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Human Potential Lab — Education
Human Potential Lab

For eleven years and 478 episodes, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman hosted The Psychology Podcast, one of the most listened-to psychology shows in the world, with more than 30 million downloads. Human Potential Lab is what that show has become.

The questions have moved. What is a mind? What makes something conscious? What happens to being human when the things we build start to look like minds themselves? Too much of the work is happening out of public view. In this new show, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman sits down with the scientists, philosophers and technologists working at the frontier — the people whose work is actively deciding what we could become as a species.

Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and the founder of the Center for Human Potential. He holds a Ph.D. from Yale and an M.Phil. from Cambridge, has taught at Columbia, NYU and the University of Pennsylvania, and is the author or editor of twelve books, including Transcend, Ungifted, Wired to Create and Rise Above. New episodes every other week from October 28, 2026.

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Latest Episodes:

40: Extraordinary Workplaces Mar 27, 2016

Show notes

Ron Friedman Ph.D. shares research from his latest book The Best Place to Work, about the art and science of creating an extraordinary workplace. Ron discusses how businesses can appeal to basic psychological needs like autonomy, competence and relatedness to design a work environment which optimizes engagement and creativity. It’s an especially practical episode, where we dive into science-backed recommendations to help companies improve the hiring process, boost motivation and enhance decision making. This episode features some very interesting research, like the persuasion techniques used by hostage negotiators, as well as didactic stories about figures like Monica Seles and president Obama on the importance of unconscious thinking and leading by example.

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39: The New Principles of Business Management Mar 21, 2016

Show notes

On this episode of The Psychology Podcast, Dr. David Burkus discusses the latest research in organizational psychology to help business thrive in our post-industrial world. In particular, we talk about his latest book, Under New Management, which reveals the counter-intuitive leadership practices that actually enhance engagement and drive performance in companies. This is a great episode for anyone interested in what the science has to say about optimizing workplace performance. We discuss how and why top companies like Whole Foods and McDonalds are emphasizing employee satisfaction, engagement and well-being at work. We also cover topics such as perceptions of inequality, positive effects of income transparency, ditching performance appraisals, some barriers to productivity and some of the genius tactics of big companies like Zappos (who will pay you to quit you job?!). We hope you enjoy!

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38: Discussing the nature of childhood prodigies Mar 07, 2016

Show notes

On this episode of the psychology podcast, we gain insight into the fascinating and mysterious psychology of prodigious children. Kimberly Stephens recently co-authored a book investigating the link between autism and extraordinary childhood talent called The Prodigy's Cousin, which had made her an excellent source of knowledge. We discuss the extraordinary working memory, attention to detail, passionate interest, talent development and parenting styles that tend to characterize incredible childhood skill. We also cover an interesting genetic component; research suggests that autism tends to be present in the families of prodigies. The conversation is a celebration of the high achievement, intense interest and quirky personalities expressed by prodigies like Jonathan Russell, who has been known to pass the time recreating music with household items like blenders and washing machines! It’s a fun discussion and we’re excited to share it with our listeners.

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37: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Feb 24, 2016

Show notes

Angela Duckworth researches self-control and grit, which is defined as passion and perseverance for long term goals. Her research has demonstrated that there are factors that can be more predictive of success than IQ. In this episode we cover some of her findings on grit, including academic and popular misconceptions of this work. We also discuss research on standardized testing, self-control and more.

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36: Uncovering the Habits and Routines that Make People Live Better Feb 14, 2016

Show notes

James Clear studies successful people across a wide range of disciplines to uncover the habits and routines that make them the best at what they do. In this episode, we speak with James about his behavioral psychology background to uncover practical advice on how to flourish. The conversation is light and pleasant, while the content is deep and immediately useful for people looking to live better through science. Topics include habit formation, identity crafting, self-quantification and personal well-being. Enjoy and tell us what you think in the iTunes comments section!

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35: The Healing Power of Self-Compassion Jan 31, 2016

Show notes

A pioneering researcher in the psychology of self-compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff provides deep insight into the incredible healing power of being your own ally. In this episode, we cover some immediately useful ways to practice self-compassion and gain its many benefits. Self-compassion has been linked to reductions in anxiety, physical pain, depression and the stress hormone cortisol. It’s been shown to increase motivation, improve a mastery mindset, and enhance well-being. There’s a great deal of levity in this episode as we discuss how we can benefit from learning to care for ourselves the way we care for others.

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34: How Happiness Can Accelerate Your Success Jan 25, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Emma Seppälä is a true friend of the show and we’re thrilled to speak with her about her new book, The Happiness Track. In this episode, we provide data-driven insight into how our overextension is hindering our success, and how cultivating happiness can actually drive our achievement. The research shows that we needn’t be chronically over-scheduled and over-caffeinated to achieve our goals. Pursuing things like meaningful relationships, gratitude and self-compassion can actually be more conducive to success. We cover some fascinating studies and offer practical thoughts on enhancing well-being and innovation. We think you’ll really enjoy the dialogue.

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33: The Highly Sensitive Person Jan 18, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Elaine Aron is one of the world’s foremost experts on the highly sensitive person. She ought to be – she was its first researcher! In this episode, we cover this fascinating concept as it relates to a broad swath of psychological concepts like self-esteem, gender, love, leadership, personality, genetics and more. Roughly 20% of the population can be classified as highly sensitive, so all of us likely know someone (or are someone) with this trait. Also, Scott performs a statistical analysis live on air – it’s a first and a lot of fun!

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32: How to Live a Good Life Dec 21, 2015

Show notes

Tom Rath is a 6x national best-selling author who works on the psychology of well-being. This episode provides science-backed insight into how to live a good life. We cover the development of positive psychology. We discuss optimizing your energy levels so you can really show up for life. The conversation progresses across creativity, personal mission and the education system. Finally, existential topics arise as we talk to Tom about his decades-long battle with cancer. This hour with Tom is a refreshing look at what really makes people happy and gives them a sense of meaning. We’re grateful for his time and we think this episode was special.

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/support

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31: Final Messages on Leadership and Life from a Dying Coach, with Performance Psychology Expert Dec 06, 2015

Show notes

We’re incredibly grateful today to have Master of Applied Positive Psychology Paddy Steinfort on the show to discuss his inspirational experience with beloved Aussie Football coach Dean Bailey. Paddy’s new book, Breakfast With Bails, presents some of the timeless wisdom on performance, leadership and life that made coach Bailey a sage and a beloved public figure in Australia. Paddy is himself a former professional Australian football player, who now works as a performance and leadership consultant for teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA football in the USA. We draw on Paddy’s expertise to learn about the psychological strategies of high performance professional athletes. We cover practical topics like mental toughness, mindfulness, creativity, emotional contagion, visualization, self-determination and leaving a legacy in sports and in life.

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