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Todd Rose is a Harvard-trained social scientist, former high school dropout with a 0.9 GPA, and co-founder of the think tank Populace. His research centers on the gap between what people privately believe and what they publicly say, and the profound consequences of that gap for individuals and for society. This is one of those conversations that reframes something you thought you understood and doesn't let you go back.

What We Dive Into:

1. Your brain estimates group consensus using a simple shortcut: the loudest voices repeated most often. On social media, that is 10% of users creating 80% of content.

2. Belonging means being accepted for who you actually are. Fitting in means changing who you are to be accepted.

3. Authenticity is not about being perfectly accurate about who you are. It is about making choices you genuinely believe align with who you are right now.

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00:00 Intro

01:27 What Are Collective Illusions?

02:05 The Cost of Self-Silencing

05:06 How We're Hardwired to Conform

07:40 Why the Brain Is Easily Fooled About Group Consensus

09:13 Social Media and the Amplification of Fringe Views

13:20 What Americans Actually Want in Private

21:01 Who Profits from Keeping Us Divided

23:52 Foreign Manipulation and AI Bot Farms

29:37 The Most Consequential Collective Illusions

36:38 What Authenticity Actually Means

41:15 The Coming Age of Courage

42:14 Belonging vs. Fitting In

49:44 René Girard and Mimetic Desire

59:43 How Collective Illusions Can Shatter Overnight

1:05:58 The Velvet Revolution and the Power of Authenticity

1:12:09 How to Build the Muscle of Living in Truth

1:20:25 Todd's Personal Collective Illusion: Faith and Identity

1:24:34 Spiritual Exploration and Holding Beliefs Lightly

1:32:23 Certainty and Knowledge Are Inversely Correlated

1:41:42 Fulfillment Over Achievement

1:50:31 Small Actions That Raise Collective Consciousness

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E198 - Dr. Todd Rose: Why Your Desires Aren't Actually Yours (Here's Who Planted Them)

Know Thyself

E198 - Dr. Todd Rose: Why Your Desires Aren't Actually Yours (Here's Who Planted Them)