How to Have Great Conversations & The Surprising Truth About Optimism

Ever get a song stuck in your head that simply will not leave? That’s an earworm, and while it will eventually fade away on its own, there are some things you can do to help get rid of it sooner. Listen and discover what works. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/songs-get-stuck-head

Being a good conversationalist can make an enormous difference in your personal and professional life. Yet most of us were never actually taught how to have a great conversation. How do you comfortably talk to someone you don’t know? What do you do when the conversation stalls? How do you change the subject without making it awkward? Behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards joins me with practical strategies for making conversations easier, more natural and more memorable. She is an instructor at Harvard University and author of Conversation: How to Connect with Anyone and Make Every Interaction Count (https://link.amazon/B027NJjiF).

Martin Seligman is considered the father of positive psychology, so you might assume he has always been an extraordinarily optimistic person. Not even close. Martin has struggled with pessimism and negative thoughts throughout his life. He joins me to explain what optimism really is, why it matters, and how something called agency can change the way you approach your life and your future—even if optimism doesn’t come naturally to you. Martin is the author of more than 30 books. His latest is Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress (https://link.amazon/B08KM3n8m).

There are sounds all around you right now that your brain has decided you don’t need to hear—the refrigerator humming, a clock ticking, traffic in the distance. So how does your brain decide what gets your attention and what disappears into the background? Listen and find out. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3715733

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