Narcissism Paradox, Lame Friendships, Independence Therapy, and Becoming Superhuman
Plus Ask Me Anything Live on 12/11/25 at 5pm EST
In case you missed it…
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I do a lot of podcasts and think they're getting increasingly better, as I find it enjoyable to go anywhere with the host(s). I knew I wanted to be on Becoming Superhuman when I heard the hosts interview the brilliant Jonathan Schooler - here.
Hosts Dylan Dang and Ben Tauber with me for 84 minutes to discuss my research on psychological flexibility, curiosity, and why our “negative” emotions might be more useful than we think. We also explored:
The narcissism paradox: Why a little bit of narcissism is what you need and want for your kids and friends.
Mental sabotage: Deceptively simple techniques for working with self-defeating thoughts.
The “wise counsel” filter: How to identify the rare inner circle of people who make you and your work better, and how to become one yourself
Independence therapy for kids: A new approach to raising children in an age of overprotection.
The AI sycophancy problem: What happens to our distress tolerance when we’re constantly talking to systems designed to adore us?
Moments I loved sharing: sitting with my daughters when one sister had a soccer or volleyball game, asking them whether the ref’s call was correct while our side’s parents scream in protest. Game after game, teaching them to think independently of the crowd.
The conversation got personal. Wait until you hear about the host’s “twibblings,” which led to me swapping roles to interview him. (You’ll have to listen to this wacky exchange.)
Or watch the full conversation here:
Do leave your thoughts in the comments.
🔒 For the Curious
You’ve made it this far, which means you probably want to converse even more on these topics. Well, join the Provoked community for the Ask Me Anything call this week. We have a lot to discuss that may include a wild love story (here)…