#412: Professor Richard J Davidson - Why Your Mind Is Being Hijacked (and How to Take It Back)
About this episode
The episode features a conversation with neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson about the factors influencing mental health and the skills necessary for human flourishing.
In this conversation, I sit down with Richard J. Davidson—one of the world’s leading neuroscientists and a pioneer in the science of well-being, emotion, and neuroplasticity. Richard has spent decades studying how the brain shapes our experience of stress, resilience, and flourishing. His work bridges cutting-edge neuroscience with insights from contemplative traditions, including long-standing collaborations with the Dalai Lama. This conversation explores a powerful idea: that your mind is constantly being shaped, either by your environment, or by you. We examine why mental health appears to be declining despite unprecedented access to information, and why the real gap is not knowledge, but training. Richard breaks down the four core skills that underpin human flourishing; awareness, connection, insight, and purpose, and explains how even a few minutes of daily practice can begin to rewire the brain. We also explore the hidden forces shaping attention, the role of social connection in health and longevity, and how confronting mortality may clarify how we choose to live. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:15 – Why flourishing is declining despite being trainable 03:30 – Are we…
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