<p>When we’re struggling to reach a goal, most of us assume the answer is to buckle down and try harder. But what if all that white-knuckling is actually making things more difficult than they need to be?</p> <p>Dr. Laurie speaks with psychologist Angela Duckworth, best known for her groundbreaking work on grit, about a surprising new approach to achievement. In her new book, <a href="https://www.angeladuckworth.com/situated" data-airgap-id="11"><em>Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best</em></a>, Angela explains why changing what’s around us can sometimes be more effective than trying to change ourselves.</p> <p><strong>Experts Mentioned:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.angeladuckworth.com/" data-airgap-id="12">Angela Duckworth</a>, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania </li> <li><a href="https://spsp.org/membership/awards/heritage-wall/ross" data-airgap-id="13">Lee Ross</a>, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University </li> <li><a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/emeriti-faculty/nisbett.html" data-airgap-id="14">Richard Nisbett</a>, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Michigan </li> <li><a href="https://spl.stanford.edu/people/james-gross" data-airgap-id="15">James Gross</a>, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University </li> <li><a href="https://www.adrianfward.com/" data-airgap-id="16">Adrian Ward</a>, Associate Professor of Marketing at University of Texas at Austin</li> <li><a href="https://henrich.fas.harvard.edu/" data-airgap-id="17">Joseph Henrich</a>, Professor of Biological Anthropology and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University</li> <li><a href="https://texaslonghorns.com/staff-directory/bob-bowman/1935" data-airgap-id="18">Bob Bowman</a>, Director of Swimming and Diving and Head Men’s Coach at University of Texas at Austin</li> <li><a href="https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman" data-airgap-id="19">Martin Seligman</a>, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania</li> <li><a href="https://psychology.fsu.edu/article/k-anders-ericsson-1947-2020-worlds-foremost-expert-expert-performance" data-airgap-id="20">Anders Ericsson</a>, Professor of Psychology at Florida State University</li> <li><a href="https://psychology.columbia.edu/news/memoriam-walter-mischel-psychologist-who-developed-pioneering-marshmallow-test" data-airgap-id="21">Walter Mischel</a>, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Columbia University</li> <li><a href="https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/niebuhr-reinhold" data-airgap-id="22">Reinhold Niebuhr</a>, Protestant theologian</li> <li><a href="https://viktorfranklamerica.com/viktor-frankl-bio/" data-airgap-id="23">Viktor Frankl</a>, Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist</li> </ul> <p><strong>Resources Mentioned:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.angeladuckworth.com/situated" data-airgap-id="24"><em>Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best</em></a>, by Angela Duckworth (2026)</li> <li><a href="https://www.angeladuckworth.com/grit" data-airgap-id="25"><em>Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance</em></a>, by Angela Duckworth (2016)</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Person-Situation-Perspectives-Social-Psychology/dp/1905177445/ref=sims_dp_d_dex_popular_subs_t3_v6_d_sccl_1_1/135-5116501-0386104?pd_rd_w=5MqeV&content-id=amzn1.sym.b853d215-90db-49b5-bd69-9909dc4557b0&pf_rd_p=b853d215-90db-49b5-bd69-9909dc4557b0&pf_rd_r=FV8M7PZRSTZVKWQZS56N&pd_rd_wg=9T8IA&pd_rd_r=bcfac8fb-fea4-4498-a791-95ab273da560&pd_rd_i=1905177445&psc=1" data-airgap-id="26"><em>The Person and the Situation: Perspectives on Social Psychology</em></a>, by Lee Ross and Richard Nisbett (1991)</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0064440214?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback" data-airgap-id="27"><em>Frog and Toad Together</em></a>, by Arnold Lobel (1972)</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=man%27s+search+for+meaning&channelId=500&clpRedir=Y&plpRedirect=mhFallback" data-airgap-id="28"><em>Man's Search for Meaning</em></a>, by Viktor Frankl (1946)</li> <li>“<a href="https://archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2008_07/serenity.html" data-airgap-id="29">The Serenity Prayer</a>,” by Reinhold Niebuhr</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1494417278?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback" data-airgap-id="30"><em>The Art of War</em></a>, by Sun Tzu</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/125005950X?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback" data-airgap-id="31"><em>The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work</em></a>, by Bob Bowman (2016)</li> <li>“<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4856169/" data-airgap-id="32">A Stitch in Time: Strategic Self-Control in High School and College Students</a>,” by Angela Duckworth, Rachel White, Alyssa Matteucci, Annie Shearer, and James Gross (<em>Journal of Educational Psychology</em>, 2016)</li> <li>“<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30609915/" data-airgap-id="33">Self-Control and Academic Achievement</a>,” by Angela Duckworth, Jamie Taxer, Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Brian Galla, and James Gross (<em>Annual Review of Psychology</em>, 2019)</li> <li>“<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36170325/" data-airgap-id="34">Self-control and SAT outcomes: Evidence from two national field studies</a>,” by Chayce Baldwin, Kyla Haimovitz, Priya Shankar, Robert Gallop, David Yeager, James Gross, and Angela Duckworth (<em>PLoS One</em>, 2022)</li> <li>“<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4736542/" data-airgap-id="35">Situational Strategies for Self-Control</a>,” by Angela Duckworth, Tamar Szabó Gendler, and James Gross (<em>Perspectives on Psychological Science</em>, 2016)</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/691462" data-airgap-id="36">Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity</a>,” by Adrian Ward, Kristen Duke, Ayelet Gneezy, and Maarten Bos. (<em>Journal of the Association for Consumer Research</em>, 2017)</li> <li>“<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22390518/" data-airgap-id="37">A 2-Phase Labeling and Choice Architecture Intervention to Improve Healthy Food and Beverage Choices</a>,” by Anne N Thorndike, Lillian Sonnenberg, Jason Riis, Susan Barraclough, and Douglas E Levy (<em>American Journal of Public Health</em>, 2012)</li> <li>“<a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article/371/1690/20150192/22834/Innovation-in-the-collective-brainInnovation-in" data-airgap-id="38">Innovation in the collective brain</a>,” by Michael Muthukrishna and Joseph Henrich (<em>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</em>, 2016)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>“</strong><a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/your-environment-affects-your-happiness-more-than-you-think-with-dr-leidy-klotz" data-airgap-id="39">Your Environment Affects Your Happiness More Than You Think with Dr. Leidy Klotz</a>”</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/how-to-spend-your-time-and-money-better-with-nobel-prize-winner-richard-thaler" data-airgap-id="40">How to Spend Your Time and Money Better (with Nobel Prize Winner Richard Thaler)</a><strong>”</strong></li> <li><strong>“</strong><a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-man-who-invented-happiness-science-marty-seligman" data-airgap-id="41">The Man Who Invented Happiness Science: Marty Seligman</a>”</li> <li><strong>“</strong><a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/bonus-good-screens-and-bad-screens" data-airgap-id="42">How Our Screen Habits Impact Our Stress Levels</a>”</li> </ul><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>
