Why Self-Worth Predicts Your Income More Than Your SAT Score Does, with Marisa Franco

Psychologist Marisa Franco joins Paula Pant to discuss her new book Worth and the finding that self-worth—not SAT scores or intelligence—is a stronger predictor of adult income. She explains the critical difference between healthy and unhealthy high self-esteem, why some people sabotage their own progress right before reaching financial independence, and how receiving love can trigger withdrawal. The conversation covers practical techniques like memory reconsolidation to rebuild self-worth, and why internal worth matters most during market downturns. Franco also examines the emptiness that often follows achieving a big financial goal, and the identity crisis after losing a defining role.