Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? Whether it’s an unexpected career shift, the loss of a lifelong dream, or the grief of a personal tragedy, cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar has spent her career studying how the human mind handles the "apocalypse" of change. In this episode of 10% Happier, Dan Harris sits down with Maya (host of A Slight Change of Plans and author of The Other Side of Change) to unpack the science-backed strategies for finding meaning when the world feels unmoored. Dr. Shankar shares her personal journey from being a Juilliard-trained violinist whose career ended in a single moment to her recent challenges with infertility and surrogacy. Together, they explore why we are so prone to "identity paralysis" and how the "End-of-History Illusion" prevents us from seeing the person we are capable of becoming. Key Insights & Techniques: • The "Why vs. What" Identity Anchor: Learn why decoupling your self-worth from your professional "what" and attaching it to your intrinsic "why" is the key to resilience. • The Shock Study Paradox: Understanding why our brains prefer certain negative outcomes over the 50/50 chance of uncertainty. • Affect Labeling & Mental Time Travel: Two neuroscientific techniques to stop a ruminative spiral in under five minutes. • The Case for Productive Denial: Why short-term distraction can sometimes be the healthiest "psychological immune response". About Dr. Maya Shankar: Dr. Maya Shankar is a renowned cognitive scientist and the creator and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans. She served as a senior policy advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and chaired the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, and served as the first behavioral science advisor to the United Nations. She is the author of the new book, The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans. Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ Timestamps: Identity Interrupted: From Juilliard to Infertility 00:00 The "Why vs. What" Identity Strategy 05:31 Beyond Toxic Positivity: The Self-Affirmation Exercise 13:46 The Illusion of Control and the 50/100 Shock Study 19:16 The End-of-History Illusion: Predicting the Future Self 23:56 Revelation Through Apocalypse: The Amnesia Case Study 31:11 Hypothesizing the Self: Challenging Your Beliefs 39:46 Rumination Rescue: Mental Time Travel and Affect Labeling 46:31 The Science of Awe and Productive Distraction 53:46 Psychological Distancing: The "Fly on the Wall" Technique 01:00:31 The Other Side: Finding Meaning in a New Reality 01:06:56 Thanks to our sponsors: CashApp: Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/oh9jnxlq #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct deposit and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.