Latest news with #OlgaKhazan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The science of redesigning your personality
For years, Olga Khazan, a Virginia-based staff writer at The Atlantic, knew she had a big problem: she hated much of her own personality. "I was constantly worried about everything," she said. "Just never living in the moment. And I didn't really like doing anything fun with other people. Just wasn't my thing." How might she function at a party? "I would kind of stand off to myself, and honestly, sometimes just, like, read articles on my phone or just basically not engage," she laughed. Not surprisingly, a lot of folks didn't want to engage with Khazan, either. "One person called me a pressure addict, that I was sort of obsessed with working, and just doing as much work as possible, and never taking a minute to appreciate life," she said. "One person told me that she was kind of afraid of me when we worked together." Predictably, when she took a personality test four years ago, she was off the charts – way off – in neuroticism, or negative emotions … not that she hadn't tried to find help: "This whole time I'd been in therapy," Khazan said. "I had taken different medications. I did yoga. And I did all the self-care things. Nothing was truly working." Frustrated, Khazan set out to do something much more radical: She vowed to redesign her whole personality. "I decided to spend a year trying to change my personality traits," she laughed. Professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala described one's personality as "your characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It's how you think about your behavior and how you act." I asked, "I always assumed that once you had reached a certain age, your personality was your personality?" "That really is, I think, the prevailing way to think about personality, but it doesn't line up with our science," Sauer-Zavala replied. Personality science is her specialty, and her research at the University of Kentucky could be a game-changer for how we approach mental health issues. She says data tells us it is possible to scientifically change your personality, and that, with the right intervention, introverts can become extroverts … sloppy people can get neater … slackers can gain ambition … and anxious people can learn to be calm. "In my almost 20 years of treating people with anxiety disorders, I've seen dramatic changes in 12, 16, 20 weeks," Sauer-Zavala said. Step one is a baseline personality test, which asks questions such as: "I sometimes manipulate people into doing what I want." The next step is forcing yourself to act the opposite of how you normally would. If you're shy, make conversations. If you're messy, make the bed. Sauer-Zavala said, "When we make intentional changes to our thinking, our feeling, and our behaviors, and we maintain those changes over time, then we're essentially shifting our personality. We're changing the way we're gonna fill out those bubbles on the personality questionnaire." "So, you consciously adopt the behavior of the personality that you think you want?" I asked. "You make it sound easy." "It's not easy," Sauer-Zavala replied. "The principles are simple, but the execution is difficult." It wasn't easy for Olga Khazan, the lifelong introvert. Among other strategies to tackle her social anxiety, she enrolled in an improv class with total strangers … something completely outside her comfort zone. "I was very, very scared," she said. "Probably for the first three or four months that I did it, my heart was really beating in my chest, and I was deeply uncomfortable." What about it scared her? "I didn't like looking silly!" she laughed. Murphy McHugh, who was Khazan's improv teacher, said, "For me, doing improv was a life-changing thing. I opened up socially. I became a better listener, a better collaborator." He said as Khazan continued coming to class, he noticed changes in her: "Relaxing, a little bit less of the cross-armed body language. You see someone relaxed, you see their shoulders drop. You see them laughing, and coming into scenes with an idea." Along with improv, Khazan meditated, went sailing, took conversation classes, and kept a journal, as she describes in a new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." "Journaling kind of helps you focus on some of the more positive elements of your life that, if you're very neurotic, you tend to kind of gloss over or forget," she said. I asked, "Is this a case of fake it 'til you make it?" "Yeah, it is fake it 'til you make it," Khazan said. "Because if you think about it, anything is gonna feel fake if it feels new, right? Anything that you're not accustomed to doing is gonna feel really unnatural. But the only way to make it natural is to do it over and over and over again" "And just incorporate it in who you are?" "Exactly." Today, Khazan is happily married, with a 14-month-old baby. As for that personality she once so disliked, she said, "I feel like I am a different person today than I was three years ago. I think I genuinely have a different way of living my life, and approaching problems, than I did before." So, what advice does Shannon Sauer-Zavala have for everyone watching with completely unsatisfactory personalities? "Not to get stuck in a personality-type box," she said. "Think about the life that you want to have, and then know that you can intentionally develop the traits that will facilitate that journey for you." READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" For more info: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan (S&S/Simon Element), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Khazan, The AtlanticShannon Sauer-Zavala, associate professor, Department of Psychology, University of KentuckyDC Arts Center Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Ed Givnish. See also: Introverts and the making of a "Quiet Revolution" ("Sunday Morning") Would you go on a retirement cruise? A Civil War landmark in downtown D.C. Life within Naples' volcanic "red zone" Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
The science of redesigning your personality
For years, Olga Khazan, a Virginia-based staff writer at The Atlantic, knew she had a big problem: she hated much of her own personality. "I was constantly worried about everything," she said. "Just never living in the moment. And I didn't really like doing anything fun with other people. Just wasn't my thing." How might she function at a party? "I would kind of stand off to myself, and honestly, sometimes just, like, read articles on my phone or just basically not engage," she laughed. Not surprisingly, a lot of folks didn't want to engage with Khazan, either. "One person called me a pressure addict, that I was sort of obsessed with working, and just doing as much work as possible, and never taking a minute to appreciate life," she said. "One person told me that she was kind of afraid of me when we worked together." Predictably, when she took a personality test four years ago, she was off the charts – way off – in neuroticism, or negative emotions … not that she hadn't tried to find help: "This whole time I'd been in therapy," Khazan said. "I had taken different medications. I did yoga. And I did all the self-care things. Nothing was truly working." Frustrated, Khazan set out to do something much more radical: She vowed to redesign her whole personality. "I decided to spend a year trying to change my personality traits," she laughed. Professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala described one's personality as "your characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It's how you think about your behavior and how you act." I asked, "I always assumed that once you had reached a certain age, your personality was your personality?" "That really is, I think, the prevailing way to think about personality, but it doesn't line up with our science," Sauer-Zavala replied. Personality science is her specialty, and her research at the University of Kentucky could be a game-changer for how we approach mental health issues. She says data tells us it is possible to scientifically change your personality, and that, with the right intervention, introverts can become extroverts … sloppy people can get neater … slackers can gain ambition … and anxious people can learn to be calm. "In my almost 20 years of treating people with anxiety disorders, I've seen dramatic changes in 12, 16, 20 weeks," Sauer-Zavala said. Step one is a baseline personality test, which asks questions such as: "I sometimes manipulate people into doing what I want." The next step is forcing yourself to act the opposite of how you normally would. If you're shy, make conversations. If you're messy, make the bed. Sauer-Zavala said, "When we make intentional changes to our thinking, our feeling, and our behaviors, and we maintain those changes over time, then we're essentially shifting our personality. We're changing the way we're gonna fill out those bubbles on the personality questionnaire." "So, you consciously adopt the behavior of the personality that you think you want?" I asked. "You make it sound easy." "It's not easy," Sauer-Zavala replied. "The principles are simple, but the execution is difficult." It wasn't easy for Olga Khazan, the lifelong introvert. Among other strategies to tackle her social anxiety, she enrolled in an improv class with total strangers … something completely outside her comfort zone. "I was very, very scared," she said. "Probably for the first three or four months that I did it, my heart was really beating in my chest, and I was deeply uncomfortable." What about it scared her? "I didn't like looking silly!" she laughed. Murphy McHugh, who was Khazan's improv teacher, said, "For me, doing improv was a life-changing thing. I opened up socially. I became a better listener, a better collaborator." He said as Khazan continued coming to class, he noticed changes in her: "Relaxing, a little bit less of the cross-armed body language. You see someone relaxed, you see their shoulders drop. You see them laughing, and coming into scenes with an idea." Along with improv, Khazan meditated, went sailing, took conversation classes, and kept a journal, as she describes in a new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." "Journaling kind of helps you focus on some of the more positive elements of your life that, if you're very neurotic, you tend to kind of gloss over or forget," she said. I asked, "Is this a case of fake it 'til you make it?" "Yeah, it is fake it 'til you make it," Khazan said. "Because if you think about it, anything is gonna feel fake if it feels new, right? Anything that you're not accustomed to doing is gonna feel really unnatural. But the only way to make it natural is to do it over and over and over again" "And just incorporate it in who you are?" "Exactly." Today, Khazan is happily married, with a 14-month-old baby. As for that personality she once so disliked, she said, "I feel like I am a different person today than I was three years ago. I think I genuinely have a different way of living my life, and approaching problems, than I did before." So, what advice does Shannon Sauer-Zavala have for everyone watching with completely unsatisfactory personalities? "Not to get stuck in a personality-type box," she said. "Think about the life that you want to have, and then know that you can intentionally develop the traits that will facilitate that journey for you." READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" For more info: Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Ed Givnish. See also:
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 20)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Hosted by Jane Pauley COVER STORY: The science of redesigning your personalityWriter Olga Khazan was unhappy with the person she was – anxious, obsessed with work, unable to have fun, and constantly worried about things. And when therapy, medications and self-care failed to work for her, Khazan decided a more radical approach was needed: she vowed to redesign her personality. Khazan talks with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Susan Spencer about the surprising steps she took to live outside her comfort zone – a journey she documented in her new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." Spencer also talks with University of Kentucky professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala about how it's possible to change seemingly intractable personality traits. READ AN EXCERPT: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change"Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan, a lifelong introvert, set out to change aspects of her personality she didn't like by forcing herself outside of her comfort zone. How about trying improv comedy? For more info: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" by Olga Khazan (S&S/Simon Element), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Khazan, The AtlanticShannon Sauer-Zavala, associate professor, Department of Psychology, University of KentuckyDC Arts Center ALMANAC: July 20"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. WORLD: Life within Naples' volcanic "red zone"There has been increasing volcanic activity around Naples, Italy (with around two thousand earthquakes in February alone). Just 30 miles west of Mount Vesuvius lies Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera that stretches for 125 miles underneath urban areas, where half a million people now live. Correspondent Seth Doane talks with scientists monitoring this activity. For more info: National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy U.S.: A Civil War landmark in downtown little-known landmark in Washington, D.C., is an inconspicuous building that was the site of a revolutionary effort at the end of the Civil War – one that changed the military ever since – where Clara Barton worked to locate thousands of soldiers missing or dead. Correspondent Falie Salie visits the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. For more info: Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, Washington, of Congress Manuscript Reading RoomPhotos and footage courtesy of OLBN and Coronation Media/NMCWM BOOKS: Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"British-born restaurateur Keith McNally opened such popular New York City institutions as the Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led to a suicide attempt two years later. It also led him to take to social media, and pen an irreverent memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything." He talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about overcoming public embarrassment about his condition, and the importance of having a hamburger on the menu. READ AN EXCERPT: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally For more info: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and McNally on InstagramBalthazar, New YorkThe Odeon, New YorkPastis, New YorkMinetta Tavern, New YorkMorandi, New York PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. TV: Bridget Everett on how she ended up as "Somebody, Somewhere"Actress and cabaret star Bridget Everett put her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, on the map with "Somebody, Somewhere." Everett was a writer, producer and lead actor in the Peabody Award-winning HBO series about a Midwestern woman returning home and working through grief. Correspondent Luke Burbank visited Everett in Manhattan, to talk about her surreal journey, and about a show whose characters can be hopeless and hopeful in the same moment. For more info: Somewhere" (HBO/Max)Thanks to Joe's Pub, New York City, and The Chef, Manhattan, Kansas HARTMAN: The Carousel of HappinessWhile under fire during the height of the Vietnam War, Marine Corporal Scott Harrison got through those dark days thanks in no small part to a vision he had, of a carousel in a mountain meadow. Years later, he bought a broken-down carousel, and made his vision a reality. Today, in Nederland, Colorado, his non-profit Carousel of Happiness is on a mission to spread joy. Correspondent Steve Hartman reports. For more info: The Carousel of Happiness, Nederland, Colo. TV: What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates?Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, who sat down with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about some of her most memorable stage and screen roles, from "Misery" to "Matlock," learned a startling fact about her relationship with her mother the night she won the Oscar. (Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2024.) For more info: "Matlock" on CBS and Paramount+ THESE UNITED STATES: Yellowstone National ParkCorrespondent Conor Knighton reflects on the American treasure whose preservation as our first national park inspired similar conservation efforts around the globe. For more info: Yellowstone National Park (National Park Service) MUSIC: Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, a man who has cheated timeHerbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as correspondent Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, "I have gifts I have to live up to." For more info: Herbert Blomstedt, New York Philharmonic Footage courtesy of: Boston Symphony Photos courtesy of: Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraSveriges Radio ©Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Todd Rosenberg Photography COMMENTARY: Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find in a time when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – a place to spend time together focused on something other than our differences. Surfing, he found, is a good option. For more info: "It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground" by David Litt (Gallery Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CALENDAR: Week of July 21 Photo: Red Ants Pants Music Festival: Thanks to Gloria Goñi NATURE: TBD WEB EXCLUSIVES: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman (YouTube Video)Alan Bergman, part of the songwriting team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman (who created Oscar-winning lyrics for "The Thomas Crown Affair," "The Way We Were," and "Yentl"), died Thursday, July 17, 2025, at age 99. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that originally aired March 7, 2010, the Bergmans talked with correspondent Nancy Giles about writing for Barbra Streisand; and what a good collaboration and a good marriage have in common. FROM THE ARCHIVES: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries (Video)Martin Cruz Smith, author of such bestsellers as "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star," died on July 11, 2025, at age 82. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that aired Oct. 20, 2002, Smith talked with correspondent Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries featuring Moscow detective Arkady Renko, despite being blacklisted by the Soviet Union. He also discussed the "boring" aspects of writing, and the research he conducted in Japan for his novel "December 6," set in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Notable Deaths MARATHON: Fun 'n' Games (YouTube Video)Enjoy these classic "Sunday Morning" features about gaming, from board and tile games, to bizarre new games that might not catch on. MARATHON: Pieces of history (YouTube Video)In this compilation, "CBS Sunday Morning" delves into the pages of history, from the fall of Saigon to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet! Would you go on a retirement cruise? Wall Street Journal reports Trump sent "bawdy" birthday letter to Epstein, Trump threatens to sue Medical expert on Trump's chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Book excerpt: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change"
We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan set out to change aspects of her personality she didn't like by forcing herself outside of her comfort zone, and documented the progress she made in her new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" (Simon & Schuster/Simon Element). Among the challenges that Khazan, a lifelong introvert, set for herself: Tackling her social anxiety by enrolling in an improv class. Yes, and … how did that go? Read an excerpt below, and don't miss Susan Spencer's interview with Olga Khazan on "CBS Sunday Morning" July 20! "Me, But Better" by Olga Khazan Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now. My journey into extroversion began solitarily, with me watching the improv show Middleditch & Schwartz on Netflix one night. The episode opened with two well-known actors, Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, spending an uncomfortably long time pulling a premise for their sketch out of a random audience member—a photography intern. Then, on a bare stage, Middleditch pretended to interview Schwartz for a photography job, making up absurd questions like "embody a gazelle." The audience laughed along gamely, but mostly, the scene reminded me that I needed to file my expense report. I felt uneasy for the actors, like at any moment the crowd could turn on them, leaving them groping for laughs in ghostly silence. I wondered why they couldn't have just written out better scenes ahead of time. And even worse, I knew that soon, I would be in their exact same position, except without the advantage of being a famous comedian. For my personality-change project, I had decided to focus on each of the five traits intensively for a few months at a time, and I tackled extroversion first. In recent years my life had descended into a rut that I didn't particularly like, and extroversion seemed like the way out. Most days, I worked, made dinner, watched TV, and worked some more. Rich and I were planning to relocate, and it occurred to me that I would have both moved into and out of my house without having met any of my neighbors. A test in a self-help book reminded me that I have "high loneliness." My "very low" extroversion score was probably not surprising to people who know me: My friend Anastasia once sentenced me to attending a party on pain of ending our friendship. But my hard-core introversion could turn pernicious, shading at times into loneliness and isolation. I have a career in which work can expand to fill every crevice of the day, and sometimes I thought that was a good thing, because I didn't have many hobbies or friends to otherwise occupy my time. (And say what you will about extroverts, but they have plenty of hobbies and friends.) I had always told myself I could focus on socializing after my life had stabilized, but the absence of social interaction was, itself, destabilizing. Of all five traits, extroversion offers the simplest path to personality change: You just have to go out and talk to people. You don't even have to be particularly good at it, or to proclaim yourself an "extrovert" while you do it. You just go, and extroversion will find you, like the entire wedding follows the first intrepid dancer. Coincidentally, this is also the ethos behind improv comedy: You just have to say something. Anything! For the uninitiated, "improv" is short for "improvisational theater." The idea is that two or more actors get up on stage without knowing what they'll say or do. They get to the "scene" by accepting and building on a partner's improvisations—a concept known as "yes, and." When this is done well, improvisers say there is virtually no difference between improv and scripted theater—a claim about which opinions surely differ. I knew I needed a commitment device for extroversion—something to force me out of my house and into gregariousness. I decided to try improv, which seemed like the full-immersion extrovert experience. It also felt like full-immersion insanity. Rich saw me entering my credit-card information into the website of Dojo Comedy, a cozy-looking D.C. improv theater whose logo incorporates a pair of mustachioed Groucho Marx comedy glasses. "You doing improv is like Larry David doing ice hockey," he said. It's true. My general vibe is less "yes, and" and more "well, actually." I've never really liked improv as an art form. I don't find it particularly funny—it's more like an extended inside joke you're never going to get. I thought Middleditch would warm me to improv, but it only turned me off more. Before the first class a few weeks later, I donned a Groundlings-ready black T-shirt and jeans, hoping to draw as little attention to myself as possible. I tried to shake memories of being so timid in middle-school drama class that I only qualified to be the understudy for the smallest role—Bob Cratchit's daughter. When I typed the address of the improv studio into my phone, I was relieved when the red snake of "heavier than usual traffic" indicated that I would have at least an hour to mentally prepare. The improv class met in an old townhouse, in a room that was, for no discernible reason, filled with dozens of sculptures of elephants. Six of us novices sat in a circle on chairs that looked like they'd been salvaged from Victorian funerals. The instructor, a short brunette with a brisk, friendly manner, opened by asking us about our past improv experience—none, in my case. One of the other women rattled off a long list of improv classes she had taken. What kind of crazy person does improv multiple times? I wondered. (Me, as it would turn out.) Right after the instructor said, "Let's get started," I prayed for someone to grab an elephant and knock me unconscious. That didn't happen, so instead I stood up to play warm-up games with a software engineer, two lawyers, and a guy who worked on the Hill. The games were meant to loosen us up for what was to come, which was "scene work," or acting out unscripted mini plays with one another. First, we learned the improv standard Zip Zap Zop, which involves whooshing beams of energy at one another and taking turns saying "Zip," "Zap," and—you guessed it— "Zop." The point of the game is to stay unflustered enough to keep up the Zip-Zap-Zop sequence while still whooshing on to someone else in the circle. I struggled for several reasons: Because of the pandemic, I hadn't been in a room with other people for more than a year. On top of that, I have poor reflexes, and, because we wore masks, you had to determine whether someone was about to Zop you solely by the angle of their eyes. If someone messed up the sequence—said "Zip" to another's "Zip," for instance—we would all stop, clap, and say, "yay!," reinforcing the idea that it's okay to screw up in improv. The spirit of all this was so different from my job, where you can get fired for screwing up, that it felt like some sort of rehab for perfectionists. Then we moved on to juggling various invisible items between one another, including an invisible ball, which, humiliatingly, we had to refer to as "invisible ball!" I sensed that the others were as nervous as I was, but this being D.C., an air of try-hard overachievement subsumed everyone's true emotions. People, myself included, will behave ridiculously if they feel they have no alternative. I imagined all my fellow ball-jugglers back at work the next day, writing emails in which they promised to circle back and touch base. I wondered whether they would think back to this moment of whimsy at their brown-bag lunches, as they gravely discussed the situation in Burkina Faso. Maybe it would make the situation in Burkina Faso seem less chaotic by comparison. Soon it was time to call an invisible hawk to my arm. I noted with gratitude that at least the blinds were closed, so no one could see us from the street. Excerpted from "Me, But Better." Copyright © 2025, Olga Khazan. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved. Get the book here: "Me, But Better" by Olga Khazan Buy locally from For more info:
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 20)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Hosted by Jane Pauley COVER STORY: The science of redesigning your personalityWriter Olga Khazan was unhappy with the person she was – anxious, obsessed with work, unable to have fun, and constantly worried about things. And when therapy, medications and self-care failed to work for her, Khazan decided a more radical approach was needed: she vowed to redesign her personality. Khazan talks with "Sunday Morning" correspondent Susan Spencer about the surprising steps she took to live outside her comfort zone – a journey she documented in her new book, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change." Spencer also talks with University of Kentucky professor Shannon Sauer-Zavala about how it's possible to change seemingly intractable personality traits. For more info: ALMANAC: July 20"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. FASHION: Brooklyn Fashion Academy: Opening the door to new talentDuring the summer, the Brooklyn Public Library hosts a free program mentoring aspiring fashion designers – some with no formal experience – with an assist from "Project Runway All Stars" alum Benjamin Mach. Correspondent Elaine Quijano reports on the Brooklyn Fashion Academy and its goal to broaden access into the fashion industry. For more info: U.S.: A Civil War landmark in downtown little-known landmark in Washington, D.C., is an inconspicuous building that was the site of a revolutionary effort at the end of the Civil War – one that changed the military ever since – where Clara Barton worked to locate thousands of soldiers missing or dead. Correspondent Falie Salie visits the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. For more info: BOOKS: Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"British-born restaurateur Keith McNally opened such popular New York City institutions as the Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led to a suicide attempt two years later. It also led him to take to social media, and pen an irreverent memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything." He talks with correspondent Mo Rocca about overcoming public embarrassment about his condition, and the importance of having a hamburger on the menu. For more info: PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. TV: Bridget Everett on how she ended up as "Somebody, Somewhere"Actress and cabaret star Bridget Everett put her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, on the map with "Somebody, Somewhere." Everett was a writer, producer and lead actor in the Peabody Award-winning HBO series about a Midwestern woman returning home and working through grief. Correspondent Luke Burbank visited Everett in Manhattan, to talk about her surreal journey, and about a show whose characters can be hopeless and hopeful in the same moment. For more info: HARTMAN: Happiness carousel TV: What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates?Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, who sat down with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about some of her most memorable stage and screen roles, from "Misery" to "Matlock," learned a startling fact about her relationship with her mother the night she won the Oscar. (Originally broadcast Oct. 6, 2024.) For more info: THESE UNITED STATES: Yellowstone National ParkCorrespondent Conor Knighton reflects on the American treasure whose preservation as our first national park inspired similar conservation efforts around the globe. For more info: MUSIC: Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, a man who has cheated timeHerbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as correspondent Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, "I have gifts I have to live up to." For more info: Footage courtesy of: Photos courtesy of: COMMENTARY: Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find in a time when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – a place to spend time together focused on something other than our differences. Surfing, he found, is a good option. For more info: NATURE: TBD FROM THE ARCHIVES: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries (Video)Martin Cruz Smith, author of such bestsellers as "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star," died on July 11, 2025, at age 82. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that aired Oct. 20, 2002, Smith talked with correspondent Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries featuring Moscow detective Arkady Renko, despite being blacklisted by the Soviet Union. He also discussed the "boring" aspects of writing, and the research he conducted in Japan for his novel "December 6," set in Tokyo on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Notable Deaths MARATHON: Fun 'n' Games (YouTube Video)Enjoy these classic "Sunday Morning" features about gaming, from board and tile games, to bizarre new games that might not catch on. MARATHON: Pieces of history (YouTube Video)In this compilation, "CBS Sunday Morning" delves into the pages of history, from the fall of Saigon to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet!
