Why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others come to believe that nothing they do will make a difference? Psychologist Martin Seligman describes his groundbreaking research on learned helplessness, and explains how the stories we tell ourselves about setbacks can shape what we do next. We also explore how optimism can help us rediscover our ability to change things for the better.
Duration
54m
Broadcast on
21 Sep 2026
Audio Format
other
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Why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others come to believe that nothing they do will make a difference? Psychologist Martin Seligman describes his groundbreaking research on learned helplessness, and explains how the stories we tell ourselves about setbacks can shape what we do next. We also explore how optimism can help us rediscover our ability to change things for the better.
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This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta. You can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. It's an old saying, but it captures a fundamental truth about human nature. How often have you come by people who fail to seize the opportunities in front of them, who decline to make the most of the privileges they've been given? If you're a parent or a teacher, you may have sometimes felt like saying to a kid, "I can't make you want it." If you're a manager, perhaps you've told an employee, there's a ladder over here, but you have to be the one to climb it. Sometimes, the thing that needs to be seized is not an opportunity, but a lifeline. Do you know people stuck in bad situations, unhappy marriages, dead-end jobs, soul-crushing living conditions, who seem unwilling to escape, even when the chance presents itself? Does that describe you? Today on the show, and in a follow-up episode next week, why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others believe that nothing they do can make a difference? How to discover or rediscover your ability to change things for the better, this week on Hidden Brain.
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Transcription truncated.
Why do some people act on the possibilities before them, while others come to believe that nothing they do will make a difference? Psychologist Martin Seligman describes his groundbreaking research on learned helplessness, and explains how the stories we tell ourselves about setbacks can shape what we do next. We also explore how optimism can help us rediscover our ability to change things for the better.
