EP 584: The Lake Wobegon Effect + The Objectivity of Self Awareness

Garrison Keillor describes the fictional Lake Wobegon as a place where ‘All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.’ Psychologists have coined the phrase ‘The Lake Wobegon Effect’ to describe the way in which humans tend to overestimate their abilities and characteristics against the rest of society. In short, we all think we’re above average. But because it is impossible for all of us to be above average, we wind up knocking each other down in what psychologists call ‘Downward Social Comparison.’ In the first segment of today’s episode, I talk about the harm that all this negativity does to us and how to use the practice of compassion to overcome these unwanted impacts. In segment two, I discuss how the deepening of self-awareness offers us the ability to see the activity of our minds - thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations - as though we’re watching it all happen on a tv screen. Even better, it’s like we’re holding the remote control and always have the ability to simply pause and come back to a regulated place. I hope you enjoy! https://youtu.be/zt7BHMm2njU If you would like to learn more about these practices I talk about, I encourage you to get in touch. Some people are well capable of developing these skills on their own, but most of us need a little guidance, motivation, and accountability in order to stick with it long enough for the skills to take root as habits. If you feel like you could use some coaching, your first session is on me. In fact, I’ve already bought the first session for you! All you have to do is claim it. And you can do that by clicking this link: https://calendly.com/artburns/45-min-coaching-session Coaching can be one of the most rewarding and life-changing experiences a person can have! And I have several reviews to back this statement up. (you can read them here): https://business.google.com/reviews/l/12036371216006319741?hl=en It may be far more powerful and far less expensive than you think, but the only way to find out for sure is to click the calendar link above and see for yourself!