Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Extreme challenges are fun! (Really?) Why do people crave skydiving and Spartan Races? What do we learn from doing something risky? For our kids, or at work, what kinds of challenges make us stronger, and what burns us out? It only costs $350 in entry fees to be this miserable. Why do humans love extreme experiences? Humans have always sought out extremes: A fifth-century Syrian monk lived on top of a pillar for 36 years, drawing crowds of...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Focus! Focus! Focus! Wanna stay laser-focused at work? (Does fasting really help? What about exercise? And how do you feel about Megadeth?) What's actually happening inside my head when I focus? There's been some pretty weird methods for maintaining focus. Demosthenes shaved half his head, but only half, so he was too embarrassed to leave his desk. Victor Hugo wrote naked so he wasn't tempted to leave his room. Maya Angelou's house was filled...
24 days ago • 4 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Put me to bed or lose me forever! Having trouble falling asleep? Waking up in the middle of the night? Fear not! Science has solutions! A quick note: This newsletter, now in video! If you enjoy The Science of Better, I'd love to invite you to subscribe to my new YouTube channel. The first video is live now: → STOP TRYING TO BREAK YOUR BAD HABITS (THE REAL FIX) ← I'll be posting new videos each week on topics like 'Life Advice That Sounds Good But...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Help me make the right choice! And how do I get my kids / spouse / coworkers to stop making dumb ones? Sometimes we make choices that, in retrospect, don't seem so wise once we're trapped in a playground structure. What happens inside our decision-making brain is kind of ... weird. When researchers looked at how pilots, military officers, firefighters and surgeons made decisions, they found four distinct methods: Intuitive (go with your gut),...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Must I drink green smoothies and wear spandex? There are so many health tips competing for our attention. (Supplements! Cold plunges! Wearables! Fibermaxxing!) So what actually moves the needle? A quick thank you: The survey. Thank you to the thousands of you that responded. We're working on something new for The Science of Better, and your suggestions will make it great. If you didn't get a chance, you can find the survey here. (Along with a...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi, I'm working on something new. For a while, readers have told me they want more than a newsletter. You've told me you want a place to practice these ideas, to ask questions, to connect with people trying to get better. Workshops, maybe. A community, possibly. Something that actually helps you use this stuff, instead of just read about it. Before I build anything, I want to understand what would be actually useful. So I put together a very short survey. Your answers will directly shape what...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Is reading this on your phone going to kill you? We all know our phones, supposedly, are making us dumber and more boring and less healthy. But is that really true? A QUICK NOTE! I'm working on something new for The Science of Better readers (workshops! communities!) and I want to get it right. So, in the next few weeks, I'm going to send you a short survey with just a few questions. I’d love to hear what you think might improve your life. When art criticizes tech, it gets clever. Is tech bad...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more. Read me! Summer is almost here — so why not pick up some new reading material for the beach? (Or the hammock, or the couch, or an audiobook for a long drive ...) A Hollywood super agent describing celebrity tantrums? Stories of financial hijinks amid A-list bumbleheads? And, best of all, co-written with Pulitzer prize winner J. R. Moehringer, who wrote Andre Aggasi's Open? C'mon. This is going to be amazing. (Get it September 22.) Why do we...
3 months ago • 2 min read
The science of negotiation We negotiate all the time — with our bosses, our spouses, our kids. Not to mention buying a new car, asking for a raise, booking a hotel or signing up for the gym. So how do we come out on top? Science has some answers. If you come to haggle, at least come dressed for it. The first rule of negotiating is don't talk about you should talk about negotiating. There have been some odd negotiations in history: In 193 AD the Roman Empire's Praetorian Guard murdered the...
4 months ago • 5 min read