About this episode
Why does speaking up feel so terrifying even when we know we’re right? This week, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by happiness researcher and psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky (@sonjalyubomirsky) to overthink confrontation: why we avoid it, why we rehearse it endlessly in our heads, and why it so often feels riskier than staying silent. Together, they explore what confrontation does to our nervous systems, how fear of conflict gets tangled up with people pleasing and self worth, and when avoiding hard conversations actually costs us more in the long run. A gentle spiral about courage, communication, and learning to trust yourself enough to say the thing out loud.
Further Reading: How To Feel Loved by Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.
- To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.
- Pick up Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook.
Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Get every episode summarized
Each time Magical Overthinkers publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
