SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Last month, my 14-year-old son came home from school with a book in hand and excitedly said, “Dad, you’ve got to read this book! My son has never said anything like this to me before, and I was immediately intrigued. I picked up the book, a graphic novel, and it took me in immediately. It was engrossing and profound. It was at times hilarious and at other times utterly heartbreaking. Overall, it w...

There's an old riddle- you've probably heard it- that goes "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer? "Practice." Yet I've never heard anybody ask "How you get to Stockholm to receive a Nobel Prize? So, I ask: how do you get to Stockholm for that most coveted of awards? I'm going to say that part of the answer is to spend time and learn from people like Duke University professor of chemistry,...

At the time of the release of this episode, it is busy season for mortuaries. According to the CDC, the time of year Americans die most frequently is December through February. And while the only sure things in life are death and taxes, in American society, we are fascinated and simultaneously repelled by death. Our mortuaries are tucked away and so much about death is hidden from daily life. Yet,...

How many of us just wish that we could think faster and talk smarter? I'm going to take a guess that pretty much all of us would like that skill. And that is why I believe that my guest, Stanford Business School lecturer, author, coach, and podcaster, Matt Abrahams (https://mattabrahams.com/) has something to teach us all. Matt is the author of two books including his most recent, Think Faster...

A few summers ago, my wife and I went on a trip to four South African countries. We spent a large portion of the trip on safari, and it was everything we could have hoped. While I was there, I was really impressed with the safari guides. I was blown away by all that they needed to know including: understanding the animals, their behavior, and their footprints, an intimacy with the land, how to kee...

I'm going to take a guess that most of us--pretty much all of us--would love to be hugely successful in our chosen fields. Unfortunately, there was no class on success in school. In fact, if anything, we learned how to be “good enough” but generally, not exceptional.  And if such a class existed, we would have learned what my guest has studied at the deepest and highest levels.  Dr. Ruth Gotian wr...

Many New Year resolutions can be directly or indirectly related to this year-end episode’s content: cultivating curiosity. When we are overcome by our emotions, especially fear or anger, our brain can lose its capacity to reason. When this happens, it’s hard to think, and the phenomenon is referred to as an amygdala hijack. The amygdala, which is responsible for fear, anger, and other emotions, ta...

We all experience some degree of FOMO, also known as the fear of missing out. In fact, it is baked into our genes. Like social comparison, FOMO has contributed to the survival of the species. However, the way it plays out these days is generally less positive. We see friends on social media doing awesome things and it somehow diminishes the quality of our lives. We say “yes” to go to a party becau...

Choosing a college major can be daunting. Personally, I changed my major a few times, at least partially because there was so much that I wanted to learn. What if you could earn multiple degrees and explore a bunch of majors? How about 17 degrees? Sounds like a fantasy but, believe it or not, that is exactly what my guest on this episode did. Dr. Benjamin Bolger (https://bolgerconsulting.com/) is...

Has anyone ever said to you, “Wow, you are too sensitive!”? Or do you know someone who seems very sensitive? I’m guessing the answer to at least one of these questions is “yes,” because, it turns out that approximately 20% of the human population is highly sensitive. As you’ll hear, high sensitivity is not a pathology but, rather, a function that helped our human tribes survive in the not-so-dista...

What's in a name? Turns out a lot! Whether you are naming a company, a project, a meeting room, a team, or a baby, names are deeply meaningful.  In fact, some businesses may have failed because their name is so confusing that no one can figure out how to say it, how to spell it, or what they do.  Of course, we can all think of some exceptions to that rule—sure, there are companies that have done w...

Expectation Effect Shownotes Do our expectations affect outcomes? Are there things we can do to increase the likelihood of getting outcomes we want? Are there thoughts that may interfere with these positive outcomes as well? There has been a lot of non-scientific information circulating about these questions. Fortunately, there are people like David Robson (https://davidrobson.me/), sorting the sc...

It wasn’t long ago that the notion of the mind-body connection was considered New Agey. It was as if the mind and the body were two totally separate systems that had very little to do with each other. Now, with contributions from scientific research, wisdom-based traditions, and modern psychotherapy, the mind-body connection isn’t even questioned. Still, there’s a lot to learn about how our bodies...

Autism has been rightfully getting lots of media airtime lately. Indeed, it is a deeply misunderstood condition and, sadly, 85% of autistic adults are unemployed. As you’ll hear in this episode and in my 2020 episode with Dr. Temple Grandin, neurodiversity can help teams thrive and people on the autism spectrum often have a lot to bring to the table at the workplace. In fact, they may bring super...

Parents overwhelmingly want to raise kind children. Yet many concerning trends are on the rise including narcissism and bullying, leaving many parents to worry: how can I improve the likelihood of raising a kind child? And that’s why I was delighted to meet with author and journalist, Melinda Wenner Moyer (https://www.melindawennermoyer.com/). Melinda is a prolific science journalist and blogger a...

Remember when work was a place we went? And, remember when zoom only meant going fast or, if you are from my generation, a goofy PBS children's TV show? For many of us, working virtually is the new normal. For others, it's back to the office or a hybrid of virtual and real life. What are the implications of working from home? How does it affect the employee? How does it affect the company? What ar...

Since you've seen the title of this episode, I'm guessing that you have experienced some level a phenomenon called imposterism. It is usually referred to as imposter syndrome and, as you'll hear in this episode, my guest will be defining and challenging that term. Why do we feel it? And why do we hear that voice that says, “You're not good enough to do this!” or, another classic hit, “Just wait ti...

What is civility? What are the consequences of its absence? And why is it so important? Many people may inadvertently believe the words “polite” and “civil” are interchangeable. But as you hear and think about these words, you're probably recognizing just how different they are. I am so glad my guest, Alexandra Hudson (https://alexandraohudson.com/), has dedicated years of her life to write a...

Improv isn’t just for comedy. If there are superfoods like blueberries that are good for your health, improv may just be a super-skill that has implications and applications that are also good for your health. No joke. And the skills are highly learnable and can measurably help you become a better person. They can make you a better collaborator in marriage, parenthood, business, and just about eve...

We humans tend to be empathic, and our brains reward us with hits of dopamine when we help our fellow beings. So, it is no surprise that when we do good by providing charity or means for our fellow humans to improve their lives, we feel good.  And because of that, I am so excited to speak with the guest on this episode, Mark Gerson. Mark is an incredible human being. He has a JD from Yale Law Scho...

The Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has recently warned of a loneliness epidemic in the United States and has cited research suggesting that loneliness can be as toxic to our health as 15 cigarettes per day. Unfortunately, societal trends do not support people getting together in real life. Attendance at virtually all community gatherings is on the decline, whether we are referring to social gr...

On Labor Day, Steve Harwell, the front man of Smash Mouth, died at the age of 56. Like many people, I’m a big fan of the band and I’m really sad about this. Smash Mouth’s lead guitarist and songwriter was Greg Camp (https://gregcampmusic.com/) and, yes, he wrote all the songs you love including All Star. Fortunately, I’ve known Greg for many years, and he gave a great interview in episode #35 a fe...

These days there is understandably a lot of talk and a lot of fear about the future of jobs. Speculations are plentiful and some are downright grim.  The questions abound: what will the future bring as it relates to employment? How will my children's work-life look? You may even be thinking, damn, what will my own work look like in a few years? The truth is nobody really knows. But a good plac...

I’ve covered many important topics on this podcast, but this one is arguably the most important: it’s about ramen.   OK, I jest. But if you are a listener of this podcast, you have likely noticed I cover lots of important psychological issues that we face… I also cover huge pleasures. Among those pleasures, some episode topics have included coffee, barbecue, and ice cream. I’m going to add one mor...

Many of you know that I’m kind of in love with Japan. I lived there in my 20’s for nearly three years, I studied the language intensely, and because it offered such a different point of view from what I grew up with, it informed how I think.  This episode is dedicated to Japanese psychology and—procrastinators, listen up—it is also dedicated to taking action. As you’ll hear from my guest, we have,...