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Thomas Curran

@thomascurran

Associate Professor at LSE | Psychologist | International Best Selling Author of THE PERFECTION TRAP

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18.11.2024
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Latest posts by Thomas Curran @thomascurran

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The Painter, Nietzsche, and the Lie We Tell Ourselves About Suffering Edgar Allan Poe wrote a horror story about perfectionism in 1842. We turned it into a lifestyle.

open.substack.com/pub/escapefr...

28.02.2026 20:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I Am Not a Brand On the absurdity of turning yourself into a product β€” and how to stop.

open.substack.com/pub/escapefr...

20.02.2026 11:32 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Samuel Beckett Would Hate Your Motivational Poster Inside psychology's most famous theory

Wrote a piece about the growth mindset. It's longish. There's Dweck. There's Beckett. I come out of it looking a bit of a prat. So something for everyone.

open.substack.com/pub/escapefr...

05.02.2026 19:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Self-Help Is Now a $50 Billion Industry. You're Still Miserable. Here's Why Spoiler: You Were Never the Problem

open.substack.com/pub/escapefr...

28.01.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Two Things Happened in 2008. Only One of Them Was the iPhone. What The Anxious Generation Gets Wrong

open.substack.com/pub/escapefr...

23.01.2026 00:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Escaping Perfectionism - Hidden Brain Media Perfectionism is everyone’s favorite flaw. It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to academic, athletic and professional success. But psychologist Thomas Curran says perfectioni...

It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to success. This week, we revisit an episode with Thomas Curran, who says perfectionism has a dark side. Then, Allison Pugh returns to the show to respond to questions about connective labor. hiddenbrain.org/podcast/esca...

02.09.2025 16:59 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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On the relationship between perfectionism and loneliness

19.06.2025 07:24 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The most common source of mental tension in the modern world is the tension between the vitalising forces of the real self and the obstructive forces of the ideal self, between growth in the true sense of striving to accept the human condition and growth in the false sense of striving to perfect it.

04.04.2025 09:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I was sent this infographic of my book, The Perfection Trap, drawn by Karina Viola Stolz.

And, well... it was too perfect not to share!

22.01.2025 10:49 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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The perfectionist's approach to productivity is all wrong.

Perfectionists work hardβ€”really hard, sometimes too hard. But only when they can keep both hands firmly on the handlebars. When the road steepens, they hit the brakes.

15.01.2025 08:54 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A perfect review from Thomas Curran, author of The Perfection Trap: "Moving storytelling and vivid characters take the reader on an emotional journey of grief, loss, and love ... a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Crawford at his very best." #mentalhealth #psychology #resilience

13.01.2025 12:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Why do we push ourselves to be perfect? With Thomas Curran, PhD Podcast Episode Β· Speaking of Psychology Β· 11/12/2024 Β· 36m

The APA has done loads to spotlight my research. So it was a pleasure to be invited on its Speaking of Psychology podcast.

Check out the episode. It's a Christmas cracker, delving into the weeds of perfectionism research.

Apple: at.apa.org/92f934
Spotify: at.apa.org/q9t
YouTube: at.apa.org/hbv

20.12.2024 13:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0