Tyler Cowen: belief

Transcript context

…I very much think you’re right. Asking someone charismatic how to be charismatic — someone truly charismatic — if you asked Bill Clinton, who, regardless of what you think about politics, does have natural charisma, I think it’d be like asking von Neumann, “How do you multiply five-digit numbers in your head?” It obviously comes easily to them. Someone like me, who’s just trying to learn and certainly doesn’t have that natural gift — the idea of not trying to necessarily copy, but to just load that person’s cartridge into your mind is helpful. I think a lot of people — certainly my parents — viewed TV as a pejorative. But to the extent that you can really grow up today on YouTube, watching the most charismatic people at all times — that’s got to have somewhat of a positive effect if you can intelligently osmose, not exactly copy, but emulate what they’re doing. I think just learning to channel your own enjoyment and be willing to let it show. I’ve been a teacher, professor most of my life. The way you teach people well — of course, you have to explain it properly — but it’s for them see that you care. Even bad students are such a wonderful audience for understanding if you don’t care. They sniff it out so quickly and so smartly that you are sunk right away. Yes, almost everyone seems to have a System One talent detection thing or mood detection thing. You always sense it, like in a meeting. Someone comes in who’s always effervescent and bubbling and happy and laughing, and you really feel the mood change. It’s important to try and be that type of person because, I think, all humans really pick up on that extremely quickly.…

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