New Books in Psychology Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, "The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us" (Liveright Publishing, 2026)
May 12, 2026
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, philosopher and novelist known for blending philosophy and literature, discusses the human longing to matter. She traces how storytelling revealed the idea and outlines four mattering strategies like transcending via religion, seeking intimacy or fame, striving for excellence, and competitive group identity. The conversation connects mattering to adolescence, political polarization, and how people can shift strategies over a lifetime.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Self Reflection Enables The Mattering Question
- Mattering arises from human self-reflection: we can regard ourselves as others and ask if we deserve our own attention.
- Goldstein links this capacity to large brains, theory of mind, and conditions of relative security in evolution.
William James Found Purpose Through A Mattering Project
- William James struggled with paralysis and contemplated suicide until he chose a mattering project to pull him out of depression.
- Goldstein uses James as a historical case showing a successful shift into a sustaining mattering project restored purpose.
Four Mattering Strategies Map Human Responses
- Goldstein identifies four broad mattering strategies: transcenders, socializers, heroic strivers, and competitors.
- Each strategy supplies different evidence or arenas (God, relationships, excellence, zero-sum group power) that one deserves attention.
