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Dr. Eli Susman is a psychologist who studies how well-being can fit into the smallest moments of an ordinary day. He coined the term “micropractice” to describe brief, evidence-based well-being practices that take thirty seconds or less, and has spent more than a decade researching how contemplative practices can be adapted to the rhythm of modern life rather than requiring us to rearrange it around them. His first book, Micropractice: A Science-Backed Approach for Calm, Clarity, and Joy in 30 Seconds or Less, published in October 2026, gathers this research into fourteen practices across four elements: move, touch, breathe and flow, alongside chapters on the science of habit formation and on breaking free of a “busy mindset.”  Eli holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and has conducted research at Harvard. His best-known study, published in Behaviour Research and Therapy in 2024, tested a twenty-second daily practice he developed called “self-compassionate touch.” Those who practised almost daily showed gains in self-compassion, stress and mental health that rivalled interventions demanding many hours a week. The paper was covered in more than a hundred outlets across thirty languages, including The New York Times, CNN, the BBC, NPR’s Hidden Brain, Forbes and Psychology Today, and Greater Good magazine, who called the finding one of the Top 10 Insights from the Science of a Meaningful Life in 2024.  Eli is also a certified yoga teacher, a laughter yoga leader and a longtime meditation facilitator, whose own practice has taken him everywhere from a Thai forest monastery to Plum Village in France.   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 03:49 What Are Micropractices 07:18 Consistency and Busy Mindset 10:11 Study Design and Habit Cues 15:01 Sponsor Break 16:34 Guided Self Compassion Touch 36:36 Touch Science and Cortisol 40:24 Habituation and Automaticity 46:00 Flourishing Takeaway 47:49 Where to Find Eli 48:57 Podcast Outro and Subscribe   Links: Website LinkedIn Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok Book: Micropractice: A Science-Backed Approach for Calm, Clarity, and Joy in 30 Seconds or Less (October 2026) Media highlights: Greater Good: The Top 10 Insights from the “Science of a Meaningful Life” in 2024 CNN: “Doing this for 20 seconds a day can relieve stress and anxiety”  Newsletter: The Micro Memo Articles:  “Daily micropractice can augment single-session interventions: A randomized controlled trial of self-compassionate touch and examining their associations with habit formation in US college students” (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2024) “Habit-formation strategies enhance long-term outcomes of a self-compassionate touch micropractice: a randomized controlled trial” (Scientific Reports, 2026)

Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and educator whose work explores the neuroscience of curiosity and what it shows us about how to live, learn, and flourish in an uncertain world. She is the founder of Ness Labs, whose weekly newsletter on mindful productivity and lifelong learning is read by more than 100,000 people.    Anne-Laure is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World (2025), which draws on ancestral philosophy and contemporary neuroscience to argue for replacing rigid linear goals with small, curiosity-driven experiments. Her writing and ideas have been featured in media outlets including Big Think, Forbes, Wired, and on leading podcasts on creativity, productivity, and well-being.   Anne-Laure is a UKRI-funded researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, where she applies her research on the neuroscience of curiosity to ADHD, AI, mental health, and lifelong learning. She holds a PhD in Psychology & Neuroscience from King’s College London, and before her doctoral research she worked as an executive on Google’s digital health team.   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Anne-Laure Le Cunff links: Website Ness Labs Newsletter Book: Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World (2025) Recent paper on flourishing: “Systematic Curiosity as an Integrative Tool for Human Flourishing: A Conceptual Review and Framework” (Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 2024) LinkedIn Instagram X (Twitter) Substack YouTube Episode timestamps: 01:10 Why Curiosity Matters 02:32 Systematic Curiosity Defined 04:42 Curiosity for Flourishing 06:29 Shadow Side and Self Regulation 09:21 Metacognition and Reflection 12:07 Types of Curiosity Matrix 14:35 Distraction and Context 15:51 Sponsor Antifragile Academy 17:23 Designing Tiny Experiments 21:36 From Habits to Tiny Experiments Book 23:19 Experimental Mindset Under Uncertainty 25:22 Curiosity Profiles and Stress Tolerance 28:31 What Makes Experiments Tiny 31:02 Redefining Success as Alignment 33:52 Finding Curiosity via Self Anthropology 36:01 Retrospective Experiments and Reframing 39:40 One Experiment to Try This Week 40:45 Where to Find Anne Laure

About this episode:    Dr. Ethan Kross is one of the world's leading experts on emotion regulation. An award-winning professor in the University of Michigan's top-ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he is the director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory, where he studies how the conversations people have with themselves shape their health, performance, decisions, and relationships.   He is the two-time national bestselling author of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It (2021) and Shift: Managing Your Emotions – So They Don't Manage You (2025). Chatter became an international bestseller, translated into over 40 languages, and was chosen as one of the best new books of the year by the Washington Post, CNN, and USA Today. Shift was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly.   Ethan has participated in policy discussions at the White House, spoken at TED and SXSW, and consulted with some of the world's top executives and organisations. His research has been published in leading academic journals and has featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and the BBC. He has been interviewed on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, and NPR's Morning Edition. Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website Instagram X (Twitter) LinkedIn Books: Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters and How to Harness It (2021) and Shift: Managing Your Emotions – So They Don't Manage You (2025) Emotion & Self-Control Lab   00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 03:51 Ethan Origin Story 07:40 Dad and Meditation Roots 10:34 What Are Emotions 14:27 Why Negative Emotions Matter 17:46 Chatter vs Shift 19:42 Three Step Regulation Framework 25:38 Sponsor Antifragile Academy 27:10 Emotion Gym Toolkit 28:43 Sensory Shifters Fast Wins 32:35 Attention and Strategic Avoidance 39:01 Perspective Shifters Reframing 41:56 Venting and Introspection Traps 47:21 Validation Without Suppression

About this episode:    Michael Easter is a journalist, professor, and bestselling author who writes about how modern environments shape human behavior, health, and performance. He’s best known for translating scientific research and immersive reporting into practical insights about living better in an age of abundance.    Michael is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: The Comfort Crisis (2021) and Scarcity Brain (2023). Comfort Crisis explores how modern life has become too easy and why seeking out purposeful discomfort can improve our mental and physical health. Scarcity Brain examines how evolved human instincts collide with today’s world of endless food, information, and stimulation, leading to overconsumption and addictive behaviors.    Michael’s work has appeared in over sixty countries and in media outlets including Men’s Health, Outside, New York, Scientific American, Esquire, and Vice. Through his writing and speaking, he focuses on how people can design their environments and habits to live healthier, more intentional lives in a world built for comfort and excess. His work has been adopted by NASA, special forces units, Fortune 500 companies, top pro teams, and millions of readers worldwide. Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook Book: The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self (2021) Book: Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough (2023) Newsletter: Two Percent   02:35 Why Discomfort Matters 04:25 Stress Sweet Spot 07:42 First World Problems 12:37 Arctic Reset Story 17:19 Boredom as Signal 21:24 Unpleasant Emotions Help 24:47 Misogi Annual Challenge 28:12 Physical or Mental Misogi 28:41 Sushi Fear Breakthrough 29:41 Anti Fragile Academy Update 31:12 Chosen Stress And Proactivity 33:39 Beneficial Versus Harmful Stress 36:01 Finding The Sweet Spot 38:11 Daily 2 Percent Mindset 42:13 Movement Culture And Walking 43:32 Why Walk With Weight 48:31 Rucking Gear And Sex Differences 50:06 Designing Environments For Discipline

About this episode:    Karen Guggenheim is a pioneer in the global happiness movement, a leader in promoting the science behind well-being to an international audience, and a motivational speaker inspiring people about how to grow post trauma and rebuild a life focused on meaning, purpose, and happiness.    Kareni is author of Cultivating Happiness: Overcome Trauma and Positively Transform Your Life (2024), and has given a TED Talk entitled “The Bridge to Happiness.” She is the producer of the World Happiness Summit®, a leading well-being conference promoting the benefits of an evidence-based approach to increase happiness in all areas of life. She is also CEO of WOHASU®, the comprehensive wellbeing ecosystem named after the Summit which is inspiring a fast-growing movement sending a positive rippling effect around the world.   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook Book: Cultivating Happiness: Overcome Trauma and Positively Transform Your Life (2024) TED Talk: “The Bridge to Happiness” (2024) World Happiness Summit: listeners get a 20% discount to the 2026 Summit with the code “FLOURISH” 00:00 Meet Karen Guggenheim 00:59 Why Trauma and Happiness 02:39 Loss and Choosing Life 05:28 Meaning as a Shield 09:09 From Accidental to Intentional 12:12 Relationships and Legacy 16:07 World Happiness Summit Origins 20:59 WOHASU Discount Details 21:48 Defining Post Traumatic Growth 25:31 Beyond Positivity Mindset 27:23 Gratitude As Reset 28:45 Presence Through Grief 30:02 Practical Happiness Tools 33:52 Design Your Day 37:53 Acceptance Not Suppression 40:13 Values As Lighthouse 43:23 Forgiveness Frees Energy 44:59 Choose Life Focus 46:38 Explorer Mindset 48:38 Summit And Farewell

About this episode:    Annie Duke is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. She loves to dive deep into decision-making under uncertainty. Her latest obsession is on the topic of quitting. In particular, she is on a mission to rehabilitate the term “quitting” and get people to be proud of walking away from things.    Annie is the author of two bestsellers, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (2022), and Thinking in Bets (2018). As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship.    Annie retired from poker in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her master’s degree. In 2023, Annie completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology.    Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education.      Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website Substack LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Twitter Facebook The Alliance for Decision Education Make Better Decisions course on Maven Decision Education Podcast   00:00 Meet Dr. Annie Duke: Decision-Making, Poker, and the Case for Quitting 05:22 Defining a “Good Decision”: Goals, Values, and the Four Quadrants 09:14 Luck vs. Choice: Avoiding Nihilism and Leaning Into Uncertainty 12:49 Sponsor Break: The Anti-Fragile Academy 14:21 Decision-Making for Flourishing: Agency Without Illusions of Control 18:33 Quitting Well: Updating Beliefs, Identity Threats, and Mental Time Travel 28:03 Quitting, Happiness & the Forecasting Problem (Tying the Strands Together) 29:38 Why We Misread Our Values—and Resist Changing Course 30:52 The ‘Future Unhappy’ Exercise: Mental Time Travel for Better Decisions 32:42 Get Outside Perspectives (Independently): Friends, Mentors & Written Answers 34:11 Real-World Example: Forecasting Reveals It’s Time to Shut the Business Down 35:15 Why Focus on What Could Go Wrong: Optimism, Faster Pivots & Opportunity Cost 37:01 Flourishing Takeaway: Tech-Free Savoring Walks (and the Dog Rule) 43:26 Flow, Sports & Real Connection: Pickleball/Tennis as Tech-Free Joy 46:10 Wrap-Up: Courses, Decision Education in K–12, and Final Thanks

About this episode:   Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is the world’s preeminent expert on happiness. She is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and is the author of The Myths of Happiness and the bestseller The How of Happiness, which have been published in 39 countries. Her next book, co-authored with Harry Reis, is coming out in February and is titled, How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most.   Sonja received her degrees from Harvard and Stanford. She has been awarded many grants and honors for her research, which focuses on how and why happiness can shift over time, and how to build lasting happiness via gratitude, kindness, and connection interventions.    Sonja’s work has been written up in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, and she has appeared on multiple TV shows, radio shows, and feature documentaries worldwide.    Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website The Happiness Files Newsletter Elevate Your Happiness Membership LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook Books Happiness and Mindset Quizzes Google Scholar   02:05 Defining Happiness  03:56 Happiness and Human Flourishing 07:17 The Benefits of Happiness 11:56 Effective Happiness Interventions 13:55 Gratitude Interventions 21:35 Acts of Kindness and Their Impact 23:38 Connection Interventions and Upcoming Book 28:14 Understanding Loneliness and Connection 29:51 Introducing the New Book: How to Feel Loved 33:26 Mindsets for Feeling Loved 39:23 The Role of Negative Emotions 41:20 The Power of Gratitude 45:33 The Secret to Happiness: Deep Conversations 50:11 Holiday Conversations and Final Thoughts

Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, M.D., is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS in London. She studies the effects, action, use and representation of psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, and has also written about the history and philosophy of psychiatry.    Joanna has published several books, the most recent of which is Chemically Imbalanced: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth (2025). Her previous books include The Myth of the Chemical Cure, The Bitterest Pills and A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs.   Joanna has written for The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Conversation, Literary Review, was profiled in The Spectator and has been interviewed for Channel 4’s Ways to Change the World Podcast, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More podcast, The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast and the Evening Standard’s Tech and Science Daily, among others.    Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website University College London webpage Twitter Publications Google Scholar Psychology Today blog Timestamps:   [00:03:04] Critical psychiatry's alternative perspective. [00:04:10] Questioning the pharmaceutical industry's dominance. [00:09:40] Emotional reactions to personal loss. [00:14:00] Serotonin theory of depression. [00:17:27] SSRIs versus benzodiazepines distinction. [00:21:44] Biological vs. psychological treatment approaches. [00:27:50] Flourishing despite mental illness. [00:30:56] The role of suffering. [00:36:09] Emotions as signals for change. [00:42:07] Psychedelics and depression treatment. [00:46:19] Depression's complex nature. [00:48:38] Finding purpose in life.

Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University and one of the world’s leading experts on the science of happiness. She is also an expert on the evolutionary origins of human cognition and the ways our minds lie to us about what makes us happy.    Laurie’s course at Yale, “Psychology and the Good Life,” teaches students how the science of psychology can help us make wiser choices and live a happier and more fulfilling life. It’s the most popular class ever taught at Yale, with almost one out of four students enrolled. It has been featured in media outlets including the New York Times, [and] NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine and Slate. The publicly available online version of the class, called “The Science of Well-Being,” has attracted more than 4 million learners worldwide.   Laurie has won numerous awards, both for her science and teaching. She was recently voted one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” young minds and was named in Time Magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity.” Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted over 100 million downloads. Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast Links: Website Yale webpage Yale course: “The Science of Well-Being” (publicly available version of the most popular class in Yale’s history) Podcast: The Happiness Lab Google Scholar Recent article: “Laurie Santos’ Pursuit of Happiness,” The New Yorker, March 19, 2025 Instagram LinkedIn YouTube TikTok Facebook Twitter Timestamps: [00:02:46] Definition of happiness. [00:04:09] Balancing affective and cognitive happiness. [00:06:57] Happiness in vs. Happiness with. [00:10:25] Misunderstandings about happiness. [00:12:27] Evolutionary perspective on happiness. [00:16:09] Happiness is within our control. [00:19:08] Pursuing happiness the wrong way. [00:23:14] Misguided happiness metrics. [00:31:40] Social comparison and happiness. [00:35:25] College student mental health crisis. [00:39:05] Changing thought patterns for happiness. [00:45:06] Parenting practices and discomfort. [00:48:10] Practical steps for happiness.

Dr. Judith Joseph MD, MBA is a world-renowned, board-certified psychiatrist and researcher specializing in mental health and trauma. She is the founder and chief investigator at New York City’s premier clinical research base, Manhattan Behavioral Medicine, assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University, and chair of the Women in Medicine Board at Columbia University.    Judith conducted the world’s first peer-reviewed clinical research study on high functioning depression in her laboratories. She recently published her instant national bestselling book based on her findings from this study, High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy (2025). She has become the world’s leading voice on high functioning depression.   Judith received a 2023 Congressional Proclamation from the US house of representatives for her social media advocacy and research in mental health. She has received several awards, including Share Care Awards in 2020 and 2023 for her MedCircle series on PTSD and a Good Morning America investigative special on ADHD. In 2025, Judith was featured as a Mental Health Thought Leader on CNN’s Game Changers series. She has written for or been quoted in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post and Forbes, and has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah Daily and more.    Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: Website NYU webpage Book: High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy (Penguin Random House, 2025) Podcast: The Vault with Dr. Judith High Functioning Depression and Anhedonia quizzes Psychology Today page Google Scholar Instagram LinkedIn YouTube TikTok Facebook     Timestamps:   [00:02:19] Understanding high functioning depression. [00:09:06] High functioning depression explained. [00:14:05] Anhedonia and trauma connection. [00:19:28] Pathologically productive behaviors. [00:20:44] Joy and technology's impact. [00:25:17] Joy vs. pleasure in happiness. [00:28:46] The hedonic treadmill explained. [00:32:45] Awareness of anhedonia in therapy. [00:35:43] Role of gratitude in healing. [00:39:49] Gratitude practices for mental health. [00:42:39] Tapping into your values. [00:45:38] Overcoming hidden depression.

Shigehiro Oishi, Ph.D., is the Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, and a leader in the study of happiness, psychological well-being, the experience of a meaningful life and cultural psychology. He has published over 200 journal articles and book chapters with over 100,000 citations. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and won the 2017 Society of Experimental Social Psychology Career Trajectory Award, the 2018 Carol and Ed Diener Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award for Advancing Cultural Psychology.    Shigehiro’s research focuses on culture, social ecology, and well-being. His most recent book is Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life (Penguin Random House, 2025). His research lab is particularly interested in investigating questions about the concept of well-being, such as “What is a good life?”, the predictors of well-being, such as “What are the predictors of a good life?”, and the consequences of well-being, such as “Are there benefits to a happy/meaningful/psychologically rich life?”. He is also interested in how the concepts, predictors, and consequences of well-being might differ across cultures.    Shigehiro’s research also explores socio-ecological conditions that are detrimental or conducive to well-being, such as income inequality, residential mobility, and walkability. Currently, he is focusing on the effects of economic inequality and residential mobility on the well-being of individuals and communities.    Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: University of Chicago webpage Book: Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life (Penguin Random House, 2025) Article: “A Psychologically Rich Life: Beyond Happiness and Meaning” (Psychological Review, 2021, with Erin Westgate)  Google Scholar LinkedIn Twitter (X)  Timestamps:   00:01:00 - Anticipation for the Conversation Hosts express their excitement about the conversation and discuss the relevance of psychological richness. 00:02:09 - Defining a Good Life Dr. Oishi discusses the empirical consensus on what constitutes a good life, including subjective well-being and meaningful life. 00:07:11 - Psychological Richness Defined Dr. Oishi defines psychological richness and provides examples of experiences that contribute to it. 00:08:49 - Distinguishing Meaning from Richness Discussion on how psychological richness differs from a meaningful life and the role of perspective-changing experiences. 00:11:34 - Personal Experiences and Psychological Richness Hosts share personal experiences that resonate with the concept of psychological richness. 00:13:10 - Values and Psychological Richness Dr. Oishi explains how different value orientations can lead to the pursuit of psychological richness. 00:19:05 - Biological Predispositions and Values Discussion on the role of biological predispositions and upbringing in shaping values and the pursuit of psychological richness. 00:26:39 - Flourishing and Its Relationship with Happiness, Meaning, and Richness Dr. Oishi's perspective on flourishing and how it can be achieved through happiness, meaning, or psychological richness. 00:30:08 - Obituary Study on Flourishing Lives Findings from a study analyzing obituaries to identify lives that were happy, meaningful, and psychologically rich. 00:32:00 - Regrets and Psychological Richness Research findings on how undoing life's biggest regrets could lead to a more psychologically rich life. 00:36:22 - Preference for Security Over Adventure Discussion on why people might prefer security and stability over the adventurous pursuit of psychological richness. 00:41:35 - Criteria for Psychological Richness Dr. Oishi explains the threshold for an experience to be considered psychologically rich. 00:43:35 - Emotional Complexity in Psychological Richness The relationship between psychological richness and the experience of both positive and negative emotions. 00:44:17 - Practical Steps for a Psychologically Rich Life Dr. Oishi shares practical advice for living a more psychologically rich life, including being playful and saying yes to new experiences. 00:48:24 - Flourishing Question Dr. Oishi's advice on flourishing, emphasizing the importance of saying yes to new experiences. 00:49:00 - Conclusion and Contact Information Closing remarks, where to find more about Dr. Oishi's work, and current research focus.

Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University, where he directs the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies. He is ranked in the top 0.3% of the world’s most cited scientists, with over 200 published papers and more than 20,000 citations to his research. Paul’s two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing.    Paul has written four general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, The Little Book of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Living Better (2025) aims to show people how to live a longer, happier and healthier life by investing in improved relationships. Zak’s other books are Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies (2017) and The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity (2012).    Trust Factor applies neuroscience to efficiently build high-performance organizations by creating a culture of trust. The Moral Molecule received much attention for Zak’s discovery of the key role played by the neurochemical oxytocin to explain virtuous behaviors and happiness. Zak delivered a TED Talk titled “Trust, Morality—and Oxytocin?” in 2011 that has been viewed two million times. He also co-founded the first neuroscience-as-a-service (NaaS) company, Immersion Neuroscience. Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast Links: Website Claremont Graduate University webpage Most recent book: The Little Book of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Living Better (2025) Other books Six: emotional fitness app LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Google Scholar “The Neuroscience of Trust,” Harvard Business Review, 2017 Timestamps: [00:05:08] PlaySpan and human flourishing. [00:09:46] Investing in relationships. [00:10:41] Stress and bonding experiences. [00:18:17] Strategies for improving relationships. [00:28:55] Six high value experiences daily. [00:35:35] Optimizing high-value experiences. [00:39:12] Neuroscience of trust. [00:46:27] Trust's role in flourishing. [00:48:27] Strengthening relationships daily.

Michael Mannino, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, AI expert, educator, and philosopher, whose work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, neuroscience, and optimal human performance. He holds a Ph.D. in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, an M.A. in Philosophy, and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Science. He is an adjunct professor, and has taught AI ethics, cognitive psychology, critical thinking, and applied neuroscience.  Michael has led multiple initiatives focused on the responsible development, education, and application of AI, including serving as the Director of AI Center at Miami Dade College, and the Director of Programs at the Institute for Data Science and Computing at University of Miami. He also served as the Chief Science Officer at the Flow Research Collective, founded by Steven Kotler, where he researched the science that underscores ultimate human performance, flow, and well-being.  Michael’s current work integrates brain science, technology, and systems thinking to optimize team performance. What drives his work is a belief in human potential and consciousness – particularly how science and technology can be used to expand it responsibly. Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast Timestamps: [00:01:15] AI and human flourishing. [00:05:06] Definition of human flourishing. [00:09:01] AI in mental health therapy. [00:14:45] AI as a therapeutic tool. [00:18:34] AI's impact on parenting. [00:21:38] Human flourishing and AI impact. [00:28:37] Cognitive offloading. [00:32:11] Impact of AI on learning. [00:35:25] AI-assisted personal flourishing plan. [00:41:52] AI ethics and responsibility.

David Radosevich, Ph.D., is a psychologist and coach specializing in high performance, leadership, and team culture. He is an associate professor of management for the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. He is also co-founder of Flow Prone, a flow and high performance training and coaching organization.    David has published peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals and chapters in #1 international bestselling books. He works with C-suite leaders of Fortune 500 companies, and coaches individuals and leaders to enhance their leadership, teamwork, and emotional intelligence.   Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast   Links: LinkedIn Academic webpage Flow Lab Publications   Timestamps: [00:02:12] Defining flourishing. [00:07:16] Psychological strengths and flourishing. [00:11:49] Protective and promotive strengths. [00:14:06] Self-efficacy and burnout prevention. [00:19:06] Flourishing and anti-fragility contrast. [00:20:27] Anti-fragility in mental performance. [00:25:04] Self-talk and self-efficacy. [00:28:56] Assessing optimism in individuals. [00:31:48] Importance of optimism for flourishing. [00:33:58] Gratitude-forward exercises. [00:38:39] Flourishing as a daily activity. [00:40:41] Psychological strengths in flourishing.

Matthew Lee, Ph.D., is a Research Associate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, a member of the Global Study of Human Flourishing research team, and Director of the Human Flourishing Program's Flourishing Network. He is Professor of the Social Sciences and Humanities at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University and a Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Health, Flourishing, and Positive Psychology at Stony Brook University’s Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics, as well as a Visiting Scholar at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.    Matthew’s current research explores topics such as well-being and flourishing, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities. He is co-editor of Measuring Well-Being: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Social Sciences and the Humanities and Leadership for Flourishing, both published by Oxford University Press, as well as, Transcending Crisis by Attending to Care, Emotions, and Flourishing (Routledge, 2023).   Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com   Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast     Timestamps: [02:49] Global Flourishing Study overview. [08:18] Understanding flourishing through context. [00:12:43] Flourishing vs. Resilience Debate. [00:17:01] Wholeness amidst adversity. [00:22:20] Harmonizing well-being across outcomes. [00:27:01] Negative relationship between GDP and flourishing. [00:32:08] Japan's unique societal challenges. [00:36:45] Spirituality and community impact. [00:42:06] Lifelong effects of childhood experiences. [00:44:31] Researching human flourishing data.