Dr. Adam Dorsay hosts University of Virginia behavioral scientist and engineering/architecture professor Dr. Lediy Klotz to discuss Klotz’s book In a Good Place on how spaces affect psychology and how people can thrive by making small, actionable changes. They explore habituation and the idea that subtracting (removing obstacles, noise, or clutter) can improve environments, including using available outdoor space differently (like eating outside). Klotz emphasizes agency as a core psychological need, citing a nursing home study where residents allowed to customize their rooms were 50% more likely to be alive 18 months later, and discusses regaining agency when it’s constrained (e.g., sealed hotel windows). They examine space and dominance in negotiation and sports (goalkeepers, Emiliano Martínez), intentional design to foster interaction (Pixar), “space before screen,” and Klotz shares the loss of his daughter Josie and creating “Josie’s Way” as a memorial space.
00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched
00:28 Why Spaces Feel Good
00:47 Meet Dr Lediy Klotz
02:09 Arrive Early Hack
03:16 The Research Behind It
04:38 Five Years to Write
05:56 Spaces Shape Psychology
07:06 Small Tweaks Big Control
09:04 Subtract to Improve Space
10:04 Eat Outside Reframe
12:08 Designing Outdoor Space
12:56 Office Choices and Agency
15:33 Defining Agency in Space
16:55 Soccer and Agency Lessons
18:31 Goalie Mindset and Space
20:18 Owning the Penalty Area
22:22 Agency Life or Death Study
24:18 Mandela Garden Agency
25:40 Churchill Shapes Commons
26:49 Designing Serendipity
30:01 Digital vs Real Space
31:17 Space Before Screen
32:41 Grief and Boundaries
35:18 Josies Way Memorial
38:50 Spirit Lives in Stories
40:22 Josie Joke Punchline
43:49 Miracle Skill Reaction
46:25 Closing Thanks Farewell
Helpful Links:
Lediy Klotz, PhD
Lediy Klotz, PhD Linked
InIn a Good Place Book
