Cognitive neuroscientist, former White House Senior Advisor, and creator of the top podcast A Slight Change of Plans Dr. Maya Shankar joins the WHOOP Podcast this week. Maya has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience from Stanford where she studied decision making, a Ph.D. from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and a B.A. from Yale. Before she found her path as a neuroscientist, she was on a path to become a concert violinist, studying under the famed Itzhak Perlman. Her life took a turn, a story she shares as part of her podcast A Slight Change of Plans, which led her to study behavioral science. She sits down with VP of Performance Kristen Holmes to dive into what motivates us – and what can easily set us off track. This is an episode that dives deep into the science of changing our patterns of behavior, especially as it relates to our health.
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2:22 – Studying violin under Itzhak Perlman
5:41 – How a hand injury spurred what she calls identity foreclosure
8:48 – Her transition to neuroscience
10:31 – How she changed her own plans and found a new career path
17:14 – What the endowment effect is
18:22 – The benefits of the fresh start effect
23:44 – How to think about restarting after your goals have been derailed
25:29 – The best ways to cement new habits
29:43 – The power of data and behavioral science
31:11 – How to make good decisions
34:15 – The illusion of control
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