Mike Carruthers

Well, I have to say this conversation has really got me thinking because I've never thought of predictions this way.

But you well, now you've changed the way I think about them.

I've been speaking with Carissa Valise.

She's an associate professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford.

And her book is called Prophecy, Prediction, Power and the Fight for the Future from Ancient Oracles to AI.

And there's a link to that book in the show notes.

Carissa, thank you.

This was fun.

If you need a shoulder to cry on, you might want to skip your 20-something friends and go find someone in midlife.

Research suggests that empathy increases as we age, often peaking somewhere in our 40s or 50s.

And women tend to score higher than men on measures of empathy.

One large study published by the American Psychological Association found that traits like empathy and compassion tend to rise from young adulthood into middle age.

It's likely because people accumulate more life experience and emotional complexity over time.

There's also a practical explanation.

A lot of middle-aged adults, especially women, are simultaneously caring for children and helping aging parents.

That constant emotional multitasking may sharpen their ability to read people and respond in a supportive way.

In other words, it's not just personality, it's practice.

So if you want someone who truly gets it, your best bet may be someone who's been around long enough to have seen and felt a lot of what life can throw at you.

And that is something you should know.

A great way to support this podcast is to add your voice to the ratings and reviews that are already out there.