The Psychology of What Matters: How to Stop Wasting Time
07-04-2026 | 23 Min.
A psychological guide to choosing priorities, resisting urgency, and spending time well.
Time is the universe’s most brilliant and inescapable invention, relentlessly marching forward whether you are building an empire or merely digesting a rather cheesy burrito. Yet, somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves we can beat it.
The universe is terribly indifferent to your productivity. Even Tutankhamun isn't enjoying his enduring fame, mostly on account of being dead for millennia. When we look at positive psychology, the secret to existence isn’t achieving eternal glory, but simply making delightful little patterns in the great river of time while we're here to enjoy them.
Today's topics:
Why we chase the wrong goals, burn our attention, and forget what makes life feel meaningful
How to stop drifting through life and focus on what actually deserves your time
A better way to think about time, fulfilment, and the patterns you want your life to create
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NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction to Time and Existence00:53 Welcome to the Growth Mindset Psychology Podcast01:06 Exploring the Philosophy of Time01:38 Time and Productivity02:49 The Concept of Winning and Time05:41 Patterns in the River of Time06:51 Historical Patterns: Julius Caesar08:01 Patterns in Music and Art09:53 Fighting Entropy with Patterns12:22 The Temporary Nature of Existence13:11 Creating Patterns for Others vs. Self14:11 The Concept of Legacy16:05 Optimizing for the Experiencing Self19:00 Final Thoughts and Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset: How to rewire your brain
31-03-2026 | 36 Min.
The human brain is a wonderfully absurd little organ. It powers civilization, invents jazz, and still somehow convinces you that being bad at something once, means you should never try again.
In this episode, we tour through the neuroscience of growth mindset with the cheerful suspicion that your limitations may be considerably less permanent than advertised. Along the way, there are one-armed surfers, overworked taxi drivers, myelinated neurons, and the rather uplifting notion that failure is not a character flaw but a biological instruction manual.
This psychology podcast explores how neuroplasticity, executive function, and repeated effort combine to reshape the brain across a lifetime. In other words, your mind is not a dusty attic of fixed talents, but more like a renovation project conducted by a slightly chaotic electrician. The hopeful part is that your errors are not interruptions to learning. They are the very sparks that make learning happen in the first place.
See failure as feedback your brain can actually use.
Build skill faster by choosing productive struggle over comfort.
Replace fixed mindset stories with evidence from brain science.
Listen in and give your pessimism the deeply inconvenient experience of being scientifically wrong.
SPONSORS
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NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction to Personal Limitations01:44 Neuroplasticity and Growth Mindset04:36 Fixed Mindset Explained06:02 The Science Behind Brain Development10:23 The Role of Nurture in Human Development13:17 Mindsets and Their Impact15:05 Learning Through Mistakes19:26 How mindsets are built24:26 The Importance of Failure27:49 Reframing Failure for Growth29:16 The Problem with School and Mistakes30:08 Celebrating Mistakes and Effort31:01 The Root of Fixed Mindset Beliefs32:27 Final Thoughts on Growth and Learning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Are You Thinking Your Thoughts, Or Are They Thinking You?
24-03-2026 | 34 Min.
You like to think of yourself as someone who thinks for themselves. But what if the ideas running through your head aren't really yours — what if they found you, infected you, and quietly rewrote your behaviour to help themselves spread?
In this episode, we take an unusual detour into evolutionary biology — because it turns out the science of genes, parasites, and natural selection explains more about your psychology than most self-help books ever will.
We cover why you are, in a very real sense, a vehicle built to carry ancient replicators. How social media, advertising, and even religion use the same cognitive vulnerabilities as a brain parasite that makes rats fall in love with cats. And why understanding the mechanism of influence is the first — and most underrated — step to genuine mental autonomy.
This is a preview of an episode from How to Change the World. See details below.
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
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https://nordlayer.com/growthmindset/
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
Free will, cognitive bias, evolutionary psychology, memes, Richard Dawkins, selfish gene, mindset, belief systems, mental models, psychology of influence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Psychology of Never Feeling Good Enough (Even When You Clearly Are)
20-03-2026 | 23 Min.
Hedonic adaption busily sweeps our wins under the rug like they are a nuisance. We look at how to fight back against your own psychology.
I once ran further than 99.9% of humans ever will. Then went to bed and forgot about it and spent half the week a little dissappointed with other failures. That's not modesty. That's my brain working exactly as designed.
We're wired to stop feeling satisfied — it kept our ancestors alive. But in modern life, it quietly robs us of every win we earn. This episode breaks down why perfectionism, hedonic adaptation, and the inner critic form a tag team that buries your progress before you even notice it happened. With real examples and grounded psychology, you'll see exactly how the loop works — and how to break it.
Notice the "already moved on" reflex before it kicks in
Separate your experiencing self from your remembering self to enjoy wins twice
Build a small, consistent recognition habit that doesn't feel forced
Stop letting your best moments disappear into the noise.
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
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10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10
https://nordlayer.com/growthmindset/
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NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
00:00 Introduction and the quest of perfect03:09 Celebrating Successes and 200 Episodes04:01 Perfectionism and Letting Things Go06:25 The Bundling Concept and Other People's Perspectives08:30 Why We're Not Evolved to Stay Content10:01 The Entrepreneur's Stress Spiral11:12 Making Celebration a Priority14:05 Running an Ultra Marathon Unsupported17:24 Recognising Your Own Success18:37 Reflecting on Five Years and 200 Episodes20:35 Future Plans and New Projects22:35 Wrapping Up the Archive Episode23:15 Outro and Final Thoughts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
7 Weird Life-Changing Skills that are Strange to Work On
17-03-2026 | 59 Min.
Nobody tells you that curiosity is a skill. Or that humor can be built. Or that the way you think is quietly deciding everything.
Most of us are running on borrowed opinions — System One thinking dressed up as personality. We consume the same content, absorb the same views, and wonder why we feel forgettable. This episode breaks down five traits that genuinely change your trajectory: deep thinking, curiosity, uniqueness, humor, and enthusiasm. Not as abstract ideals — as practical, buildable skills that compound over time. Sam shares real frameworks, a few uncomfortable truths about how your algorithm is quietly shaping your identity, and why the most interesting people in any room aren't born that way.
Train your attention like a muscle — distraction is the enemy of deep thought
Curiosity isn't fixed; it's a lens you can deliberately apply to anything
Humor follows rules — and once you know them, you can actually get funnier
The traits that change your life are the ones nobody thought to teach you — until now.
SPONSORS
👨💻 NordLayer
Security across your business
10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10
https://nordlayer.com/growthmindset/
☺️ NOCD
Struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help
Book a free 15 min call
https://learn.nocd.com/growthmindset
NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation
Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights.
Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649
Over Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Most self-help advice is guesswork dressed up as wisdom. We dig into psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to find what actually changes lives.
WHY LISTEN?
Over 8 million downloads because we answer the questions that matter: How do I build mental strength? What creates lasting motivation? How can I understand my own mind well enough to work with it, not against it?
This podcast is for curious skeptics who want frameworks backed by psychology studies, not Instagram quotes. Whether you're navigating procrastination, building self-discipline, or designing your own philosophy for a life well lived—we explore the hidden psychology behind real change.
WHAT YOU'LL GET
Mental models and simple techniques from cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions like Stoicism and Buddhism.
Being a human can be confusing, learning about it doesn’t have to be.
We cover everything from emotional intelligence and habit formation to brain health and the nervous system.
WHAT YOU DON’T GET
No pseudoscience. No oversimplified "hacks." No hustle porn.
Just practical insights on mindset improvement, self-development, and human psychology that respect your intelligence and mental health.
THE APPROACH
Instead of telling you what to think, we explore how thinking works. Armed with psychology studies, social science research, and relentless curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of belief change, attitude change, and personal development.
Success is personal. You might want to leverage your neurodiverse strengths, build a business, or simply discover how to be happier. We provide the mental frameworks to pursue your definition of success with mental strength and self-care that fits your life.
YOUR HOST
I'm Sam Webster Harris—a lifelong learner with ADHD and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching businesses, traveling the world, and nearly dying a few times, I concluded that psychology and science are where real wisdom lives.
This show is my excuse to dive deep into health and fitness research, behavioral psychology, and cool science while helping you build genuine self-discipline and motivation.
PREMIUM
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PAST SERIES
Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum.
Past series:
— Psychology vs Stoicism
— Time Management for Busy Mortals
— Independence and Knowing Yourself
— Cognitive Biases and Rational Thinking
— Psychology of Connection and Relationships
— Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets
— Addiction and Behaviour Change
— Nervous System Mastery and Polyvagal Theory
— Mental Strength and Self-Discipline
Luister naar Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement, Overthink en vele andere podcasts van over de hele wereld met de radio.net-app
Netherlands