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Being Well Podcast: Compassion, Power, and Human Nature with Dr. Dacher Keltner
December 14, 2020

Does power corrupt? Where does compassion come from? And do positive or negative emotions serve as the basis for our true nature? Today we’re exploring these questions with a world-class expert on emotion, power, and morality: Dr. Dacher Keltner.

About Our Guest: Dr. Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab. He’s also the founder and co-director of the Greater Good Science Center. Dr. Keltner is also the author of three books: Born to Be Good, The Compassionate Instinct, and most recently, The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence. 

Key Topics:

  • 2:15: What is an emotion, and how many emotions are there?
  • 7:45: The complex weave of positive emotions. 
  • 11:30: Why did we evolve positive emotions?
  • 15:00: The influence of compassion. 
  • 20:45: Power dynamics, and in-groups vs. out-groups.
  • 25:30: How and why power corrupts.
  • 33:30: Are we only nice to other people because we have to be?
  • 38:45: Finding awe in mystery. 
  • 44:00: Committing to daily practice. 

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