The origin of the word "compete" emphasizes the notion of striving together (as compared to striving against). Author Ashley Merryman takes a deep dive into the science of competition - and reveals practical strategies people can use to "become better." There's an art to bringing the mechanics of science to life, and Ashley uses storytelling to illuminate the application of good science.

Show Notes: 12:11: The quest to always be better 16:27: How she became interested in what she does today 21:19: Extroverts vs. introverts 27:58: Different types of risk-taking "Women are really good at calculating their odds of success and men are really good at ignoring them." 32:36 "The benefit of competition isn't the win...the benefit of competition is improvement... it's improvement in the moment" 37:23 44:01: Why competition is important 50:58: Relevant neurotransmitters for competition "I always thought that motivation was sort of the gas in your car that got you to your goal" 53:12 1:03:43: Why trophies shouldn't be given away for participation 1:12:18: Challenge and threat "It's not whether or not I'm going to be successful with the task, it's can I learn from this? And if I can learn from this, it should always be a challenge" 1:20:18 1:24:31: Putting in work to become skilled in a certain thing and viewing it as a challenge rather than a threat 1:30:40: Most important mental skill for competitors 1:44:25: Defining mastery "Pursuing and acquiring technical skill but using everything in your arsenal, psychological, cognitive, physical, peer support to help you achieve those goals"

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