Book Catherine to Speak at Your Next Event

Introducing Catherine Sanderson

Catherine speaks several times a month – both virtually and in person – for audiences ranging in size from 20 to 10,000, and for a variety of organizations with distinct speaking needs (e.g., keynote addresses, workshops, client events, etc.). Descriptions - and brief clips - of Catherine’s most popular talks are below. Some of her other talks include Understanding Flow: Why It Matters and How to Achieve It; Mental Health: What We Know (and What We Don’t); Understanding Intelligence: What it is, Where it Comes from, and How it Changes; Dogs and Humans: Why Has This Bond Been so Long-Lasting?, Understanding – and Reducing – Bias, and The Science of Resilience. Each talk is customized based on the particular needs of the organization and the audience.

Talks by Catherine

The Science of Happiness Talk by Catherine A. Sanderson — The Science of Happiness

This talk presents both surprising and not-so-surprising information on the science behind happiness. What role do money, marriage, friends, children, weather, age, and religion play in making us feel happier? Is happiness stable over time? How can happiness be increased? Professor Catherine Sanderson will describe cutting-edge research from the field of positive psychology on the factors that do (and do not) predict happiness, and provide participants with practical (and relatively easy!) ways to increase their own psychological well-being.

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Catherine-A-Sanderson-The-Science-of-Success-Talk-Amherst-College.jpg — The Science of Success: The Power of Emotional Intelligence, Growth Mindset, and Psychological Safety

Many people focus on the importance of cognitive intelligence in predicting academic and professional success. But empirical evidence suggests that other traits - including emotional intelligence (EQ) and a growth mindset – play a fundamental role in helping people achieve the best outcomes in their personal and professional lives. This talk examines the distinct components of EQ, how having a growth mindset helps you be a better colleague and leader, and how creating psychological safety - in which team members are able to speak up without fear of negative repercussions - improves team performance. Perhaps most importantly, this talk provides practical strategies for increasing your own EQ and cultivating a growth mindset, no matter your natural inclination.

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Merely Bystanders: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction

We are bombarded daily by news reports of bad behavior, from sexual harassment in the workplace to racist attacks on public transportation to bullying in schools. Although it’s easy to blame these acts on evil people, it’s far more complicated to understand why so many people fail to speak up in the presence of such behavior and how significant a role this silence plays in perpetuating the behavior itself. Using empirical research from psychology, biology, neuroscience, and economics, this talk examines the factors that lead most of us to stay silent in the face of bad behavior, and how the tendency to stay silent allows such acts to continue. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” Finally, this talk will describe how to overcome the very natural human tendency to remain bystanders and practical strategies for resisting such pressure in their own lives.

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The+Psychology+of+Good+and+Evil+Talk+by+Catherine+A.jpg — The Power of Mindset: How it Can Affect Your Health, Aging, and Happiness

We've all heard about the placebo effect – which explains why name-brand medicines work better than the generic stuff, even when they share the exact same ingredients. But did you know that the way we think about ourselves and the world around us dramatically impacts our health, how fast or slow we age, and even how long we live? In fact, people with a positive mindset about aging live on average 7.5 years longer than those without. That might sound alarming to those of us who struggle to see the bright side, but the good news is we can make surprisingly simple changes or small shifts to how we think, feel, and act that will really pay off. In this talk, Dr. Catherine Sanderson breaks down the science of thought and shows how our mindset—or thought pattern—exerts a substantial influence on physical health. Most importantly, this talk ends by giving specific strategies we can all use, no matter our natural tendency, to make minor tweaks in our thoughts and behaviors that will improve the quality and length of our lives.

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“The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another.”

— Ted Tripp

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Past and Current Clients

Upcoming Public EVENTs

No public events are currently scheduled, but you can watch videos of many of my prior talks through One Day University or check out my Introduction to Psychology course with Wondrium. My Instagram feed also provides regular information - and links to - various events I’ve done, including podcasts, radio interviews, and writing for Medium.