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The Dangers of Fad Psychology with Jesse Singal

Minds and Mics

English - April 04, 2021 16:28 - 44 minutes - 35.6 MB
Self-Improvement Education Health & Fitness Mental Health psychology mental health self-improvement personal growth life hacks habits goals mindset Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: Designing Better Conversations with Fred Dust
Next Episode: Sensitive Strivers and Imposter Syndrome with Melody Wilding

Science journalist Jesse Singal joins me on the show to talk about the dangers of fad psychology, including myths and misconceptions about positive psychology, the self-esteem movement, deceptive media coverage of popular behavioral science research, the replication crisis in academic psychology, and more.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

Jonathan Haidt and moral foundations theoryMisleading statistics and external validityThe problems with self-esteem and the self-esteem movementSelf-efficacy vs Self-esteemCarol Dweck and growth mindsetEffect size in researchMartin Seligman Positive PsychologyPreventative mental healthOpportunity cost in mental healthStructural factors impacting mental healthGritComprehensive Soldier FitnessThe replication crisis in psychologyThe file drawer effectFalsification10% Happier by Dan HarrisPositive Thinking for People Who had Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman


You can learn more about Jesse and his work here:

The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can’t Cure Our Social Ills (Book)JesseSingal.substack.com (Newsletter)Blocked and Reported (Podcast)


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