Wisdom

He and colleagues at UC San Diego tackled the problem from a few different angles. They also synthesized the opinions of 27 wisdom researchers in fields including gerontology, sociology, psychology and psychiatry. Finally, the team went back to the Gita and used text-analyzing software and statistics to sift out definitions of wisdom from that ancient work.

When Jeste compared the three approaches, he found they yielded surprisingly similar results. When it comes to wisdom, Jeste found, both modern science and ancient philosophy point to six key qualities. Jeste and his colleagues devised a wisdom scale, called SD-WISE, based on 24 statements, four statements for each of the six components of wisdom.

They administered the scale online to randomly selected people in San Diego, ages 21 to You can see the full list of statements at the end of this piece. For comparison, other subjects were given two other wisdom tests. Subjects were also given eight tests of emotional and mental well-being. Wisdom, as measured by this new test, seems to be associated with happiness. Someday, Jeste hopes that science might be able to help us increase our own wisdom.

Treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy or smartphone-based tools can teach people to notice less-than-wise impulses such as letting your emotions get out of control , question them and choose a wiser reaction. Here are the questions from the San Diego Wisdom Scale. This is not a scoreable test, but you can look at the statements, think about how they apply to you, and what you might work to improve.

What does science tell us about wisdom?

I am good at perceiving how others are feeling. Others look to me to help them make choices. Others say I give good advice. I have trouble making decisions. I usually make decisions in a timely fashion. I tend to postpone making major decisions as long as I can. I would rather someone else make the decision for me if I am uncertain. I have trouble thinking clearly when I am upset. I remain calm under pressure.

I am able to recover well from emotional stress. I cannot filter my negative emotions. I take time to reflect on my thoughts. It is important that I understand the reasons for my actions. I have a difficult time keeping friendships. I avoid situations where I know my help will be needed. I would stop a stranger who dropped a twenty-dollar bill to return it. I treat others the way I would like to be treated. On Wisdom features a social-cognitive scientist in Toronto and an educator in London discussing the latest empirical science regarding the nature of wisdom.

The podcast thrives on a diet of freewheeling conversation on wisdom and decision-making, and includes regular guests spots with leading behavioural scientists from the field of wisdom research and beyond.

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Welcome to The On Wisdom Podcast. Is our capacity for wise behaviour determined not just by our psychology but also by our physiology? And can our own bodies actually be physically affected by other people's emotions? Wendy Berry Mendes joins Igor and Charles to discuss the interaction between the psychological and physiological processes underpinning wise behaviour, exploring 'challenge vs threat' stress responses, vagal flexibility, affect contagion, and the physiology of social sensitivity and good judgement.

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Igor wants to know how to stay calm before dance competitions, Wendy shares tales of stressing out unsuspecting young mothers and their babies, and Charles learns of the hidden upsides to mind-body meltdowns. Welcome to Episode Can philosophers and psychologists work together to guide us towards living wisely? In pursuing the good life, can too much reflection be dangerous?

Might philosophers have downplayed the importance of getting lost in experience? Valerie Tiberius joins Igor and Charles to discuss positive illusions, values integration, bearing our own reflective survey, and the perils of excessive introspection. Welcome to Episode 9. One thing we all seem to agree on is that empathy is an unmitigated good.

But what if we are wrong? Might some forms of empathy actually be dangerous for society, biasing preferences towards those that look like us, or even those we find attractive? Are horrific acts of cruelty made palatable by dehumanising the victims, or is the truth actually much worse? And how can social media turn do-gooders into deliverers of unlimited vengeance? Paul Bloom takes Igor and Charles for a walk on the dark side, exploring the treacherous hidden terrain of empathy, harmless torturers, aggregate cruelty and third-party punishment. Igor calls for tech companies to start hiring moral philosophers, Paul raises moral objections to loving your own children, and Charles has his mind blown and heart crushed by a revelatory, yet even darker, interpretation of human cruelty.

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Welcome to Episode 8. Why do we spend so much time telling stories - about ourselves, about each other, even about fictional characters?

Why do older people feel compelled to share their hard-earned wisdom with younger people? And do the younger people actually get anything from these exchanges? Nic Weststrate joins Igor and Charles to pull apart the real reasons we share stories.

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We discuss exploratory and redemptive processing of life-shattering events, the complex motivations behind Holocaust survivors recounting of the Jewish refugees on the St. Louis ship at the U. Igor questions the role of the omnipresent Netflix storytelling machine. Nic suggests that greater tolerance around sexuality can rob people of their once revolutionary identities. Charles learns that, when our lives are broken, we may have to choose between the path to wisdom and the path to happiness.

Welcome to Episode 7. If a typical white family in the US has dollars, how many dollars does a typical black US family have? Why are we so bad at guessing levels of inequality in society? How much of a role does your class play in preventing wise decision-making? Are upper and middle-class people especially bad at taking wise decisions?

Why does more education equate to less wise reasoning in interpersonal affairs?