How to Change Your Mind Without Losing Yourself
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode, Drew and I dive into some of the biggest beliefs we’ve shifted over the years—and what it actually looks like to change your mind.
We talk about Drew’s evolving views on religion, why I’m way less convinced that people are as changeable as we like to believe, and why I think trauma might be getting a little too much airtime in the self-help world.
We also get into the loneliness epidemic, the quiet power of community, and why so much of “personal growth” isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about learning to work with who you already are.
Leave a comment below about what you’ve changed your mind about—and enjoy.
CHAPTERS
Chapters
- 00:00:00 Introduction: 72 Episodes and the Work Behind It
- 00:02:00 Why We Need to Change Our Minds More Often
- 00:03:14 Drew's Shifting View on Religion
- 00:04:33 The New Atheism Movement and Its Limitations
- 00:05:44 Religion's Benefits: Community, Service, and Local Focus
- 00:06:43 The Dogma Dilemma: Can You Have the Good Without the Bad?
- 00:13:06 The Feature Is the Bug: Why Religion Works So Well
- 00:17:54 Mark's Big Mind Change: People Are Less Malleable Than We Think
- 00:18:53 The Twin Studies and What They Revealed
- 00:21:06 What Actually Changes: Attitude, Not Identity
- 00:26:45 The Self-Acceptance Paradox
- 00:24:47 It's a Skill Issue, Not a Personality Issue
- 00:26:15 The Dangerous Desire to Become a New Person
- 00:30:41 Mark's Contrarian Take: Trauma Is Overrated
- 00:33:24 The Trauma Narrative as Cop-Out
- 00:35:18 Resilience: The Underrated Human Trait
- 00:37:55 Drew's Contrarian Take: Optimism About the Future
- 00:39:35 The Data on Human Progress
- 00:43:17 Climate Change and the Solutions-Create-Problems Cycle
- 00:46:35 Closing Wisdom: Keep an Open Mind
⇨ Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough
⇨ Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get started at https://bit.ly/4w46FMH
FOLLOW MARK
Mark's IG: https://www.instagram.com/markmanson
Solved IG: https://www.instagram.com/solvedpodcast/
Twitter: https://x.com/markmanson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmanson/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmMarkManson
Theme Song: Icarus Lives by @Periphery , used with permission from Periphery.