Why Your Brain Turns The Miraculous Into The Mundane—And How To Fix It | Maria Popova

About this episode

<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>Smart and practical strategies for living, in Maria's words, wonder-smitten by reality.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Maria Popova thinks and writes about our search for meaning — sometimes through science and philosophy, sometimes through poetry and children's books, always through the lens of wonder. She is the creator of <a href="https://themarginalian.org/" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Marginalian</em></a> (born in 2006 under the name <em>Brain Pickings</em>), which is included in the Library of Congress permanent digital archive of culturally valuable materials, author of <em>Figuring,</em> and maker of the live show <a href= "https://mailchi.mp/themarginalian/uiv-book-launch?e=d28e51e148" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Universe in Verse</em></a> — a charitable celebration of the wonder of reality through stories of science winged with poetry, <a href= "https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/05/01/the-universe-in-verse-book/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">which is now also a book</a>.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p>In this episode we talk about:</p> <p><br /></p> <ul> <li>Wonder as a tool for improving all of your relationships</li> <li>The tyranny of the word should</li> <li>How the hardest thing in life is not getting what you want, it's knowing what you want</li> <li>Why she doesn't believe in making meditation a tool, even though she's been practicing for 14 years</li> <li>The illusion of certainty</li> <li>The immense value of intellectual humility</li> <li>Strategies for outgrowing your old habits</li> <li>Her new book, <em>The Universe in Verse</em>, which is a combination of science and poetry</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>From The Marginalian:</strong> <a href= "https://www.themarginalian.org/2023/04/09/george-saunders-uncertainty/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>How to Love the World More: George Saunders on the Courage of Uncertainty</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/bill-hader" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bill Hader on Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, and Leaning Intro Discomfort</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/anniemurphypaul" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Science Of Getting Out Of Your Head | Annie Murphy Paul</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/george-saunders-511#:~:text=%23511.-,George%20Saunders%20on%3A%20%E2%80%9CHoly%20Befuddlement%E2%80%9D%20and%20How%20to,Be%20Less%20of%20a%20%E2%80%9CTurd%E2%80%9D&text=One%20of%20the%20great%20perils,he%20calls%20%E2%80%9Choly%20befuddlement.%E2%80%9D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Saunders on: "Holy Befuddlement" and How to Be Less of a "Turd"</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/george-saunders-332" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Profound Upside of Self-Diminishment | George Saunders</a></li> <li><a href= "https://art19.com/shows/4695c3c0-9a34-436f-a807-ea4787d273ab/episodes/77465396-4fbb-43ca-97fc-7b76675fb433" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Radical Approach to Productivity, Self-Compassion Series | Jocelyn K. Glei</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href= "https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href= "https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href= "https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href= "https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href= "https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href= "https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href= "https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/maria-popova-818" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank">https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/maria-popova-818</a></p> <p><br /></p>