How to give up control - advice from neuroscientist Heather Berlin
About this episode
Heather Berlin is a a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and professor of psychiatry and neuroscience who studies the science of giving up control. She joins Chris to talk about finding the balance between knowing when to hold on to control and when to let go and be present in the moment. They also discuss why you don’t need to always be productive or in a constant state of self-optimization, and how there are benefits in learning to lose track of time and practicing boredom.
Featured guest
- Follow Heather Berlin on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://heatherberlin.com/
- Buy Heather's book The Fine Art of Losing Control
- Tune in to Heather's TED Talk, coming soon in November 2026
Connect with the team
- Follow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.com
- Buy Chris’ book, Humor Me
- Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
- Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts
Fill out our survey at bit.ly/BHSurvey6
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time How to Be a Better Human 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
More from How to Be a Better Human
Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories? | from Better In Person
How to Be a Better Human
Summer Fridays: How zombies, dragons, and superheroes could make you a better pe...
How to Be a Better Human
How to be creatively inspired (w/ Hrishikesh Hirway)
How to Be a Better Human
Summer Fridays: The art of paying attention (w/ Wendy MacNaughton and Laurel Bra...
How to Be a Better Human