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

About this episode

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