What would it take to make your work environment more beautiful?

Many of us might instinctively think of adding something. Or we might treat the work environment as a backdrop and beauty as an accessory to it, not realizing how our spaces shape us. My guest today will help us rethink these tendencies.

Dr. Leidy Klotz is a behavioral scientist and engineering professor at the University of Virginia who studies how and why humans design.

He has written for the Washington Post, Fast Company, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review.

He is also the author of Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less and his recent book, In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive.

In this episode, we talk about:
Leidy's experience of beauty watching his son's soccer team
His career arc from professional soccer to behavioral science
Subtraction neglect and why our minds add before taking away
Simplifying complex physics down to the essence
Why jam-packed itineraries persist
The balance bike as a prime example of subtractive product innovation
How our physical surroundings shape our behavior, motivation, and well-being
The importance of agency, growth, and connection in the spaces where we live and work
The "space before screens" concept
Leidy's experience of learning the history of Memorial Gym at UVA as a source of beauty
Exercising agency within constrained physical spaces
Why we gravitate toward trivial decisions over complex, high-impact ones
The value of a "beauty audit" for noticing what we love in our spaces
How thoughtful environmental design fosters connection and belonging
Sense of collective agency in workspaces
The legacy of "Josie's Way"
Practical steps listeners can take to put themselves in a good place

To learn more about Leidy Klotz’s work, you can find him at:
https://leidyklotz.com/

Books and resources mentioned:
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less (by Leidy Klotz) - https://leidyklotz.com/subtract/
In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive (by Leidy Klotz) - https://leidyklotz.com/in-a-good-place/

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This season of the podcast is sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation. (https://www.templeton.org/)

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