Martin Seligman joins Neil Pasricha to discuss the idea that has come to unite nearly six decades of his work: agency, or the belief that people can influence what happens in their lives and futures.
Drawing from his research on helplessness, optimism, well-being, and human flourishing, Seligman explains why he sees agency as an important psychological driver of both individual action and broader human progress.
Seligman also shares the three books he considers among his most formative: Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, and Andrew Roberts’s Churchill: Walking with Destiny. Together, they reflect recurring themes in his work—human progress, the possibility of understanding large-scale patterns in history, resilience, courage, and the capacity to act rather than simply accept circumstances.
Key takeaways:
- Agency combines efficacy, optimism, and imagination: Seligman breaks agency into three parts. Efficacy is the belief that “I can achieve my goals in the here and now,” which leads people to actively try. Optimism is the belief that goals can still be changed or achieved in the future, which helps people persist and keep trying. Imagination expands the range of goals people can envision themselves achieving, creating room for innovation and new possibilities.
- Positivity can be practiced rather than simply possessed: Seligman says negativity comes more naturally than positivity and shares practical approaches for changing habitual responses.
- AI may expand human agency—but it also raises questions about skills and connection: Seligman describes AI as an unusually powerful collaborator in his research and writing, helping him analyze large bodies of text, challenge his arguments, and work through problems when he is stuck. At the same time, he cautions that young people could lose important writing skills if they rely on AI before learning to write well independently.
