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  • Sam Harris: Is AI aligned with our human interests?
    Sam Harris' argument for diffusing the AI arms race. 0:00 About our sponsor 0:16 The solution to “God-like AI” 1:20 The risk of self-improving AI 4:30 Two levels of risk 9:08 The AI arms race About Sam Harris: Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, and many other journals. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Nature, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. -------------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • 3 powerful mind states: Flow state, good anxiety, and Zen Buddhism
    ### **🧠 Understanding Anxiety, Flow, and Connection** *With Wendy Suzuki, Stephen Kotler & Robert Waldinger* ----------------------------------- #### **😨 Anxiety Isn’t the Enemy – Wendy Suzuki** - Anxiety is your brain’s **warning system**, not a flaw. - When it becomes **chronic**, it takes over your mind and body. - Instead of eliminating anxiety, learn to **reframe** it: - It’s a **signal** that something matters. - It can be transformed into **fuel for growth**. - **Tools to manage it:** → Deep breathing 🧘‍♀️ → Mindful self-talk (“I’m excited, not scared”) 🧠 → Talking it out 🗣 → Meditation & exercise 💪 --- #### **🚀 Anxiety as a Gateway to Flow – Stephen Kotler** - High anxiety **blocks flow**, the brain’s peak performance state. - But it can also be a **trigger**, if managed right. - To enter flow: - Move from **high energy + high tension** → **high energy + low tension** - This releases brain chemicals that unlock creativity, focus, and joy. - **Flow isn’t just for athletes** – it’s how humans are wired to thrive. --- #### **🤝 Connection Heals Anxiety – Robert Waldinger** - Anxiety often makes people **isolate**, but this is the **worst response**. - Strong relationships are the **#1 predictor of happiness and health**. - Being vulnerable with someone you trust helps regulate anxiety. - **Social connection** doesn’t just feel good—it’s **neurobiologically calming**. --- ### 💡 Final Thought: > Anxiety is a **messenger**, not a monster. > With the right mindset and habits, it can lead to **growth, connection**, and even **peak performance**. --- Timestamps: 0:00 - 3 powerful mind states 2:39 - The flow state 9:59 - Harnessing anxiety’s superpowers 17:21 - A guide to Zen Buddhism --- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Why your Epicurean approach will never make you truly happy | Arthur Brooks
    🌍 **Mother Nature doesn’t care if we’re happy.** Her only goal? Survival. She wired us to seek food, safety, and reproduction — not happiness. In fact, 😟 **negative emotions serve a purpose**. Fear, anger, and sadness are evolutionary tools to keep us alert and responsive to threats. Mother Nature *needs* us to be uncomfortable sometimes. But here's the twist: **Happiness is our responsibility.** It's a human — maybe even divine — pursuit. 🧘‍♂️ Enter Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher. Contrary to the common image of indulgence, his idea of happiness was simple: 👉 **Eliminate suffering**. By reducing sources of pain — toxic relationships, stressful habits, unnecessary friction — we can create space for peace. It's not about chasing pleasure, but avoiding harm. And that idea has echoed through history. Today, we’re living in what some call an **“epicurean age.”** We overprotect kids from pain, shield students from uncomfortable ideas, and try to bubble-wrap life. But here's the problem... ⚠️ **Avoiding suffering doesn’t eliminate unhappiness.** It just weakens us. We still experience negative emotions — without the growth that comes from hardship. 🌓 As Carl Jung put it: > “We only know what good is because we’ve seen bad.” By avoiding discomfort, we also rob ourselves of contrast — the very thing that gives joy its meaning. So ironically, in shielding ourselves from pain, we may be shutting the door on bliss. ------------------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • News media wants to keep you angry, anxious, and depressed | Amanda Ripley
    "These days, no national news network is trusted by more than half of American adults. And that's a problem." The news is broken. In the United States, it may feel like our news cycle is designed to make people anxious and depressed. It may feel like journalism exploits our divisions and amplifies our fears more than ever. But how can we fix it? Amanda Ripley has been a journalist for over 20 years, and she’s diagnosing one of the US’ biggest problems: Our news. Ripley says that adding these 3 considerations back into the equation could save our media. Chapters: 00:00 A common sense of reality 01:13 The news is broken 03:11 Avoiding the media 06:20 The cost of breaking news 07:20 Depression and anxiety triggers 08:10 A better way to cover news About Amanda Ripley: Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, Washington Post contributor, and co-founder of consultancy firm, Good Conflict. Her books include The Smartest Kids in the World, High Conflict, and The Unthinkable. --------------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • The third, lost type of memory that might be the most important one
    Are our current school systems stifling learning that matters? Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, says yes. According to Immordino-Yang, our education system focuses too much on memorizing facts and procedures, neglecting autobiographical memory—the personal story we tell ourselves about who we are and what we stand for. This type of memory is crucial for growth, development, and well-being. Immordino-Yang tested this theory with a 5-year study that analyzed how young people’s brains are affected by deep thinking and reflection. She found that when teens were exposed to real-life stories and were asked to respond critically to how they made them feel, it had significant positive impacts on identity development and brain structure. Instead of teaching students to memorize and reiterate learned facts and figures, Immordino-Yang encourages us to focus on this type of “transcendent thinking,” as it can help young people give more context to their knowledge. By fostering this deeper level of understanding, we can better prepare students to navigate and contribute to the complex, constantly developing world we live in. ------------------------------------------ About Mary Helen Immordino-Yang: Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, is an expert on the psychological and neurobiological foundations of social emotion, self-awareness, and culture, and how they impact learning, development, and education. She is a Professor of Education at the USC Rossier School of Education, a Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, a faculty member in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Southern California, and the Director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning, and Education (CANDLE). ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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