Paul Scheer

And that just means filling your space, the space where you work or think or create with objects that are inspiring to you, you know, that remind you of your aspirations, that remind you of, you know, the groups that you belong to that you feel a kinship with and having those objects, those material things around you can really shape and prime your thinking.

Absolutely, Mike. And this is a really common phenomenon that you're mentioning. I tell a story in the book about a researcher who said that when he met with his graduate advisor in psychology, his psychology PhD program, this advisor was a very intimidating, very kind of scary figure. And He felt that this researcher felt that his IQ dropped by 20 points whenever this guy entered the room.

Absolutely, Mike. And this is a really common phenomenon that you're mentioning. I tell a story in the book about a researcher who said that when he met with his graduate advisor in psychology, his psychology PhD program, this advisor was a very intimidating, very kind of scary figure. And He felt that this researcher felt that his IQ dropped by 20 points whenever this guy entered the room.

Absolutely, Mike. And this is a really common phenomenon that you're mentioning. I tell a story in the book about a researcher who said that when he met with his graduate advisor in psychology, his psychology PhD program, this advisor was a very intimidating, very kind of scary figure. And He felt that this researcher felt that his IQ dropped by 20 points whenever this guy entered the room.

He started calling it conditional stupidity because he wasn't stupid. He was a very bright guy, but under certain conditions, as you say, he felt really stupid. I think that has a lot to do with the sense of psychological safety that we feel with certain people, but also Their openness, their curiosity, their ability to ask good questions.

He started calling it conditional stupidity because he wasn't stupid. He was a very bright guy, but under certain conditions, as you say, he felt really stupid. I think that has a lot to do with the sense of psychological safety that we feel with certain people, but also Their openness, their curiosity, their ability to ask good questions.

He started calling it conditional stupidity because he wasn't stupid. He was a very bright guy, but under certain conditions, as you say, he felt really stupid. I think that has a lot to do with the sense of psychological safety that we feel with certain people, but also Their openness, their curiosity, their ability to ask good questions.

You know, some people are just going to bring out the best in your own thinking and other people are going to shut it down.

You know, some people are just going to bring out the best in your own thinking and other people are going to shut it down.

You know, some people are just going to bring out the best in your own thinking and other people are going to shut it down.

Sure. And it's nice to think, too, about whether we can be that kind of resource for other people as well. You know, whether we are a good conversational partner and are asking them questions or being open or being curious about what they have to say, because that's sort of the essence of being a good colleague or even a good friend or a good parent.

Sure. And it's nice to think, too, about whether we can be that kind of resource for other people as well. You know, whether we are a good conversational partner and are asking them questions or being open or being curious about what they have to say, because that's sort of the essence of being a good colleague or even a good friend or a good parent.

Sure. And it's nice to think, too, about whether we can be that kind of resource for other people as well. You know, whether we are a good conversational partner and are asking them questions or being open or being curious about what they have to say, because that's sort of the essence of being a good colleague or even a good friend or a good parent.

No, this is a really dynamic area of research. And one of the sort of most exciting areas of research is pinning down exactly how we use our technological devices to extend our minds. And as we all know, you know, Our devices don't always make our thinking better. There's lots of opportunities to make our thinking worse when we're engaging with our devices.

No, this is a really dynamic area of research. And one of the sort of most exciting areas of research is pinning down exactly how we use our technological devices to extend our minds. And as we all know, you know, Our devices don't always make our thinking better. There's lots of opportunities to make our thinking worse when we're engaging with our devices.

No, this is a really dynamic area of research. And one of the sort of most exciting areas of research is pinning down exactly how we use our technological devices to extend our minds. And as we all know, you know, Our devices don't always make our thinking better. There's lots of opportunities to make our thinking worse when we're engaging with our devices.

But again, if we're intentional and thoughtful about how we use our technological devices, they really can expand and extend our thinking. And so that's sort of the latest frontier of extended mind research is thinking. how our devices either extend or contract our thinking and how we can make sure they do the former and not the latter.

But again, if we're intentional and thoughtful about how we use our technological devices, they really can expand and extend our thinking. And so that's sort of the latest frontier of extended mind research is thinking. how our devices either extend or contract our thinking and how we can make sure they do the former and not the latter.

But again, if we're intentional and thoughtful about how we use our technological devices, they really can expand and extend our thinking. And so that's sort of the latest frontier of extended mind research is thinking. how our devices either extend or contract our thinking and how we can make sure they do the former and not the latter.

Yeah, well, it's somewhat inevitable at this point. So again, the key is to be intentional about it. I mean, there is the danger that some of our native abilities will atrophy if we become too dependent on our devices. For example, there's research showing that people's ability to navigate through space really does decline if they become too dependent on GPS and those kinds of