Dr. Adam Dorsay hosts University of Virginia behavioral scientist and engineering/architecture professor Dr. Lediy Klotz to discuss Klotz’s book In a Good Place on how spaces affect psychology and how people can thrive by making small, actionable changes. They explore habituation and the idea that subtracting (removing obstacles, noise, or clutter) can improve environments, including using available outdoor space differently (like eating outside). Klotz emphasizes agency as a core psychological need, citing a nursing home study where residents allowed to customize their rooms were 50% more likely to be alive 18 months later, and discusses regaining agency when it’s constrained (e.g., sealed hotel windows). They examine space and dominance in negotiation and sports (goalkeepers, Emiliano Martínez), intentional design to foster interaction (Pixar), “space before screen,” and Klotz shares the loss of his daughter Josie and creating “Josie’s Way” as a memorial space.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Why Spaces Feel Good

00:47 Meet Dr Lediy Klotz

02:09 Arrive Early Hack

03:16 The Research Behind It

04:38 Five Years to Write

05:56 Spaces Shape Psychology

07:06 Small Tweaks Big Control

09:04 Subtract to Improve Space

10:04 Eat Outside Reframe

12:08 Designing Outdoor Space

12:56 Office Choices and Agency

15:33 Defining Agency in Space

16:55 Soccer and Agency Lessons

18:31 Goalie Mindset and Space

20:18 Owning the Penalty Area

22:22 Agency Life or Death Study

24:18 Mandela Garden Agency

25:40 Churchill Shapes Commons

26:49 Designing Serendipity

30:01 Digital vs Real Space

31:17 Space Before Screen

32:41 Grief and Boundaries

35:18 Josies Way Memorial

38:50 Spirit Lives in Stories

40:22 Josie Joke Punchline

43:49 Miracle Skill Reaction

46:25 Closing Thanks Farewell

Helpful Links:

Lediy Klotz, PhD

Lediy Klotz, PhD Linked

InIn a Good Place Book