Normally when I write I have a specific thought and I try to lay it out in a structured…
Time Speeds Up When You’re Wasting It
Perhaps the title is a tiny bit strong, but I don’t think by much. I read…
The Bottom of the Meaning Well is Race
I think what’s happening to America right now can best be captured as a…
Inflammation in the Body Keeps Being Tied to Depression
If a rat is experimentally injected with infectious bacteria, it behaves a bit…
Why I Believe Postmodernism is Causing Depression
There’s a lot of confusion about the term Postmodernism. To people on the…
Tactical Advice for Clearing Depression
I have been drawn to questions of happiness and fulfillment for much of my adult…
America is Rotting
We in the West are in the beginning—or perhaps the middle of—a catastrophic…
Two Kinds of Human Meaning and Enjoyment
The idea is that there are two ways for humans to derive happiness: This will…
Struggle as the Center of Happiness
I think a lot about happiness and how to achieve it.—both as individuals,…
The Connection Between Opiate and Smartphone Addiction
A while back I wrote a short piece called Addiction Caused by Isolation, where…
I Finally Found a Book Summarization Service
For like the last 10 years I’ve been looking for a solid book summarization…
Reading is Life
I think I bring this up every year or so, but the point is becoming more acute…
The Center of Humanity is Desire
I’ve been thinking about the role of desire in the human identity, and I think…
Gratitude is the Epicenter of Happiness
As I get older I become increasingly convinced that the center of happiness is…
My Theory for Why Music Makes Us Feel Good
I have a theory for why music makes us feel good. Not a theory—a hypothesis.…
Thoughts on the Dangers of Human Job Replacement from Automation and AI
There are many articles—like this one—that say that automation and…
Virtual Reality: Past and Future
“It has no relationship whatsoever to anything anchored in some kind of metaphysical…
Self as Anchor
I read a fantastic piece in Las Vegas on a guy who did LSD regularly for over…
The Most Important Skill?
I think the most important skill in life might be facing failure, defeat, and…
Hormones, Narratives, and Meaning
I realized something a few months ago about youth and meaning. I think the reason…
Getting More Serious About Coffee
I’ve been somewhat serious about coffee for many years, and I’m settling…
The Mindful Tangent
I woke up at 5:30am this morning with an idea. Many studies have shown that appreciation…
Good Parenting and Focus on Self Are Mutually Exclusive
Perhaps one of the problems in the western world is that there is an inherent…
The Two Keys to Happiness: Giving Love and Adding Value
The question of how to attain happiness is one of the most timeless and important…
Everyone is Multiple People
I subscribe to a model of human understanding that sees each person as a combination…
The Future of Happiness as Digital Humans
In this post I talk a good amount about the future of happiness, but I want to…
I am a Lucky Bundle of Molecules
I am a lucky bundle of molecules. I received this form after the big bang happened,…
The Key to Happiness is Being Thankful
The search for happiness has been in progress for millennia, and despite numerous…
Hard Times Create Focus and Happiness
“Future research should investigate whether the decreased rate of depression…
Being Right Doesn’t Matter if You Can’t Communicate
So why was I being sidelined? I demanded answers. Dustin did not disappoint.He…
The Superpower of Monks and Psychopaths
If you had to come up with one thing that monks and psychopaths have in common,…
The Truth About Earth in 2015
Money in Politics: Representing people in government is public service. Politicians…
Going Minimalist
I’ve mentioned this book I’m reading, Spent, a number of times, and…
Control Over Memory is Control Over Experience
You may have heard some version of a cliché that, “We are our memories.”,…
How Religion Creates Happiness
Researchers have wondered for a long time why those who are religious tend to…
What’s Your Ideal Work?
I am going to do something that could be considered embarrassing: I want to capture…
Practice Reciting Your Core Life Lists
As a manager one of the core things I focus on with my team is keeping track of…
Know Your Life Metrics
In both work and life, there are few things worse than having the wrong metrics.…
Happiness and Struggle
I just finished reading Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect for the first time in…
In The Future We’ll All Be Superheroes and Princesses
We humans are fantasy engines. Evolution, wanting to make us as successful as…
Creating Emotional Insurance Policies
I believe it’s hardest to lose someone you love when it happens unexpectedly.…
Never Get Old
I believe this because the primary attribute of youth seems to be a freedom of…
Anything After This is Just Being Greedy
I came to an interesting realization a while back. I realized that I have done…
Fear of Failure is Debilitating
We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth.…
Building a Life Metrics System
Many of us use metrics at work. When done correctly they can concisely communicate…
Manage What Matters, Not What’s Measurable
There’s a simple formula for effectively managing something using metrics.…
Start With Top Life Regrets and Work Backwards
I’m a proponent of reverse planning, i.e. deciding what you want and then…
A Formula For Happiness
I rarely read essays that I know to be in my top five of all time, but I just…
Engineer Around Your Weaknesses
I have a friend named Andrew who used to play poker professionally. And when I…
The Duality of Truth and Happiness
I just saw the Lego Movie, and it was quite good. [ SPOILERS: Stop here if you’re…