss how wisdom is defined. John Vervaeke shares his experience of recognizing the trauma he experienced while practicing in a fundamentalist Christian religion. What is the meaning crisis? Why should we care? Marti shares her desire to work on relationships across difference divides.
Awakening from the Meaning Crisis: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJ
Paper Discussed: The Science of Wisdom in a Polarized World: Knowns and Unknowns -AUTHORS: Igor Grossmann, Nic...
2022-04-101h 03
Im a MortalIgor Grossmann – Wisdom, Culture, & SocietyEpisode 18:
Igor Grossmann is a professor of Psychology at University of Waterloo, specializing in wisdom and how societies change. He studied at the University of Freiburg and University of Michigan receiving his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, and his work uses innovative methods like big data analytics, psychophysiology, and much more.
In this episode, Igor provides us with insight as to how our brain experiences time dependent on our life length, what is individualism and collectivism and how it might affect our perceptions of aging technologies, and if more age truly correlates with more wisdom.
2022-03-0854 minInterviewsIgor Grossmann – Wisdom, Culture, & SocietyEpisode 18:Igor Grossmann is a professor of Psychology at University of Waterloo, specializing in wisdom and how societies change. He studied at the University of Freiburg and University of Michigan receiving his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, and his work uses innovative methods like big data analytics, psychophysiology, and much more.In this episode, Igor provides us with insight as to how our brain experiences time dependent on our life length, what is individualism and collectivism and how they might affect our perceptions of aging technologies, and if wisdom truly comes with age....
2022-03-0854 minIm a MortalIgor Grossmann – Wisdom, Culture, & SocietyEpisode 18:Igor Grossmann is a professor of Psychology at University of Waterloo, specializing in wisdom and how societies change. He studied at the University of Freiburg and University of Michigan receiving his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, and his work uses innovative methods like big data analytics, psychophysiology, and much more.In this episode, Igor provides us with insight as to how our brain experiences time dependent on our life length, what is individualism and collectivism and how it might affect our perceptions of aging technologies, and if more age truly correlates with more wisdom.
2022-03-0854 minIm a MortalIgor Grossmann – Wisdom, Culture, & SocietyEpisode 18:Igor Grossmann is a professor of Psychology at University of Waterloo, specializing in wisdom and how societies change. He studied at the University of Freiburg and University of Michigan receiving his Ph.D. in Social Psychology, and his work uses innovative methods like big data analytics, psychophysiology, and much more.In this episode, Igor provides us with insight as to how our brain experiences time dependent on our life length, what is individualism and collectivism and how it might affect our perceptions of aging technologies, and if more age truly correlates with more wisdom.
2022-03-0854 min
Design in Transition/Diseño en TransiciónEP.20 Igor Grossmann: The Science of Wisdom [ENG]ENG
In this episode we dip into the emerging new field of Wisdom Science with Igor Grossmann, director of the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo and co-host of the podcast "On Wisdom". In this conversation, we take on the challenge of understanding wisdom, especially from the perspective of experimental psychology. We discussed some of the elements that constitute wise reasoning, some strategies to develop it and the potential connections we could draw to design. We touched upon topics such as plurality and diversity, judgement and decision-making, forecasting futures and the world after COVID-19...
2022-03-0250 min
CrowdScienceWhat's the best way to make a decision?Life is full of choices, from the mundane (like what to wear today) to the critical (how should we deal with the pandemic?). So how can we make the best decisions? That’s what listener David wants to know.To investigate, Caroline Steel learns how being smarter doesn’t necessarily make you a good decision maker. She speaks to researchers about the importance of ‘gut feelings’ – and how certain people with no intuition whatsoever can struggle to make choices. She also learns why it’s easier to give advice to other people than to follow it yourself, and how we c...
2021-12-1035 minOn WisdomInvisible to Ourselves: A Life of a Psychological Scientist (with Richard Nisbett)A disturbing thought - might it be impossible for us to directly observe the workings of our minds? Richard Nisbett joins Igor and Charles to discuss a life lived on the cutting edge of behavioral sciences in the second part of the 20th Century. He shares tales from his groundbreaking research into our faulty mindware, discussing various biases, cultural differences in cognitive processes, our inability to directly observe our mental processes, and why job interviews are not only unhelpful but potentially harmful to our ability to hire the best person for the job. Igor is keen to learn about...
2021-12-051h 11On WisdomReflections on Wisdom in the World after CovidWhich kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic?
In the last episode of the World After Covid miniseries, Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Four final responses are selected, covering themes of big picture focus on what's important, shared humanity, long-term orientation, and political structural change in the midst of the pandemic. Igor reflects on how the immediate context can dramatically influence even experts' forecasts...
2021-10-2437 minOn WisdomWisdom for Negative Consequences (Pt. I) - Social Support, Sympathy & Compassion, Acknowledging Uncertainty, and Balancing Diverse InterestsWhich kind of wisdom will people need to master to overcome major negative societal and/or psychological changes after the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of social support, sympathy & compassion, acknowledging uncertainty, and balancing diverse interests in the midst of the pandemic. Igor points out that humanity has a greater capacity for accepting and managing uncertainty than we might realize, and Charles is intrigued...
2021-10-0535 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part II) - Autobiographical Memory, Estrangement, Political Conflict, and PrejudiceWhich domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of autobiographical memory, estrangement, political conflict, and prejudice in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wonders how losing track of distinct day-to-day memories might distort our sense of who we are, and Charles considers the odd influence...
2021-08-0438 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Negative Consequences (Part I) - Social Inequality, Loneliness, Economic Hardships, and DespairWhich domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant negative societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of social inequality, loneliness, economic hardships, and despair in the midst of the pandemic. Igor assesses 3 sharply contrasting visions of the future, and Charles reflects on the idea of pandemics as the downside of something mostly very...
2021-07-1130 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. II) - Critical Thinking, Intellectual Humility, Political Cooperation, and SolidarityWhat kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of critical thinking, intellectual humility, political cooperation, and solidarity in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wrestles with the challenge of identifying experts while lacking expertise ourselves, and Charles considers the potential downsides of clamouring for resignations when our leaders...
2021-06-3043 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Wisdom for Positive Consequences (Pt. I) - Sympathy and Compassion, Self-distancing, Perspective-taking, and Learning from pandemicsWhat kind of wisdom will people need to capitalize on the positive societal and/or psychological change after the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses from 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of sympathy and compassion, self-distancing, perspective-taking, and learning from pandemics in the midst of the pandemic. Igor wonders what being empathetic and compassionate even looks like online, and Charles ponders lessons not learned from past global catastrophes.
Featuring:
2021-06-0329 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part II) - Political cooperation, Nature, Solidarity, and Prosocial behavioursWhich domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant positive societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to the question about positive change in response to the pandemic by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of political cooperation, nature, solidarity, and prosocial behaviour in the midst of the pandemic.
Featuring:
Dagomar Degroot, Associate Professor of Environmental History...
2021-04-1344 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Positive Consequences (Part I) - Political and structural change, Care for elders, Social connectedness, and Reconsidering habitsWhich domain or aspect of social life will show the most significant positive societal and/or psychological change in response to the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to the question about positive change in response to the pandemic by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of political and structural change, care for elders, social connectedness, and reconsidering habits in the midst of the pandemic.
Featuring:
Ayse K...
2021-02-0928 min
Moment of TruthMOT- Peter Ross, Igor Grossmann (February 3rd, 2021)Peter Ross - UBC Adjunct Professor on polyester fibres throughout the Arctic Ocean / Igor Grossmann, Associate Professor of Psychology U. of Waterloo- How to Endure until the end of COVID.
2021-02-0356 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Wisdom for Now (Part II) - What's important, Living in the moment, Social connectedness, and Shared humanityWhat one piece of wisdom is important to give to people now to help them make it through the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to this critical question by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of what's important, living in the moment, social connectedness, and shared humanity in the midst of the pandemic.
Featuring:
Yukiko Ushida, Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the Kokoro Research Center, Ky...
2021-01-1922 minOn WisdomWorld After Covid series: Wisdom for Now (Part I)What one piece of wisdom is important to give to people now to help them make it through the pandemic?
Igor and Charles share and discuss responses given to this critical question by 57 of the world's leading behavioral and social scientists, collected as part of the World After Covid project. Each episode, four responses are selected. This time, the conversation covers themes of agency and control, long-term orientation, social connectedness, solidarity, and perspective-taking in the midst of the pandemic.
Featuring:
Michael Norton, Social Psychologist from Harvard Business School
Robert Sternberg, Psychologist and Wisdom Re...
2021-01-0727 minOn WisdomShifting Gears: Wisdom in the 'World After Covid'After 2 and a half years of podcasting, 30+ episodes, 50,000+ downloads, and one global pandemic, it's time for an exciting announcement from the On Wisdom team...Links:World After Covid site
2020-12-0102 minOn WisdomThe Meaning of Wisdom Before and During the Pandemic (with Ricca Edmondson)Does wisdom reside in particular persons, or is wisdom more about what happens between people? And if wisdom does require a social context, what are the implications of our new social distancing habits since the rise of the pandemic? Ricca Edmondson joins Igor and Charles to discuss novel ethnographic approaches to the study of wisdom, the significance of Irish funeral rituals, new lessons from old Trojan horses, and the value of framing wisdom as a social construction. Originally recorded at the start of the pandemic, Ricca returned for a retrospective at the close of the episode, to share her...
2020-11-1144 min
Future Learning Design PodcastWisdom in Education - A Conversation with Charles Cassidy and Igor GrossmannCharles Cassidy is the Director of the Evidence-Based Wisdom project. The site translates academic research regarding the science and psychology of wisdom into understandable and helpful resources for the wider public. Charles studied Physics at the University of Manchester in the UK. Following the development of educational research projects with The British Council across South America and Asia, Charles taught Mathematics and Science in London for 15 years. Since the start of the project, he has conducted interviews with many leaders in the field of wisdom research, compiled and translated many of the key papers from the field and created...
2020-08-2734 minOn WisdomEmotions, Attention, and Decision Making in the Aging Brain (with Mara Mather)Despite the common stereotype of ‘older and crankier,’ psychologists suggest we become more positive as we age. Why? Do our aging brains become worse at detecting threats in the environment? Do we choose to focus on more positive aspects of our experience as we age? And what does the latest scientific research say about one of the major dangers of older age — Alzheimer’s disease? Mara Mather joins Igor and Charles to discuss the neuroscience of emotional aging, the role of the locus coeruleus in memory and attention, emotion-induced blindness, and the parallels between Cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. I...
2020-08-1744 minOn WisdomCharting Pandemic Waters: A Common Wisdom Model for Uncertain Times (with Howard Nusbaum)What is the value of wisdom in the time of the global pandemic? Does the community of behavioural scientists studying wisdom agree on anything about the nature of wisdom? Can we say what we now know about wisdom and, conversely, what do we know we don’t yet know? Howard Nusbaum joins Igor and Charles to discuss the recently assembled Toronto Wisdom Task Force and the resulting Common Wisdom Model, meta-cognition, the thorny issue of moral-grounding, and sage advice regarding how to measure wisdom in the lab. Igor stresses the importance of building solid theoretical foundations for the field in...
2020-06-211h 08On WisdomPandemic Happiness (with Sonja Lyubomirsky)Is happiness research even relevant in such times of crisis, or is focusing on our happiness simply a luxury we can no longer afford? And, while effective for many people, why does the cultivation of gratitude sometimes result in unexpectedly negative consequences? Sonja Lyubomirsky joins Igor and Charles to discuss the key components of happiness, lessons from 9-11, ‘happiness-intervention fit’, Mother Teresa’s dark side, and the unexpected psychological impact of the global pandemic to date. Igor reflects on life-under-lockdown vs life in the downfall of the Soviet Union, Sonja discusses the subtle art of balancing optimism with positive action...
2020-04-2431 minOn WisdomThe Wisdom of a Modern Elder (with Chip Conley)Though there is a lot of talk about diversity in the workplace, “age diversity” is often overlooked. Might there even be an emerging mission-critical role for wise elders in the world’s most cutting-edge tech companies? Hospitality maverick and Airbnb Strategic Advisor Chip Conley joins Igor and Charles to discuss the U-Curve of happiness, the surprises and challenges of mentoring billionaire CEOs and State Governors, the potential of intergenerational housing, the emergence of a new generation of wisdom workers, and his new project to build the world’s first midlife wisdom school - The Modern Elder Academy. Igor seeks new solu...
2020-04-0753 minOn WisdomWicked Problems (with Judith Glück)Bad things happen to all of us. But why do some people grow wiser, while others simply grow bitter? What do scientists do to reliably measure wisdom in the laboratory? And might this research suggest solutions to some of the most pressing problems of our time? Igor and Charles welcome one of today's leading wisdom scientists - Judith Glück, who discusses the MORE Model of Life Experience, different ways of reflecting on personal experiences, collaborative doctors, compassionate teachers, and pervasive foolishness across the entire political spectrum. Igor ponders potential paths to wiser politics in the face of the w...
2020-03-0559 minOn Wisdom'This is Basically a Revolution': Self-Knowledge and The Battle for Better Science (with Simine Vazire)Is the “business-as-usual” approach to science in crisis? Does the public have a good grasp of how scientific knowledge is really generated? And might scientists be as much prey to self-serving biases as the rest of us mortals? Simine Vazire joins Igor and Charles to discuss the thorny complexity of seeking reliable knowledge about the world and about ourselves, the perils of being a whistleblower in the competitive world of modern science, and the on-going scientific credibility revolution. We discuss meta-scientists, the Open Science movement, and the power of preprints to bust open the black box of peer review. Igor...
2020-02-1259 minOn WisdomMisbehavioral Economics: Choosing irrationalityAre people being reasonable when they act irrationally? Doesn’t rationality and reasonableness mean the same thing? Charles and Igor kick of the new decade by diving into a messy mix of behavioral economics, nudges, moral philosophy and legal studies, to examine what standards guide people’s decisions. Charles asks Igor about core standards that guide people when they try to make a good decision. Igor unpacks how the standard of a rational agent evolved in the 20th century and what implications it has had for modern economics and politics. Charles wonders if there are any reasonable people left on t...
2020-01-1439 min
Games Institute Podcast014: Wisdom Psychology and Games with Igor GrossmannDr Igor Grossmann discusses wisdom, podcasting, and Dungeons & Dragons.
2019-12-061h 08On WisdomAntifragility, Gut Feelings, and the Myth of Pure Evil (with Jonathan Haidt)Does that which doesn’t kill you make you weaker? Should we always follow our emotions? Is life a battle between good people and bad people? And critically, what might the adoption of these three popular, but unwise, ideas be doing to a rising generation of young adults? Jonathan Haidt joins Igor and Charles to discuss the three great untruths of modern life, the nature of antifragility, the 'great awokening,' rising violence on US university campuses, and the origin story of the Heterodox Academy. Igor suggests that diversity can help some projects while hindering others, Jon shares his ul...
2019-11-0457 minOn WisdomThe Epistemic Tightrope: Walking The Line of Doubt (with Scott Lilienfeld)Patients always receive treatment in agreement with the best scientific evidence available, right? Well, no. Not really. Clinical practitioners seem to suffer from many of the cognitive biases that affect the rest of us, and treatment decisions are often much less science-based that we might like to think. Scott Lilienfeld joins Igor and Charles to discuss evidence-based practice in psychotherapy, the importance of doubting, clinical psychology’s dirty little secret, Scarlett Johansson’s brain, confirmation bias, how science really works, and why people just can’t let go of the idea that a full moon triggers werewolf-style behaviour. Igor reveal...
2019-10-0751 minOn WisdomThe Art and Science of Knowing You Don't Know (with Mark Alfano)We live in confusing times. Politics is polarizing. Opinions clash on many topics leading to heated discussions. Take environmental change and what to do about it, the best ways to achieve prosperity, or the threats and opportunities of our globalized economy. Are we ready to admit that we often actually don’t understand what’s going on? Mark Alfano joins Igor and Charles to discuss the importance of ‘intellectual humility’ when seeking a more accurate grasp of reality, the perils of poorly designed virtue education programmes, Nietzsche and his take on the intellectual virtues, and the training of machine-learning algorith...
2019-09-1353 min
Human UpSolomon's Paradox: How to Apply Your Own WisdomAre you the type of person that gives so much love, compassion, and encouragement to others, but forget to give to yourself?I definitely do and it frustrates me.I sometimes feel like a hypocrite or an imposter who can’t take his own advice. Then I would doubt my ability to give and help people because I was not good enough, smart enough, or wise enough.Why is it so hard to love myself?Turns out I'm not the only one who has this problem, according to University of Waterloo ps...
2019-09-1115 minOn WisdomThe Science of Awe (with Dacher Keltner)What exactly is ‘awe’ and does it bring us, as individuals or as a society, any benefit? Dacher Keltner joins Igor and Charles to discuss why Canadians feel differently about awe than the Chinese, how to take an ‘awe walk’, why emotions vary across historical time, and the importance of experiencing diverse emotions and how to balance them, while the 'Dacher-Guesses-Emotions' game reveals the alarmingly fine line between disgust and desire. Igor digs into controversies over different theories of emotion, Dacher talks of inequality and elation as the new frontiers of social psychology, and Charles learns that awe may play a k...
2019-08-2058 min
Curious Minds at WorkCM 141: David Robson on the Intelligence TrapWhat if our IQ scores reveal far less about intelligence and reasoning than we think?
We often assume that people with high IQ scores are more intelligent. We may even believe they’re able to think more critically and make wiser decisions. But is that true?
In this interview, David Robson, author of the book, The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes, reveals that people with high IQ scores can actually be more prone to mental mistakes and that they don’t necessarily make wise decisions. He compares their intelligence to a car with a fast engine and trem...
2019-08-0554 minOn WisdomThe Individual and The Culture (with Adam Grant)Can an individual really change a culture? Adam Grant joins Igor and Charles to discuss cultures of non-conformity and giving in the workplace, the perils of cognitive entrenchment, the critical role of culture carriers, and why we should be managing our attention rather than our time. Igor delights in learning of the astoundingly high frequency of dancers among Nobel prize winners, Adam suggests that moral arguments still trump bottom-line arguments in the boardroom, and Charles learns that the secret route to culture-change might be found in asking your boss for advice. Welcome to Episode 19.Special Guest: Adam...
2019-07-3030 minOn WisdomThe End of the World is Nigh: Polarised Tribes, Passionate Words, and the Partisan Brain (with Jay Van Bavel)How did politics get so damn polarised? Jay Van Bavel joins Igor and Charles to discuss political polarisation, the partisan brain, the inexorable rise of superheroes in dark times, the misperceptions of polarisation levels, and how to reach out to other tribes. Igor highlights the partisanship-transcending benefits of a Watchmen-style alien invasion, Jay proposes the judicious use of ‘off-ramps’ when engaging with loved-ones from across the political divide, and Charles learns that even the abstract purity of Mathematics is not immune from the tentacles of partisanship when guns are involved. Welcome to Episode 18.Special Guest: Jay Van Bave...
2019-06-291h 03On WisdomThe Metaphysics of Email and The Perils of Productivity (with Oliver Burkeman)Our current productivity culture appears to peddle a false promise: If we can just get better organised, we really can do everything - no tough life choices or trade-offs need to be made! Guardian journalist and author Oliver Burkeman joins Igor and Charles to discuss the ironic effects of the pursuit of productivity, the inbox zero phenomenon, the futile denial of limitations, the Jevons paradox, Keynes’ concerns about a future society drowning in leisure time, Nietzsche’s suspicions regarding our beloved busyness, the social complexities of sending back a poorly made coffee, and the importance of living a life that...
2019-05-281h 02On WisdomBeware the Intelligence Trap! (with David Robson)Do highly intelligent people actually take better decisions in their daily lives than everyone else? And if not, what’s missing from our picture of what it means to be ‘smart’? Can you be highly intelligent, yet flunk a rationality test? And rather than noise to be ignored, might our emotions help us make decisions that are actually more rational? David Robson joins Igor and Charles to discuss intelligence traps, Terman’s Termites, the Monte Carlo fallacy, Damasio’s Somatic Marker hypothesis, the competitive humility of the start-up culture, and the ‘brutal pessimism’ baked in to the dark history of the Intelli...
2019-04-2859 minOn WisdomWisdom, Bullshit & Beliefs (with Gordon Pennycook)‘Wholeness quiets infinite phenomena?’ Does it, really?! Why do some people fall for pseudo-profound bullshit and others don’t? When we share fake news stories, is this because we're motivated to think they're real, or because we don't bother to think at all? And why do scientists fight tooth-and-nail over the mechanisms involved, such as “System I vs. System II”, “Fast vs. Slow” and other frameworks? Gordon Pennycook joins Igor and Charles to discuss the critical distinction between a liar and a bullshitter, the cognitive reflection test, the random Deepak Chopra quote generator, the Ig Nobel prize, motivated reasoning, climate change...
2019-04-0745 minOn WisdomWisdom & Social Norms (with Michele Gelfand)Is it wiser for a society to be ‘tight’ – strictly enforcing social rules, or ‘loose’ – in which social rule-breaking barely raise an eyebrow? What do social norms have to do with a sense of threat? And might wise leaders have worked out how to dynamically calibrate the tightness or looseness of their organisations as the situation demands? Michele Gelfand joins Igor and Charles to discuss the role of threat in ‘tight vs loose’ societies, the goldilocks principle, ‘real vs perceived’ threat’s in Trump’s America, autocratic recidivism, rum-fuelled meetings, transgressive hand puppets, and the case for recalibrating the internet. Igor reflects...
2019-03-1359 minOn WisdomCan Wisdom be Taught?Can, or even should wisdom be taught at school? Would teaching about wisdom in the classroom even translate into wiser behaviour? And might learning about wise historical figures in school actually decrease the likelihood of students behaving more wisely? Igor and Charles tinker with the nuts and bolts of a speculative wisdom curriculum, discussing the stark limits of formal ethics classes, future technological tools to help identify when wise reasoning is necessary, and the counterproductive impact of presenting wise figures out of context. Igor commends Yoda for wisely encouraging Luke to share his failures, and alerts us to the...
2019-02-2152 minOn WisdomSocial and Emotional Aging (with Laura Carstensen)Life expectancy increased more in the 20th century than in the entire prior history of humanity combined. With many more of us now getting the opportunity to live into old age, what do we have to look forward to? Do our social and emotional lives degrade in step with our physical bodies as we age, or do we in fact get much happier as we get older? How does the sense of ‘time-left’ impact our wisdom, behaviour and priorities? Laura Carstensen joins Igor and Charles to discuss individual and societal aspects of human aging. We focus on the implications and...
2019-01-231h 00On WisdomWisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz)Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz joins Igor and Charles to discuss how Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom applies in the 21st Century, the reasons why we work, idea technology, the unintended consequences of rules-based systems, and the moral dangers and limits of incentives. Igor proposes the idea of algorithm-based wise machines, Barry suggests companies hire for character rather than skill, and Charles learns why, in wiser work places, the cost...
2018-12-2858 minOn WisdomWise Bodies, Wise Brains (with Wendy Berry Mendes)Is our capacity for wise behaviour determined not just by our psychology but also by our physiology? Is there such a thing as ‘good stress’, and how might our assessment of a situation reduce the chances of us 'choking'? And can our own bodies actually be physically affected by other people's emotions? Wendy Berry Mendes joins Igor and Charles to discuss the interaction between the psychological and physiological processes underpinning wise behaviour, exploring 'challenge vs threat' stress responses, vagal flexibility, affect contagion, and the physiology of social sensitivity and good judgement. Igor wants to know how to stay calm befo...
2018-11-2249 minOn WisdomDangerous Reflections (with Valerie Tiberius)Can philosophers and psychologists work together to guide us towards living wisely? In pursuing the good life, can too much reflection be dangerous? Might philosophers have downplayed the importance of getting lost in experience? Valerie Tiberius joins Igor and Charles to discuss positive illusions, values integration, bearing our own reflective survey, and the perils of excessive introspection. Igor has questions about the rise of the empirically-informed movement in philosophy, Valerie suggests humility is critical to friendship, and Charles wants to know how hit-moral-philosophy-comedy ‘The Good Life’ ever got commissioned. Welcome to Episode 9.Special Guest: Valerie Tiberius.Li...
2018-10-2950 minOn WisdomThe Dark Side (with Paul Bloom)One thing we all seem to agree on is that empathy is an unmitigated good. But what if we are wrong? Might some forms of empathy actually be dangerous for society, biasing preferences towards those that look like us, or even those we find attractive? And even when our closest companions are in pain, is ‘feeling what they feel’ really the best way to help? Are horrific acts of cruelty made palatable by dehumanising the victims, or is the truth actually much worse? And how can social media turn do-gooders into deliverers of unlimited vengeance? Paul Bloom takes Igor and...
2018-09-2758 minOn WisdomWhy We Tell Stories (with Nic Weststrate)Why do we spend so much time telling stories - about ourselves, about each other, even about fictional characters? If storytelling isn’t simply about information exchange, what role does it really play in our lives? Why do older people feel compelled to share their hard-earned wisdom with younger people? And do the younger people actually get anything from these exchanges? Nic Weststrate joins Igor and Charles to pull apart the real reasons we share stories. We discuss exploratory and redemptive processing of life-shattering events, the complex motivations behind Holocaust survivors recounting of the Jewish refugees on the St. Lo...
2018-08-2455 minOn WisdomWisdom, Class & Inequality (with Michael Kraus)If a typical white family in the US has 100 dollars, how many dollars does a typical black US family have? Wrong! Why are we so bad at guessing levels of inequality in society? How much of a role does your class play in preventing wise decision-making? Are upper and middle-class people especially bad at taking wise decisions? Why does more education equate to less wise reasoning in interpersonal affairs? And just how good are we at spotting someone’s class from their shoes or even eyes? Michael Kraus joins Igor and Charles to tease economic fact from fiction, discussing ac...
2018-07-161h 03On WisdomThe Foolish Sage (with Eranda Jayawickreme)Do 'wise people' even exist? Do we have 'wise characters' or is our behaviour more influenced by 'wise situations'? And if so, what kinds of situations best support wise behaviour? Eranda Jayawickreme joins Igor and Charles to discuss the classic battle royale of the person-situation debate, whole trait theory and the ever-controversial Stanford Prison experiment. Igor outlines the actor-observer bias and suggests that westerners should be more sympathetic to grumpy waitstaff, Eranda considers the motivations behind blaming bad apples vs bad barrels and the implications for the justice system, and Charles learns that overestimating the robustness of his own...
2018-06-2452 minOn WisdomYoda vs Spock (with Stéphane Côté)Are emotions simply bugs in the system that prevent us from taking wise decisions? Or do they play an essential role in guiding us towards the wisest path? In short, should we be like hyper-rational cool-headed Mr Spock, or more like the emotionally sensitive Master Yoda? How much can we even observe and guide our emotions as they unfold anyway? And are emotionally intelligent geniuses necessarily more moral than the rest of us? Stéphane Côté joins Igor and Charles to discuss the science of emotional intelligence, machiavellian deviants, emotional super-readers, deep-acting vs surface-acting emotional management, and why you...
2018-05-111h 03On WisdomOn Death (with Laura Blackie)Why do we avoid thinking about our own death? How does contemplating our own mortality change our day-to-day behaviour? Why do drivers, when reminded of the fact that they will die, actually drive even faster? Whilst society typically hides death from us, might certain death reflection scenarios actually lead to the development of wisdom? Laura Blackie has considered these and many related questions, and joins Igor and Charles to discuss Terror Management Theory, Death Reflection, and the potential upsides of contemplating our own demise. Igor dismisses a death clock which tells him he won't live as long as Charles...
2018-04-2553 minOn WisdomThe Paradox of AgeingDoes wisdom really come with age? Or is this an outdated myth from a bygone era? How might wisdom develop in a brain that's ageing? Or perhaps by 'age', are we really talking about 'experience'? If so, do all experiences lead to wisdom, or only bad ones? If old people can be foolish, can young people ever be wise? And how on earth do you even gather reliable evidence across generations? Igor brings sad news of declining brain function to anyone over 25 and cautions against seeking out traumatic experiences as a strategy for developing wisdom, whilst Charles is forced...
2018-04-2256 minOn WisdomWisdom vs IntelligenceWhat's the difference between someone who's smart and someone who's wise? If you can you be intelligent without being wise, can you be wise without also being intelligent? If wisdom's so essential for taking good decisions, what's driving our exclusive obsession with intelligence? And which is really more helpful in our daily lives? Igor describes some surprising fighter-plane-based scenarios when wisdom is as useless as intelligence and Charles explains how open-ended questioning in the classroom comes with its own unique set of risks. Welcome to Episode 1 of the On Wisdom podcast.Links:Wisdom and Intelligence: The...
2018-04-201h 01
The Middle Way SocietyInterview 121: Igor Grossmann & Robert M Ellis on the 4 Factors that Foster WisdomWe welcome back to the podcast ,Igor Grossmann, who is Associate Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Wisdom and Research Lab based at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. His main research interest is the complex processes that enable individuals to think and act wisely. He has also done pioneering work on the development of wisdom in different cultures. Dr. Grossmann was named one of the 2015 Rising Stars in the field of Psychological Science.He’s going to be joined in discussion with a regular guest on the podcast, the philosopher Robert M Ellis, who is the ch...
2017-06-1746 min
The Matt Townsend ShowSolar Power, Achieving Goals, Emotional ComplexityState of Residential Solar Power (14:55)
Lee Phillips, Ph.D., a theoretical physicist, and writer who lives in McLean, Virginia. Solar energy have has captivated us from we were children. From solar powered toys and glow in the dark stars to solar powered calculators. Although it works on a small scale, how will it look on a bigger scale? Will it be environmentally sustainable and economically sustainable? Lee Phillips explains the current state of solar power.
Goal Setting and Achieving Them (1:03:09)
Kaitlin Woolley, PhD candidate at the University of Chicago school of Business. She'll be joining the marketing faculty at Cornell Univer...
2017-05-162h 19
The Middle Way SocietyInterview 104: Igor Grossmann on Emotional ComplexityWe are joined today by Igor Grossmann, who is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Wisdom and Research Lab based at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. His main research interest is the complex processes that enable individuals to think and act wisely. He has also done pioneering work on the development of wisdom in different cultures and was named one of the 2015 Rising Stars in the field of Psychological Science. He recently co-wrote a paper with Alex C. Huynh entitled Emotional Complexity: Clarifying Definitions and Cultural Correlates in which certain common , especially Western assumptions...
2016-08-2632 minThe Matt Townsend ShowNew York Primary, Religion-Work Conflict, Emotional ComplexityNew York Primaries (15:08)
Joe Cannon is our Washington Insider. Joe served as an assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1983-1985. Was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1992. He served as the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party from 2002 to 2006. He was named editor of the Deseret Morning News on December 8, 2006. Joe currently is the CEO of Fuel Freedom Foundation. Joe recaps the New York Primaries and what the results mean for the election process going forward.
Kabrina Chang: When Religion and Work Conflict (1:04:11)
Kabrina Krebel Chang is the Clinical Associate Professor of Business Law...
2016-04-202h 23