Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 52

Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantine (#418)

Photo by Ernesto Urdaneta

“Maybe you don’t feel that enough people love you, but I can tell you, there’s a world of people out there who need you at this moment.”

— Esther Perel

Psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel (@EstherPerelOfficial) is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy practice in New York City and serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Esther is an acclaimed TED speaker and the host of the hit podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work?.

Esther also recently launched Couples Under Lockdown, a bonus miniseries on her podcast Where Should We Begin?. The first episode aired last week and features a couple in Sicily several weeks into their quarantine. Esther will also host an international conversation about the new normal—what it means for our relationships and how we can move forward in a time of social distancing, uncertainty, and grief. It will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube. The four-part series, entitled The Art of Us: Love, Loss, and Loneliness under Lockdown, will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. ET, on April 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd.

Please enjoy! 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

This podcast is brought to you by Magic Spoon Cereal and ShipStation. More on both below. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#418: Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantine
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/dfa1e990-f375-4a65-bbd4-7e84311e0d61.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Magic Spoon Cereal! Magic Spoon is a brand-new cereal that is low carb, high protein, and zero sugar. It tastes just like your favorite sugary cereal. Each serving has 12g of protein, 3g of net carbs, 0g of sugar, and only 110 calories. It’s also gluten free, grain free, keto friendly, soy free, and GMO free. And it’s delicious! It comes in your favorite, traditional cereal flavors like Cocoa, Frosted, and Blueberry.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with another fascinating therapist? Listen to my conversation with Lori Gottlieb on this podcast in which we discuss the hierarchy of pain, idiot compassion vs. wise compassion, the benefits of learning to “unknow” oneself, why insight is the booby prize of therapy, and much more (stream below or right-click here to download):

#415: Lori Gottlieb — The Power of Getting to *Unknow* Yourselfhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/1d23d955-0b81-413c-af59-910febb38094.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Esther Perel:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Couples Under Lockdown
The Art of Us: Love, Loss, and Loneliness Under Lockdown
Esther’s Past Appearances on This Show
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
How’s Work? with Esther Perel
Sessions with Esther Perel
Rekindling Desire
The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel
Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), CDC
I Love You: A Theory of Love, Francesco Alberoni
How ‘Anticipatory Grief’ May Show Up During the COVID-19 Outbreak, Healthline
Guide for All-Hazard Emergency Operations Planning, FEMA
Iraq’s Scud Ballistic Missiles, Federation of American Scientists
Structure, Self-Care Important for Parents and Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic, WFPL News Louisville
The Coronavirus Has Now Killed More People in the US than the 9/11 Terror Attacks, Vox
The Jewish Community of Antwerp, Belgium by Haim F. Ghiuzeli, Museum of the Jewish People
A Brief History of the Bizarre and Sadistic Presidential Fitness Test, Vox
Implicit and Explicit Long-Term Memory, Verywell Mind
Zoom
Use FaceTime with Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, Apple
VolunteerMatch
Nextdoor
A Timeline of HIV and AIDS, HIV.gov
Steezy Online Dance Classes
Gaga Dance
The Happy Body Program by Aniela and Jerzy Gregorek
The Lion of Olympic Weightlifting, 62-Year-Old Jerzy Gregorek (Also Featuring: Naval Ravikant), The Tim Ferriss Show #228
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Groundhog Day
Are Saunas the Next Big Performance-Enhancing “Drug?” by Rhonda Patrick, tim.blog
Foam Rollers
BONECO Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier
Peloton
Brené Brown — Striving versus Self-Acceptance, Saving Marriages, and More, The Tim Ferriss Show #409
Jojo Rabbit
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Dumb and Dumber
Stars In My Crown
A Dance to the Music of Time: First Movement by Anthony Powell
Badlands
WHO, UN Foundation and Partners Launch COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, Medical Laboratory Observer

Esther’s COVID-19 Online Resources 

For Those with Kids 

The Karma Class: Free Kids Yoga + Mindful Activities

For Dance Lovers

Alvin Ailey All-Access

For Art Lovers

MoMA Streaming

For Theater Lovers

The National Theatre Is Going to Stream a Free Play Every Thursday Night, Time Out

For Music Lovers

Playing for Change
NPR Daily Concert Listings
Montreux Jazz Fest Archive
Austin City Limits Archive
Bob Dylan’s First New Song in Eight Years
Springsteen Live in Earl’s Court

For Student Composers/Songwriters

Every Wednesday for the next three weeks, Paramount’s New Works Department will unveil a new theme for the series and post guidelines for submissions for that week’s topic.

About: Student songwriters, whether in high school, college, or any student who has learned their school won’t be in session for the foreseeable future, are encouraged to write, perform and submit an original song on video about their connection to their school. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 1, at midnight.
To submit a video, email a downloadable link (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) to Paramount’s New Works Department at newworks@paramountarts.com . (Note: If filming with a cell phone, horizontal orientation is preferred but not required.)
Please visit ParamountAurora.com for more information, and Paramount’s Facebook , Instagram and YouTube pages. Questions to be directed to newworks@paramountarts.com

Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday, April 8th at midnight. The second Connection compilation video will be posted for free viewing on Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m.
The series is currently slated to run for three weeks, through April 18, but may continue until stay at home orders are lifted. Each week’s Connection social media concert will run approximately 30 minutes.

Relief Funds, Donations, Assistance, Etc. in NYC

Donate Masks and Other Hospital Gear
Help for nonprofits: The NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund will provide $75 million in grants and interest-free loans to small and midsize nonprofits to help them respond to emerging needs, cover losses associated with the disruption of their operations, and continue their critical work. Following the model of generosity and collaboration established by the New York City philanthropic community during the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, 18 foundations, companies, and philanthropists have made substantial investments with the expectation that more will join.
Emergency Blood Shortage Donations
WBUR Grants/Funds for Artists/Non-Profits.
The Jewish Board is developing a corps of temporary paid part-time and full-time workers to help ensure continuity of essential services.
Help for Union Newspaper Folks Including Retired and Actors: The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts and Mental Health Resources
Hardship Assistance

Other Resources

F.A.Q. on Stimulus Checks, Unemployment and the Coronavirus Plan, The New York Times
‘Plz Cancel Our Cleaning’: Virus Leads Many to Cast Aside Household Help, The New York Times (Everyone is worried now about finances, but if you can afford to float your cleaning person or whomever while they stay away, a little bit could go a long way.)

SHOW NOTES

What has Esther’s current day in quarantine been like so far?
While conducting remote therapy with couples in quarantine, what noteworthy patterns has Esther been observing?
During this COVID-19 crisis, some of us are having difficulty navigating a world that isn’t anything like it was just a few short weeks ago, while others are having an easier time adapting to “the new normal.” How does Esther counsel a couple in which each partner takes the opposite approach?
Is dealing with the uncertainty, mortality, and possibly grief of these trying times made easier for those of us who don’t have kids to take care of on top of everything else?
When memories of past stressors aggravate the anxieties of the present, and how we might come to terms with them through reframing our self-image.
If you’ve got something to say to someone — especially parents and older friends and relatives — write them a letter or call them now. Don’t wait.
The paradoxes presented by spending more time with the family, and the power of disruption + impending disaster to accelerate big choices we might put off in less chaotic times.
How might someone approach a shared-custody conversation with an ex who seems to be handling the COVID-19 crisis less responsibly than you like?
How can couples and families cope and give each other space when they’re quarantined together? How might they use the circumstances as an opportunity to bond with, rather than intrude upon, one another?
How can long-distance couples now separated for perhaps longer than usual maintain their connection?
Prompts for reconnecting with people you haven’t talked to in a while and keeping the conversation going beyond the perfunctory — especially when you’re communicating with someone who doesn’t easily share their feelings.
Putting things in perspective for someone who insists that they’re feeling ‘great’ right now.
Advice for people who, either by choice or circumstance, are spending their quarantine alone.
Why does Esther think dancing is even better for keeping our spirits up than exercise?
What a day of quarantine currently looks like at my house.
What a day of quarantine currently looks like for Esther.
How Esther makes her global movie and book clubs work.
On the importance of maintaining rituals, enjoying music, and decompressing from too much bad news.
Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Molly
Francesco Alberoni
Ram Dass
Aniela Gregorek
Jerzy Gregorek
Jack Saul
Brené Brown
Rainer Fassbinder
Anthony Powell
Martin Scorsese
Michael Ballhaus
Terrence Malick

Dr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combatting COVID-19, Loneliness, and More (#417)

“All of us, regardless of what stage of life we’re at, we’ve got three basic needs: we all want to know that we matter, we want to be seen for who we are, and we want to know that we’re loved.”

— Dr. Vivek Murthy

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy (@vivek_murthy, vivekmurthy.com) served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States between 2014 and 2017. As the Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, he commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers globally. During his tenure, Dr. Murthy launched the Turn the Tide campaign, catalyzing a movement among health professionals to address the nation’s opioid crisis. He also issued the first Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, calling for expanded access to prevention and treatment and for addiction to be recognized as a chronic illness, not a character flaw.

In 2017, Dr. Murthy focused his attention on chronic stress and loneliness as prevalent problems that have profound implications for health, productivity, and happiness. He has co-founded a number of organizations: VISIONS, an HIV/AIDS education program in India; Swasthya, a community health partnership in rural India training women as health providers and educators; software company TrialNetworks; and the grassroots physicians organization Doctors for America.

Since leaving government service, Dr. Murthy has continued to focus on loneliness and social connection. His book Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World will be published this spring by Harper Collins.

Please enjoy! 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

This podcast is brought to you by NutriBullet and Trello.  More on both below. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#417: Dr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combatting COVID-19, Loneliness, and More
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/206cd7fc-e344-4897-b31b-d038e19f5330.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by NutriBullet. NutriBullet is the affordable, easy-to-use, easy-to-clean blender that was first recommended to me by entrepreneur Noah Kagan when I interviewed him for the podcast. Its signature blending process transforms high-fiber veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits into silky, nutrient-dense smoothies (or protein shakes, savory soups, and dips) that are easy to digest and absorb.

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This episode is also brought to you by Trello. During tough times like these, one thing that brings us all together is our common humanity. Another is technology. Now, more than ever, teams must come together and work together virtually to handle challenges, opportunities, and everything in between. Trello, part of Atlassian’s collaborative suite, is an app with an easy-to-understand visual format and tons of features that make working with your team more functional and more fun. Teams of all shapes and sizes—and companies like Google, Fender, and even Costco—use Trello to collaborate and get work done. It’s one of the few tools that has made the cut with my team.

With Trello, you can work with your team wherever you are, whether it’s at home or in an office. And no matter what device you’re using—computer, tablet, or phone—Trello syncs across all of them so you can stay up to date on all the things your team cares about. Keep your workflow going from wherever you are with Trello. Try Trello for FREE and learn more at trello.com/tfs!

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with someone else who knows a thing or two about loneliness? — Listen to my recent conversation with Adam Grant, in which we discussed challenge networks, failure resumes, inbox infinity, blind spots vs. bright spots, and much more. (Stream below or right-click here to download):

#399: Adam Grant — The Man Who Does Everythinghttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/3a024b72-91de-4662-9f21-f98671be23ed.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Dr. Vivek H. Murthy:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Together: the Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Dr. Vivek H. Murthy
Doctors for America
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), CDC
The Tail End by Tim Urban, Wait But Why
Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), HHS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
National Park Service
Department of the Interior
September 11 Attacks: Facts, Background, and Impact, History
The Obama Administration’s Response to Ebola, The White House
The Hope Multipliers: The US Public Health Service in Monrovia, Public Health Reports
NYC Preparing Javits Center for Sharp Increase in COVID-19 Cases, NBC
Zika Virus, CDC
Andrew Cuomo Should Follow the Path of Winston Churchill, Not Rudy Giuliani by John Philp, CNN Opinion
South Korea’s Coronavirus Response Is the Opposite of China and Italy — and It’s Working, This Week in Asia, SCMP Research
Can California Keep 9 Million People at Home? The New York Times
Pearl Harbor: Attack, Casualties, and Facts, History
Coronavirus: How Emotional Contagion Exacts a Toll with Sigal Barsade, Knowledge@Wharton
Connecting at Work by Vivek Murthy, Harvard Business Review
The More You Energize Your Coworkers, the Better Everyone Performs by Wayne Baker, Harvard Business Review
Givitas
Why We Need Best Friends at Work, Gallup Workplace
UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3)
Vivek Murthy: How To Solve The Work Loneliness Epidemic by Dan Schawbel, Forbes
What is the US Opioid Epidemic? HHS.gov
This Former Surgeon General Says There’s a ‘Loneliness Epidemic’ and Work Is Partly to Blame, The Washington Post

SHOW NOTES

How Vivek trains people to pronounce his name.
Did Vivek write a book on loneliness purely to address a widescale public health issue, or was it prompted by something more personal?
How has loneliness played out in Vivek’s adult life?
As an internal medicine specialist who wasn’t formally trained to help his patients cope with loneliness, Vivek encountered it often, nonetheless. What did he do to comfort these patients?
How does Vivek relate to mortality?
What does the job of Surgeon General entail, and how did Vivek find his way to the office? Who answers to the office, and where might they be found?
After battling the Ebola virus during the Obama administration, what are the similarities and differences Vivek has observed about our current COVID-19 crisis? What are we getting right, and what are we getting wrong?
If Vivek were the benevolent dictator of the United States at this point in time, how would he direct his team for maximum effect against COVID-19, and what three principles would guide him? What interventions — whether statewide or nationwide — would he consider implementing?
Is the United States too culturally different and too politically divided to follow the stricter virus containment measures of countries like China and South Korea?
How can we agree on a course of decisive action as a nation when we’re so polarized? Could COVID-19 become a catalyzing call for unity?
What tools or advice would Vivek suggest to a CEO or company leader for counterbalancing the effects of loneliness among his or her staff during this time of intense isolation?
How did Vivek determine there was a chronic loneliness problem in the workplace, and in what way does his inside scoop exercise help workmates form a closer, more familial connection with one another?
Polls and questions that can help check the pulse of your team members at work and their level of connection.
What does Vivek mean when he says “Remember your anchors,” and what does he consider his own anchors?
During what period of time did Vivek feel especially lost, lonely, and “probably depressed?”
What made Vivek’s transition out of his role as Surgeon General so traumatic, what did the aftermath look like, and what has helped him get past it?
How many of us look at emotions as a source of weakness versus a source of power?
How did the book Vivek wound up writing differ from the book he thought he was going to write?
Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Vivek’s Parents
Tim Urban
Barack Obama
Andrew Cuomo
Sigal Barsade
Wayne Baker
Adam Grant
Jocko Willink
Cal Fussman
Peter Attia
Serena Williams
LeBron James

How to Support Healthcare Workers Now — Plus Urgent Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More (#416)

(Short episode: ~18 minutes)

I expect next week will be an exceptionally difficult week for many people and many cities, New York City chief among them. There are several very urgent needs.

This episode will highlight things that can be done to help healthcare workers (food, temp housing, PPE, ventilators and vent modification for higher capacity, etc.), as well as a few companies well positioned to immediately help.

I would encourage you to think of healthcare workers, alongside people working on vaccine development and drug development, as the walls of our collective city. By protecting and helping them, we protect and help ourselves and everyone around us. If they fail, we all fail. These brothers and sisters on the front lines need help now, and it cannot wait a week.

If it weren’t for healthcare workers, I would be dead. If not for healthcare workers, my dad would be dead, and three uncles and two aunts would also be dead. If you are lucky enough to be healthy and reading this, you likely owe some thanks to healthcare workers. They are the (usually) invisible safety net for us all.

Thank you for listening to this one. It’s important.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#416: How to Help Healthcare Workers — Plus Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/1b022b47-e22b-4d6e-87ae-b66d2638d2b7.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

tim.blog/fightcovid
tim.blog/ventilator
Flexport.org/donate
Bill Ackman (@BillAckman)
Ryan Petersen (@typesfast)
Paul Graham (@PaulG)
@Airbnb
@HiltonHotels
@sweetgreen
@UberEats
@Amazon

Emergency Technique: How to Increase Ventilator Capacity 2–4x in 10 Minutes

The next two weeks are going to be very difficult, and the risk of ventilator shortages due to COVID-19 is high. Manufacturing will ultimately help, but it takes time.

I’m already aware of one hospital in New York that can no longer provision one “vent” per patient, and demand is likely to grow dramatically over the next 7–10 days as cases spike. Even with full lockdown and total compliance, one could expect admittance to grow for 10–12 days minimum, based on the data we have from other countries.

In emergency circumstances, the below modification can be completed in less than 10 minutes and enables one ventilator to intubate as many as four people (instead of one). I first learned of it from Victor Cheng earlier this week, and Dr. Charlene Babcock demonstrates it below:

This has been performed successfully in animals, such as on four human-sized (70kg) sheep (Increasing Ventilator Surge Capacity in Disasters: Ventilation of Four Adult-Human-Sized Sheep on a Single Ventilator With a Modified Circuit), and Dr. Charlene Babcock from the above video has also completed proof of concept studies with colleagues. The following text is from Victor Cheng’s blog post:

In 2006, Dr. Greg Neyman and Dr. Charlene Babcock, Emergency Medicine physicians in Detroit, Michigan, did a study on exactly this. They wondered if, during a disaster-related surge of patients, a ventilator could be reconfigured to support multiple patients. Would it work? Short answer: Yes. They used standard equipment found in an emergency room to create a two-way and four-way splitter. They then used the ventilator to ventilate four simulated-lung devices for 12 hours. These devices had several sensors to track the output of the ventilator for each “lung.” The data collected showed that the pilot project was successful.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE OPTION:

A separate friend in healthcare (Thanks, Franz!) linked me to the Philips Respironics bi-level ventilator BiPAP A40 and noted the following, which I’ve slightly edited for format:

[Hospitals] should consider using small CPAP devices with modes designed to deliver timed breaths. They look like small NIV or CPAP devices and are commonly used with a mask interface. But it may not be common knowledge that these devices are also approved for invasive ventilation and that they have pressure control modes with timed breaths.

In the above option, I realize that monitoring would be sub-optimal and that there are other complications to consider, but some oxygen may be better than no oxygen.

I am publishing this post with the full understanding that:

Some hospitals are already considering these types of contingencies and preparing for worst-case scenarios. That said, many are not, hence this post.
These solutions aren’t optimal, but they are likely better than choosing who lives and who dies, as we’ve seen happen in Italy. In the case of Dr. Babcock’s demonstrated modification, if doctors can match up size and lung compliance, and provided patients can all be on the same settings and you’re willing to accept cross-contamination on a single machine, this could very well save lives.

If you agree, thank you for sharing this piece.

And if you’re looking for some inspirational reading, I highly suggest “Not All Heroes Wear Capes: How One Las Vegas ED Saved Hundreds of Lives After the Worst Mass Shooting in U.S. History.”

Lori Gottlieb — The Power of Getting to *Unknow* Yourself (#415)

Photo by Shlomit Levy Bard

“Insight is the booby prize of therapy.”

— Lori Gottlieb

Lori Gottlieb (@LoriGottlieb1) is a psychotherapist and author of the New York Times bestseller Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, which is being adapted as a television series by Eva Longoria and the creators of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series The Americans. In addition to her clinical practice, she writes the Atlantic’s weekly “Dear Therapist” advice column and contributes regularly to the New York Times and many other publications.

Her recent TED Talk is one of the top 10 most-watched of the year, and she is a sought-after expert in media such as the Today show, Good Morning America, CBS’s Early Show, CNN’s Newsroom, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Her new iHeart podcast, Dear Therapists, produced by Katie Couric, will premiere this year.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic and LinkedIn Jobs . More on both below. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#415: Lori Gottlieb — The Power of Getting to *Unknow* Yourself
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/1d23d955-0b81-413c-af59-910febb38094.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic and their delicious mushroom coffee featuring lion’s mane and chaga. It tastes like coffee, but there are only 40 milligrams of caffeine, so it has less than half of what you would find in a regular cup of coffee. I do not get any jitters, acid reflux, or any type of stomach burn. It’s organic and keto friendly, plus every single batch is third-party lab tested.

You can try it right now by going to FourSigmatic.com/Tim and using the code TIM. You will receive up to 25% off on the lion’s mane coffee bundle. Plus, you will receive an additional 20% off at checkout. Simply visit FourSigmatic.com/Tim. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed. 

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with another fascinating therapist? — Listen to my first conversation with Esther Perel on this podcast in which we discuss polyamory, why happy people cheat, how to find (and convince) mentors who can change your life, what she learned from Holocaust survivors, and much more (stream below or right-click here to download):

#241: The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (with Esther Perel)https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e4cf219a-1a1f-4f4d-98b2-b68ef2e87e1e.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Lori Gottlieb:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
The Americans
Dear Therapist by Lori Gottlieb, The Atlantic
How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life by Lori Gottlieb, TED@DuPont
The Whole Package by Lori Gottlieb, The Moth
A Psychotherapist Goes to Therapy — and Gets a Taste of Her Own Medicine, Fresh Air
Therapist Lori Gottlieb Talks about the Therapists That Therapists Go To, The Los Angeles Times
Blank Slate or Tabula Rasa in Therapy, Verywell Mind
Imprisoned by Our Thoughts: The Intricate Dance Between Support by Lori Gottlieb, Psychology Today
Lori’s “If I Can’t Touch My Face” Tweet
Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins, The Tim Ferriss Show #413
Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide by Tim Ferriss, tim.blog
Existentialism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Friends, Warner Bros.
ER, NBC
Dotcom Bubble, Investopedia
Stanford University
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Wikipedia
To Be Happier, Start Thinking More About Your Death by Arthur C. Brooks, The New York Times
The American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Fantastically Wrong: The Theory of the Wandering Wombs That Drove Women to Madness, Wired
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
SXSW Conference & Festivals
FaceTime
Skype
The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
TED Talks by Guy Winch

SHOW NOTES

Note from the editor: Timestamps coming shortly. 

What story did Lori share on stage with The Moth, and why did she choose this over any other story she could have told?
What is the hierarchy of pain?
The difference between idiot compassion and wise compassion, and why there’s a time and place for each.
How to listen to someone’s story in a way that invites self-reflection.
How can we better communicate—and avoid escalating conflict—with each other?
As a term that can mean different things for different people, how does Lori define therapy, and what might be the benefits of learning how to “unknow” yourself?
Lori relays a story of her own that vividly illustrates how we all orchestrate our lives to keep certain storylines going — even when they don’t really serve us — and explains why we do this to ourselves.
What distinguishes a good therapist from a great therapist?
A memorable time when Lori’s own great therapist improvised to great effect.
One of Lori’s favorite maxims about her profession: “Insight is the booby prize of therapy.” What does it mean?
How did Lori’s therapist’s improvisation lead to meaningful behavior modification that broke a self-perpetuated cycle of suffering?
To Lori, what are the pros and cons of administering therapy in person versus writing advice to a general audience in her Dear Therapist column? Does she ever worry about the consequences of missing the mark or having someone misinterpret her advice?
What approaches can someone take to better identify their own blind spots, and what advantage does a therapist have over even a well-meaning friend or family member in helping us find these blind spots?
As someone who doesn’t know me very well, in what ways does Lori think we’re most alike and most different?
What did Lori’s university-era struggles look like, and how did her educational focus change over this time? How does her work in journalism correlate with her work in psychology?
When Lori looks back on her life’s chapter changes, which decisions or transitions were the hardest? Did she agonize for an extended time before initiating these changes, or were they quick in the making?
Lori believes that acknowledging life’s hundred-percent mortality rate ultimately makes us happier. How did she come to this conclusion, and what perspectives has she developed as a result?
How does Lori help people get past denial?
What we’re doing to get through the challenging times ahead. 
What book has Lori gifted the most?
How did Lori decide to dedicate her energy to the two big projects going on in her life right now: a television series adapted from her most recent book and a podcast being produced by Katie Couric?
Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Eva Longoria
Katie Couric
Wendell
Mae West
Tyler Cowen
Viktor Frankl
Abraham Verghese
Guy Winch

Predicting Hospital Capacity: Why to Act Early, How to Think About Lag Time, and a Model You Can Use

NOTE FROM TIM: The following was written by a close friend who has decades of experience in healthcare systems and advanced training in computer science and healthcare data science. He preferred to publish anonymously to avoid political headaches, so I’ll call him “Felix.”

We are publishing this quickly for reasons that will soon be obvious, so please excuse any typos. This is a work in progress, and we encourage leaving comments if you have any suggestions for improvement.

Enter Felix…

During this coronavirus crisis, the paramount objective has become avoiding hospital overflow, which would make the mortality rate skyrocket. We’re trying to accomplish this with voluntary social distancing, but it’s evident that that’s not going to be enough. So how early should governments start introducing mandatory quarantines? The answer is much, much earlier than you might think. 

In the following example, we can show mathematically that a city that institutes a city-wide quarantine when its hospitals are anywhere from 4% to 20% full can still easily exceed its total hospital capacity. The assumptions underlying this model are at the high end of current estimates in order to make a point, but they are well within the realm of possibility.

There are two important concepts here that humans are not wired to understand, and it takes some time to wrap your head around them.  Exponential growth, when combined with lag time, can create some wildly counterintuitive effects. Say you have a city (let’s call it Springfield) where new COVID infections per day are growing. The numbers are doubling every 5 days:

10–20% of infected people will need to be hospitalized. From the day a person gets infected, it takes an average of 10 days for them to seek hospital care. So if we had 1000 new cases of coronavirus on Day 1, using the high end of the estimate, we can expect 200 cases to arrive at the hospital on Day 11. We can chart the new daily hospital cases for our beloved city of Springfield.

Let’s also say that the average hospital stay is 12 days. So coronavirus cases start to accumulate in the hospital:

Now, let’s say there are 5000 total hospital beds in all of Springfield. The mayor is watching dutifully, but his team, overwhelmed with other duties, aren’t carefully considering exponential growth in combination with lag time. He sees that about 80% (4000) of his beds are occupied on Day 20, and realizes the city needs to do a full quarantine. He orders it promptly on Day 20, so that he can avoid his hospitals overflowing. New infections reliably start to fall on Day 21 and continue to fall forevermore:

What happens to new daily hospital cases? Remember there’s a 10-day lag. So on Day 21 you’ll get 20% of Day 11’s new infections:

Hospital cases continue to increase after Day 20 even though we instituted a quarantine! On Day 20 we were only getting Day 10’s victims into the hospital.  The people infected on Day 20 won’t show up at the hospital until Day 30. Will we overflow our hospitals? How many total beds will we need? Remember: the patients will accumulate since it takes 12 days to be discharged. Let’s extend our Total Beds Occupied graph:

Total hospital beds needed doesn’t peak until Day 35, even though we quarantined on Day 20. It peaks at around 22,000—more than 4 times as many beds as there are in Springfield. Given the numerical assumptions above, if you quarantine when your hospitals are 80% full, you can expect to exceed your total number of hospital beds by more than 300%. You can see this playing out in Italy right now. They’ve quarantined, but the hospital cases will still rise for many days after the quarantine is instituted.

So how early should we start the quarantine in order to avoid our hospitals overflowing? Let’s see what the max hospital bed need is for different points of quarantine:

If you quarantine at 50% full on Day 17, you’ll still have a peak hospital need of 16,812 beds. (Remember: there are only 5000 total hospital beds in all of Springfield)

If you quarantine at 25% full on Day 14, you’ll still have a peak hospital need of 11,092 beds.

If you quarantine at 4% full on Day 10, you’ll still have a peak hospital need of 6,370 beds.

In this example, if you want to avoid hospital overflow, you have to start quarantining when your hospitals are 3% full. Of course, this extreme example starts at 1,000 cases on Day 1 with only 5000 total beds. The effects of exponential growth are less extreme if you start with a smaller number of initial cases. Nevertheless, it’s valuable to have this example drive the point home that in order to prevent hospital overflow, you have to quarantine surprisingly early.

There are some fundamental assumptions I’ve made up here that you may disagree with, such as the initial case count, growth rate, the hospitalization rate, etc. If you’d like a rough estimate of when would be the appropriate time to quarantine for your particular geographic region, you can modify all the numerical assumptions and run different scenarios by copying the template here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hUIFj98V53xV1lIwRy_83WAPZwtEQBHL5H1gmSVUjPs/edit#gid=571616345

[Note from Tim: This spreadsheet is read-only. Click on File –> Make a Copy to duplicate it for your own scenarios.]

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

The author is a data scientist but not an epidemiologist. Any feedback from epidemiology experts about underlying factors is encouraged in the comments.

The underlying assumptions have been pulled from papers about COVID-19 published in recent months. They are at the high end of estimated ranges but not outside of what experts believe to be the possible ranges.

There are far more sophisticated ways to model epidemics, such as SIR and stochastic input modeling. The point of this article is to spread understanding so we chose to use the simplest possible model that still shows the dangers of exponential growth.

Comfort Challenge #5: Use the Criticism Sandwich

If you try this comfort challenge, please share your experience in the comments below! I’d love to read them. It’s always a hilarious and valuable exploration of getting more comfortable with discomfort.

Here is the original text of the challenge from The 4-Hour Workweek:

Chances are good that someone—be it a co-worker, boss, customer, or significant other—does something irritating or at a subpar level. 

Rather than avoid the topic out of fear of confrontation, let’s chocolate-coat it and ask them to fix it. 

Once per day for two days, and then each Thursday (M–W is too tense and Friday is too relaxed) for the next three weeks, resolve to use what I call the Criticism Sandwich with someone. 

It’s called the Criticism Sandwich because you first praise the person for something, then deliver the criticism, and then close with topic-shifting praise to exit the sensitive topic. 

Here’s an example with a superior or boss, with keywords and phrases in italics.

You: Hi, Mara. Do you have a second?

Mara: Sure. What’s up?

You: First, I wanted to thank you for helping me with the Meelie Worm account [or whatever]. I really appreciate you showing me how to handle that. You’re really good at fixing the technical issues.

Mara: No problem.

You: Here’s the thing. There is a lot of work coming down on everyone, and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. Normally, priorities are really clear to me, but I’ve been having trouble recently figuring out which tasks are highest on the list. Could you help me by pointing out the most important items when a handful need to be done? I’m sure it’s just me, but I’d really appreciate it, and I think it would help.

Mara: Uhh . . . I’ll see what I can do.

You: That means a lot to me. Thanks. Before I forget, last week’s presentation was excellent.

Mara: Did you think so? Blah, blah, blah . . .

If you try this comfort challenge, please share your experience in the comments below! I’d love to read them. It’s always a hilarious and valuable exploration of getting more comfortable with discomfort.

Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos (#414)

“We have the opportunity, even in difficult times, to let our spirit shine.”

— Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, shortly thereafter becoming one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974.

Jack has had a profound and direct impact on my life, and I’m thrilled to have him on the podcast once again.

Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts (with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein), and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a father, husband, and activist.

Jack’s books have been translated into 20 languages and have sold more than a million copies, including The Wise Heart; A Lamp in the Darkness; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (one of my favorite book titles of all time); and his most recent, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are. He offers a brilliant online training program for those who want to learn to teach meditation at JackKornfield.com. 

This episode is more of a personal therapy session for yours truly in some respects. You will notice that I sound anxious and unsure in this interview, and that is very much by design. I think it is unhelpful when people in the public eye hide the fact that they also struggle, and it puts them on this illusory pedestal that I think is ultimately self-defeating. Instead, I want to share with you that no matter how much Stoic philosophy I read, no matter how often I meditate, there are times when I struggle, and this week is one of them.

I also hope that you’ll listen to portions of this conversation multiple times. There are a number of exercises that Jack shares that I will certainly be listening to in the upcoming weeks.

Please enjoy.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e330e413-15f9-4472-8a58-e1d287b6833d.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks. I’ve been talking about FreshBooks—an all-in-one invoicing+payments+accounting solution—for years now. Many entrepreneurs, as well as contractors and freelancers that I work with, use it all the time.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear Jack’s first appearance on this show? Listen to this episode in which we discuss hang gliding, monk training in Thailand, unpleasant mystical experiences, the difference between compassion and empathy, lovingkindness meditation, and more. (Stream below or right-click here to download.):

#300: Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Presenthttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/f6381ff7-2f63-46c0-a888-052337df33f5.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Jack Kornfield:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Present, The Tim Ferriss Show #300
Insight Meditation Society
Spirit Rock — An Insight Meditation Center
The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield
A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times by Jack Kornfield
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield
No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), CDC
Buddhism, Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School
What Is a Bodhisattva?, Tricycle
Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path of Liberation by Bruce Tift
Peace Corps
872 Days In Hell: 38 Chilling Photos Of The Siege Of Leningrad, ATI
Grams of Hope: Daily Bread Ration in Besieged Leningrad, RT
“Sports Do Not Build Character; They Reveal It,” Quote Investigator
A Great Wind Carries Me, Flourish & Bloom
The Explorers Club
Absolutely Clear by Hafiz
“Life is Trouble”, Zorba the Greek
The Dharma: The Teachings of the Buddha, Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School
Samadhi, The Yogic Encyclopedia
Awakening “The One Who Knows” by Ajahn Chah, Lion’s Roar
Ego-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Hinduism, Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School
Judaism, Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School
Kabbalah and Hasidism, Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School
One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan by Ryokan
Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield
Ayahuasca-Assisted Treatment, MAPS
Ibogaine Therapy, MAPS
The Search for Soma, The Ancient Indian Psychedelic, Psychedelic Times
Tripping on Peyote in Navajo Nation, Scientific American Blogs
Magic Mushrooms and the Healing Trip, The New Yorker
Dying to Know: Ram Dass and Timothy Leary
How the Vietnam War Empowered the Hippie Movement, History
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
The World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center, The Tim Ferriss Show #385
About Holotropic Breathwork, Grof Transpersonal Training
The Federal Drug Scheduling System, Explained, Vox
Meditations by Jack Kornfield
11 Mysterious Things That Occur While You Sleep, Bright Side
Stan Grof, Lessons from ~4,500 LSD Sessions and Beyond, The Tim Ferriss Show #347
Aphasia Symptoms and Causes, The Mayo Clinic
The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness by Stanislav Grof
Marsh Chapel Experiment (aka Good Friday Experiment), Wikipedia
1962 Good Friday Experiment (Podcast), MAPS
Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Center
The World’s Five Biggest Refugee Crises, Mercy Corps
Nature’s Lessons in Healing Trauma: An Introduction to Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute
EMDR Institute
Tara Brach on Meditation and Overcoming FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), The Tim Ferriss Show #94
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

SHOW NOTES

Amid COVID-19 fears, I confess this conversation isn’t entirely selfless — it’s as much therapy for myself as it will likely be for my listeners. Jack demonstrates an exercise he used to help a large virtual class in China cope with the fears and anxieties generated by the current situation there. [08:10]
How might someone blend a Western developmental framework with an Eastern fruitional framework to best solve the unique problems we’re facing today? Could it be as easy as remembering “your Buddha nature and your social security number?” [16:06]
Jack recalls the first time he got malaria as a monk in the forests of Thailand and Laos in the ’60s, how his teacher helped him through it, and the lesson we can take to find our center in the midst of outwardly miserable circumstances — how we can witness what’s present without being lost in it. [21:08]
Our society may not be well-prepared to deal with the further spread of COVID-19, but here’s a lesson from WWII that might help us prepare ourselves with some perspective. [25:41]
If it’s true that adversity reveals — rather than builds — character, has Jack noticed any patterns among people who are having the greatest psychological difficulty dealing with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and is there anything to be learned from them that can help us? [28:15]
At nearly 75 and part of the demographic most susceptible to the COVID-19 coronavirus, how does Jack relate to his own mortality? He tells us about a visit with his twin brother shortly before his passing a few years ago and what he did to facilitate peace at this difficult time. [31:43]
Meditating on the four dimensions of freedom that allow us to “enter the terrain of birth and death with a wise and spacious heart.” [38:52]
What might Jack suggest as a way of helping people overcome their fears and anxieties around the process of dying — either for themselves or their loved ones? [49:19]
I concur that using an altar for the sake of visualization can be surprisingly effective, and that linking consciousness with others may be helpful for people who feel isolated during periods of quarantine or social distancing. Jack expands on the idea that we shouldn’t be squeamish about letting things go. [57:44]
What is the significance of Guan Yin for Jack as a symbol of something we all have inside of us, and what is spirituality really about? [1:01:22]
Jack’s take on psychedelics as sacred medicines throughout human history, their welcome reintroduction to the mainstream after being demonized for decades, and the complementary relationship between psychedelics and meditation. [1:07:21]
In what ways does Jack feel these sacred medicines can be overused or abused when they’re not treated with due respect? [1:16:34]
Often underrated ways that we, as spiritual beings, can access and interact with the mysteries around us — from poetry to sleep. [1:20:33]
Recommended preparations and precautions before dipping a toe in the pool of psychedelics. [1:23:05]
According to Stan Grof, what is experiencing an urge toward suicide really trying to tell us? [1:26:31]
Jack’s favorite Stan Grof book. [1:27:42]
When Ram Dass passed the torch of psychedelic research to Roland Griffiths. [1:28:27]
How experiencing psychedelics under a controlled setting at Johns Hopkins differs from casually taking them at a party. [1:31:11]
How would Jack suggest that people think about trauma? [1:32:16]
Jack explains how, in his final years, Ram Dass became “a lighthouse of love.” [1:44:03]
What is Jack focused on these days? [1:48:52]
My personal endorsement of the expansive toolkit that Jack and clinical psychologist Tara Brach brings to the table — especially for anyone who has ever considered learning to become a meditation teacher. [1:51:03]
Parting thoughts. [1:53:21]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Sharon Salzberg
Joseph Goldstein
Tara Brach
Thich Nhat Hanh
Gautama Buddha
Bruce Tift
Ajahn Chah
Irving Kornfield
Hafiz
George Zorbas
Pema Chodron
Ajahn Mun
Sri Nisargadatta
Grandson Desmond
Guan Yin
Jesus
Mother Mary
Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Dass
Ryōkan Taigu
Timothy Leary
Stanislav Grof
Michael Pollan
Alice Walker
Roland Griffiths
Mary Cosimano
Matt Johnson
Peter Levine
Bessel van der Kolk
Michael Meade
Luis Rodriguez
Malidoma Some
Krishna Das
Maharajji
Trudy Goodman

Comfort Challenge #4: Revisit the Terrible Twos

If you try this comfort challenge, please share your experience in the comments below! I’d love to read them. It’s always a hilarious and valuable exploration of getting more comfortable with discomfort.

Note: Due to concerns about the coronavirus, we are skipping Comfort Challenge #3 (“Get Phone Numbers”), and we are going directly to Comfort Challenge #4 (“Revisit the Terrible Twos”).

Here is the original text of the challenge from The 4-Hour Workweek:

For the next two days, do as all good two-year-olds do and say “no” to all requests. Don’t be selective. Refuse to do all things that won’t get you immediately fired. Be selfish. The objective isn’t an outcome—in this case, eliminating just those things that waste time—but the process: getting comfortable with saying “no.” Potential questions to decline include the following:

Do you have a minute?

Want to see a movie tonight/tomorrow?

Can you help me with X?

“No” should be your default answer to all requests. Don’t make up elaborate lies or you’ll get called on them. A simple “I really can’t—sorry; I’ve got too much on my plate right now” will do as a catch-all response.

If you try this comfort challenge, please share your experience in the comments below! I’d love to read them. It’s always a hilarious and valuable exploration of getting more comfortable with discomfort.

Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins (#413)

“If you need to measure, you’ve failed.”
— Tyler Cowen

Professor Tyler Cowen (@tylercowen) has a personal moonshot: to teach economics to more people than anyone else in the history of the world—and he might just succeed. In addition to his regular teaching at George Mason University, Tyler has blogged every day at Marginal Revolution for almost 17 years, helping to make it one of the most widely read economics blogs in the world.

Tyler cocreated Marginal Revolution University, a free online economics education platform that’s reached millions. He is also a bestselling author of more than a dozen books, a regular Bloomberg columnist, and host of the popular Conversations with Tyler podcast, where he examines the work and worldviews of thinkers like Martina Navratilova, Neal Stephenson, Reid Hoffman, and many more.

His latest project is Emergent Ventures, a $5 million fund to support entrepreneurs who have big ideas on how to improve society.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the conversation on YouTube. 

Listen onApple Podcasts
Listen onSpotify
Listen onOvercast

#413: Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/fd46e92f-170b-4fb3-b7ad-7e0157e8f967.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by NutriBullet. NutriBullet is the affordable, easy-to-use, easy-to-clean blender that was first recommended to me by entrepreneur Noah Kagan when I interviewed him for the podcast. Its signature blending process transforms high-fiber veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits into silky, nutrient-dense smoothies (or protein shakes, savory soups, and dips) that are easy to digest and absorb.

Now, the engineers at NutriBullet have created an incredibly convenient upgrade named the NutriBullet Blender Combo. This device is their most versatile yet, allowing you to effortlessly switch between single-serve and full-size blending—everything that you know and love about the classic device, plus all the performance and capacity you expect from a full-size blender. Don’t settle for blenders that leave your smoothies filled with chunks. Get the NutriBullet Blender Combo, and introduce your veggies and fruits to 1,200 watts. It easily gets the job done. And for you, my dear listeners, NutriBullet is offering 20% off of all products on its website. To get your 20% off, just go to NutriBullet.com/Tim!

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One way to ensure that all of your data is encrypted and can’t be easily read by hackers is by using ExpressVPN. All you need to do is download the ExpressVPN app on your computer or smartphone and then use the Internet just as you normally would. You click one button in the ExpressVPN app to secure 100% of your network data. Use my link ExpressVPN.com/Tim today and get an extra three months free on a one-year package!

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with someone who consumes books as voraciously as Tyler? Check out my interview with Patrick Collison, the CEO of Stripe, in which we discuss being raised “free-range,” Ethiopian televisions, speedier decision-making, the siren song of high praise, Greek-speaking monks, worldview development, and much more. (Stream below or right-click here to download.)

#353: Patrick Collison — CEO of Stripehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/1869f87a-edca-4737-b3fe-cad55c90559f.mp3Download

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Tyler Cowen:

Marginal Revolution | Conversations with Tyler | Twitter

Books by Tyler Cowen
Marginal Revolution University
Emergent Ventures
George Mason University
Bloomberg
Law of Demand Definition, Investopedia
What I Learn from Chess and Computers by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Meta-Rational Animals by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Oops! When “Autism” Isn’t Autistic Disorder: Hyperlexia and Einstein Syndrome, Scientific American Blog
To Fight Pandemics, Reward Research by Tyler Cowen, The New York Times
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), CDC
Twitter Search
How I Practice At What I Do by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages by Harold Bloom
Shakespeare: The Complete Collection by William Shakespeare
The Henriade by Voltaire
My Musical Self-Education by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Indian Classical Music, Musician Biographies, and Profiles, The Popular Front
Beethoven’s Late String Quartets by Quartetto Italiano
Bach’s The Art of the Fugue by Grigory Sokolov
Atonal Music by LaSalle String Quartet & Moscow String Quartet & Arnold Schoenberg
The Best of Schoenberg by Arnold Schoenberg
Microsoft Word
LaTeX
WordPress
Google Docs
Quasars: Brightest Objects in the Universe, Space
Tyler Cowen’s 12 Rules for Life by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Reading James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ Requires a Heroic Effort by David Allen, Los Angeles Daily News
Ulysses by James Joyce
Why Are So Many Chileans Protesting? by Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg Opinion
Duolingo Spanish Podcast
Primer Impacto, Univision
Deconstructing Cultural Codes by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream by Tyler Cowen
Freakonomics
Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness by Steven D. Levitt
Station Eleven: A Novel by Emily St. John Mandel
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Odyssey by Homer (Translated by Emily Wilson)
Peter Thiel Thinks Tech Innovation Has ‘Stalled’ CNET
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
Stripe
The Bible
From the Solomon Islands to Liberia: These Are the 25 Poorest Countries in the World, USA Today
WhatsApp
“Sports Do Not Build Character; They Reveal It,” Quote Investigator
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
The Socioeconomic High-Resolution Rural-Urban Geographic Platform for India (SHRUG)
Charter Cities Institute
AtoB
Why Factory Farming Is Not Just Cruel — But Also a Threat to All Life on the Planet, The Guardian
Stoicism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Why Some People With Anxiety Love Watching Horror Movies, HuffPost
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, The Mayo Clinic
The Age of the Infovore: Succeeding in the Information Economy by Tyler Cowen
Depression and Religion in Adolescence by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
The Raudat Tahera and the Power of Religion to Induce Cooperation by Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
“The Iceman” Wim Hof, The Tim Ferriss Show #102
The Princess Bride
Babe
Scenes from a Marriage
The Empire Strikes Back
Amelie
Spirited Away
The Bourne Identity
Snatch
Casino Royale
Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails, Japan Guide
Camino de Santiago Routes, Pilgrim
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Animism Is Actually Pretty Reasonable, The Atlantic
15 Reasons You Should Visit Santiago De Compostela at Least Once in Your Lifetime, Culture Trip
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
Is the Protestant Work Ethic Real? Freakonomics #360

SHOW NOTES

Who is Tyler Cowen? [07:40]
How does Tyler pronounce “economics,” and why is the subject his teaching vehicle of choice? What is he really trying to convey? [09:14]
Tyler says that economics is parasitical on anthropology. What does he mean by this? [10:44]
What did playing chess for money teach young Tyler? [11:40]
What is meta-rationality? [12:57]
As a self-confessed hyperlexic, how does Tyler think about parsing information and sources around something like the current COVID-19 coronavirus news? [13:48]
How can one cultivate the ability to remain meta-rational during times of duress or panic? [15:51]
How does Tyler use Twitter Search as a truth-generating mechanism? [17:36]
A question Tyler likes to ask people is: “What is it you do to train that is comparable to a pianist practicing scales?” What does he mean by this, and how does he practice his own scales? [18:35]
What fiction books might Tyler recommend to people — particularly the nonfiction purists among us — who haven’t read fiction in a while? [20:49]
Tyler often listens to what he considers complex music in an effort to “forestall mental laziness.” What does he consider complex music? [21:36]
What does Tyler’s daily writing practice look like, and how does he find a way to integrate email into the process in an enriching — rather than a distracting and time-sucking — way? [22:47]
What symptoms might indicate that Tyler’s writing has strayed into undesirable territory? [25:43]
How does Tyler compose first drafts? [26:49]
Elaborations on two of Tyler’s 12 Rules for Life. [27:46]
Putting into practice the rule to “Learn how to learn from those who offend you,” what has Tyler learned from Nobel laureate Paul Krugman? [28:58]
What former position or belief has Tyler changed his mind about lately? What are his next steps to better understanding the situation’s complexities? [30:21]
What percentage of Tyler’s writing makes it to a published state — online or otherwise? [33:32]
Tyler spent a dozen years or so only watching television in Spanish (and sometimes still does). What does he find to be the benefits of cultivating languages — and wrapping his brain around concerns expressed — outside of his native English? [34:12]
In his book The Complacent Class, Tyler posits that our society has become stagnant and overly cautious. What does he believe we can do on an individual level to break this pattern? [36:31]
A major decision Tyler made that has had a positive impact on his life, and the framework that led to his commitment to blog daily for the past 17 years. [39:26]
What was the positive feedback loop on the daily blogging experience that kept Tyler going for years before it started really gaining traction? [41:47]
While the readership of Marginal Revolution has remained strong in a post-blogging world, Tyler now hosts a podcast called — appropriately enough — Conversations with Tyler. What can a first-time listener expect from a typical episode, and what does Tyler gain from doing this show for free? [42:34]
Immersing himself fully in the works of his subjects before interviewing them on his podcast, how did Tyler prepare for Neal Stephenson, an author famed for his resistance to the confines of brevity? How challenging was this prep in comparison to prep for other guests? [44:25]
Tyler shares some insight into how he’s preparing for future guest Emily St. John Mandel, the Station Eleven novelist who coincidentally wrote about a very topical subject: pandemics. [46:47]
While he is a voracious reader, why is Tyler hesitant to recommend specific books to people? What does he try to encourage instead? [47:53]
What resources might Tyler suggest to someone who wants to cultivate their meta-rational muscles? [49:54]
Aside from blogging and podcasting, what other projects is Tyler working on at the moment? [52:21]
Since starting the podcast, what has Tyler learned about the art of interviewing? [53:20]
“Browser tabs don’t lie.” What are Tyler’s open browser tabs right now? [56:31]
What are Tyler’s meta-rational thoughts on the current coronavirus news? With so much disparate information coming in from an overwhelming number of sources, how does he increase the resolution on these puzzle pieces to get a clearer idea — rather than an incomprehensible distortion — of the big picture? [57:10]
While following this particular news cycle, what sources does Tyler consider to be reliable and level-headed? [1:01:12]
With so many projects already on the table, why did Tyler choose to create Emergent Ventures? How does it differ from other philanthropic efforts being made today, and what promising ventures has it bolstered so far? [1:02:29]
What would Emergent Ventures’ success look like to Tyler? [1:05:32]
What are some of the most controversial views or perspectives Tyler currently holds? [1:06:25]
Does Tyler have any favorite failures that contributed to his current success, or has he enjoyed a lifelong lucky run of even-keeled progress? [1:07:51]
If Tyler considers himself in a consistent range of “weirdly never unhappy,” does he ever have feelings that he prefers not to feel that come to mind? [1:10:43]
Does Tyler have resources or advice for people who might seek to exist somewhere along his “weirdly never unhappy” spectrum? Is it as easy as adopting some kind of talisman — and if so, is there anything wrong with that? Does Tyler have his own talismans? [1:11:57]
How does Tyler choose guests for his podcast? Who’s on his wishlist? [1:16:58]
Has Tyler taken on any new behaviors or habits that have had a nontrivial impact on his life? [1:18:15]
How has a commitment to being kinder played out for Tyler, and why did this become a priority? [1:19:22]
What would Tyler’s billboard (or widely-broadcast message) say? Who would be his target audience, and why might this seem an odd choice for someone who considers himself an agnostic leaning toward atheism? [1:21:05]
Tyler asks me a few questions. First up: how do I restore lost focus? [1:25:29]
Do I think cold exposure is partly a placebo or talisman, or do I think it works on a more quantifiable level? [1:27:03]
Do I fear ending up in an equilibrium where I say no to too many things, and if so, how do you avoid this? [1:28:11]
Do I worry that too many of my friends are highly successful people? [1:30:19]
Tyler and I share some of our favorite movies, and I mark the therapeutic value of film and fiction to people who are prone to depression and hyper rumination. [1:32:29]
If I could take a year off from all responsibilities, how would I choose to spend it? [1:35:21]
How much are Tyler and I alike versus being different? [1:36:51]
As someone with an interest in traveling the historical routes of pilgrims, what do I find of most value in religion? How do pilgrimages, language-learning, and skill acquisition all fit into what Tyler calls the “unified theory” of me? [1:40:09]
What is the unified theory of Tyler? [1:49:15]
Parting thoughts. [1:52:11]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Neal Stephenson
Reid Hoffman
Ryan Holiday
Helen Branswell
Peter Thiel
Kobe Bryant
Martina Navratilova
Harold Bloom
William Shakespeare
Ludwig van Beethoven
Johann Sebastian Bach
Arnold Schoenberg
Patrick Collison
Erasmus
Michel de Montaigne
Homer
James Joyce
Paul Krugman
Martin Gurri
Steve Levitt
Philip Tetlock
Emily St. John Mandel
Emily Wilson
Giovanni Boccaccio
The Beatles
Sherlock Holmes
Kadeem Noray
Savannah Noray
Mark Lutter
Harshita Arora
Malcolm Gladwell
Donald Trump
Bernie Sanders
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
William Shatner
James T. Kirk
Brian Eno
William Goldman
Ingmar Bergman
Hayao Miyazaki
David Niven