The Conflicting Mind: Psychology is Flourishing

I’ve been a little quiet the past few years as I’ve been hard at work on a new book, a book that challenged myself and editors to constantly re-evaluate our viewpoints and worldviews. Trust Your Mind is out on May 6th and addresses how group identity forms, self-silencing, vulnerability to extremism, debate skills and critical thinking, exiting groupthink and more; in the meantime, behind the scenes, I have been connecting with thinkers in the world of psychology whose work reflects its new flourishing — that is, individual researchers who are getting granular about what exactly is happening in our minds right now amidst terrible divisions. I’m so grateful, as many have endorsed my new book, and a few of us are also collaborating for upcoming literary events as they have new books coming out as well. As skeptical as I have been about the history and current state of psychology, I believe we are seeing a new wave of nuanced thinking and scrutiny that is now welcome in the mainstream and championed in publishing and social media alike. Without further ado, meet a few people and projects I’m excited about for the road ahead.

Ethan Kross

Ethan is one of the most insightful psychologists of our era; that was on full display in his first book, Chatter, where he examined the internal narrator and “voice” that we all live with in our head. I found the book tremendously helpful. His new book, Shift, takes on the subject of emotions — what they are and how to regulate them. In an era of heightened emotion, stoked by the internet and everyday encounters that we’ve lost the muscle for, understanding how our emotions arise is more important than ever. Ethan and I will be in conversation at the San Francisco Commonwealth Club World Affairs Council on February 7th — this will be an exciting evening and is likely to sell out so please book soon if you’re in town. Ethan is an award-winning professor and international bestselling author.

Kurt Gray

Kurt is a phenomenal researcher based at UNC Chapel Hill where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. His new book, Outraged, tells the story of how humans perceive harm and how we overlay moral judgment on top of our perceptions of threat. He is insightful and cross-disciplinary in his thinking, which I greatly appreciate. We will be in conversation on February 13th at UC Berkeley in partnership with Greater Good and Heterodox Academy. Looking forward to the stimulating afternoon — please book your seats soon as this will be an intimate event.

Below are what both authors shared about my upcoming book — it’s nice to feel that the respect and admiration are mutual :-)

“Trust Your Mind is a deeply human book that masterfully addresses one of the great problems of our times: how to thrive in an age where the threat of being “cancelled” leads people to self-silence in ways that stifle innovation and threaten authenticity. It not only explains the complex stew of social psychological forces that have gotten us to this point, but also provides readers with a science-informed blueprint for skillfully navigating the cultural headwinds they face. Compelling, lucid and timely, this book should be required reading for anyone who values the ability to speak their mind without fearing the consequences of doing so.” (Ethan Kross, International Bestselling Author of Shift and Chatter)

"Trust Your Mind is a bold call to think deeper and speak truer. Jenara Nerenberg shows how self-censorship holds us back from authentic connection and how to combat our habit of self-enforced silence for better conversations, a stronger society, and more personal resilience.” (Kurt Gray, author of OUTRAGED and director of the Deepest Beliefs Lab at UNC Chapel Hill)

There are more books out soon as well, including The Ideological Brain by Leor Zmigrod and Rise Above by Scott Barry Kaufman — both of whom I haven’t met yet but I’m sure our paths will cross!

A dear friend of The Neurodiversity Project, Dr. Joel Salinas, also has a fantastic new book out — by chance, while the focus of our first two books was neurology, synesthesia, and neurological diversity, his new book also looks at the nature of conflict in society and suggests practical tools for becoming more resilient in the face of disagreement, co-written with Robert Bordone. I enthusiastically endorsed Conflict Resilience:

"Conflict Resilience is a masterful, in-depth account of everyday conflict in which the authors share their original tools for finding greater connection amidst substantial disagreement. Knowing how to sit with uncertainty, find ease, and reach for the other side will be some of the most sought-after skills in the coming century, and Bordone and Salinas have delivered a grand gift in the form of their new book." — Jenara Nerenberg, journalist and author of Divergent Mind and Trust Your Mind

I hope to see you soon at an upcoming event and please say hi and let me know that you’re a subscriber.

I’m thrilled that more voices are finally coming forward within psychology to help us shed outdated narratives and norms where we can all engage with each other as the unique nuanced individuals we are. We need a whole lot more of that if we want to raise each other and our societies up to meet the lofty goals and standards of allowing one another to be truly free, beyond categories and limiting boxes.

See you soon,

Jenara