Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology
▶ Webplayer
Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology
▶ WebplayerMost 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 ch...
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Sep 29, 2026 · 36:22
Train your brain to resist distraction, form your own opinions, and think like an intellectual. When every answer is one click away, we’ve forgotten how to enjoy the struggle of…
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Human beings, it turns out, are magnificently good at fooling themselves. Sadly the mind has developed an elaborate way of hiding our worst thinking mistakes from us. Our…
Sep 11, 2026 · 25:19
The World Record Breaking Jack Cai is back on the show. Asking Sam some of the deep life questions he asks himself a lot. To say this was a discussion on a single topic that…
Sep 8, 2026 · 33:17
This episode asks a simple question: what if the way forward isn't a bigger vision, but a smaller unit of thought? We trace this idea through history, biology, and the quiet…
Sep 4, 2026 · 49:02
Scarcity whispers that there isn't enough. Ego insists you deserve more anyway. Abundance is the quiet third option nobody mentions. Most of us were handed scarcity as a default…
Sep 1, 2026 · 29:26
You know that feeling when you try so hard to seem normal that you become a weirdo? Self-improvement works the exact same way. The more you chase happiness, the further it runs.…
Aug 28, 2026 · 46:32
What if the thing you're avoiding is exactly what you should pursue? Jack Cai broke three world records solving Rubik's Cubes blindfolded, for teh same reason America suppsoedly…
Aug 25, 2026 · 25:14
We've been sold a myth: that mental toughness means gritting your teeth and pushing through, disregarding their emotions entirely. The people who actually build lasting…
Aug 21, 2026 · 51:58
Explore the psychology of effective leadership and the hidden mental patterns that influence how you handle fear, failure, and change. A leader can learn new skills, adopt…
Aug 18, 2026 · 34:28
Productivity gurus insist we must engineer ourselves into completion machines. This is nonsense, rather like insisting everyone should enjoy opera. The truth, as behavioral…
Aug 11, 2026 · 26:47
A meaningful life is not built by choosing perfectly. It is built by learning how to choose, revise, and continue. In this AMA, Sam examines the hidden forces that shape our…
Aug 7, 2026 · 36:14
Most people wait to feel ready before they begin. But readiness is often the the feeling we only enjoy after we have already taken the first step. Jonathan Petrides, founder of…
Aug 4, 2026 · 25:17
Most people don’t have a skills problem. They have a memory problem.. no one remembers them. So why is it you can say all the right things and still be forgettable? Because…
Jul 28, 2026 · 37:03
What if the goal isn’t to be right, but to be less wrong, over time? Charlie Munger didn’t chase brilliance. He built a philosophy. A quiet system for navigating uncertainty,…
Jul 21, 2026 · 25:33
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Jul 17, 2026 · 41:52
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Jul 14, 2026 · 29:30
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Jul 10, 2026 · 24:46
Kyra Condie built an Olympic climbing career while living with scoliosis. With every reason to quit and accept her limitations she refused them and beat the odds every time. In…
Jul 7, 2026 · 20:03
You'll never get through your to-do list. And honestly, that's the best news you'll hear all day. Oliver Burkeman's 4,000 Weeks argues that our obsession with time management is…
Jun 30, 2026 · 34:48
Fear doesn't show up wearing a mask. It shows up as a perfectly reasonable excuse — "I'm not ready yet," "the timing isn't right," "I just need to learn a bit more." These aren't…
Jun 23, 2026 · 50:38
Fear isn't the opposite of growth. It's the gatekeeper of it. Every hesitation before a risk, every excuse before a hard conversation, every night spent worrying about what…
Jun 19, 2026 · 10:43
Most people wait for change to arrive in a dramatic package. A breakthrough. A sign. A better plan. Graham Hobson’s story reminds us that real growth is quieter than that. It…
Jun 16, 2026 · 42:38
Most people think their biggest weakness is the problem. It's not. It's that they're only using half of themselves. George Washington won a war by being the world's most honest…
Jun 9, 2026 · 21:40
You've read the productivity books. You've optimised your mornings. But what if the whole thing is backwards? Self-improvement content is everywhere, yet it almost universally…
Jun 5, 2026 · 34:42
Most startups don’t fail from lack of ideas. They fail because people quit too early—or play it too safe. Graham Hobson built a €100M business starting with a simple frustration:…
Jun 2, 2026 · 39:30
Money is not the goal. It’s a tool. Most people were never taught how to use it. Core:We inherit scripts about money. Save more. Earn more. Want more. But those scripts were…
May 26, 2026 · 21:06
Ever look up and realise a whole month has vanished? This episode is about why that happens — and how to get more life out of the same amount of time. Most people think time…
May 19, 2026 · 40:31
If you’ve been treating your next decision like THE decision, well... A lot of anxiety comes from believing your future hinges on getting the next move exactly right. However,…
May 12, 2026 · 21:25
Most self-improvement assumes the problem lives inside you. But what if you've been looking in the wrong place? There's something worth sitting with in the idea that your…
May 8, 2026 · 24:00
Free will might be smaller than you hoped, but more useful than you imagined. This conversation with Stephen Porges is about the quiet shift in perspective he learnt from 50…
May 5, 2026 · 34:21
The better you get at seeing opportunity, the worse you get at finishing anything. It turns out the same brain wiring that makes curious, growth-oriented people so interesting to…
Apr 28, 2026 · 20:08
There's a story we tell ourselves about interesting people. That they were born that way. That charisma is a trait, not a choice. That fitting in is safe and standing out is…
Apr 24, 2026 · 57:27
How the science of the vagus nerve explains anxiety, ambition, burnout, and the art of becoming who you actually are. Humans, might be the most sophisticated organism on Earth…
Apr 21, 2026 · 1:02:15
A Deep Dive into the Vagus Nerve, Neuroception, and Overcoming Burnout Ever walked into a room and instantly felt like something was completely off? That is not your intuition…
Apr 17, 2026 · 46:24
We are all waiting for permission that is never going to come. We cling to the illusion of a safe life, pretending that incremental improvements are the same thing as actual…
Apr 14, 2026 · 19:53
Human beings have an issue. We want adventure, growth, and transformation, provided they arrive gently, avoid inconvenience, and never make us look foolish. This episode is about…
Apr 10, 2026 · 23:30
The psychology of healthy relationships: hidden rules behind better marriages, better teams, and better choices. In this episode, I sit down with legendary investor Matt Higgins…
Apr 7, 2026 · 23:51
A psychological guide to choosing priorities, resisting urgency, and spending time well. Time is the universe’s most brilliant and inescapable invention, relentlessly marching…
Mar 31, 2026 · 36:20
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…
Mar 24, 2026 · 34:17
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,…
Mar 20, 2026 · 23:50
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…
Mar 17, 2026 · 59:59
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 —…
Mar 13, 2026 · 44:53
In 1519, Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico and promptly set fire to his own fleet. By any conventional measure of military logistics, this seems profoundly counterproductive. It…
Mar 10, 2026 · 22:39
We are spectacularly good at having ideas and remarkably reluctant to do anything with them. It turns out that the distance between "I've got it!" and "here it is" is not a step…
Mar 6, 2026 · 53:26
Most people think their relationship problems are about the other person. They're not — they're about an 18-month-old version of you who learned the only way to survive. In this…
Mar 3, 2026 · 24:46
Most anger isn’t about the thing. It’s about what the thing means: “Someone just messed with my control.” When your expectations get violated... plans change,d a process breaks,…
Feb 24, 2026 · 23:24
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Feb 17, 2026 · 39:38
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Feb 13, 2026 · 53:14
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Feb 10, 2026 · 20:16
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Feb 3, 2026 · 36:39
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Jan 16, 2026 · 20:25
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Jan 13, 2026 · 23:10
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Dec 23, 2025 · 11:20
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Dec 16, 2025 · 26:10
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Dec 12, 2025 · 44:14
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Dec 9, 2025 · 36:51
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Dec 5, 2025 · 25:37
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Dec 2, 2025 · 29:52
Think you konw what you're doing with you money on your mind? Think again. You walk into a cinema and buy the $12 large popcorn because the medium is $10. You think you got a…
Nov 28, 2025 · 32:43
Ever caught yourself defending a dumb idea just to look smart? That's your ego controlling your brain. Cognitive biases and ego team up to screw your decisions daily. Picture…
Nov 25, 2025 · 50:40
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Nov 21, 2025 · 20:58
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Nov 18, 2025 · 28:21
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Nov 14, 2025 · 33:22
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Nov 11, 2025 · 35:09
What if “enough” wasn’t a number — but a moment? This conversation explores the quiet art of leaving nothing essential undone. We talk about the trap of “more” — more savings,…
Nov 7, 2025 · 54:37
99% of podcasters quit before episode 20. Why do 1% keep going... and what does it teach us about ourselves? Paul Davies interviews Sam on the psychology of motivation,…
Nov 4, 2025 · 30:15
What if the life you're living is just a metaphor for the life you're meant to live? Pressfield kept his typewriter buried under spare parts in his truck. He knew it was there.…
Oct 31, 2025 · 24:54
What if winning isn't a destination? What if it's the quiet act of becoming slightly better than you were when the sun rose this morning? Frank Dick spent five decades asking…
Oct 28, 2025 · 22:30
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Oct 24, 2025 · 31:10
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Oct 21, 2025 · 13:14
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Oct 17, 2025 · 21:18
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Oct 14, 2025 · 16:54
Rethinking the problem and our mindset from scratch when it comes to this whole life thing. What if the problem isn't your schedule—it's your metaphor? We've inherited a story…
Oct 10, 2025 · 57:06
We evolved shame as a gift. A signal that whispers when we've drifted from who we might become. What if the discomfort you feel isn't the problem, but the compass? This episode…
Oct 7, 2025 · 25:09
Our cognitive biases and ego can muddy the waters of our minds and block the path to clear communication. Today's episode provides strategies on how to be both a more effective…
Oct 3, 2025 · 46:08
Dame Stephanie Shirley built a billion-dollar tech empire from her kitchen table in the 1960s, pioneered remote work before anyone knew what Wi-Fi was, and discovered the…
Sep 30, 2025 · 40:02
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Sep 26, 2025 · 56:37
You know that Stupid questions = Stupid answers. It's the same for boring questions. If you want to live a meaningful life with space for personal growth and connection with…
Sep 23, 2025 · 16:53
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Sep 19, 2025 · 52:26
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Sep 16, 2025 · 30:25
You want your kid to magically become some badass, challenge-eating machine? Lectures don’t work, praise gets boring, and perfectionism is just another word for control freak. We…
Sep 12, 2025 · 47:04
Ever felt like life’s locked you in a box and thrown away the key? Tom Davies (GeoWizard) knows the feeling—and he picked the locks with curiosity and a pinch of madness. This…
Sep 9, 2025 · 30:30
Freedom doesn’t arrive when you finally “figure it all out”—it arrives the moment you move.We’ve built mental walls around the idea that creativity is genetic and strength is…
Sep 5, 2025 · 56:38
Positive Psychology applied to the shortness of life. This episode is a repeat of a masterclass from last year on living wider and deeper with psychologist and author Jodi…
Sep 2, 2025 · 36:28
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Aug 29, 2025 · 53:54
We think fitness is about the body. But in truth, it begins in the story we tell ourselves. In this conversation with Jake Parker, we explore fitness not as a battle of…
Aug 26, 2025 · 17:46
It's not just what you do, it's how you do it. We are increasingly bombarded with demands and equally confused by how important everything seems. Growing up every year the next…
Aug 23, 2025 · 40:56
Ever felt like you were wrestling with more than just a campfire? Me too. Turns out, controlling fire is a bit like trying to control your own mind; tricky, unpredictable, and…
Aug 22, 2025 · 41:42
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Aug 19, 2025 · 25:08
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Aug 15, 2025 · 44:54
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Aug 12, 2025 · 24:45
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