Your brain is changing all the time, whether you realize it or not. Everything from&nbsp;your hobbies and chores to the media you consume can physically shape it. So how can you make sure it&rsquo;s changing in ways that actually serve you? Laurie speaks with neuroscientist <a href="https://www.richardjdavidson.com/" data-airgap-id="10">Dr. Richard Davidson</a>, whose decades of work with the Dalai Lama helped pioneer the scientific study of meditation. Drawing on research with Buddhist monks, stressed-out school teachers, and others, Richie explains why psychological flourishing is a skill we can train, and how simple practices involving awareness, connection, insight, and purpose can help us become more resilient, focused, and fulfilled. His new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Born-Flourish-Science-Ancient-Thriving/dp/1668066238" data-airgap-id="11">Born to Flourish</a>, is out now. &nbsp; Experts Mentioned: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.richardjdavidson.com/" data-airgap-id="12">Richard Davidson</a>, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder and Director of the <a href="https://centerhealthyminds.org/" data-airgap-id="13">Center for Healthy Minds</a> at the University of Wisconsin&ndash;Madison</li> <li><a href="https://cortlanddahl.com/" data-airgap-id="14">Cortland Dahl</a>, Contemplative Scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin&ndash;Madison</li> <li><a href="https://www.dalailama.com/" data-airgap-id="15">14th Dalai Lama</a>, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.matthieuricard.org/en/" data-airgap-id="16">Matthieu Ricard</a>, Buddhist monk&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1965/jacob/biographical/" data-airgap-id="17">Fran&ccedil;ois Jacob</a>, Nobel Prize-winning biologist</li> </ul> &nbsp; Resources Mentioned: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Born-Flourish-Science-Ancient-Thriving/dp/1668066238/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CHFoDDIv-n9u2ZvSZFwFE78KVuGHPt8F0MZajnBjwNwHR_Xc4Bb2bHf7PJqFFlPU7dh3tTXu2kviYmAjOcg2N-Vr8EdiYyodsDMLzbaYOpvNILmL7UjBxve3YfRUSqNc2nfmZ4Cy_q7pLWPilxUXtxrx4vo4M-dfAcULgKsE8_NnuNvtr00WbL9PrYmY2F2wODHiCcoEEtP9Htam-q4QtvbEtvHK-74Ej9_ndTlFnJw.OU_xjilHt6Y8TalD7k99IFI6xJJ3D3ZfLW17bksrrrw&dib_tag=se&hvadid=778077574248&hvdev=c&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9060351&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=2134011542470597080--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2134011542470597080&hvtargid=kwd-2460680050021&hydadcr=20364_13639485&keywords=born+to+flourish+book&mcid=78f677841744347794a3168582b0c1fa&qid=1788969739&sr=8-1" data-airgap-id="18">Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving</a>, by Richard Davidson and Cortland Dahl (2026)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11252770/" data-airgap-id="19">Neurogenesis in the adult brain: death of a dogma</a>,&rdquo; by Charles Gordon Gross (Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2000)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-book-of-neurogenesis" data-airgap-id="20">The book of neurogenesis</a>,&rdquo; by Matthew Sloan (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26919273/" data-airgap-id="21">In pursuit of resilience: stress, epigenetics, and brain plasticity</a>,&rdquo; by Bruce McEwen (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2016)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014859117" data-airgap-id="22">The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing</a>,&rdquo; by Cortland Dahl, Christine Wilson-Mendenhall, and Richard Davidson (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.070039597" data-airgap-id="23">Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers</a>,&rdquo; by Eleanor Maguire, David Gadian, Ingrid Johnsrude, Catriona Good, John Ashburner, Richard Frackowiak, and Christopher Frith (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2000)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2412" data-airgap-id="24">Training induces changes in white-matter architecture</a>,&rdquo; by Jan Scholz, Miriam Klein, Timothy Behrens, and Heidi Johansen-Berg (Nature Neuroscience, 2009)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0407401101" data-airgap-id="25">Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice</a>,&rdquo; by Antoine Lutz, Lawrence Greischar, Nancy B. Rawlings, Matthieu Ricard, Richard Davidson (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36387982/" data-airgap-id="26">A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Smartphone-Based Well-Being Training in Public School System Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic</a>,&rdquo; by Matthew Hirshberg, Corrina Frye, Cortland Dahl, Kevin Riordan, Nathan Vack, Jane Sachs, Robin Goldman, Richard Davidson, and Simon B Goldberg (Journal of Educational Psychology, 2022)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23000783/" data-airgap-id="27">Altered anterior insula activation during anticipation and experience of painful stimuli in expert meditators</a>,&rdquo; by Antoine Lutz, Daniel McFarlin, David Perlman, Tim Salomons, and Richard Davidson (Neuroimage, 2013)</li> <li><a href="https://apple.co/4irVVDP" data-airgap-id="28">Healthy Minds Program</a> (meditation app)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022440521000881" data-airgap-id="29">Integrating mindfulness and connection practices into preservice teacher education results in durable automatic race bias reductions</a>,&rdquo; by Matthew Hirshberg, Lisa Flook, Evan Moss, Robert Enright, and Richard Davidson (Journal of School Psychology, 2022)</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12971069/" data-airgap-id="30">Sitting and Active Meditation Practice: Utilization and Associations with Outcomes in Naturalistic and Clinical Trial Data</a>,&rdquo; by Simon B Goldberg, Zishan Jiwani, Cortland J Dahl, Raquel Tatar, John D Dunne, Richard J Davidson, Matthew J Hirshberg (Mindfulness, 2026)</li> </ul> &nbsp; Related Episodes: <ul> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/how-to-find-your-purpose" data-airgap-id="31">How to Find Your Purpose</a>&rdquo;</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-power-of-awe-and-where-to-find-it" data-airgap-id="32">The Power of Awe&hellip; and Where to Find It</a>&rdquo;</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/happiness-lessons-of-the-ancients-socrates-and-self-knowledge" data-airgap-id="33">Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Socrates and Self-Knowledge</a>&rdquo;</li> <li>&ldquo;<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/how-to-adopt-a-growth-mindset" data-airgap-id="34">How to Adopt a Growth Mindset</a>&rdquo;</li> </ul>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

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