The Psychology of Outrage: Dr. Kurt Gray on Finding Common Ground cover art

The Psychology of Outrage: Dr. Kurt Gray on Finding Common Ground

The Psychology of Outrage: Dr. Kurt Gray on Finding Common Ground

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

In this episode, social psychologist Dr. Kurt Gray explains why outrage feels so constant in modern politics, and why it’s more real, more human, and more fear-based than we often assume.

Author of the book "Outraged", Kurt breaks down the steps to quell outrage and find moral ground. He describes why our brains are wired to fixate on harm and the role of social media in creating stress levels that mirror PTSD. He brings in findings from his research to explore why outrage can push people away from productive action.

The episode ends with an improv game where Kurt playfully reimagines how how famous stories might had gone differently if people had actually tried to understand eachother.

In the season finale, Scott and Allison learn from Kurt how to expertly bridge our strongest divides.

00:00 We live in the age of outrage
05:10 Is outrage real or performative?
09:45 How social media amplifies fear
14:30 Why our brains fixate on harm
18:55 What we’re really protecting
23:40 Villains, victims, and false binaries
28:30 How to meet people where they are
34:10 Why stories change minds more than data
40:05 Using humor to lower the temperature
47:30 Improv game: Rewriting famous conflicts

No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.