Shankar Vedantam

And you tell a story about the famous football coach, Vince Lombardi.

Tell me that story.

You say that as people going about our lives, we have endless opportunities to offer a sense of mattering to the people we meet.

I understand that your brother once met a very famous person who took the time to make him feel like he mattered.

Tell me that story.

Gordon Flett is a psychologist at York University in Canada.

He's the author of The Psychology of Mattering, Understanding the Human Need to be Significant.

Gord, thank you so much for joining me today on Hidden Brain.

Thank you.

Have you experienced a moment in your life when you felt profoundly invisible?

Have you found a way to not feel invisible or to help others feel seen?

If you have a story or a question you would like to share with the Hidden Brain audience, please find a very quiet room and record a voice memo on your phone.

Two or three minutes is plenty.

Email it to us at feedback at hiddenbrain.org.

Use the subject line, invisible.

When we come back, remarkable stories about the healing power of nature.

Blood psychologist Mark Berman returns to the show to answer listener questions about our relationship to the great outdoors.

You're listening to Hidden Brain.

I'm Shankar Vedantam.

This is Hidden Brain.