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Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Each episode explores a taboo question or cultural blind spot with an expert who is themselves, a paradox -
Like the atheist doctor who studied near death experiences for 50 years (ep 224)
Or the deeply religious man studied by NASA who sees UFOs regularly (ep 261).
The mission is to inspire the kind of curiosity that looks for & celebrates nuance, because we all deserve a more curious future.
So tune in each week (new episodes every Monday) to question things like American individualism (ep 260), trigger warnings (ep 208) & circumcision (ep 178).
Still not sure where to start?
Other listeners loved ep 230 - Can a sexless marriage survive? and ep 237 - Black man who attends KKK rallies: race & friendship
Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
Ep. 330: Is Your Happiness Being Politicized? [REMASTERED]
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If you're not happy, it means something is wrong ... right?
Dr. Loretta Breuning is a PhD researcher & author. Since becoming unconvinced by prevailing theories on human behavior, she has researched everything from monkeys to the mafia. Now she’s not only helping people hack their brain, she’s shedding light on how the altruistic outlook may be popular, but ultimately damaging.
In this episode, she explains WHY we believe that if we are unhappy something is wrong, how simply “getting back to nature” can backfire, the problem with happiness studies & (this is important) how to start your own happiness plan.
This episode originally aired March 7, 2024.
If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 275: IS AMBITION ANTI-HAPPINESS? REASONABLE HAPPINESS & FETISHIZING WEALTH
Guest:
https://innermammalinstitute.org/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happy-brain/id1377502232
https://www.instagram.com/inner.mammal.inst/
https://innermammalinstitute.org/course/
https://www.facebook.com/LorettaBreuningPhD
Host:
https://www.meredithforreal.com/
https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/
https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal
https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert
Sponsors:
https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/
https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/
02:05 — Rousseau’s “nature is happy” legacy
02:48 — Why academia spreads the meme
03:36 — The medical model of unhappiness
04:18 — Blaming society vs building skills
07:24 — Hunter-gatherer reality check
09:58 — Culture shapes how we report happiness
10:32 — Why Americans hesitate to say “I’m happy”
11:32 — Cortisol: when expectations miss
13:42 — Childhood culture becomes adult politics
14:06 — Status envy in academia
15:10 — Moral superiority as serotonin
15:48 — The “I did it the right way” trap
16:38 — Everyone thinks they’re the overlooked underdog
18:06 — Popularity: the motivator no one admits
19:02 — How biology gets politicized
23:18 — Why therapy and religion sell unhappiness
24:08 — The media and your happy chemicals
25:02 — News as a brain-chemical cocktail
31:04 — How not to throw the baby out with the bathwater
34:08 — Reward yourself like animal training
34:42 — Train your inner mammal
Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/