#47: Scott Kaufman - Understanding the human needs, finding meaning in life and pursuing life goals

How do you pursue the right goals and find meaning in life? Pretty big questions. My guest in the episode, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a big name globally in the humanistic psychology space and has a suggestion on this from a psychological standpoint. In our enchanting conversation, Dr. Kaufman told me what got him into psychology and described his most monumental rework of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In this conversation, Dr. Kaufman reveals segments of his last book where he updates the common understanding of Maslow’s theory by exploring less-well-known writings of Maslow’s, and also by incorporating more recent empirical psychological studies. He suggests the more dynamic model that complements the modern fast pace of living, incorporating some standard basic security needs then expanding into more creative and dynamic capabilities. It’s an interesting take on the importance of appreciating that the nature of our lives is constantly changing and I really hope that this talk will help all kinds of minds to live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Scott received a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University, and an M. Phil in experimental psychology from the University of Cambridge under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. In 2015, he was named one of “50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider. Show Notes 0:30 Introduction to Scott Barry Kaufman 1:37 Dr. Barry Kaufman’s journey to Psychology and human potential 2:55 Updating Maslow's hierarchy of needs 7:05 What does it mean to become the best version of yourself 10:45 Be more, Do less state of life 13:13 How to be more passionate about the things you are doing 16:05 Getting to the stage of being the best version of yourself 18:55 Benefits of Gratitude Journaling Practice 21:20 Pointers for pursuing the right goals 28:02 Surprises that Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman encountered while working on his latest book 31:03 The real meaning of happiness 32:20 Connect with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman 34:50 Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman advice on how to satisfy our needs Connect with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman https://scottbarrykaufman.com/ Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAvfZQ3r24F-V1JYqn2pfXg Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbkaufman Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ScottBarryKaufman Resources Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman’s books: Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49625550-transcend Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24611590-wired-to-create Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16043513-ungifted The Psychology of Creative Writing https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6621403-the-psychology-of-creative-writing NeuroLeadership Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtEIKKfhSaI Scott’s TEDx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih5caeD06ms CONNECT WITH MADS MISIAK FRIIS https://growthisland.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madsmfriis/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsmf/ Find the episode at: 🖥️Website at Growth Island 🎧Your favorite podcast app under Growth Island 🎥Youtube under Growth Island If you like today’s episode, then please subscribe and leave a review so more people can learn about the podcast Proudly brought to you in collaboration with KRING and Nuna www.kring.com – a venture studio focused on building impact companies within the industries of Health, Wellbeing and Energy. www.nuna.ai – your personal coach utilizing artificial intelligence to help you structure your thoughts and feel great.