On Mastering Our Emotional Life | Ethan Kross

Brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor famously once said:

“Most of us think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, 

but we are actually feeling creatures that think.”

Whether it’s anxiety about going to the doctor, 

Boiling rage when we’re stuck in traffic, 

Devastation after a painful break-up, 

Joy from the birth of a child, 

Or peace that arises from being in nature

Our emotional landscape is dynamic, complex, and often bittersweet - 

containing both the painful and the pleasant.

And as today’s guest, 

renowned emotion scientist, Dr. Ethan Kross writes:

"As difficult as our emotions can sometimes be, they are also a superpower."

In his new book: Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don’t Manage You, 

Ethan Challenges us to move away from a binary lens that views emotions simply

as being “good” or “bad.”

Reminding us instead that emotions are information. 

And that when activated in the right ways,

and at the right time, 

they function like an immune system, alerting us to our surroundings, 

telling us how to react to a situation, 

and helping us make the right choices. 

The big question then is:

How do we make our emotions work for us rather than against us? 

How do we unlock this superpower?

Ethan has devoted his scientific career to answering this question.

Working closely with his team at the Emotion and Self Control Lab at the Ross School of Business,

He has been leading groundbreaking research on emotion regulation 

and how the conversations people have with themselves impact their health, performance, decisions and relationships

In today's conversation:

We will explore a blend of insights, stories, and practices that will shed light on what Ethan has uncovered through this work

- the possibility of mastering our emotional lives in ways that allow us to live, lead, and love better. 

Interested in more Ethan? To find his books, talks, and other illuminating work, please visit ethankross.com

Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:

• To Feel is To Be Human | Dr. Marc Brackett
• The Missing Ingredient to 'The Good Life' | Lorraine Besser

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