New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

---

Why fear of other people’s opinions (FOPO) holds us back, and what to do about it.

Michael Gervais is a high performance psychologist and the host of the Finding Mastery podcast. His new book is called The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You.

In this episode we talk about:

A handy new acronym: FOPO, Fear of People’s Opinions
How the evolutionary roots of our desire for social acceptance work against us in the modern world
Why caring about what others think is not the same thing as worrying about what others think
The difference between a purpose-based identity and a performance-based identity
The anti-FOPO power of things like: imagination, journaling, meditation, social support, and considering your mortality
Why focusing less on yourself can be the greatest bulwark against FOPO

Related Episodes:

Michael Gervais and Pete Carroll
Michael Gervais in conversation with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/michael-gervais-returns

How To Stop Worrying About What People Think Of You | Michael Gervais

10% Happier with Dan Harris

How To Stop Worrying About What People Think Of You | Michael Gervais