<p><span style="color: #333333;">In this episode, Sam Harris, neuroscientist, author, and host of the Making Sense Podcast, joins Peter to discuss this unprecedented coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The discussion includes the important distinction between COVID-19 and influenza, the impact on the economy, the dire situation in New York, and the challenge of creating a safe and effective vaccine. Additionally, Sam brings insights from his extensive meditation practice to help those struggling with stress, anxiety, and fear in this extraordinary situation.<br /> <br /> We discuss:<br /></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="color: #333333;">A time unlike any other—why many people don't seem to fully grasp the magnitude of this situation [2:00];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">Why comparing COVID-19 to influenza is a bad analogy [10:45]<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">The impact on the economy of measures like shelter-in-place—Is the "cure" worse than the disease? [16:45];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">Why are some places, like New York, getting hit so much worse? [24:45];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">The trickle down effect of an overrun healthcare system on non-COVID-19 related health issues [34:45];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">How to calm our minds and manage our emotions during this craziness [38:00];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">Talking to kids about this situation without burdening them with undue stress [50:15];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">Insights from meditation practice—Recognize and unhook yourself from a heightened emotional state [52:00];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">How to make the most of a situation where you let your emotions get the best of you [59:15];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">What are some potential positive things that Sam hopes could be learned from this crisis and applied to the future? [1:09:30];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">The unfortunate politics being layered on top of this crisis [1:15:30];<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">The challenge of creating a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 [1:20:00]; and<br /></span></li> <li><span style="color: #333333;">More.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="color: #333333;">Learn more: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/">https://peterattiamd.com/</a><br /> <br /> Show notes page for this episode: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/samharris2">https://peterattiamd.com/samharris2</a><br /> <br /> Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/">https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/</a><br /> <br /> Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: <a href="https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/">https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/</a><br /> <br /> Connect with Peter on <a href="http://Facebook.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Faceboo</u></a><u>k</u> | <a href="http://Twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Twitter</u></a> | <a href="http://Instagram.com/PeterAttiaMD"><u>Instagram</u></a>.<br /></span></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Emotional Agility with Mindfulness
Practice mindfulness to observe and feel emotions like anxiety without judgment, shortening their duration and reducing their psychological impact. This allows you to disengage from unnecessary mental suffering.
2. Release Unproductive Negative Emotions
Consciously let go of fear, anxiety, or shame once they no longer serve a useful purpose, recognizing that most moments spent in these emotions are unproductive and detract from well-being.
Cultivate the ability to immediately halt negative emotional reactions or behaviors upon recognition, whether through self-awareness or a cue from a trusted partner. This helps you respond constructively rather than reactively.
4. Address Uncertainty with Action
When faced with uncertainty, actively determine what you believe to be true and what actions you should take; once a decision is made, release the associated anxiety and proceed with your plan.
5. View Missteps as Growth Opportunities
When you make a mistake or feel shame, use it as an opportunity to practice mindfulness, disidentify from the ‘illusion of self,’ and focus on repairing relationships through sincere apologies.
6. Practice Honest & Measured Communication with Children
Be honest with children about difficult situations without oversharing anxiety-inducing details; instead, equip them with ‘adult-grade tools’ for understanding probability and risk.
7. Cultivate a Supportive Partnership
Foster a relationship with your spouse or partner where they understand your emotional regulation practices and can provide timely cues to help you pause and respond constructively in stressful moments.
8. Avoid Unnecessary Physical Risks
During times of crisis or strain on healthcare systems, consciously avoid activities that carry a significant risk of physical injury to prevent needing medical attention and burdening hospitals.
9. Appreciate Nuance and Uncertainty
Embrace the inherent nuance and uncertainty of life, and actively work to develop tools and ways of thinking that help you manage risk and make informed decisions in complex situations.
10. Identify and Appreciate ‘Silver Linings’
Actively look for and take stock of the unexpected positive aspects or ‘silver linings’ that emerge during challenging circumstances, and consider integrating these lessons into your life moving forward.
11. Document Crisis Lessons Learned
For future preparedness, systematically capture and document all lessons learned during a crisis, including what went wrong and what worked, to avoid repeating mistakes.
12. Cultivate Complex Truth-Holding
Practice the mental flexibility to simultaneously hold seemingly incompatible truths or perspectives without resorting to political dogmatism, especially when discussing complex societal issues.
13. Advocate for Preparedness & Decentralized Response
As an informed citizen, advocate for government and institutional preparedness for predictable disasters and support decentralized, city-specific approaches to crisis management.
14. Acknowledge Emotional Biases in Risk
Recognize that personal emotions and superficial differences can distort rational assessments of risk, and strive to make judgments based on objective data and statistics where possible.
15. Hold Countries Accountable for Practices
Advocate for international pressure on countries to cease dangerous cultural practices (e.g., wet markets that house wild species) that pose global health risks.