In this episode we talk to Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Charles Duhigg about his book The Power of Habit. The Power of Habit was our book of the month in the AoM Book Club and it has served as inspiration for a post and a video on the site, so I was excited that I had the chance to talk to Duhigg about his book. During our conversation we discuss what science has revealed about habit formation and action steps we can take to change bad habits.

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Episode #61: The Power Of Habit With Charles Duhigg

When you think about the word "gentleman," you probably think about the kind of well-mannered, well-educated, civil, virtuous, self-controlled fellows who lived in England and America during the 19th century.

But there was also a not-entirely-dissimilar conception of the gentleman that grew out of the East, though it arose quite a bit longer ago. This gentleman was described by the Chinese philosopher Confucius in a text called the Analects, which my guest says might be thought of as a 2,500-year-old set of advice columns for those who aspire to be exemplary individuals. His name is Robert LaFleur, and he's a professor of history and anthropology and the lecturer of the Great Courses course, Books That Matter: The Analects of Confucius. Today on the show Robert talks about how the Analects are all about learning to rule, and that Confucius believed that you couldn't lead a state, without being able to lead your family, and you couldn't lead a family, without being able to lead yourself. Robert argues that the Analects teach the reader how to integrate the kind of character traits and relational skills that are required to "get good at life," and how this aptitude centrally rests on living with a quality called "consummate conduct." Robert discusses the importance of what he calls "all-in" learning to the Confucian gentleman, the nuance to the idea of filial piety that Westerners typically miss, and the often overlooked check on this hierarchical dynamic called "remonstrance." We end our conversation with why Confucius so heavily emphasized the importance of ritual, and how rituals hold a transformative power that can allow you to become something bigger than yourself.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Robert's Great Courses course: Books That Matter — The Analects of Confucius 
The translations of the Analects that Robert recommends (he's currently working on his own):

Ames and Rosemont ("All of the translations have something to offer, but I think that the Ames and Rosemont translation brings out more of the social connections in the text than many of the others.")
Annping Chin ("Having said that, the newer Penguin translation by Annping Chin is also very good.")
China's Spring and Autumn Period 
University of Chicago Professor of Classics David Grene
The Confucian Book of Songs
The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills
From Text to Action by Paul Ricoeur
Confucius: The Secular as Sacred by Herbert Fingarette
Emile Durkheim
AoM series on ritual

Connect With Robert LaFleur
Robert's Blog: Round and Square
Robert's Faculty Page at Beloit College

 

When you think about the word "gentleman," you probably think about the kind of well-mannered, well-educated, civil, virtuous, self-controlled fellows who lived in England and America during the 19th century.
But there was also a not-entirely-dissimilar conception of the gentleman that grew out of the East, though it arose quite a bit longer ago. This gentleman was described by the Chinese philosopher Confucius in a text called the Analects, which my guest says might be thought of as a 2,500-year-old set of advice columns for those who aspire to be exemplary individuals. His name is Robert LaFleur, and he's a professor of history and anthropology and the lecturer of the Great Courses course, <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/books-that-matter-the-analects-of-confucius">Books That Matter: The Analects of Confucius</a>.&nbsp;Today on the show Robert talks about how the Analects are all about learning to rule, and that Confucius believed that you couldn't lead a state, without being able to lead your family, and you couldn't lead a family, without being able to lead yourself. Robert argues that the Analects teach the reader how to integrate the kind of character traits and relational skills that are required to "get good at life," and how this aptitude centrally rests on living with a quality called "consummate conduct." Robert discusses the importance of what he calls "all-in" learning to the Confucian gentleman, the nuance to the idea of filial piety that Westerners typically miss, and the often overlooked check on this hierarchical dynamic called "remonstrance." We end our conversation with why Confucius so heavily emphasized the importance of ritual, and how rituals hold a transformative power that can allow you to become something bigger than yourself.
Resources Related to the Podcast
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/books-that-matter-the-analects-of-confucius">Robert's Great Courses course: Books That Matter &mdash; The Analects of Confucius </a></li>
<li>The translations of the Analects that Robert recommends (he's currently working on his own):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/2YscFUI">Ames and Rosemont</a> ("All of the translations have something to offer, but I think that the Ames and Rosemont translation brings out more of the social connections in the text than many of the others.")</li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/2YnVyTr">Annping Chin</a> ("Having said that, the newer Penguin translation by Annping Chin is also very good.")</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period">China's Spring and Autumn Period&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grene">University of Chicago Professor of Classics David Grene</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/2YbkAFq">The Confucian&nbsp;Book of Songs</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3a3Xy60">The Sociological&nbsp;Imagination&nbsp;by C. Wright Mills</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3iuGCdo">From Text to Action&nbsp;by Paul Ricoeur</a></li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/3ornwcd">Confucius: The Secular as Sacred&nbsp;by Herbert Fingarette</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Durkheim">Emile Durkheim</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/the-rites-of-manhood-mans-need-for-ritual/">AoM series on ritual</a></li>
</ul>
Connect With Robert LaFleur
<ul>
<li><a href="http://robert-lafleur.blogspot.com/">Robert's Blog: Round and Square</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.beloit.edu/live/profiles/270-robert-lafleur">Robert's Faculty Page at Beloit College</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

The Confucian Gentleman

Her name is Anna Lembke and she's Chief of Stanford's Addiction Medicine Clinic and the author of the book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in an Age of Indulgence. At the start of our conversation, Anna unpacks the definition of addiction, why she believes it applies equally well to substances like drugs as behaviors like using porn, and how it exists on a spectrum from the serious and severe to the mild and minor. Anna explains why life in our comfortable, pleasure-filled modern society is increasing the problem of addiction, and argues that the reason we're so miserable is that we're working so hard to avoid being miserable. She then digs into the science of why we become addicted to substances and behaviors and how it all comes down to our mind and body trying to seek balance between pleasure and pain. We discuss dopamine's role in this seesaw dynamic and how the substances and technologies of modernity can lead to a dopamine deficit.

We then walk through the process of getting a handle on your addiction, including the importance of doing a dopamine fast, and how long the fast needs to last to be effective. Anna shares tactics for sticking through this abstinence period, which include, counterintuitively, intentionally seeking out pain. She explains why a dopamine fast can help you rebalance your brain, what comes after it's over, and much more.

Check out the show notes at aom.is/dopaminenation

Resources Related to the Podcast
Prohibition Worked Better Than You Think
What Vietnam Taught Us About Breaking Bad Habits
Brown and Shuckit's research on alcohol use and depression
Nora Volkow's research on dopamine and addiction
AoM Podcast #708: Overcoming the Comfort Crisis
Sunday Fireside: Lash Yourself to the Mast
Sunday Firesides: Shame Is a Gift
4 Lessons From a 4-Week Social Media Fast

Connect with Anna Lembke
Anna's Website

 

Her name is Anna Lembke and she's Chief of Stanford's Addiction Medicine Clinic and the author of the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3Ad1Kv6">Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in an Age of Indulgence</a>. At the start of our conversation, Anna unpacks the definition of addiction, why she believes it applies equally well to substances like drugs as behaviors like using porn, and how it exists on a spectrum from the serious and severe to the mild and minor. Anna explains why life in our comfortable, pleasure-filled modern society is increasing the problem of addiction, and argues that the reason we're so miserable is that we're working so hard to avoid being miserable. She then digs into the science of why we become addicted to substances and behaviors and how it all comes down to our mind and body trying to seek balance between pleasure and pain. We discuss dopamine's role in this seesaw dynamic and how the substances and technologies of modernity can lead to a dopamine deficit.
We then walk through the process of getting a handle on your addiction, including the importance of doing a dopamine fast, and how long the fast needs to last to be effective. Anna shares tactics for sticking through this abstinence period, which include, counterintuitively, intentionally seeking out pain. She explains why a dopamine fast can help you rebalance your brain, what comes after it's over, and much more.
Check out the show notes at aom.is/dopaminenation
Resources Related to the Podcast
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/6/5/18518005/prohibition-alcohol-public-health-crime-benefits">Prohibition Worked Better Than You Think</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/01/02/144431794/what-vietnam-taught-us-about-breaking-bad-habits">What Vietnam Taught Us About Breaking Bad Habits</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3216643/">Brown and Shuckit's research on alcohol use and depression</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696819/">Nora Volkow's research on dopamine and addiction</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/health/podcast-708-overcoming-the-comfort-crisis/">AoM Podcast #708: Overcoming the Comfort Crisis</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/sunday-firesides-lash-yourself-to-the-mast/">Sunday Fireside: Lash Yourself to the Mast</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/sunday-firesides-shame-is-a-gift/">Sunday Firesides: Shame Is a Gift</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/4-lessons-from-a-4-week-social-media-fast/">4 Lessons From a 4-Week Social Media Fast</a></li>
</ul>
Connect with Anna Lembke
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.annalembke.com/">Anna's Website</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Do You Need to Take a Dopamine Fast?

You're probably familiar with the mythological tale of Hercules (or "Heracles" as the hero was originally called) from books, comics, and movies. But while Hercules is often rendered as a kind of one-dimensional superhero in popular culture, my guest today argues that he's actually quite a complex character, and that the story of how he completed twelve epic labors has a lot to teach us about endurance, revenge, mental illness, violence, punishment, trauma, bereavement, friendship, love, and masculinity.

His name is Laurence Alison, and he's a forensic psychologist and an expert in interrogation, who's created a written and oral retelling of the classic myth. At the start of the show, Laurence shares how he's been using the story of the twelve labors of Hercules to facilitate reflection and discussion amongst military personnel and first responders, and how the labors can provide life insights for everyone. We then dig into the details of many of the labors of Hercules, from slaying a lion to cleaning out stables, and discuss what they can teach us about grappling with life's highs and lows, and what it means to be a man.

Resources Related to the Podcast
Our last podcast with Laurence about what he's learned from his work in interrogation about building rapport
AoM Podcast #660: The Theater of War With Bryan Doerries
AoM Series on Greek Mythology
AoM Manvotional: The Choice of Hercules

Find Laurence Alison's Hercules Retellings
The Heracles Project on the Grand Truth website
Direct access to the oral retelling of the labors of Hercules (this is an audio experience with music, sound effects, illustrations, and guided interpretative diary exercises)
Print copies of Laurence's written, illustrated retelling of the labors, as well as a novella Laurence wrote on the entire life of Hercules, are available to purchase by contacting Andrew Richmond. You can get a feel for the former book here.

 

You're probably familiar with the mythological tale of Hercules (or "Heracles" as the hero was originally called) from books, comics, and movies. But while Hercules is often rendered as a kind of one-dimensional superhero in popular culture, my guest today argues that he's actually quite a complex character, and that the story of how he completed twelve epic labors has a lot to teach us about endurance, revenge, mental illness, violence, punishment, trauma, bereavement, friendship, love, and masculinity.
His name is Laurence Alison, and he's a forensic psychologist and an expert in interrogation, who's created a written and oral retelling of the classic myth. At the start of the show, Laurence shares how he's been using the story of the twelve labors of Hercules to facilitate reflection and discussion amongst military personnel and first responders, and how the labors can provide life insights for everyone. We then dig into the details of many of the labors of Hercules, from slaying a lion to cleaning out stables, and discuss what they can teach us about grappling with life's highs and lows, and what it means to be a man.
Resources Related to the Podcast
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/social-skills/podcast-648-lessons-in-building-rapport-from-experts-in-terrorist-interrogation/">Our last podcast with Laurence about what he's learned from his work in interrogation about building rapport</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/podcast-660-how-ancient-greek-tragedies-can-heal-the-soul/">AoM Podcast #660: The Theater of War With Bryan Doerries</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/a-primer-on-greek-mythology-part-i-the-gods-and-goddesses/">AoM Series on Greek Mythology</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/manly-lessons/manvotional-the-choice-of-hercules/">AoM Manvotional: The Choice of Hercules</a></li>
</ul>
Find Laurence Alison's Hercules Retellings
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ground-truth.co.uk/heracles">The Heracles Project on the Grand Truth website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.academy.policesciencedr.com/course/la1">Direct access to the oral retelling of the labors of Hercules</a> (this is an audio experience with music, sound effects, illustrations, and guided interpretative diary exercises)</li>
<li>Print copies of Laurence's written, illustrated retelling of the labors, as well as a novella Laurence wrote on the entire life of Hercules, are available to purchase by <a href="https://andrewrichmondart.com/contact/">contacting Andrew Richmond</a>. You can get a feel for the former book <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mondocomix/heracles-legends-for-growth-and-healing">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Episode #61: The Power Of Habit With Charles Duhigg

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