Positive Psychology Founder: How To Stop Your Negative Thoughts - Martin Seligman

Dr. Martin Seligman is a psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneer of positive psychology, and author. Expect to learn why some people experience exactly the same adversity and come out more resilient; which traits matter the most in life: efficacy, optimism, or imagination; what people 2,000 years from now possess psychologically that we don’t possess today; if you can be highly competent but still have very little agency, what actually makes life worth living and much more… -- Sign up for a free trial from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com - 0:00 Has Martin Always Been a Scientific Rebel? 3:07 Why Martin Chose Mastery and Agency 9:24 The Epiphany That Changed Martin’s Career 17:50 Can You Train Your Brain to Be Optimistic? 27:50 Optimism vs Agency: What’s the Difference? 29:16 Is Agency the Biggest Predictor of Success? 32:04 How Our Understanding of Agency Has Evolved 38:55 How to Inject Agency into Your Life 42:22 Is AI the Key to Unlocking Human Creativity? 54:41 Does Our Environment Shape Our Understanding of Agency? 57:08 Were Humans Conscious 3000 Years Ago? 01:02:04 Why Agency is Double-Edged 01:04:39 Are Optimists More Successful? 01:13:48 What Actually Makes a Good Life? 01:15:04 Martin’s Most Underrated Work 01:18:48 Why Being Boring Is a Choice 01:19:34 Where to Find Martin - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spotify.modernwisdom.com or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.modernwisdom.com Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostDr. Martin Seligmanguest

Oct 24, 20261h 21mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 24, 2026
Duration: 1h 21m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dr. Martin Seligman is a psychologist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneer of positive psychology, and author. Expect to learn why some people experience exactly the same adversity and come out more resilient; which traits matter the most in life: efficacy, optimism, or imagination; what people 2,000 years from now possess psychologically that we don’t possess today; if you can be highly competent but still have very little agency, what actually makes life worth living and much more… -- Sign up for a free trial from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com - 0:00 Has Martin Always Been a Scientific Rebel? 3:07 Why Martin Chose Mastery and Agency 9:24 The Epiphany That Changed Martin’s Career 17:50 Can You Train Your Brain to Be Optimistic? 27:50 Optimism vs Agency: What’s the Difference? 29:16 Is Agency the Biggest Predictor of Success? 32:04 How Our Understanding of Agency Has Evolved 38:55 How to Inject Agency into Your Life 42:22 Is AI the Key to Unlocking Human Creativity? 54:41 Does Our Environment Shape Our Understanding of Agency? 57:08 Were Humans Conscious 3000 Years Ago? 01:02:04 Why Agency is Double-Edged 01:04:39 Are Optimists More Successful? 01:13:48 What Actually Makes a Good Life? 01:15:04 Martin’s Most Underrated Work 01:18:48 Why Being Boring Is a Choice 01:19:34 Where to Find Martin - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spotify.modernwisdom.com or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.modernwisdom.com Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Host of Modern Wisdom, interviewing guests on psychology, culture, and human behavior.
Dr. Martin Seligman
guest
Psychologist and founder of positive psychology, known for research on learned helplessness and optimism.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Dr. Martin Seligman, Positive Psychology Founder: How To Stop Your Negative Thoughts - Martin Seligman explores seligman on training optimism and building agency for human flourishing Martin Seligman describes his lifelong throughline as increasing human mastery and agency by challenging psychology’s former fixation on misery, its neglect of cognition, and its assumption of determinism.

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