my favorite things from 2023

These are a few of my favorite reads, listens, and sources of laughs from 2023

It's become a tradition to share a few of my favorite things from the past year in my December newsletter. I hope this year’s list will help you discover some wonderful new reads, listens, and laughs, and I wish you and yours a fantastic holiday season!

My Favorite Cartoon of 2023
“Correlation vs. Causation” by Timo Elliott

My Favorite Essay of 2023
“The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe” by Dacher Keltner

This Atlantic article is an adapted excerpt from UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner’s wonderful recent book about awe. In this essay, Keltner explains what awe is, where his research has shown you can find it, and why you should make time to seek out awe.

My Favorite Research Paper of 2023
 “Seeing Your Life Story as a Hero’s Journey Increases Meaning in Life” by Benjamin A. Rogers, Herrison Chicas, John Michael Kelly, Emily Kubin, Michael S. Christian, Frank J. Kachanoff, Jonah Berger, Curtis Puryear, Dan P. McAdams, and Kurt Gray

This paper taught me that the “hero’s journey,” which appears in many of your favorite books (from Beowolf to Harry Potter) has seven key elements—a protagonist, a shift, a quest, allies, a challenge, a transformation, and a legacy. Rogers and his colleagues show that people who believe their personal story aligns more closely with such a hero’s journey are more satisfied with their lives. More interesting still, helping people rethink their life story as a hero’s journey leads them to see their lives as more meaningful.

Runner Up: “The Formality Effect” by Elizabeth Linos, Jessica Lasky-Fink, Chris Larkin, Lindsay Moore and Elspeth Kirkman shows that contrary to experts’ intuitions, formal government messages change our behavior more effectively than informal ones (because they seem more credible and trustworthy).

My Favorite Book of 2023
“Right Kind of Wrong” by Amy Edmondson

In this fabulous book (which the Financial Times named the best business book of 2023 for good reason), organizational psychologist and HBS professor Amy Edmondson offers evidence-based guidance on how to get better at failing. The book is packed with terrific stories and insights drawn from Amy’s decades of pathbreaking research on how to build psychologically safe cultures where people can fail without fear of reprisal and grow with each mistake.

My Favorite Podcast of 2023
“Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus”

In each episode of this amazing podcast, comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld and Veep fame) interviews iconic women in their 70s and 80s about lessons they’ve learned in life. The interviews with Jane Fonda and Amy Tan were probably my favorites, but there are gems in every episode. I am not the only person who fell hard for this amazing new podcast - it has been stacking up accolades of late. Be sure to put it in your queue!

My Favorite Tech Tool of 2023
Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster

You guessed this would be a fancy large language model, am I right? Well, those are cool too, but I had more fun with this delightful tool from Merriam-Webster that lets you find the words that were first used the year you were born (or the year you graduated from high school or became a parent… whatever floats your boat). I hope it will delight you as much as it has delighted me. I’m still reeling from learning I was born in the same year as the terms “pleather” and “party animal.”

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I hope you’ll enjoy exploring some of my favorite things. 

That’s all for this month’s newsletter. See you in the New Year!

Katy Milkman, PhD

Professor at Wharton, Host of Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab, and Bestselling Author of How to Change

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