Local author Jenara Nerenberg (Divergent Mind) presents her new book, Trust Your Mind, an urgent examination of self-silencing culture and the toxic impact of groupthink. Nerenberg empowers readers with tools to understand the mind and navigate an increasingly polarized world, from campuses and workplaces, to the media and beyond.

Connected across geography and culture via the internet, the world is both a vast, limitless landscape and an ever-shrinking echo chamber. Communication, especially discourse over free speech, is becoming increasingly divisive; one person’s right to speak comes into conflict with another seeking to prevent harm. Our tolerance for differing opinions is also narrowing. A “wrong” remark or comment, no matter how seemingly innocent, can result in banishment, and contradictory ideas spark hysteria and backlash—what is referred to as “cancel culture.” This polarization affects every one of us—among friends and families, workplaces and communities—and threatens the fabric of society.

In this timely book, Jenara Nerenberg analyzes this phenomenon of “self-silencing,” asking potent questions about how harmful groupthink has become accepted.

Jenara Nerenberg lectures widely on neuroscience, innovation, sensitivity, leadership, and diversity. Selected as a “brave new idea” presenter by the Aspen Institute for her work on re-framing mental differences, Jenara is also the founder and host of The Neurodiversity Project. She holds degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, New York magazine, Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution, Garrison Institute, Elaine Aron’s HSP, Healthline, and on KQED, and elsewhere. In addition to her work as a journalist, Jenara is a frequent workshop facilitator, speaker, and event host for institutions, including the Stanford Graduate School of Business and others in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives.

Heterodox Academy at UC Berkeley presents a virtual discussion on Jenara Nerenberg’s new book, Trust Your Mind: Embracing Nuance in a World of Self-Silencing. Registration link forthcoming.

Today's social and political climates feel clouded by fear, distance, polarization and loneliness; why is it that groupthink and conformity seem to rule our neighborhoods, pop culture, friend circles, workplaces and social media feeds? It's time for us to learn how to sit with disagreement, debate better, appreciate our differences, and revel in the diversity of ideas and opinions that reflect our world. 

Journalist Jenara Nerenberg has not shied away from taking on complex ideas and opinions, first in her bestselling book Divergent Mind about neurological diversity, and now with her second groundbreaking book, Trust Your Mind, which examines viewpoint diversity and encourages us not to shy away from the deepest forms of connection and insight that can come from uncomfortable conversations, independent thinking, and sometimes even loud, productive and healthy arguing. 

While "conflict" feels like a scary word to some, Nerenberg dives deep into her own life experiences as well as the social science research on the psychology of groupthink to understand why our world is in peril in the face of people feeling too terrified to speak their minds. This challenge is not just limited to politics—the power of critical thinking and exiting groupthink has far-reaching impact on how we communicate with spouses, classmates, colleagues, family members and beyond. By understanding how group identity forms and the dangers of self-silencing, we allow our politics and our reasoning abilities to evolve, which leads to healthier societies. Trust Your Mind has received wide acclaim from Interfaith America's Eboo Patel, social psychologists Kurt Gray and Ethan Kross, former ACLU president Nadine Strossen, and many more. 

Joining  Nerenberg in this special conversation is leading investigative reporter Lee Fang, one of the most daring and sought-after independent journalists of our time. This conversation is not to be missed.

About the Speakers

Jenara Nerenberg is the bestselling author of Divergent Mind, hailed as "extraordinary, jaw-dropping" by Library Journal; she is an Aspen Ideas Brave New Idea speaker and the author of the new book Trust Your Mind, on the psychology of groupthink. A celebrated writer covering the intersection of psychology and society, Nerenberg's work has been featured in the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center magazine, Fast Company magazine, CNN, NPR, BBC and elsewhere. Nerenberg speaks widely on social science topics, including at universities, libraries, companies and organizations around the world. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the Harvard School of Public Health; Nerenberg grew up in San Francisco and, as a millennial, can now be found on Instagram.

Lee Fang is an independent journalist, primarily writing on Substack at leefang.com. He was an investigative reporter for The Intercept. He writes about civil liberties, interest group lobbying, and other public interest issues.

MFSA hosts Jenara Nerenberg, author of the book Trust Your Mind: Embracing Nuance in a World of Self-Silencing, at the Cambridge Innovation Center.

About Trust Your Mind:
 

An urgent examination of self-silencing culture and the toxic impact of groupthink, by the author of Divergent Mind and founder of The Neurodiversity Project. Nerenberg empowers readers with tools to understand the mind and navigate an increasingly polarized world, from campuses and workplaces, to the media and beyond.
 

Connected across geography and culture via the internet, the world is both a vast, limitless landscape and an ever-shrinking echo chamber. Communication, especially discourse over free speech, is becoming increasingly divisive; one person’s right to speak comes into conflict with another seeking to prevent harm. Our tolerance for differing opinions is also narrowing. A “wrong” remark or comment, no matter how seemingly innocent, can result in banishment, and contradictory ideas spark hysteria and backlash—what is referred to as “cancel culture.” This polarization affects everyone of us—among friends and families, workplaces and communities—and threatens the fabric of society.
 

In this timely book, Jenara Nerenberg analyzes this phenomenon of “self-silencing,” asking potent questions about how harmful groupthink has become accepted. Applying her expertise in journalism, psychology, and public health, she digs deep into urgent problems that are worsening under a culture of self-censorship, including loneliness, isolation, and polarization.
 

But there is hope. Nerenberg offers insights for how to identify and escape groupthink and transform fear into empathy, allowing space for authentic communication that reduces—rather than causes—harm to others.

About the Author:

Jenara Nerenberg lectures widely on psychology and viewpoint diversity and is the bestselling author of Divergent Mind, about neurological diversity. Selected as a “brave new idea” presenter by the Aspen Institute for her work on reframing mental differences, Jenara is also the author of the brand new book, Trust Your Mind, about the psychology of groupthink. She holds degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley, and her work has been featured in Fast Company, New York magazine, TIME, NPR, CNN, BBC, KQED, and elsewhere. Jenara is a frequent speaker at universities, libraries and organizations around the world and splits her time between Asia and the United States. You can find her online on Instagram and learn more about her work on her website. 

Americans are concerned that student character and autonomy are in decline. A 2023 Gallup Poll found that 54% of Americans rated the state of moral values in the U.S. as poor, and 83% believed they were getting worse. In a 2023 MOTT National Poll on Children’s Health, less than half of parents reported their 5-8 year old children regularly engage in independent activities and research shows children’s autonomy is in decline and may be hurting mental health. Yet, a 2023 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Poll found that nearly four in five Americans (79%) believe having strong values and character are important. Psychological research finds that strength and character-based education can increase student resilience and achievement, and that autonomy and agency can foster intrinsic motivation, critical for academic success.

This interdisciplinary conference will explore the “science of student brain strengths”; ways to create hopeful schools of character; and how to build learner ownership and self-direction. Learn how to provide strength-based teaching; promote character and honesty; strengthen neurodiverse students through their abilities; cultivate gratitude and wonder; harness the power of hope for student success; use the brain's hidden talents; and foster student agency and autonomy to motivate learners in today's disengaged, dependent, and deficit-focused age.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Louise Aronson returns to the Commonwealth Club World Affairs stage to discuss the enduring themes of her New York Times bestselling book, Elderhood, and what to expect in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election. What are the practical and existential implications of aging in a political era defined by polarization and increasing instability? How can individuals look out for their health and families regardless of the election outcome? Aronson is joined by fellow writer Jenara Nerenberg, in a follow-up conversation from their first lively event together five years ago. Nerenberg is the celebrated author of Divergent Mind and a forthcoming book on the psychology of groupthink.

About the Speakers

Louise Aronson, MD MFA, is a leading geriatrician, writer, educator, professor of medicine at UCSF and the author Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Aronson currently runs the integrative aging practice and age self-care integrative medical group visit program at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health. She has received the Gold Professorship in Humanism in Medicine, the California Homecare Physician of the Year award, and the American Geriatrics Society Clinician-Teacher of the Year award. Her writing credits include The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, JAMA, Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine, and her work in aging has been featured on NPR, NBC, CBS, and The New Yorker.

Jenara Nerenberg is the bestselling author of Divergent Mind, hailed as "extraordinary, jaw-dropping" by Library Journal; she is an Aspen Ideas Brave New Idea speaker and the author of a second forthcoming book on the psychology of groupthink. A celebrated writer covering the intersection of psychology and society, Jenara's work has been featured in the UC Berkeley Science Center's Greater Good magazine, Fast Company magazine, CNN, NPR, BBC and elsewhere. Nerenberg speaks widely on social science topics, including at universities, libraries, companies and organizations around the world. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the Harvard School of Public Health; she grew up in San Francisco and, as a millennial, can now be found on Instagram.

To close out its 2024 Speaker Series, the Dayton Metro Library is collaborating with author Jenara Nerenberg to discuss neurodivergence in the modern world.

Running 6-7:30 p.m. Oct 10, “Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World that Wasn’t Designed for You” will be in DML’s main building.

Divergent Mind is hailed by Library Journal as “extraordinary and jaw-dropping.” Endorsed by New York Times bestselling authors Susan Cain, Elaine Aron, Steve Silberman, Robert Whitaker, and many others, Nerenberg’s book has been translated into multiple foreign languages worldwide. She is an award-winning writer and producer, named as a “Brave New Idea” speaker by The Aspen Institute, and. She graduated from the Harvard School of Public Health and UC Berkeley with advanced degrees in public health and race relations.