Discussing the Origins of Extraordinary Athletic Performance with David Epstein

Psychology December 29, 2014 / By Scott Barry Kaufman

SYNOPSIS

Bestselling author David Epstein discusses research on the complex interplay of nature and nurture in sports, how mentality propels success, how we assess potential, sex differences in sport, and why getting older doesn’t mean we can’t achieve greatness.

Baselines abilities vs. trainability
Common mistakes we make when judging potential
Genetic and other biological contributions to performance
The importance of self-reflection and personal accountability for development
How a vision of your future self can encourage goal realization
Sex differences at the highest levels of sport
Explaining cultural differences in performance

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Resources:

David’s website David’s book: The Sports Gene

The importance of falling in love with something- E. Paul Torrance

Groningen talent studies – Characteristics of talented soccer players

“David Epstein writes about sports science and medicine, Olympic sports, and is an investigative reporter. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Discover, Scientific American, Slate, The Washington Post, British GQ, National Geographic and The Guardian, among other publications. David has given lectures about the science of high performance on five continents, including a 2014 TED Talk. He is also very good at catching marshmallows in his mouth.” –blurb taken from http://thesportsgene.com

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Author

Scott Barry Kaufman

Scott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. He is interested in using his research to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. Scott likes to share his enthusiasm and knowledge of the science of potential through his books, teaching, coaching, podcast, blog, articles, and speaking engagements. In his latest book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Kaufman presents a new hierarchy of human needs for the 21st century, one that allows for the fulfillment of individual potential as well as the actualization of transcendent purpose and peak experiences. Kaufman hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world— The Psychology Podcast— which has received over 12 million downloads and was included in Business Insider’s list of “9 podcasts that will change how you think about human behavior.” Kaufman’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review. Kaufman’s early educational experiences made him realize the deep reservoir of untapped potential of students, including bright and creative children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability (see the free monthly webcast “Critical Conversations on Cognitive Diversity”). 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. Scott is a co-founder of The Creativity Post.

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