#380: How to Be Braver

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2018

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For thousands of years, philosophers and writers have debated the nature of courage. What is it? Are some people born more courageous than others? Can you learn to be courageous? My guest today set out to answer these questions by looking at courage through a scientific lens. His name is Robert Biswas-Diener. He’s a psychologist and the author of "The Courage Quotient: How Science Can Make You Braver." Today on the show, Robert explains how he defined courage for the purpose of his research and how he went about studying and quantifying this quality. He then explains how courage manifests itself differently in cultures of dignity, honor, and face. We then discuss the genetics of courage and how people can learn to be more courageous. Robert than gives brass tacks advice on what you can do to manage fear and increase your propensity to action, including carrying lucky charms, thinking about yourself less, and avoiding self-handicapping. Get the show notes at aom.is/couragequotient.

Transcript

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0:00.0	[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:15.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast for thousands
0:18.5	of years, philosophers and writers have debated the nature of courage.
0:21.7	What is it?
0:22.7	Are some people born more courageous than others?
0:24.2	And can you learn to be courageous?
0:25.8	I guess they set out to answer those questions by looking at courage through a scientific
0:29.2	lens, his name is Robert Biswasdiner.
0:31.0	He's a psychologist in the author of The Courage Quotient, How Science Can Make You Brave
0:34.7	Earth.
0:35.7	Today on the show, Robert explains how he defined courage for the purpose of his research
0:37.9	and how he went about studying and quantifying this quality.
0:40.3	He then explains how courage manifests itself differently in cultures of dignity, cultures
0:43.9	of honor and cultures of face.
0:45.5	We then discuss the genetics of courage and how people can learn to be more courageous.
0:49.0	Robert then gives brass-tax advice on what he can do to manage fear and increase your
0:52.8	propensity to action, including carrying lucky charms, thinking about yourself less and
0:56.8	avoiding self-handy-capping.
0:58.4	After the show is over, check out the show notes at a-w-m-dot-i-s-slash-curage-quotient.
1:05.4	Robert Biswasdiner, welcome to the show.
1:15.8	Thank you so much for having me.
1:17.5	So you wrote a book, your psychologist, you wrote a book about courage.
	...

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