I recently did a livestream with
, the former fitness director of Men’s Health magazine and the bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. Michael also has a superb Substack which I recommend.Some topics we discuss:
Why struggle is essential—even if you have to manufacture it. Some people instinctively seek out hardship. If life isn’t hard enough, we find ways to make it harder.
Modern food is designed to defeat your self-control. No one binges on apples or steak. But Doritos? Ice cream? These foods are chemically engineered to override your brain’s natural stop signals.
Dopamine isn’t the problem—how we get it is. The human brain evolved to reward effort, but in the modern world, we’ve hacked the system. TikTok, junk food, and social media offer dopamine shortcuts that leave us feeling worse in the long run.
Why maximizing makes sense for some things, but satisficing is better for most others. You can’t perfect every detail of your life, but there are a few areas—major projects, relationships, and longer-term ambitions—where it pays to take your time.
Self-improvement messaging matters. Yes, everyone knows exercise is good for you. But knowing something and acting on it are two very different things. Constant reminders are what actually change behavior.
Action beats inaction. Overthinking is often just a way of avoiding risk. If you’re stuck, do something. Anything. That’s how momentum starts. Starting badly is still better than not starting at all. Good results come from forward motion.
Paralysis by analysis is killing your progress. Research shows that people waste time agonizing over decisions that won’t actually make much of a difference. If you’re debating between two good options, just pick one. When faced with a set of options that are roughly equal, agonizing over them is wasted energy.
Most people fear criticism more than failure. The real reason we hesitate? It’s not about getting it right—it’s about avoiding judgment.
How a viral tweet turned into a major idea. The origin story of luxury beliefs—how a Twitter thread became a series of essays, a chapter in my book, and a term embraced (and sometimes debated) across the political spectrum.
Why social media makes overconfidence a necessity. If you’re too cautious, no one notices. If you’re too bold, you get attacked. Striking the balance is a constant challenge.
Can technology make us tougher? It’s just a tool, but how we use it determines whether it’s helping or hurting our mental and physical well-being. How some innovations—like Pokémon Go—are tricking people into doing what’s good for them instead of what’s easy.
What it’s like to host meetups and gatherings for Substack readers
Reading books rewires your brain for deep thinking in a world of distractions. Everything else is engineered to be quick, shallow, and forgettable—reading is one of the last refuges of real focus.
