Q: "How Do I Stop Negative Self-talk?"

In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Dr. Ethan Kross, author of "Chatter," to answer a listener's question about stopping negative self-talk and learning to love oneself. They discuss the nature of negative chatter, its consequences on focus, performance, and physical health, and strategies to harness it. Dr. Kross introduces techniques like distanced self-talk (using one's name), mental time travel (Ethan's 2 a.m. chatter strategy), and normalizing experiences. They also explore how to change the tone of inner monologues, activate supportive alter egos, and utilize other people as a tool by finding "chatter advisors" who listen and broaden perspectives, while avoiding toxic positivity.