Overcoming the Power of Bad with Roy Baumeister

“Life has to win every day, death only has to win once.” — Roy Baumeister

Today it’s great to have Roy Baumeister on the podcast. Dr. Baumeister is currently professor of psychology at the University of Queensland and is among the most prolific and most frequently cited psychologists in the world, with over 650 publications. His 40 books include the New York Times bestseller Willpower. His research covers self and identity, self-regulation, interpersonal rejection and the need to belong, sexuality and gender, aggression, self-esteem, meaning, consciousness, free will, and self-presentation. In 2013 he received the William James award for lifetime achievement in psychological science (the Association for Psychological Science’s highest honor), and his latest book, co-authored with John Tierney, is called “The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It”.

In this episode we discuss:

How the human brain has a tendency to focus on the bad
Why bad is processed more thoroughly than good
The latest research on ego depletion
Roy’s take on the replication crisis
Why falsely accused people have trouble repairing their reputation
Why the bad gets so much more publicity than the good
Early career researchers and the lack of incentive for exporation
Why we are wired for bad
The importance of the Pollyanna principle
Roy’s words of wisdom for those with anxiety over the Coronavirus
“The rule of 4”
Why are hell fearing religions more popular than those preaching a benevolent message?
Gordon Allport’s distinction between mature and immature religion
The riskiness of drawing too much on the self
Roy’s thoughts on the best route to the good life
Ways we can see the bigger picture
The “negative Golden Rule”
How to get on the “low-bad diet”

About the guest

Roy Baumeister

Podcast Guest

Roy Frederick Baumeister is an American social psychologist who is known for his work on the self, social rejection, belongingness, sexuality and sex differences, self-control, self-esteem, self-defeating behaviors, motivation, aggression, consciousness, and free will.

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Overcoming the Power of Bad with Roy Baumeister

Roy Baumeister

11 years ofhuman possibility

11 years of
human possibility