Is optimism a scam?
Here's the skeptics guide to optimism:
Here's the skeptics guide to optimism:
If you study history, you find iconic examples of people bending reality with positive thinking
E.g. Churchill and Schwarzenegger
E.g. Churchill and Schwarzenegger
Here's the skeptic's response:
1. For every Churchill or Arnold, there are thousands of delusional people that said similar things who we've never heard of.
2. If optimism alone can bend reality -- why don't starving children use this tool?
The skeptic is correct.
1. For every Churchill or Arnold, there are thousands of delusional people that said similar things who we've never heard of.
2. If optimism alone can bend reality -- why don't starving children use this tool?
The skeptic is correct.
The mistake the optimists made:
The marketing was way better than the product -- but the product wasn't bad.
The skeptics then throw out the baby with the bathwater:
The marketing was way better than the product -- but the product wasn't bad.
The skeptics then throw out the baby with the bathwater:
To use the skeptics language:
The placebo effect has 100,000+ references on PubMed.
The placebo effect shows the impact optimistic or pessimistic expectations can have.
The placebo effect has 100,000+ references on PubMed.
The placebo effect shows the impact optimistic or pessimistic expectations can have.
The Cocktail Party Effect is the best argument for optimism:
At cocktail parties, your brain blurs out 100's of surrounding sounds and focuses on your conversation
When the background sound mentions a trigger word: (e.g. Your name or hometown) -- your brain suddenly picks it up
At cocktail parties, your brain blurs out 100's of surrounding sounds and focuses on your conversation
When the background sound mentions a trigger word: (e.g. Your name or hometown) -- your brain suddenly picks it up
Life is a huge cocktail party
Your brain is tuning out millions of inputs
If you're a optimist, your brain tunes into opportunities -- like a trigger word at a cocktail party
If you're a pessimist, your brain tunes into problems -- like a trigger word at a cocktail party
Your brain is tuning out millions of inputs
If you're a optimist, your brain tunes into opportunities -- like a trigger word at a cocktail party
If you're a pessimist, your brain tunes into problems -- like a trigger word at a cocktail party
Optimism isn't going to fix the world's problems
But optimism combined with action might add a 1% improvement everyday to an individuals life (seems like more reasonable marketing)
And if you let that 1% compound, it can lead to something incredible with time (via @JamesClear)
But optimism combined with action might add a 1% improvement everyday to an individuals life (seems like more reasonable marketing)
And if you let that 1% compound, it can lead to something incredible with time (via @JamesClear)
Brian Armstrong used to write down:
βI will create a billion dollar tech companyβ
Is this the main reason for his success? Definitely not
But was it a small nudge at life's cocktail party that helped spot billion dollar opportunities? Maybe
βI will create a billion dollar tech companyβ
Is this the main reason for his success? Definitely not
But was it a small nudge at life's cocktail party that helped spot billion dollar opportunities? Maybe
It's never been sexier to be cynical or pessimistic.
If you still can't find any reason to be optimistic -- maybe try the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants everyday.
Read this email Steve Jobs sent to himself 13 months before he died
If you still can't find any reason to be optimistic -- maybe try the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants everyday.
Read this email Steve Jobs sent to himself 13 months before he died
PS. If you want a rabbit hole on placebos
Dr. Bleecher ran out of morphine to operate on wounded soldiers in WW2
So he pretended to give them morphine before surgery -- but he actually used saltwater
The soldiers tolerated surgery as if they had morphine -- with saltwater
Dr. Bleecher ran out of morphine to operate on wounded soldiers in WW2
So he pretended to give them morphine before surgery -- but he actually used saltwater
The soldiers tolerated surgery as if they had morphine -- with saltwater
If you enjoyed this, I'm adding "The Skeptics Guide to Optimism" to my 0.1% of ideas.
You can get the full list here:
george-mack.com
You can get the full list here:
george-mack.com
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