Person
Every book Scott Barry Kaufman recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Scott Barry Kaufman has recommended or discussed 8 books on podcasts, as of May 29, 2025.
- Scott Barry Kaufman has talked about books on 3 podcasts, as of May 29, 2025.
- Those books came up in 4 episodes, as of May 29, 2025.
- The 3 books Scott Barry Kaufman has mentioned in the most episodes, as of May 29, 2025: The Body Keeps the Score, Building Community Among Adults of Different Generations and Generations.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Scott Barry Kaufman aired on May 29, 2025.
Updated
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Scott Barry Kaufman appears on, in one place — not just one.
Scott Barry Kaufman’s most recommended books
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- Building Community Among Adults of Different Generations by David Gene Vinzant
- Generations by Jean M. Twenge
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Successful Intelligence by Robert J. Sternberg
- The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff
- The elephant in the brain by Kevin Simler
- The Moral Animal by Robert Wright
Scott Barry Kaufman is an American cognitive scientist, author, podcaster, coach, popular science writer, and mentalist. His writing and research focuses on intelligence, creativity, and human potential. Most media attention has focused on Kaufman's attempt to redefine intelligence. Kaufman is founder and director of the Center for Human Potential and has taught courses at Columbia, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Kaufman discussed several notable books during his podcast appearances. On Modern Wisdom, he mentioned Jean M. Twenge's Generations to analyze cultural shifts and entitlement among youth. In the same conversation, he brought up The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt to discuss how younger generations feel unsafe around ideas and words, and he criticized Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score while arguing against the notion that trauma is physically stored in the body. On The Rich Roll Podcast, Kaufman mentioned Angela Duckworth's Grit while discussing his background at Penn and the concept of perseverance. On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, he noted that reading Robert J. Sternberg's Successful Intelligence during college sparked his interest in creativity and intelligence, and on Modern Wisdom he also noted reading Robert Wright's The Moral Animal.
Books recommended by Scott Barry Kaufman
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The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a comprehensive exploration of how trauma physically impacts the human mind and body.
Critiqued“Um this notion that trauma is stored in the body I don't think is scientifically accurate. You know, the body keeps the score is like the number one. It's been on the New York Times bestseller list.”
Where to get it
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Building Community Among Adults of Different Generations
Discussed“But there seems to have been a cultural shift among youth where um and Gene Twangi has has done a great analysis of this in her book generations. prior generation.”
Where to get it
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Generations
Jean M.
Discussed“and Gene Twangi has has done a great analysis of this in her book generations. prior generation.”
Where to get it
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Grit
Grit by Angela Duckworth is a popular exploration of passion, perseverance, and the long-term pursuit of difficult goals.
Discussed“I've had some great conversations with like Angela Duckworth who wrote a phenomenal book called, "Grit" about this because my office was right next door to hers when I was at Penn.”
Where to get it
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Successful Intelligence
Successful Intelligence by Robert J.
Discussed“just sophomore year in college i was reading i wrote the i read the book successful intelligence by robert sternberg”
Where to get it
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The Coddling of the American Mind
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt investigates how modern safetyism, declining childhood resilience, and the rapid rise of social media are negatively impacting the mental health and emotional development of younger generations.
Discussed“a lot of people feel unsafe around ideas, around words, you know. Oh, uh, that's become a thing in the younger generation as as as Jonathan Height and Greg Luciano have talked a lot lot about in coddling of the American mind.”
Where to get it
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The elephant in the brain
The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson is an insightful exploration of human behavior, hidden motives, and the unconscious evolutionary reasons behind why people act the way they do.
Discussed“the elephant the elephant in the brain Right and Paul bloom had this great quote as well when I spoke to him”
Where to get it
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The Moral Animal
The Moral Animal by Robert Wright is an influential exploration of evolutionary psychology that examines how natural selection has shaped human nature, morality, relationships, and social behavior.
Discussed“reading a book at the moment The moral animal by Robert Wright I just can't put the Sun down”
Where to get it
Books Scott Barry Kaufman wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
“But if if I gave only that message then there'd be no point in write writing the book rise above um because we also have an agency as you said to compensate to do what we need to not you know what what's it going to do to help you to say oh I have the genes for shortness I'm”
“I um you can buy Riseabove and hopefully any bookstore or online bookstore. And I have the Psychology Podcast.”
“Now that doesn't mean you're not doing things in the world. It means that you have certain habits of mind and certain habits of ways of acting and responding to the world that consistently moves you in the direction of greater creativity. Like openness to experience is a way of being.”
“scottbarrykaufman.com. But I have a book coming out this year called, "Choose Growth" that I think it'll help a lot of people. It's the workbook companion to "Transcend".”
“It's the workbook companion to "Transcend".”
“and that's what I tried to do in this book as well in that same spirit and show that full self-actualization is not just an individualistic pursuit”
“what I try to do in this this book is show that in order to transcend yourself you need a self that's transcended”