Ask a Harvard Psychologist

Doctor Gardner joined Kurt Andersen on stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival this past July for a session of free advice. He analyzes audience members’ big life-changing moments —  like deciding on marriage, deciding to stop drinking, and playing hooky from high school.

Dr. Gardner talks about the "little c" creativity and the "big C" creativity: "As many people know, 50-60 years ago there was someone, I believe he was called Doctor Bob, who himself underwent a change — stopped drinking — but then he created Alcoholics Anonymous, and that I would say would be a "big C" creativity because he transformed the minds and the behavior of thousands, perhaps millions of people.

"Many of us have those transformations of mind, which are very important for us, but where we might be somewhat different from an architect like a Frank Gehry or Frank Lloyd Wright, is to take the individual mind change and then to paint it on a very wide scale."

Tony Award-winning writer and performer Sarah Joneses challenges Dr. Gardner with some tough questions of her own.

PRI’s Peabody Award-winning "Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen" from WNYC is public radio’s smart and surprising guide to what’s happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt Andersen introduces you to the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy — so let "Studio 360" steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life.