Dr. Maya Shankar: How to Shape Your Identity & Goals | Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode, my guest is Maya Shankar, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist, former senior advisor to the White House and Chair of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. She is the creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. We discuss how our identities develop and change, how our beliefs and internal narratives shape our perception of self, and how to use structured introspection about our values to determine our goals. We discuss how to cope and grow through uncertain situations, especially those that force us to reexamine our roles and identity. Dr. Shankar shares her experience of redefining her identity after an early career-ending setback. She also explains numerous science-based strategies to effectively define goals, structure our goal pursuits and maintain consistent motivation. This episode provides a science-supported toolkit and roadmap to assess your identity and goals and positively transform in the face of change. #HubermanLab #Science Thank you to our sponsors AG1: Maui Nui Venison: Eight Sleep: InsideTracker: Supplements from Momentous Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: Threads: @hubermanlab Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: @hubermanlab LinkedIn: Website: Newsletter: Dr. Maya Shankar Website: A Slight Change of Plans: TED Talk (Available: July 25 at 11 a.m. EDT): YouTube: @drmayashankar Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Publications: Articles On the dimensionality of odor space: Computations of uncertainty mediate acute stress responses in humans: The End of History Illusion: Achievement Goals and the Hierarchical Model of Achievement Motivation: They Saw a Game: A Case Study: The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior: Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling: Books Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation: The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World: Thinking, Fast and Slow: Other Resources Identity Paralysis: Reginald Dwayne Betts: Rick Rubin: How to Access Your Creativity (Huberman Lab episode): Dr. Arie Kruglanski & Cognitive Closure: Dr. Ethan Kross & Venting: Slight Change of Plans - Daryl Davis episode: Let’s See a Game: Peak-end Rule: Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Maya Shankar 00:02:37 Sponsors: Maui Nui Venison & Eight Sleep 00:05:15 Identity Foreclosure, Identity Paralysis, Throughlines 00:12:10 Identity & Adolescence; “Essence” & Shame 00:16:58 Delight & Awe 00:23:00 Delight & Possibilities for Self 00:29:28 Playing Violin, Childhood 00:34:54 Sponsor: AG1 00:35:58 Intrinsic Motivation; Juilliard & Courage 00:45:43 Competitive Environments; Curiosity & Growth 00:53:46 Re-Creating of Self 01:00:51 Pop-Science, Science Accessibility 01:05:25 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:06:32 Passions & Curiosity 01:13:20 Change, Cognitive Closure, End-of-History Illusion 01:22:29 Self-Awareness & Critical Feedback 01:30:48 Tools: Flexible Mindset; Reframing & Venting; Gratitude 01:40:13 Tool: Framing Goals 01:47:13 Tool: Agency in Goal Pursuit 01:52:25 Tool: Like-Minded People & Goal Pursuit; Challenging Beliefs 02:01:27 Cultivating Open-Mindedness & Empathy 02:08:15 Building Self Narratives: Empathy, Burnout 02:13:56 Tools: Goal Setting 02:19:54 Tool: “Middle Problem”, Maintaining Motivation 02:24:55 Tool: Aversion & Memory, Peak-End Rule 02:31:41 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - Disclaimer: