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Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar talks about how to get comfortable with uncertainty in an ever-changing world.

It seems like a design flaw in our species that we live in a world of constant change yet most of us are not comfortable with uncertainty.

In this episode, we talk to Maya Shankar about how to get better at dealing with change and to stop seeking what scientists call “cognitive closure.”

Shankar is a former Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She also served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations, and is currently a Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google. She is the host of the Pushkin Industries podcast A Slight Change of Plans, which was named Best Show of the Year in 2021 by Apple.

In this episode we talk about:

Why humans are so uncomfortable with uncertainty and change
What a behavioral scientist actually does in the world
Why even the host of a podcast about change isn’t immune to the uncertainties of life
The benefits of cultivating a more malleable sense of self
Why humans are such bad forecasters
The importance of auditing yourself when you’re undergoing a big change
How to take advantage of big reset moments
The concept of cognitive closure and why encouraging an open mind can make us more resilient

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/maya-shankar-466

Where to find Maya Shankar online:

Website: mayashankar.com

Social Media:

Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Books Mentioned:

The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Stumbling on Happiness

Additional Resources:

Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

The Science of Handling Uncertainty | Maya Shankar

10% Happier with Dan Harris