Todd B. Kashdan Books

To understand how to dissent effectively, we must first grasp the formidable forces pushing us to conform. Human beings are social animals; our brains are wired to seek belonging as keenly as food and safety. Experiments from Solomon Asch to Stanley Milgram have shown that even when people perceive ...

From The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively

After acknowledging our conformist tendencies, we can ask: what allows some individuals to resist them? Moral courage arises from the union of conviction and compassion. It’s not the absence of fear; it’s the decision to prioritize integrity despite fear. People who display it—whistleblowers, reform...

From The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively

Let’s start by questioning a sacred cultural belief: the idea that happiness is the absence of sadness, anger, or fear. For decades, popular psychology has sold the promise that if you can just eliminate negativity, your life will shine. But when we look at the evidence, we find that this obsession ...

From The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self—Not Just Your 'Good' Self—Drives Success and Fulfillment

Many emotions we label as negative were designed by evolution to help us survive. Anger warns us when our boundaries are violated, fueling courage to confront injustice. Guilt helps maintain social bonds by signaling when we’ve harmed others. Anxiety sharpens attention, keeping us alert to threats o...

From The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self—Not Just Your 'Good' Self—Drives Success and Fulfillment