Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
Embrace your curiosity and discover the science and psychology to build a growth mindset
Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology · Sam Webster Harris
Show overview
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 524 episodes, alongside 2 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 300 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 23 min and 45 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 months ago, with 36 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2024, with 116 episodes published. Published by Sam Webster Harris.
From the publisher
Most self-help advice is guesswork dressed up as wisdom. We dig into psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to find what actually changes lives. WHY LISTEN? Over 8 million downloads because we answer the questions that matter: How do I build mental strength? What creates lasting motivation? How can I understand my own mind well enough to work with it, not against it? This podcast is for curious skeptics who want frameworks backed by psychology studies, not Instagram quotes. Whether you're navigating procrastination, building self-discipline, or designing your own philosophy for a life well lived—we explore the hidden psychology behind real change. WHAT YOU'LL GET Mental models and simple techniques from cognitive psychology, positive psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions like Stoicism and Buddhism. Being a human can be confusing, learning about it doesn’t have to be. We cover everything from emotional intelligence and habit formation to brain health and the nervous system. WHAT YOU DON’T GET No pseudoscience. No oversimplified "hacks." No hustle porn. Just practical insights on mindset improvement, self-development, and human psychology that respect your intelligence and mental health. THE APPROACH Instead of telling you what to think, we explore how thinking works. Armed with psychology studies, social science research, and relentless curiosity, we uncover the mechanics of belief change, attitude change, and personal development. Success is personal. You might want to leverage your neurodiverse strengths, build a business, or simply discover how to be happier. We provide the mental frameworks to pursue your definition of success with mental strength and self-care that fits your life. YOUR HOST I'm Sam Webster Harris—a lifelong learner with ADHD and an obsession with finding answers to hard questions. After launching businesses, traveling the world, and nearly dying a few times, I concluded that psychology and science are where real wisdom lives. This show is my excuse to dive deep into health and fitness research, behavioral psychology, and cool science while helping you build genuine self-discipline and motivation. PREMIUM Go ad-free and access exclusive content, AMAs, and our community Discord. Growth Mindset Premium PAST SERIES Previous guests include Olympians, Scientists, Billionaires, and Sam's Mum. Past series: — Psychology vs Stoicism — Time Management for Busy Mortals — Independence and Knowing Yourself — Cognitive Biases and Rational Thinking — Psychology of Connection and Relationships — Carol Dweck and the Multiverse of Mindsets — Addiction and Behaviour Change — Nervous System Mastery and Polyvagal Theory — Mental Strength and Self-Discipline
Latest Episodes
View all 524 episodesThe Neuroscience of Fear - Rewiring the threat response - [+ Insights on Anxiety, BPD and ADHD]
How to Make Hard Things Easier with a Growth Mindset - w/ Graham Hobson (Founder Photobox, Moonpig)
Why the Most Successful People Are All Walking Contradictions — And How to Become One
Overlooked Rules on Being a Useful Human - Essential Behavioural Psychology
Lessons on Starting Before You Feel Ready w/ Graham Hobson (Founder Photobox + Moonpig)
How to Spend Money to Buy Happiness: The psychology of what actually works
The Psychology of Slowing Down Time - How to live a full life
How to Create Your Own Opportunities and Stop Waiting for Your One Big Chance
Three Psychology Experiments That Changed How I Live
Why "Bad" Emotions Are an Illusion: Dr Stephen Porges on Free Will and the Psychology of Pain
How to Finally Commit to One Thing When Everything Feels Important
How to Be Genuinely Interesting - Without performing, pretending, or people-pleasing
Your Nervous System Has Been Running Your Life - How to finally take control with Stephen Porges (Inventor of Polyvagal Theory)
The Illusion of Panic: How to Master Your Nervous System When It Invents Danger
The Psychology of Risk: How Near Death Experiences Help you Quit a Good Life to Pursue a Great One - w. Talia Lazarus
The Comfort Zone Trap - How Failure Builds Courage, Confidence, and an Interesting Life
Chemistry Isn’t Compatibility: How to Choose Better Partners in Love and Work - w/ Matt Higgins
The Psychology of What Matters: How to Stop Wasting Time
The Neuroscience of Growth Mindset: How to rewire your brain
The human brain is a wonderfully absurd little organ. It powers civilization, invents jazz, and still somehow convinces you that being bad at something once, means you should never try again. In this episode, we tour through the neuroscience of growth mindset with the cheerful suspicion that your limitations may be considerably less permanent than advertised. Along the way, there are one-armed surfers, overworked taxi drivers, myelinated neurons, and the rather uplifting notion that failure is not a character flaw but a biological instruction manual. This psychology podcast explores how neuroplasticity, executive function, and repeated effort combine to reshape the brain across a lifetime. In other words, your mind is not a dusty attic of fixed talents, but more like a renovation project conducted by a slightly chaotic electrician. The hopeful part is that your errors are not interruptions to learning. They are the very sparks that make learning happen in the first place. See failure as feedback your brain can actually use. Build skill faster by choosing productive struggle over comfort. Replace fixed mindset stories with evidence from brain science. Listen in and give your pessimism the deeply inconvenient experience of being scientifically wrong. SPONSORS 👨💻 NordLayer Security across your business 10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10 https://nordlayer.com/growthmindset/ NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights. Found on all major podcast players: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQxPJyT Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@HowToChangeTheWorldPodcast --- UPGRADE to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - Growth Mindset 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Personal Limitations01:44 Neuroplasticity and Growth Mindset04:36 Fixed Mindset Explained06:02 The Science Behind Brain Development10:23 The Role of Nurture in Human Development13:17 Mindsets and Their Impact15:05 Learning Through Mistakes19:26 How mindsets are built24:26 The Importance of Failure27:49 Reframing Failure for Growth29:16 The Problem with School and Mistakes30:08 Celebrating Mistakes and Effort31:01 The Root of Fixed Mindset Beliefs32:27 Final Thoughts on Growth and Learning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Are You Thinking Your Thoughts, Or Are They Thinking You?
You like to think of yourself as someone who thinks for themselves. But what if the ideas running through your head aren't really yours — what if they found you, infected you, and quietly rewrote your behaviour to help themselves spread? In this episode, we take an unusual detour into evolutionary biology — because it turns out the science of genes, parasites, and natural selection explains more about your psychology than most self-help books ever will. We cover why you are, in a very real sense, a vehicle built to carry ancient replicators. How social media, advertising, and even religion use the same cognitive vulnerabilities as a brain parasite that makes rats fall in love with cats. And why understanding the mechanism of influence is the first — and most underrated — step to genuine mental autonomy. This is a preview of an episode from How to Change the World. See details below. SPONSORS 👨💻 NordLayer Security across your business 10% off: GROWTHMINDSET-10 https://nordlayer.com/growthmindset/ NEW SHOW - How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation Learn about the evolving story of the human species and our ideas told in chronological order. The podcast is full of fun facts, surprising stories and philosophical insights. Found on all major podcast players: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQxPJyT Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-change-the-world-the-history-of-innovation/id1815282649 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@HowToChangeTheWorldPodcast --- UPGRADE to Premium: 🏖️ Ad-free listening 🤘 Support the show 🔓 Exclusive AMAs and bonus content GrowthMindset.Supercast.com Growth Mindset Psychology: Sam Webster explores the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and growth through the lens of self-improvement. 📺 Watch - YouTube (Growth Mindset) 🛜 Website - Growth Mindset 📧 Email - GrowthMindsetPodcast (@) gmail.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:24 You Are a Robot 04:12 Patterns of Nature 05:45 Act 1: Control 06:20 Nico Tinbergen and the Randy Fish 08:46 The Primordial Soup Starter Kit 10:04 Algorithmic Governance 11:24 Act 2: Co-operation 13:44 Moral Judgement and the Birth of Religion 15:25 Act 3: External Control 17:38 Remote Control 20:44 Act 4: Idea Vats 21:10 Consciousness 23:13 What Is a Meme? 24:14 Genes vs Memes Speed 26:03 Idea Propagation 28:29 Carrier Class 30:23 Act 5: Game Theory 31:00 Where to Find the Full Episode TOPICS Free will, cognitive bias, evolutionary psychology, memes, Richard Dawkins, selfish gene, mindset, belief systems, mental models, psychology of influence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices