Why are we suddenly getting much better at Tetris? Author and vlogger, John Green, raises this very interesting question in a recent video. Tetris was released for the Nintendo in 1984. At that time, far more people were playing Tetris than there are today. And yet, performance on Tetris is better now, than it was […]
Hustle or Mediocrity?
Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit, recently spoke out against what he calls “hustle porn”: “This idea that unless you are suffering, grinding, working every hour of every day, you’re not working hard enough … this is one of the most toxic, dangerous things in tech right now,” … “It’s such bullshit, such utter bullshit. It […]
Stress, Not Working Too Much, Causes Burnout
Burnout is awful. You feel like a zombie. Motivation is near-zero. Even if you take an night, weekend or several days off, you still feel as exhausted as you did before. It’s common to blame working too much as the cause of burnout. Psychologist Roy Baumeister, argues that ego depletion, the draining of your ability […]
Is Ultimate Truth a Superstimulus?
A superstimulus is something that provides a sensory signal outside of the range we normally experienced in our ancestral environment. The classic example is chocolate cake. Chocolate cake is sweeter, fattier and more delicious than almost anything existing in nature. Fruit is usually more acidic. Honey doesn’t have any fats to balance the sweetness. The […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.