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Connection to Others
Episode
54

Are You Really an Introvert? Why Connection Is Trained, Not Inherited

September 8, 2026
50 min

Dave and Luke dig into the research on social connection, loneliness and long-term health, and on whether how social you are is actually fixed. Being around people is not the same as feeling connected.

Show Notes & Chapters

Is being an introvert something you are, or something you have practiced?

Dave and Luke turn to a pillar just as critical to mental fitness as connection to yourself: connection to others. They dig into the research linking strong social ties to long-term health, and into the studies on whether personality can actually change. The finding that matters most is that believing change is possible is what makes people willing to practice it.

Chapters

  • 00:00 Why Connection Matters. The role connection to others plays in mental fitness.
  • 04:43 Can You Change How Social You Are? What research suggests about personality, behavior, and becoming more social.
  • 14:34 The Labels We Give Ourselves. How the way we think about our personality can shape our behavior.
  • 20:47 What Builds Real Connection? A look at how relationships develop and deepen over time.
  • 32:22 Putting Connection Into Practice. A practical framework for becoming more intentional about connection.

Links and Resources