Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America Cover
Podcast Mentions

Bright-sided How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America

Barbara Ehrenreich

A sharp-witted knockdown of America's love affair with positive thinking and an urgent call for a new commitment to realism Americans are a "positive" people―cheerful, optimistic, and upbeat: this is our reputation as well as our self-image. But more than a temperament, being positive, we are told,...

Podcasts 2
Quotes 5
Get on Amazon Listen on Audible
Freakonomics Radio

Podcast

Freakonomics Radio

It was mentioned that this book was written in response to the author's cancer diagnosis, and the overabundance of positive thinking she encountered. It was also described as a 'knockdown' of positive psychology.

"

But she wrote another book called Bright Sided, which is a play on blindsided. And it came about because she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and she was suddenly being assaulted with all these opt...

— Episode: 489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?

Episode: 489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?

It was mentioned that this book was written in response to the author's cancer diagnosis, and the overabundance of positive thinking she encountered. It was also described as a 'knockdown' of positive psychology.

"

But she wrote another book called Bright Sided, which is a play on blindsided. And it came about because she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and she was suddenly being assaulted with all these optimistic and inspirational messages about, you know, keep your head up. Everything's going to be okay.

And it's a bit of a knockdown of the kind of work that you do. Yeah. And very explicitly a positive psychology.

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Podcast

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

It was mentioned briefly in relation to a movie based on the book, which was described as 'terrible'. It was mentioned in the context of a conversation about the Hunter Biden laptop story and how Republicans might use it.

"

Oh, you didn't see this? No, I didn't. Oh, go watch the movie trailer. Oh my god, it's really something...

— Episode: 8/29/22: Fed Policy, Trump Investigation...

Episode: 8/29/22: Fed Policy, Trump Investigation, New Poll...

It was mentioned briefly in relation to a movie based on the book, which was described as 'terrible'. It was mentioned in the context of a conversation about the Hunter Biden laptop story and how Republicans might use it.

"

Oh, you didn't see this? No, I didn't. Oh, go watch the movie trailer. Oh my god, it's really something...

Episode: 8/29/22: Fed Policy, Trump Investigation, New Poll...

It was mentioned during a discussion about the Hunter Biden laptop story and the media's efforts to suppress it, with a comment that a movie based on the book's subject is terrible.

"

Oh, you didn't see this? No, I didn't. Oh, go watch the movie trailer. Oh my god, it's really something.

...but you know, they're definitely for Republican state control the House and Senate, they're gonna be doing a whole Hunter Biden investigation if it wasn't for the insane crackdown and concerted like media effort to stifle any sort of conversation about this I don't know that all of this has the same energy that it does now.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.