On the March 5 episode of Radio Andy’s “Gayle King in the House,” Gayle was joined by Mel Robbins, author of “The Let Them Theory” and host of SiriusXM’s “The Mel Robbins Podcast.”

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On the topic of dealing with negativity and criticism, Mel brought up neuroscientific research about what happens when you try to change someone’s opinions about you.

“This comes from Dr. Tali Sharot, who’s a neuroscientist at King’s College London and MIT. They’ve done brain scans, Gayle,” Mel said. “When you are talking to somebody who has an opinion about you, and they’ve made up their mind, or they’re making allegations, the second you try to explain yourself, the part of the brain that listens in a person like that actually turns off.”

She continued, “If you value your time and energy, why on earth would you waste it trying to convince strangers or people who are tearing you down to make themselves feel better — that’s not a secure person, by the way. Why would you do that?”

Mel also added, “And here’s the other part. Gayle, if you know the truth and your work and your character speaks for itself, then you don’t need to explain yourself to anybody.”

Each Wednesday on Radio Andy (Ch. 102), award-winning journalist Gayle King invites listeners to call in as she unpacks the week’s biggest headlines and highlights its brightest moments. Stream full episodes on the SiriusXM app now.