You Are Not So Smart

Professor Neil Theise, the author of Notes on Complexity,  provides an introduction to the science of how complex systems behave – from cells to human beings, to ecosystems, the known universe, and beyond – and we explore if Ian Malcolm was right when he told us in Jurassic Park that "Life, um, finds a way." Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] Neil Theise's Website [https://www.neiltheiseofficial.com/] Notes on Complexity [https://www.neiltheiseofficial.com/books] Conway's Game of Life [https://playgameoflife.com/] The Santa Fe Institute [https://www.santafe.edu/] Technosphere [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/anything-god-can-do-i-can-do-better-1594096.html] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart]

In this episode we sit down with Greg Satell, a communication expert whose book, Cascades [https://gregsatell.com/cascades/], details how rapid, widespread change can sweep across groups of people big and small, and how understanding the psychological mechanisms at play in such moments can help anyone looking to create change in a family, institution, or even nation, prepare for the inevitable resistance they will face. • Special Offer From Greg Satell [https://digitaltonto.com/speaking-and-consulting/the-content-audit/you-are-not-so-smart/] • Greg Satell's Website [https://gregsatell.com] • Greg Satell's Blog [https://digitaltonto.com] • Greg Satell's Twitter [https://twitter.com/Digitaltonto] • Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com] • How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] • David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] • Kitted [https://kitted.shop] • YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] • Show Notes [https://youarenotsosmart.com]

Therapist, teacher, speaker, and trauma specialist Britt Frank tells us all about her new book, Align Your Mind, an all-access pass to understanding, befriending, and leading the multiple voices within yourself. Grounded in the latest research on Parts Work and Internal Family Systems, and offering proven techniques from Frank’s clinical practice and personal challenges, this engaging guide is a user manual to your own mind—and presents a road map for finding peace, confidence, and a deeper understanding of who you truly are. Previous Episodes [https://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/] Britt Frank’s Practice [https://www.brittfrank.com] Align Your Mind Website [https://www.brittfrank.com/align-your-mind] Britt Frank’s Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/brittfrank/] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] David McRaney's Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog]

In 1974, two psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, as the New Yorker once put it, "changed the way we think about the way we think." The prevailing wisdom, before their landmark research went viral (in the way things went viral in the 1970s), was that human beings were, for the most part, rational optimizers always making the kinds of judgments and decisions that best maximized the potential of the outcomes under their control. This was especially true in economics at the time. The story of how they generated a paradigm shift so powerful that it reached far outside economics and psychology to change the way all of us see ourselves is a fascinating tale, one that required the invention of something this episode is all about: The Psychology of Single Questions. They Thought We Were Ridiculous [https://ridiculous-podcast.com/] Opinion Science [https://opinionsciencepodcast.com] Behavioral Grooves [https://behavioralgrooves.com] How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] Show Notes [www.youarenotsosmart.com] Newsletter [https://davidmcraney.substack.com/] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/youarenotsosmart]

In this episode, the story of Clever Hans, the horse who changed psychology for the better. We also sit down with psychologist and magician Matt Tompkins. Matt is the author of The Spectacle of Illusion, a book about the long history of the manipulation of our own magical thinking and how studying deception can help us better understand perception, memory, belief, and more. How Minds Change [https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome] David McRaney’s BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/davidmcraney.bsky.social] David McRaney’s Twitter [https://twitter.com/davidmcraney] YANSS Twitter [https://twitter.com/notsmartblog] Matt Tompkins [https://www.matt-tompkins.com/] The Spectacle of Illusion [https://www.matt-tompkins.com/soi] Prisoners of Silence [https://archive.org/details/PrisonersofSilence] Clever Hans [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Clever-Hans] Wilhelm von Osten [https://psychology.fandom.com/wiki/Wilhelm_von_Osten] Carl Sagan Quote [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/632474-i-have-a-foreboding-of-an-america-in-my-children-s] Science of Magic Association [https://scienceofmagicassoc.org/] Society for Psychical Research [https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/departments/archives-modern-and-medieval-manuscripts-and-university-archives-0] Skeptical Inquirer Magazine [https://skepticalinquirer.org/] Houdini's Debunking [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-harry-houdini-seances-and-spiritualism-were-just-an-illusion-180978944/]