The Age of Magical Overthinking: Why Our Minds Keep Doubling Down with Amanda Montell

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Buddhism, Education, Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Amanda Montell explores the age of magical overthinking and why our minds keep doubling down. She discusses how cognitive biases and irrational thinking shape our perceptions and behaviors in the information age. Amanda also explains shine theory, zero-sum and sunk cost biases, and the allure of manifestation and conspiracy thinking. Through personal stories and humor, Amanda and Eric discuss how understanding these mental patterns can help us navigate modern life more consciously and compassionately. Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways Exploration of cognitive biases and their impact on modern thinking. Discussion of irrational thinking in the information age. Examination of the parable of the two wolves and its implications for personal behavior. Analysis of the shine theory and its relevance to social dynamics, particularly among women. Insights into the sunk cost fallacy and its effects on decision-making in relationships. Critique of manifestation beliefs and their parallels to conspiracy thinking. The role of storytelling in human cognition and its influence on self-perception. The relationship between overconfidence bias and self-assessment. Challenges of navigating modern life with evolved cognitive shortcuts. The impact of social media on decision-making and personal narratives. For full show notes,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ Connect with the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Amanda Montell, check out these other episodes: Why You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Overthinking with Adam Mastroianni The Purpose of Emotions and Why We’re Not Wired for Happiness with Anders Hansen By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: David Protein bars deliver up to 28g of protein for just 150 calories—without sacrificing taste! For a limited time, our listeners can receive this special deal: buy 4 cartons and get the 5th free when you go to www.davidprotein.com/FEED ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aura Frames⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AuraFrames.com /FEED ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter – by using promo code FEED at checkout. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	even smart people totally overestimate themselves.
0:04.2	They just do it across maybe like a slightly smaller spectrum of subjects.
0:08.8	But people of all intelligence levels and levels of expertise are out here overcrediting themselves with positive outcomes and predicting that they know more than they do.
0:28.6	Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance
0:33.8	of the thoughts we have, quotes like garbage in, garbage out, or you are what
0:38.9	you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen or empower us.
0:45.3	We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear. We see what we don't have instead of what
0:51.9	we do. We think things that hold us back and dampen our spirit.
0:56.2	But it's not just about thinking.
0:58.3	Our actions matter.
0:59.9	It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.
1:04.6	This podcast is about how other people keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:12.9	A lot of modern self-help is basically this promise. If you think the right thoughts, everyone
1:18.8	will finally make sense. And when life doesn't cooperate, we don't stop, we double down.
1:25.0	In today's episode, Amanda Montel helps us name what's happening underneath
1:29.5	that urge. We talk about how manifestation can slide into the same mental machinery as conspiracy
1:35.8	thinking, our need for proportional, satisfying explanations. We also dig into sunk costs, why we stay in
1:43.2	bad situations, keep defending old stories,
1:46.7	and reach for additive fixes when the real solution might be subtraction.
1:51.8	Amanda brings humor, nuance, and a really steady lens for the chaos of the information age,
1:57.9	especially if you're someone who overthinks everything and still feels like
2:02.4	you're missing the point. I'm Eric Zimmer, and this is the one you feed.
	...

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