Are You Thinking Your Thoughts, Or Are They Thinking You?
24/03/2026 | 34min
You like to think of yourself as someone who thinks for themselves. But what if the ideas running through your head aren't really yours — what if they found you, infected you, and quietly rewrote your behaviour to help themselves spread?
In this episode, we take an unusual detour into evolutionary biology — because it turns out the science of genes, parasites, and natural selection explains more about your psychology than most self-help books ever will.
We cover why you are, in a very real sense, a vehicle built to carry ancient replicators. How social media, advertising, and even religion use the same cognitive vulnerabilities as a brain parasite that makes rats fall in love with cats. And why understanding the mechanism of influence is the first — and most underrated — step to genuine mental autonomy.
This is a preview of an episode from How to Change the World. See details below.
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
Free will, cognitive bias, evolutionary psychology, memes, Richard Dawkins, selfish gene, mindset, belief systems, mental models, psychology of influence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Psychology of Never Feeling Good Enough (Even When You Clearly Are)
20/03/2026 | 23min
Hedonic adaption busily sweeps our wins under the rug like they are a nuisance. We look at how to fight back against your own psychology.
I once ran further than 99.9% of humans ever will. Then went to bed and forgot about it and spent half the week a little dissappointed with other failures. That's not modesty. That's my brain working exactly as designed.
We're wired to stop feeling satisfied — it kept our ancestors alive. But in modern life, it quietly robs us of every win we earn. This episode breaks down why perfectionism, hedonic adaptation, and the inner critic form a tag team that buries your progress before you even notice it happened. With real examples and grounded psychology, you'll see exactly how the loop works — and how to break it.
Notice the "already moved on" reflex before it kicks in
Separate your experiencing self from your remembering self to enjoy wins twice
Build a small, consistent recognition habit that doesn't feel forced
Stop letting your best moments disappear into the noise.
SPONSORS
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Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
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NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction and the quest of perfect03:09 Celebrating Successes and 200 Episodes04:01 Perfectionism and Letting Things Go06:25 The Bundling Concept and Other People's Perspectives08:30 Why We're Not Evolved to Stay Content10:01 The Entrepreneur's Stress Spiral11:12 Making Celebration a Priority14:05 Running an Ultra Marathon Unsupported17:24 Recognising Your Own Success18:37 Reflecting on Five Years and 200 Episodes20:35 Future Plans and New Projects22:35 Wrapping Up the Archive Episode23:15 Outro and Final Thoughts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
7 Weird Life-Changing Skills that are Strange to Work On
17/03/2026 | 59min
Nobody tells you that curiosity is a skill. Or that humor can be built. Or that the way you think is quietly deciding everything.
Most of us are running on borrowed opinions — System One thinking dressed up as personality. We consume the same content, absorb the same views, and wonder why we feel forgettable. This episode breaks down five traits that genuinely change your trajectory: deep thinking, curiosity, uniqueness, humor, and enthusiasm. Not as abstract ideals — as practical, buildable skills that compound over time. Sam shares real frameworks, a few uncomfortable truths about how your algorithm is quietly shaping your identity, and why the most interesting people in any room aren't born that way.
Train your attention like a muscle — distraction is the enemy of deep thought
Curiosity isn't fixed; it's a lens you can deliberately apply to anything
Humor follows rules — and once you know them, you can actually get funnier
The traits that change your life are the ones nobody thought to teach you — until now.
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
Security across your business
10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10
http://nordlayer.com/growthmindset
☺️ NOCD
Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
Book a free 15 min call
https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction: Unconventional Traits for Success
03:50 The Importance of Deep Thinking
08:55 Focusing on Quality Information
09:17 Train Your Algorithms
10:14 Train Your Attention and Build Your Environment
11:48 Vary Between Fun and Difficult Things
12:32 Keep an Active Document
13:40 Building Curiosity: The Key to Lifelong Learning
17:37 Embracing Uniqueness in a Conformist World
22:57 Discovering and Nurturing Your Interests
27:17 The Power of Humor: A Life-Changing Skill
29:02 Practical Tips for Developing a Sense of Humor
30:27 Developing Your Unique Comedy Style
31:04 The Art of Punching Up in Comedy
31:25 The Power of Relatable Stories
32:39 Mastering the Rule of Threes
34:43 The Magic of Puns
37:07 Building Enthusiasm in Life
41:01 Understanding Ego in Communication
46:09 The Importance of Staying Calm and Patient
52:54 Quick Tips to Leave You With
56:01 Sign Off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Having a Backup Plan Is Making You Fail - Burn the boats with Matt Higgins
13/03/2026 | 44min
In 1519, Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico and promptly set fire to his own fleet. By any conventional measure of military logistics, this seems profoundly counterproductive. It wasn't.
Matt Higgins — Shark Tank investor, Harvard Business School lecturer, and accidental dropout — has spent his career studying what happens when humans remove their own escape routes. Spoiler: it tends to go rather well, and there's solid science to explain why.
A landmark Wharton study found that merely having a backup plan measurably reduces both your motivation and your likelihood of success. The safety net, it turns out, is cutting the tightrope.
Why the brain mistakes "prudence" for "self-protection" and how to catch it
The four-step process for synthesising your risk tolerance before you commit
How to extract more value from failure than was taken from you
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
Security across your business
10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10
http://nordlayer.com/growthmindset
🌳 Acorns
Smart way to grow your money
$5 welcome bonus
Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Cortés Burning the Boats01:31 Introducing Matt Higgins04:08 The Problem with Plan B06:11 Managing Risks10:53 When You Should Be Able to Retreat15:18 Why We Should Not Romanticise Failure17:38 Life After Shark Tank24:30 Optimising Strengths vs Improving Weaknesses31:48 Importance of Commitment and Setting Intentions33:47 Inspiring Women37:00 The Investor Anxiety Exchange39:45 Rapid Fire Questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why You Have Great Ideas but Never Actually Do Anything With Them
10/03/2026 | 22min
We are spectacularly good at having ideas and remarkably reluctant to do anything with them.
It turns out that the distance between "I've got it!" and "here it is" is not a step but a rather long, occasionally bewildering journey. Not unlike flying a plane.
It involves a terrifying amount of fuel, significant faith in invisible forces, and a desperate hope that everything holds together on landing. History's great innovators weren't just bold thinkers; they were stubborn completers.
Edison filed hundreds of patents before the lightbulb. Jeff Bezos accidentally invented cloud computing whilst trying to sell books.
Remember:
Ideas evolve mid-flight — your job is to keep steering
Feedback isn't optional; even Van Gogh had his brother
Consistency across many ideas beats obsessing over one perfect one
Fasten your seatbelt — your ideas deserve an actual destination.
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
Security across your business
10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10
http://nordlayer.com/growthmindset
🌳 Acorns
Smart way to grow your money
$5 welcome bonus
Acorns.com/PSYCHOLOGY
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction to the Growth Mindset Podcast00:31 The Analogy of Ideas Taking Flight02:09 The Challenge of Execution02:59 The Importance of Persistence03:55 Learning from Historical Figures06:16 Consistency is Key08:01 The Role of Feedback10:01 The Power of Consistency11:03 The Myth of the Perfect Idea12:51 The Concept of Destiny15:07 The Legacy of Actions17:08 The Tragic Endings of Legends18:04 Cultural Insights and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sobre Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Most self-help advice is guesswork dressed up as wisdom. We dig into psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to find what actually changes lives.
WHY LISTEN?
Over 8 million downloads because we answer the questions that matter: How do I build mental strength? What creates lasting motivation? How can I understand my own mind well enough to work with it, not against it?
This podcast is for curious skeptics who want frameworks backed by psychology studies, not Instagram quotes. Whether you're navigating procrastination, building self-discipline, or designing your own philosophy for a life well lived—we explore the hidden psychology behind real change.
WHAT YOU'LL GET
Mental models and simple techniques from cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions like Stoicism and Buddhism.
Being a human can be confusing, learning about it doesn’t have to be.
We cover everything from emotional intelligence and habit formation to brain health and the nervous system.
WHAT YOU DON’T GET
No pseudoscience. No oversimplified "hacks." No hustle porn.
Just practical insights on mindset improvement, self-development, and human psychology that respect your intelligence and mental health.
THE APPROACH
Instead of telling you what to think, we explore how thinking works. Armed with psychology studies, social science research, and relentless curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of belief change, attitude change, and personal development.
Success is personal. You might want to leverage your neurodiverse strengths, build a business, or simply discover how to be happier. We provide the mental frameworks to pursue your definition of success with mental strength and self-care that fits your life.
YOUR HOST
I'm Sam Webster Harris—a lifelong learner with ADHD and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching businesses, traveling the world, and nearly dying a few times, I concluded that psychology and science are where real wisdom lives.
This show is my excuse to dive deep into health and fitness research, behavioral psychology, and cool science while helping you build genuine self-discipline and motivation.
PREMIUM
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PAST SERIES
Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum.
Past series:
— Psychology vs Stoicism
— Time Management for Busy Mortals
— Independence and Knowing Yourself
— Cognitive Biases and Rational Thinking
— Psychology of Connection and Relationships
— Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets
— Addiction and Behaviour Change
— Nervous System Mastery and Polyvagal Theory
— Mental Strength and Self-Discipline
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