Hypomania is an extreme form of happiness. When it reaches a pathological level of happiness, you're not only feeling on top of the world, but therapists also think it's dysfunctional. Hypomanic means someone has a complete lack of impulse control. You talk without stopping in a way that people can't follow you. You do not need to sleep, so you don't. You are also taking high risks.

History is changed for the better by the hypomanic

Most people have a set range for their resting state of happiness, to which they eventually return regardless of what life events they encounter. However, the centre of gravity can shift.

Center of gravity to mood states

We all know what it's like to feel bad, and we all want to feel good more than we feel bad. For many philosophers and individuals in general, optimism/joy is the ultimate pursuit. However, being always positive does not mean being blind to real concerns. We can experience positive and negative emotions.

Optimism as the ultimate pursuit

The correlation between positive and negative emotions is only -0.3, meaning if being happy was the opposite of being unhappy, you would see a correlation of -1. So it suggests that people are fully capable of feeling some happy emotions, some negative feelings and mixed emotions.  Studies found that  "neurotic" people have rollercoaster emotions. However, you can have a high mood centre of gravity and hover around there stably.

Unhappiness and happiness are not photo negatives of each other

<ul><li>If you seem too happy, it may be an indication to others that you are low on empathy.</li><li> You may be perceived by others as naive and insensitive to people who are not in a very good mood at the time. </li><li>Dispositional optimistic people tend to be biased to only pay attention to the good sides. But this can be manipulated. “Hey, they’re looking over here. While they’re looking at the glass being half-full, we can exploit this blindness that they have. I’m going to sell them a horse.” </li></ul>

Being positive can be exploited

Well into older adulthood, adults are happier than they were when they were younger. Research suggests that's because older adults tend to selectively look at the pretty picture and ignore the ugly picture. This attentional engine that filters out reality and pushes feelings around attention is the gatekeeper for everything.  However, we don't want to ignore inequality, death, sadness, and loss even if we could be 10 out of 10 on happiness because there's something other than happiness, like character.

People get happier on average as they get older

You do not have to be rich to control where you pay attention.  The optimists of the world tend not to be hanging out on their couches, staring at their half-filled glasses. Instead, they're starting non-profits or becoming teachers. They acknowledge that there are objective disadvantages but look at the good side too.

Happiness is a privilege

A 2013 TIME magazine survey found that 90% of people consider themselves optimists. <ul><li>But happiness varies by national culture. For example, Denmark and Finland are considered very happy. In 2015, the least happy country was Togo, but a 2021 report showed that Afghanistan was the least happy country.</li><li>America may be more optimistic because they have a very strong religious belief and a very strong belief in an afterlife. If you want to think about a reason to be optimistic, it would be believing that your ending will be better than now.</li></ul>

The happiest people in the world

The causal influence of happiness goes from happiness to doing better at work. When you're doing better at work, it makes you happier.  Yet, die-hard optimists should understand that there may be occasions where you should tone it down a little for the sake of others. Pessimists should maybe jack it up a little bit because it's a free pass toward improving your outcomes.

The casual influence of happiness on future outcomes

If you diagnose yourself as an optimist, you might want to ensure you are at least noticing when the glass is half-full and for whom the glass is half-full, who doesn't have a glass at all, and who has two glasses.  For pessimists, notice your attention. Consider which part of the picture you are obsessively dwelling on. Yet, both optimists and pessimists would understand the reality of cycles because there are virtuous and vicious cycles: being unhappy, negative and hyper-critical can be a spiral downward. But they can also join virtuous upward spirals.

Ensure you're not neglecting the bigger picture

 In this special episode of No Stupid Questions, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the consequences of seeing every glass as at least half-full. 

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

Freakonomics Radio

489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?

Entertainment has changed in the last five years, especially during the pandemic. <ul><li>Much of the industry is now also present on social media. Every production expects followers. </li><li>Streaming has taken over.  </li><li>Limited series are more common now where the entire story is wrapped up in one season. </li></ul> While the entertainment industry has changed, Terry still has a structure. Wherever he finds himself, he finds a place to work out. His eating habits stay the same, and he goes to bed as early as possible.

The changing entertainment industry

Terry noticed that a lack of focus harms his career. You lose focus when you constantly check e-mails, tweets, comments, etc. It slowly changes you.  Spending less time on social media is often more productive. When you have to be on social media, people will just pick up again as if you’ve never left.

A lack of focus is harmful

Terry reads a book or more a week. He thinks reading encourages empathy for different people. It is also a great way to stay level-headed in a world of social media and sensationalism.  Reading also calms you down when you feel overwhelmed. It’s like enjoying a sunset.

Reading brings perspective

Terry was successful, he was famous and lovable, but his wife was ready to leave.  Don’t fall into the trap of self-righteousness. Stay humble. When you become self-righteous, you can do terrible inhuman things to other people.

Success doesn’t mean happiness

There are two ways to be self-righteous in Hollywood. <ul><li>You believe you have a divine right because you’re born this way.</li><li>You think you’ve suffered more than anyone else. </li></ul>However, suffering doesn’t mean you are better than everyone else.  Terry thought he was the biggest victim. His father was abusive, he’s black, and he grew up poor. Terry used his self-righteousness to manipulate people and gain things he didn’t earn. However, excuses only work for a short period. Terry advises not to compare your suffering to other people. It’s not a contest.

Because you suffer doesn’t mean you are better

Terry found pornography to be a numbing device, something he always returned to but always left him unfulfilled. That made him turn to it more to feel fulfilled, only to be left empty again. So, it was a cycle and a secret he tried to keep from his family. The change came when he confronted himself with his lies and excuses. Going for therapy changed his life, especially addiction treatment and the 12 steps.

Pornography addiction

Revenge is making others pay for everything they ever did to you. However, you can either have success, or you can have revenge. You can’t have both. Revenge is trying to control what is not in your control. We can’t control people and what they say to us. The score is never settled. Violence promises you fulfilment but ultimately sets you up for a very hollow existence.

Don’t live life as if you’re in a revenge movie

Men often respond with aggression to prove that they are not weak. However, the greatest boxers in the world know how to take punches. In the long run, it's about how much you can take and keep going.  When you become responsible, you don't have to react to negative remarks. You can choose how you will respond. If anybody calls you out, you are expected to knock them out. But you can go against decades of programming and say no to that.

Masculinity and hyper aggression

There's no need to compete with other people. A movement that doesn't start with reconciliation is not worth supporting. We have to reconcile men with women. We have to reconcile black to white. If we don't, we're just postponing the war. We'll strike again. With reconciliation, there's an agreement and understanding. There's no winning until we reconcile.

Any movement should start with reconciliation

Terry Crews is an American actor, television presenter, and ex-NFL player. He gives insight into his struggles.

Terry Crews on Masculinity, True Power, Therapy, and Resisting Cynicism | Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Gravity weighted blankets, and Allform premium, modular furniture. More on all three below.Terry Crews (@terrycrews) can do it all: author, action-movie hero, sitcom star, children’s book illustrator, advertising pitchman, playable video game character, talent show host, high-end furniture designer, and human rights activist. The list goes on and on. Terry’s new memoir is Tough: My Journey to True Power. In it, he chronicles the story of how he went from being a six-year-old boy with a goofy, toothless smile to being utterly selfish and angry to being a man who can finally acknowledge his own weaknesses and vulnerabilities and use his experiences to help motivate those around him. Terry has starred as a series regular in three consecutive TV series that have surpassed the coveted 100-episode mark: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Are We There Yet? and Everybody Hates Chris. Terry is set to star in Tales of the Walking Dead and hosts NBC’s top-rated alternative series America’s Got Talent and its spin-offs, AGT Champions and AGT Extreme.He recently added yet another title, children’s book illustrator, to his resume for his first-of-its-kind augmented reality book, Come Find Me. Terry’s Crew is Terry’s latest children’s lit entry, a graphic novel set to be released in November 2022. Terry’s Crew provides insight into his childhood in Michigan and what it was like trying to find his place. In 2021, Terry and his wife, Rebecca King Crews, released an exclusive Audible audiobook, Stronger Together, sharing the staggering ups and downs of their relationship and how they have weathered the myriad crises that have rocked their marriage. Terry, a lifelong artist, released his furniture collection with Bernhardt Designs in 2017, which premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York and was awarded the prestigious “Best of NeoCon 2017.”Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Gravity weighted blankets! I place sleep at the top of my list for optimizing health, energy, and performance. If good sleep is in place, it helps everything else; if not, it hurts everything else. I've had sleep issues almost my entire life, which is why I’m always experimenting and adding great sleep aids. One of my new favorites is the Gravity Weighted Blanket. 72% of Gravity users have reported better, more restful sleep, and 76% have reported falling asleep faster and feeling more rested in the morning.Gravity has been named “Best Weighted Blanket” by CNN, Business Insider, Good Housekeeping, and many more. Gravity is offering my listeners a special discount: order a blanket of any size or weight and receive 15% off your order. Just go to GravityBlankets.com/Tim, and the discount will be automatically applied.*This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*This episode is also brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They also launched a company called Allform that makes premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa and receive 20% off all orders, check out Allform.com/Tim.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Gravity weighted blankets, and Allform premium, modular furniture.Terry Crews (@terrycrews) can do it all: author, action-movie hero, sitcom star, children’s book illustrator, advertising pitchman, playable video game character, talent show host, high-end furniture designer, and human rights activist. The list goes on and on. Terry’s new memoir is Tough: My Journey to True Power. In it, he chronicles the story of how he went from being a six-year-old boy with a goofy, toothless smile to being utterly selfish and angry to being a man who can finally acknowledge his own weaknesses and vulnerabilities and use his experiences to help motivate those around him. Terry has starred as a series regular in three consecutive TV series that have surpassed the coveted 100-episode mark: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Are We There Yet? and Everybody Hates Chris. Terry is set to star in Tales of the Walking Dead and hosts NBC’s top-rated alternative series America’s Got Talent and its spin-offs, AGT Champions and AGT Extreme.He recently added yet another title, children’s book illustrator, to his resume for his first-of-its-kind augmented reality book, Come Find Me. Terry’s Crew is Terry’s latest children’s lit entry, a graphic novel set to be released in November 2022. Terry’s Crew provides insight into his childhood in Michigan and what it was like trying to find his place. In 2021, Terry and his wife, Rebecca King Crews, released an exclusive Audible audiobook, Stronger Together, sharing the staggering ups and downs of their relationship and how they have weathered the myriad crises that have rocked their marriage. Terry, a lifelong artist, released his furniture collection with Bernhardt Designs in 2017, which premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York and was awarded the prestigious “Best of NeoCon 2017.”Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Gravity weighted blankets! I place sleep at the top of my list for optimizing health, energy, and performance. If good sleep is in place, it helps everything else; if not, it hurts everything else. I've had sleep issues almost my entire life, which is why I’m always experimenting and adding great sleep aids. One of my new favorites is the Gravity Weighted Blanket. 72% of Gravity users have reported better, more restful sleep, and 76% have reported falling asleep faster and feeling more rested in the morning.Gravity has been named “Best Weighted Blanket” by CNN, Business Insider, Good Housekeeping, and many more. Gravity is offering my listeners a special discount: order a blanket of any size or weight and receive 15% off your order. Just go to GravityBlankets.com/Tim, and the discount will be automatically applied.*This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*This episode is also brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They also launched a company called Allform that makes premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa and receive 20% off all orders, check out Allform.com/Tim.*Hollywood life isn’t all glamorous red carpets and spotlights. What does an average working day look like for Terry, and what supplemental duty has he had to push back against? [07:43]A lot of busy people don’t get around to reading one or two books a week, but for Terry, it makes being busy all the more possible. [13:36]What are some realizations about success that have come to Terry while reading Walter Isaacson’s The Code Breaker and watching the Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance? [15:04]What’s the biggest mistake a lot of people make — in every walk of life — that causes the most amount of unnecessary suffering? [19:29]How did Terry break himself of the habit of “victimology?” What initiated the event his family now refers to as “the D-Day moment,” and why did he carry a lifelong aversion to therapy that could have possibly helped him sooner? [23:32]What you should be prepared to do without if you’re intent on living life as if you’re in a revenge movie, and what Terry did to regain control of his own actions instead of defaulting to chaos. [33:52]Terry shares real-life examples that demonstrated — to his family as well as himself — that he could break destructive, impulsive patterns of behavior in favor of positive, responsible ones. [42:35]How endurance plays into the way Terry demonstrates strength these days compared to how he expressed it in his earlier, more bombastic iteration. [53:35]Why Terry believes the world determines winners way too early — and what we should be doing instead. [56:35]How can competition be the opposite of creativity if resistance is crucial to growth? Terry explains. [58:58]Terry’s thoughts on protest movements that don’t begin with the aim of reconciliation. [1:02:44]Terry illustrates why he really is a category of one — even when he sometimes lapses in the midst of trying to live his most teachable life. [1:05:04]Genius words from a (Thelonius) Monk, Terry’s war with cynicism, and other parting thoughts. [1:12:43]*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages.  Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk."  In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can use.

The Tim Ferriss Show

#587: Terry Crews on Masculinity, True Power, Therapy, and Resisting Cynicism

Matthew Walker’s intro to REM Sleep & Non-Rem Sleep:20%-25% in REM sleep20%-30% in deep non-REM sleepThe rest in light non-REM sleepSeven to nine hours of sleep covers the vast distribution of human sleep needGenetic short sleepers (6 hours or less) are incredibly rare – you may be resilient but lack of sleep can lead to hypertension, impaired cognitive ability, immune system deficiencies.The best REM sleep doesn’t enter the cycle until the last couple of hours of the night, you need a minimum amount of sleep to access itDifferent stages of sleep have different benefits for your mind and body

Intro to Sleep Stages

The snooze button is the perennial expression of the human frustration of chronic lingering sleep debt

Experiment: If you regularly set an alarm clock, would you wake up at that same relative time without the alarm clock?If the answer is no, you’re not listening to your body’s needs and are probably running on a sleep deficit.Don’t force sleep, it’s dangerous to stay awake in bed for long periods of time.﻿Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning: your brain will begin to bond a negative association with your bed and being awake“You’d never sit at the dinner table waiting to get hungry, so why would you lie in bed waiting to get sleepy?”

Sleeping Tips 1/2

The harder you try to sleep, the harder it becomes<ul><li>Don’t count sheep, take yourself on a long mental journey. Take your mind off of itself.</li><li>Matthew loves racing cars, he guides himself through this activity as he falls asleep</li></ul>Don’t try to catch up on sleep. If you’ve had a bad night of sleep, do not adjust your personal sleep schedule to compensate.<ul><li>Don’t let one bad night of sleep compound into another</li><li>If you’re going to nap, make them brief (10-15min) and before 1 pm</li></ul>Have a wind-down routine before you go to bed, sleeping is not like a light switch<ul><li>This could be stretching, meditating,shower etc</li></ul>

Sleeping Tips 2/2

Drinking coffee is objectively good, the timing and dosage is the problem<ul><li>Due to common diet deficiencies, the coffee bean often serves as a main provider of antioxidants</li><li>Caffeine has a half-life of five to six hours</li><li>If you have a cup of coffee at midday, 50% will be in your system at 6 pm and still 25% at midnight</li><li>Caffeine in the late day can reduce the amount of deep sleep you get by 20%-40% (stage three & four non-REM)</li><li>Cut off caffeine consumption 10 hours before bed</li></ul>Alcohol can activate the fight or flight response system even while you sleeping–causing sleep fragmentation

Coffee, Caffeine & Alcohol

<ul><li>Sleep-onset insomnia: the inability to fall asleep</li><li>Sleep-maintenance insomnia: the ability to fall asleep but difficulty staying asleep</li><li>Nonrestorative sleep: following normal sleep patterns but still feeling insufficiently refreshed</li><li>Insomnia is about 30% genetically inheritable, but mental distress is one of the greatest drivers of insomnia</li><li>Hyperarousal: over-active neurobiological and psychological systems contribute to difficulty sleeping</li><li>Matthew references Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as a potential long-term treatment for insomnia</li></ul>

Insomnia & How to Sleep Better

Metrics that Matthew uses for sleep tracking:<ul><li>Sleep efficiency: the percentage of time in bed that you are sleeping. Target is 85%-90%.</li><li>Sleep latency: how long it takes to fall asleep. Falling asleep too quickly can imply a sleep debt.</li><li>REM/Non-REM sleep cycles</li></ul>Orthosomnia: the anxiety of perfecting your sleep routine ends up being counterproductive<ul><li>Sleep tracking can distort your psychology–what if you feel like you slept well, but your tracker says otherwise?</li><li>Gamifying your sleep can make you lose sight of the intrinsic benefits</li></ul>

Sleep Tracking

Renowned sleep scientist Matthew Walker discusses everything you need to know about what a better night’s sleep can do for your life, and how to prioritize and perfect the way you sleep. Walker breaks down how to identify when you need more sleep, how to deal with insomnia, the best devices to track your sleep, and some unconventional sleep hygiene tips, including why it’s never a good idea to count sheep.  Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California-Berkeley, and is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He has published over 100 scientific research studies on the impact of sleep on human brain function, and he is the author of the 2017 book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.   --  Want even more? Members get early access, hand-edited transcripts, member-only episodes, and so much more. Learn more here: https://fs.blog/membership/ Every Sunday our Brain Food newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish 

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Master the best of what other people have already figured out so you can use their lessons in your life to create an unstoppable advantage.   Shane Parrish is an entrepreneur and sought-after speaker. His newsletter (https://fs.blog/podcast) offers timeless insights you can use to change your life.    In The Knowledge Project, Shane interviews people at the top of their game. Every episode is packed with hard-earned lessons that you can use in your life. Tune in to create an unstoppable advantage.   Sit down and learn from the best. Previous guests include Reid Hoffman, Esther Perel, Daniel Kahneman, Tobi Lutke, Marshall Goldsmith, Kunal Shah, Ander Huberman, David Sinclair, Ret. General Stanley McChrystal, Marc Andreessen, Patrick Collison, Robert Cialdini, Walter Isaacson, Chris Bosh, Kat Cole, Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth, Seth Godin, Matt Mullenweg, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Maria Konnikova, Bill Ackman, Annie Duke, Derek Sivers, Jim Collins, Naval Ravikant, and many others. They reveal hard-earned lessons on leadership, decision-making, hiring and firing, productivity, habits, and more.   New episodes are released every second Tuesday.   Learn more at https://fs.blog/podcast

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

#131 Matthew Walker: The Power of Sleep

Memetics is the study of memes, cultural units of information that replicate, comparable with Darwinian evolution.In memetic theory (Richard Dawkins) it’s not well understood why memes spread, it’s somewhat of a mystery.Mimetic theory is how and why memes and desires spread.What are the origins of our desires, and how do they transfer to other people. Desire is a social phenomenon, and it’s highly contagious; it’s not something we generate ourselves.

Memetic Theory Versus Mimetic Theory

The mimetic theory of desire originated with French polymath René GirardDesire is hardwired into human nature, and it’s been around forever. We can never extinguish mimetic desire from life. It’s part of how we’ve always been.Most people believe that desires are 100% internal, but René Girard calls that a romantic lie. We are not in complete control of our desires, the whole idea of mimetic theory is that most desires have more external forces than we realize.Social media especially accelerates mimetic desire.

Desire Is Contagious

How to measure mimesis in the markets?<ul><li>Digital on-chain transactions are transparent, there is more visibility compared to the stock market</li><li>It’s possible to measure mimetic sentiment in the market; maybe not equivalent to a sharp ratio, but Luke believes it’s worth trying.</li></ul>When there is a parabolic rise in the asset, we know that people are imitating other people (mimesis)2020 – Tesla’s parabolic riseThe number 1 search on Google was “Should I buy…”, which Google was auto-filling with “Tesla?”Technology accelerates mimesis and mimetic desire and diffuses it throughout the whole world.

Impact on the Financial Markets

Mimetic desire is not inherently a negative thing. It can work positively in forming a sense of community (people with a shared desire).Luke is a Catholic, and he acknowledges the power of mimetic desire in informing the community and the church. Italian immigration to the United States – mimesis for a shared object of desire and community was a tremendously positive thing. The same is happening with the move to digital finance (communities forming like DAO’s, Discord channels, etc.)A lot of people are fulfilling their need for community and religion in bitcoin and crypto.

Mimetic Desire and Religion Are Negatively Correlated

<ul><li>Radical honesty, self-reflection, and introspection – it’s more challenging to discover our mimetic behavior than to see it externally in other people</li><li>Thinking about people that are influencing your decision-making</li><li>Luke learned to identify certain signals; people who influence him over Twitter and in real life</li><li>Check yourself; maybe your desires to act are driven by wrong reasons (insecurity, pride, ego, etc.)</li></ul>

What do we do once we become aware that we are in a mimetic environment or are behaving in a mimetic way?

It’s about developing a certain kind of disposition for patience, sober waiting, and recognizing your emotions. In early 2020, Luke got caught up in the mimesis of the markets in the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemicHe thought it was a good idea to try and day trade the markets, in/out of highly volatile stocksWhen there is a lot of fear-driven mimetic desire and uncertainty, just sit back, wait, and learn as much as you can.

How to avoid bad investment decisions?

If you are ever caught in a riptide in an ocean, the worst possible thing that you can do is to try to resist and swim against it.

You can manipulate people via mimetic desire (marketing, political campaigns, etc.)One way to weaponize mimetic desire is to forge identity among people by creating a powerful scapegoat, some enemy on the other side that makes people cohere and band together with a shared hatred for some singular object or person.Some people are being very intentional about it, but it can be done by accident.

Offensive and Defensive Components to Mimetic Desire

Both age and demographics play a role in mimesis<ul><li>Teenagers are famously mimetic</li><li>As people get older they are less mimetically driven because they know themselves better</li><li>Highly agreeable people tend to be more mimetic people. Part of that is due to their personalities, but a large part of it is a learned behavior.</li></ul>The carrier is far more important than the meme itselfThe people spreading the memes are the driver of the contagion.When Elon Musk is behind a meme, it changes everything

Is the Meme the Message?

People who have the power to generate mimetic desire are lead indicators of cultural trajectory

Pomp Podcast  Podcast Notes Key Takeaways Check out The Pomp Podcast PageRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgLuke Burgis is the Author of "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life" and writes the "Anti-Memetic" Newsletter. In this conversation, we dive deep into Memetics and how it control our lives in more ways than we may think. We discuss how memetic desires affect our investments through meme stocks, memes in politics and celebrity culture, and what you should do when you recognize that you're in a situation where you could be adversely affected through said memetic desires. ======================= BlockFi provides financial products for crypto investors. Products include high-yield interest accounts, USD loans, and no fee trading. To start earning today visit: http://www.blockfi.com/Pomp ======================= Choice is a new self-directed IRA product that I'm really excited about. If you are listening to this, you are likely part of the 7.1 million bitcoin owners who have retirement accounts with dollars in them, but not bitcoin. I was in that situation too. Now you can actually buy real Bitcoin in your retirement account. I'm talking about owning your private keys and using tax-advantaged dollars to do it too. Absolute game changer. https://www.retirewithchoice.com/pomp ======================= Circle is a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of stablecoins and public blockchains for payments, commerce and financial applications worldwide. Circle is also a principal developer of USD Coin (USDC), the fastest growing, fully reserved and regulated dollar stablecoin in the world. The free Circle Account and suite of platform API services bridge the gap between traditional payments and crypto for trading, DeFi, and NFT marketplaces. Create seamless, user-friendly, mainstream customer experiences with crypto-native infrastructure under the hood with Circle. Learn more at circle.com.

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

#796 Why Memes Rule The World w/ Luke Burgis

<ul><li>You don’t have to count calories and track obsessively to lose weight – focus on building habits and discipline.</li><li>9 out of 10 tips are about improving self-awareness.</li><li>Weight loss has to come from a place of self-love and self-care – not self-hate and shame.</li><li>Exercise and nutrition have to be something you see as an improvement to your life and wellness, not punishment.</li><li>The weight loss journey does not happen overnight: set realistic goals that will challenge you beyond your current state.</li><li>Keeping weight off is about building a good foundation of habits and discipline.</li></ul>

Podcast Key Takeaways

<ul><li>Though the methods are the same, there are significant psychological and behavioural challenges to major weight loss.</li><li>Changing how we structure our day and move through social settings is a hurdle to weight loss.</li><li>Weight loss takes time – it’s not about dropping pounds fast and getting immediate results.</li><li>The happy ending isn’t losing the weight; it’s keeping it off.</li><li>Of the whole formula, keeping the weight off is harder than losing the weight.</li><li>Shows like The Biggest Loser distorted the reality of weight loss.</li></ul>

Challenges To Weight Loss

<ul><li>Give yourself one year to lose 100 pounds – it’s a slow, steady process physically and mentally – build the right foundation to keep the weight off</li><li>A year is not as long as it sounds with respect to your whole lifespan</li><li>Trying to lose 100 pounds is not a ‘calories in, calories out’ weight loss – the root psychology needs to be addressed</li><li>Weight loss has to come from a place of self-love and self-care, not self-hate and shame – explore therapy and emotional support throughout the journey</li></ul>

Tip One: Give It A Year

<ul><li>Understand the importance of discipline and habit, everything is easy when you start and feel motivated – long term success is hard</li><li>Discipline means you do it even when you don’t want to, ask yourself what changes you can make now that are hard but realistic</li><li>Build momentum by changing a few things and sticking to it for a couple of months – ride that momentum and add in more</li></ul>

Tip Two: Discipline and Habit

<ul><li>When you start, focus on strength & not the number on the scale – building muscle speeds up your metabolism</li><li>Strength is a good metric because you have to put in the work unlike weight loss where you can hack unhealthily</li><li>One of the best ways to improve insulin sensitivity is to build muscle</li></ul>

Tip Three: Building Muscle

<ul><li>Increase activity throughout the day – add in 10 minute walks after meals, choose the stairs over the elevator, park a little further from the store</li><li>It’s easier to stay consistent when you attach an activity to daily habits you already have</li></ul>

Tip Four: Activity

<ul><li>Don’t drink your calories – if it’s too hard to only drink water, start by challenging yourself to drink 1 gallon of water per day as a priority in addition to whatever else you drink</li><li>Avoiding calories in drinks can result in hundreds of calories per day and can help curb cravings</li></ul>

Tip Five: Calories

<ul><li>Avoid heavily processed foods – they’re designed to make you eat more and are effective at doing so</li><li>Don’t eat foods in wrappers & packages – don’t even worry about counting anything, eat as much as you want of whole foods  </li></ul>

Tip Six: Food

<ul><li>Create barriers between yourself and your impulses – your kids are not an excuse to eat poorly, they should be eating what you eat</li><li>Don’t buy junk food or make them harder to access – your kids are not an excuse to eat crappy foods</li><li>You don’t need to always tell yourself no: if you are really craving something and still want it, drive to the store, park far, and buy one serving – enjoy it – you’ll do it a lot less often than you think</li><li>Impulsive behaviours happen before reasoned thought</li></ul>

Tip Seven: Your Impulses

Eat mindfully – sit at a table, no phone, no televisionWe often eat quickly and in a stressed state which is bad for the digestive process and doesn’t give us a chance to process the feeling of being full.

Tip Eight: The Eating Process

<ul><li>Prioritize protein – eat protein first then move through the rest of the food</li><li>Protein increases satiety and is critical for muscle and metabolism</li></ul>

Tip Nine: Protein

<ul><li>If you can, hire a nutritionist to understand the relationship between your mind and body when it comes to food.</li><li>Get the 9 previous steps nailed down before hiring a nutritionist.</li></ul>

Tip Ten: Expert Help

In this episode Sal, Adam & Justin cover ten things a person should  do to successfully lose a lot of weight.  The psychological challenges of choosing to lose 100 pounds. (2:29) The Biggest Loser distortion of reality. (5:20) Ten Things a Person Should Do to Successfully Lose a lot of Weight. #1 – Hire a therapist or enlist someone you trust & who loves you. (12:34) #2 – Ditch the motivation hype and understand the importance of discipline & good habits. (17:20) #3 – Focus on strength over the scale. (22:15) #4 – Increase activity through daily habits. (25:52) #5 – Eat your calories and NOT drink them. (30:07) #6 – Avoid heavily processed foods. (33:02) #7 – Create barriers between yourself and your impulses. (35:33) #8 – Be mindful and slow down while eating. (39:54) #9 – Prioritize protein. (43:51) #10 – Hire a nutritionist. (46:17)  Related Links/Products Mentioned  MAPS Fitness Products Black Friday Sale is LIVE! **Promo code “BLACKFRIDAY” at checkout** Visit ZBiotics for an exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners!  6 Years after The Biggest Loser, Metabolism Is Slower and Weight Is Back Up  Strength is Protective – Mind Pump Blog  What is NEAT and Why Should You Care About it? - Mind Pump Blog  Mind Pump #1037: How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Making You Fat, Sick, & Weak  Chewing Your Food: Is 32 Really the Magic Number?  Mind Pump #1690: Eight Holiday Hacks To Prevent Fat Gain Why do we Need Protein? - Mind Pump Blog  Mind Pump Podcast – YouTube Mind Pump Free Resources  People Mentioned  Paul Chek (@paul.chek)  Instagram 

food

Food

In this episode Sal, Adam & Justin cover ten things a person should  do to successfully lose a lot of weight.  The psychological challenges of choosing to lose 100 pounds. (2:29) The Biggest Loser distortion of reality. (5:20) Ten Things a Person Should Do to Successfully Lose a lot of Weight. #1 – Hire a therapist or enlist someone you trust & who loves you. (12:34) #2 – Ditch the motivation hype and understand the importance of discipline & good habits. (17:20) #3 – Focus on strength over the scale. (22:15) #4 – Increase activity through daily habits. (25:52) #5 – Eat your calories and NOT drink them. (30:07) #6 – Avoid heavily processed foods. (33:02) #7 – Create barriers between yourself and your impulses. (35:33) #8 – Be mindful and slow down while eating. (39:54) #9 – Prioritize protein. (43:51) #10 – Hire a nutritionist. (46:17)  Related Links/Products Mentioned  MAPS Fitness Products Black Friday Sale is LIVE! **Promo code “BLACKFRIDAY” at checkout** Visit ZBiotics for an exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners!  6 Years after The Biggest Loser, Metabolism Is Slower and Weight Is Back Up  Strength is Protective – Mind Pump Blog  What is NEAT and Why Should You Care About it? - Mind Pump Blog  Mind Pump #1037: How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Making You Fat, Sick, & Weak  Chewing Your Food: Is 32 Really the Magic Number? 

MindPump exposes the RAW TRUTH about health, fitness, nutrition and more... Hosts Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer & Justin Andrews pull back the curtain on the mythology, snake oil and pseudo-science that pervades the fitness industry and present science-backed solutions that result in increased muscular development and performance while simultaneously emphasizing health. No fitness institution or fitness "truth" is safe from their quick wit and over 40 years of combined experience in the fitness industry. Produced by Doug Egge. Find Mind Pump and the Mind Pump hosts on Instragram @mindpumpmedia, @mindpumpsal, @mindpumpadam, @mindpumpjustin & @mindpumpdoug and on Facebook at mindpump. Get expertly programmed Mind Pump training protocols at www.mindpumpmedia.com

Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

1695: How to Lose 100 Pounds

How to Lose 100 Pounds

Customized packaging solutions can help a business stand out from the competition. For this reason, the demand for customer packaging for small businesses is steadily rising. Custom packaging solutions are tailored around a small business' specific needs. The shape, size, materials, colour and style is changed to reflect the business and create a unique buying experience.

Creating a unique experience

<ul><li>Unique customer experience. The packaging of your product is often the first glimpse a customer gets of your brand. Unique packaging can provide an excellent user experience.</li><li>Increased brand awareness. Customised shipping boxes can help your business provide a truly unique impression to your customers.</li><li>Decreased shipping fees. Shipping companies charge for volume and weight. Customised packaging can help to reduce the packaging size and shipping fees. </li></ul>

Benefits of custom packaging

<ul><li>Customised boxes - their shape, size, colour, and material can be tailored to the brand image.</li><li>Customised stickers.</li><li>Customised rubber stamps that include the company logo or tagline.</li><li>Customised packaging tape that reflects the brand.</li><li>Customised bags can help businesses that produce sturdy products.</li></ul>

Customised options available

<ul><li>Focus on being functional. For example, does the box's material adequately protect the product inside.</li><li>Make it personal. Consider ways to make the unboxing experience memorable for your customers.</li><li>Include samples. This can make your packaging interesting.</li><li>Do your math before deciding on a solution provider.</li></ul>

Custom packaging tips for small businesses

When you brand your products with custom packaging it becomes another vehicle for creating an image of your business in the minds of your customers.

Discover the world of business and economics.

economics

Economics

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

business

Business

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Product & Design

Brand Your Products with Custom Packaging

You can become a better artist by practising. But there's more to it. You're going to do it for an hour a day for 21 days straight. Every day. No sick days or cheat days. It's not an hour of doodling as it is not practice. But that is really difficult, so you'll have to trick yourself.

How to become an artist

Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit suggests that habits are actually uncommonly easy to understand. There are just three steps. <ul><li>Create a cue. For example, when you first wake up in the morning, When you listen to a specific album. When you first sit down at your desk.</li><li>Routine. Ensure that the place is set up for your cue to practice. For example, your paper is clean, your pencil sharpened, your reference prepared.</li><li>Reward. Find a way to have some fun times, such as sharing what you drew.</li></ul>

It’s time to make a habit

The most important thing you can learn is to look at something and recreate it on paper. If you spend the next 21 days working on just that, you're an artist. Lastly, tell your friends you're going to do this. It will help keep you accountable.

This is how you practice art

The last step is fun and maybe a little scary. Public accountability! For many of us, we need the fear of shame and failure to encourage us to make the first steps in doing something.

#21days

Let me get this out of the way, to shut up the insufferable talent-mongers of the internet: art is a skill. If you can learn to program or learn to read, you can probably learn to be halfway decent…

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

21 days to be a better artist

A day in the life of a podcaster will vary, depending on the size of their podcast. And professional podcasting is a mysterious business. One of its strangest and most opaque quirks is the fact that you can’t tell how successful one is just by looking at it. Unlike on YouTube, you can’t look up a podcast’s subscriber and listening figures

Every podcaster can use this strategy to increase their audience

Jon Atack believes a small percentage of the population are genetically Prepped to be night Owls. He believes a small percentage of the population are genetically Prepped to be night Owls. He also believes that a small percentage of the population are genetically Prepped to be night Owls. He also believes a small percentage of the population are genetically Prepped to be night Owls.

10am: Wake up and respond to listeners

On a Podcast release (Monday) or a Patreon Early-Release (Wednesday) day, I put my writing work to one side to focus on social media. I often stumble across Podcasters with social media Followings of 100K+, whose Podcasts don’t seem popular. You can get an idea of the success of a Podcast by checking the number of reviews on their apple page. Since they have around 5% of the market share,

1pm: Social media posts

I try to arrange podcast business for the afternoon. You’ll notice there’s no time for breakfast or lunch. I skip the former, and try to rush out for a quick sandwich for the latter, while doing the above social media stuff.

2pm: Podcast business calls

When I don’t have a Podcast interview, I research other big Podcasts. This is a great way to spread word about your own Podcast. When I don’t have a Podcast interview, I edit the latest episode at this time. It takes me one or two full days to edit the interview, write the voice over, and record it. It’s Intimidating interviewing a psychopath, but was tired and found myself stifling a yawn. It’S.

3pm: Podcast interviews or editing

At this point, my girlfriend has been home from work for an hour or two. She’ll be going to sleep in just a few hours, so this is our together time, in which we’ll play a game called Buraco, cook dinner and watch a show. I try as much as possible to forget the interviews, edits and statistics running through my mind. Some days, this is easier than on others.

5pm: Break

On some American shows, I've talked as a guest into the early hours. I get into a Delirious Drunk-Like state after hours of talking. The sound of my voice begins to seem as though it is not my own. The sound of my voice begins to seem as though it is not my own.

9pm: More podcast interviews

I'm missing out on sleep. By 5Am, my eyelids are heavy. With facts from the book — and figures from my Podcast — swirling around my mind, I Doze off. Five hours later, I'm up again, ready for another day in the life of a Podcaster.

4am: Read and sleep

This is my time to indulge in other paid work, so that I can pay rent and…eat and stuff. I do some content writing for agencies, involving a lot of researching and collating information. I stick my headphones on, and listen to classical music and movie soundtracks (shout out to Interstellar!). That way, there are no lyrics to distract me from writing.

11am: Paid writing work

I quite enjoy my nightly ‘me time’. I get into a state of ‘flow’, and the hours pass by, as I listen back to my podcast interviews. I still edit out coughs and weird sounds, while cutting delays between questions and responses.Aside from the interview edit, there are many ‘sticky bits’. These are time-consuming tasks that make little difference to the efficiency of the podcast.

Midnight: Editing

Every week, you tune in to your favourite podcast. You listen in on their conversations with fascinating people from around the world. You get an insight into the podcaster’s personality, and are…

A Day in the Life of a Podcaster

Your portfolio is a story about you and your work — your expression of growth through all the obstacles, surprises, successes and failures. For the audience, your portfolio showcases your problem-solving superpowers, hard and soft skills, and your ability to reflect upon your successes and failures.Your portfolio is not a backlog. Curate 3–5 projects that align with the kind of work you want to be doing . Clarify what your audience seeks and accentuate how your expertise, skills and uniqueness exceed their needs. Strive for flexibility and tailor what you show to the people viewing it.

Show your best work

Focus on compelling storytelling. Demonstrate your ability to communicate concisely with words and imagery—showing the what and telling the why.Prioritise what information your reader needs and focus on the vital moments of the project that make it interesting. The story behind the design is often more compelling than the design itself.

Craft your narrative

Share credit with your peers. Claim credit for your innovations.What were you responsible for? Who were your partners and how did you collaborate? What were your contributions? Unveil the team dynamics and how you facilitated to realise an outcome greater than the sum of the parts.

Be honest and clear about your role

You are a problem-solver. It’s critical that your empathy for the people and the problems you were solving for shines through. Clearly articulate both the business and user needs.

Frame the problem and define the goals

Show and tell key moments of divergent and convergent thinking and output. What possibilities did you dream of? What concepts did you explore and how did you discern the great ideas from the good? Were there any assumptions you needed to operate under to move forward?

Expose how you think

Your portfolio is not an avenue for making excuses. It’s your story of how you adapted and improved upon environmental challenges to deliver great design for your users.If you’re a designer, you’ll be able to deliver great design for your users.

Reveal your context

Tell the story about how your design solves a problem in the context of user goals. You should have good, compelling and thoughtful explanations that tie back to the problems you were trying to solve. Share anecdotes and critical thoughts about the tradeoffs you made.

Present your solution and the journey

It’s important that you can be self-critical and assess the outcome of your work. Does the design successfully solve a problem? Is the thing that is designed useful? Does it contribute value for your users and the business? How is success defined?

Celebrate your accomplishments

Your portfolio should not only demonstrate what you already know, but also your capacity for learning, adapting, and growing. What worked well? What would you do differently? How did you deal with your failures? How did you deal with your team’s failures? What lessons did you learn and how did this project impact you for the better?

Reflect upon your learnings

Your portfolio is a story about you and your work — your expression of growth through all the obstacles, surprises, successes and failures. This is your epic. Illuminate the arc of your career and…