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To Be Happier, Edit the Stories You Live By

Gareth Williams/flickr creative commons

Since we are the narrators of our lives, we control our perspective in the stories we tell to make sense of the world. Psychology professor Timothy Wilson says in his book Redirect these tales we tell have a powerful reality, determining whether we will lead healthy, productive lives—or get ourselves into trouble. 

In the new paperback edition of his book, Dr. Wilson explains how to "redirect" the stories we tell about ourselves and the world around us. By using subtle prompts, tested on many groups, he learned that this "story editing" approach can make us happier, help us parent better, reduce prejudice, and even close the achievement gap in education.

Dr. Wilson's book Redirectis called "a masterpiece" by Malcolm Gladwell. Wilson is the Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he received the All-University Outstanding Teacher Award.

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GUEST:

  • Timothy Wilson – author of Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By

MUSIC:

  • “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
  • “Modul 15,” Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
  • ?“Modul 8_9 Iii,” Nik Bätsch’s Ronin
  • “Sun Will Set,” Zoë Keating

Lori Mack and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired April 6, 2015.

For more than 25 years, the two-time Peabody Award-winning Faith Middleton Show has been widely recognized for fostering insightful, thought-provoking conversation. Faith Middleton offers her listeners some of the world's most fascinating people and subjects. The show has been inducted into the Connecticut Magazine Hall of Fame as "Best Local Talk Show".

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