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Most people think ego is either something you need to kill off entirely or inflate to take over the world. Both are wrong. In this episode, we dig deep into what ego actually is—how it evolved, why it matters, and how it secretly runs your life without you realizing it.
We hit Freud, Buddhism, David Hume, Jung’s shadow self, and even the Navy SEALs to unpack why your ego isn’t always the enemy—it’s mostly just misunderstood. Then we get into how to quiet your ego without losing your identity, and yes, we talk psychedelics, too. This is everything you were never taught about ego—but should’ve been.
Get your free PDF guide: https://solvedpodcast.com/ego
CHAPTERS
(00:00) Introduction
(03:31) What Is the Ego?
(49:29) How Evolution Built the Self
(01:13:08) When the Ego Becomes a Tyrant
(01:47:29) TBeyond a Strong Ego
(02:04:27) Ego Death and Psychedelics
(02:23:16) The 80/20 of Ego
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR
⏹ Head to https://www.80000hours.org/solved to start planning a career that is meaningful, fulfilling, and helps solve one of the world’s most pressing problems.
⇨ Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough
⇨ Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get started at https://bit.ly/4w46FMH
FOLLOW MARK
Mark's IG: https://www.instagram.com/markmanson
Solved IG: https://www.instagram.com/solvedpodcast/
Twitter: https://x.com/markmanson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmanson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmMarkManson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
By Mark Manson4.9
35553,555 ratings
Most people think ego is either something you need to kill off entirely or inflate to take over the world. Both are wrong. In this episode, we dig deep into what ego actually is—how it evolved, why it matters, and how it secretly runs your life without you realizing it.
We hit Freud, Buddhism, David Hume, Jung’s shadow self, and even the Navy SEALs to unpack why your ego isn’t always the enemy—it’s mostly just misunderstood. Then we get into how to quiet your ego without losing your identity, and yes, we talk psychedelics, too. This is everything you were never taught about ego—but should’ve been.
Get your free PDF guide: https://solvedpodcast.com/ego
CHAPTERS
(00:00) Introduction
(03:31) What Is the Ego?
(49:29) How Evolution Built the Self
(01:13:08) When the Ego Becomes a Tyrant
(01:47:29) TBeyond a Strong Ego
(02:04:27) Ego Death and Psychedelics
(02:23:16) The 80/20 of Ego
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR
⏹ Head to https://www.80000hours.org/solved to start planning a career that is meaningful, fulfilling, and helps solve one of the world’s most pressing problems.
⇨ Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough
⇨ Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get started at https://bit.ly/4w46FMH
FOLLOW MARK
Mark's IG: https://www.instagram.com/markmanson
Solved IG: https://www.instagram.com/solvedpodcast/
Twitter: https://x.com/markmanson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmanson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmMarkManson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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