In this episode of the 10% Happier podcast, Dan Harris interviews Alison Gopnik, a psychologist at UC Berkeley, about enlightened self-interest, the importance of caring for others, and what adults can learn about happiness and problem-solving from children. Gopnik argues that caring is a skill that can be developed and scaled to improve society, emphasizing that love often arises from the act of caregiving. The conversation explores how childhood experiences shape intelligence, the benefits of intergenerational living, and the concept of "lantern consciousness," contrasting it with adult "spotlight attention." They also discuss how meditation and exposure to awe can help adults regain a child-like openness to the world, and the pitfalls of modern parenting approaches that focus too much on specific outcomes rather than creating a nurturing environment.
