Scott Barry Kaufman
Ph.D., Cognitive Psychologist
Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., 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. In addition to writing the column Beautiful Minds for Scientific American, he also hosts The Psychology Podcast, and is author and/or editor of 9 books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire), and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. In 2015, he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider. Find out more at ScottBarryKaufman.com.
Rather than trekking up a mountain, a more accurate metaphor for human development involves navigating the waters of a choppy sea.
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6 min
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Standardized testing is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. It’s not totally useless, but it does misunderstand the situation. The Imagination Institute’s Scott Barry Kaufman suggests a more three-dimensional search for intelligence.
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5 min
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The IQ test is the most widely known measure of intelligence, but are the ‘twice exceptional’ and other gifted members of society slipping between the cracks?
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4 min
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Imagination Institute’s Scott Barry Kaufman talks brain networks – daydreaming, how to have better ideas, and the left-brained vs. right-brained myth.
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5 min
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Echoing the English psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, Scott Barry Kaufman explains why solitude is considered one of the greatest markers of psychological health.
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2 min
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Creativity takes places equally in the conscious and subconscious mind, and while popular definitions often emphasize intuition over rationality, you won’t have breakthroughs without both.
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4 min
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Passion is what fuels our skills and talents, allowing us to make concrete changes in the world. But not all passions are created equal, says cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman.
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4 min
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Creativity is the result of toggling between two main modes of thought. So what exactly are these modes and how do we take the middle path?
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4 min
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