Wisdom has been the topic of numerous religious and philosophical studies. But despite its connection to both mental and physical wellbeing, it remains understudied in experimental psychology as well as psychiatry. In this episode, we discuss the science of wisdom, and how wisdom plays an essential role in balancing our pursuit for wellbeing with that of others. We break down the 2019 research paper "The Emerging Empirical Science of Wisdom: Definition, Measurement, Neurobiology, Longevity, and Interventions" by D. V. Jeste and E. E. Lee, published in Harvard Review of Psychiatry 27.

Self-care is a coping mechanism we are frequently advised to use to deal with burnout at work. But in many cases, it is the type of environment we are in that prevents (or enables) burnout in the first place. In this episode, we discuss some of the actual data behind why people feel burnt out at work, how it's impacting them at a structural level, and what institutions and companies can do to make a change. We break down the 2020 research paper "Rethinking burnout: When self-care is not the cure" by J. Moss, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion 34.

Comparing yourself to others is not always a bad thing. In fact, it is a basic (yet often neglected) strategy in boosting creativity when collaborating with others and coming up with new and innovative ideas. In this episode, we discuss creativity in digital brainstorming, and talk about how social comparison can inspire us to be more creative. We break down the 2015 research paper “The eyes of creativity: Impact of social comparison and individual creativity on performance and attention to others’ ideas during electronic brainstorming” by N. Michinov and colleagues, published in Computers in Human Behavior, 42.

It is usually thought that we procrastinate because we dislike or hate doing something, but did you know that procrastination can also be linked to doing things we actually love and are passionate about? In this episode, we discuss two types of passion, obsessive passion and harmonious passion, and talk about how they impact our emotions, procrastination tendencies, and overall well-being. We break down the 2021 research paper “The role of passion and emotions in academic procrastination during a pandemic (COVID-19)” by S. Rahimi and R. J. Vallerand, published in Personality and Individual Differences, 179.

We've all experienced gratitude and joy, but how do we exactly tell the difference? And what are some metacognitive tools we can use to actualize gratitude in our daily life? We discuss the neuroscience behind it all in our very first podcast episode, and break down the 2020 research paper "Neural responses to intention and benefit appraisal are critical in distinguishing gratitude and joy" by Guanmin Liu and others, published in Nature's Scientific Reports, 10.