Evolutionary Psychology, Sex Wars, Revolutionary Negation
Austin events + links and recommendations
Austin
I’m in Austin, Texas this week.
Today (Jan 13), I’ll be at the University of Austin for a public event, speaking with the film producers who are adapting my book Troubled for the big screen. RSVP and details here.
Figured while I’m in town it would be a good idea to have a meetup. January 15. 6pm. Please register here.
From the archives:
Understanding the Dark Triad Personality Traits
The Only Reading App I Use:
I’ve been using Readwise since April of 2021.
If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter/X, you’ll know I regularly share screenshots like this from books or articles I’ve read:
These screenshots come from my Readwise app.
Readwise aggregates your reading highlights from various sources like Kindle, Apple Books, Substack, Twitter, and so on. It stores your highlights in one place, making it easier to stay on top of your reading.
Each morning, it emails me 8 random excerpts from different books I’ve read. Since 2021, that daily message has been a quiet ritual for me: fragments from books I half‑forgot are resurfaced, like my own past self giving me a tap on the shoulder.
Moreover, when I’m thinking about a particular topic, a quick search pulls up not just my notes but every highlighted Kindle passage I’ve ever saved on the topic.
Exclusive Offer for My Readers
Use this link → https://readwise.io/robkhenderson/ to try Readwise free for 60 days (double the length of the standard free trial).
I suspect, like me, you’ll wonder how you ever read without it.
Links and recommendations:
How Tech Titans Can Ease AI Anxieties by Mark P. Mills
Encountering the Spirit of Revolutionary Negation by Daniel J. Mahoney
Medicine in the Age of Social Justice by Sally Satel
OK Zoomer by Russell Walter
A Field Guide to Evolutionary Psychology by Mitch Brown
The Sex Wars Conference by Diana Fleischman
Follow me on Instagram here. The platform is less volatile and more chill than Twitter/X, so I post some spicier excerpts from my readings on my IG stories
You can follow me on TikTok here
Three interesting findings:
1. Those who engage in climate activism are mostly female (61%) and almost entirely white (93%). More than 9 out of 10 climate activists have at least a BA. Much like other social justice causes, environmentalism is regularly used as a means to feel morally and intellectually superior. (source: We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi).
2. Eight out of 10 young Americans are ineligible to enlist in the U.S. military. Primarily due to obesity, but medical issues and criminal record are also factors. (source).
3. Meta-analysis of 58 studies finds that masculinity (independent, active, competitive, makes decisions easily, never gives up easily, self-confident, feels superior, stands up well under pressure) is linked to lower depression. (source).
The paperback version of Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class is now available.
If you have gained any value from this newsletter and want to support my work, please buy a copy today. For yourself. For a friend or a loved one. If you can’t afford it, please support your local library.
Order your copy now:
Audible (I narrated the audiobook myself)
Rob, I have an “office hours” thought for you.
In the light of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir passing away, I’ve been thinking about luxury beliefs related to the cultural shift of the 60s & 70s. Three of the founding members of the Grateful Dead ended up in long term, stable marriages, with children, they didn’t experiment with hard drugs (heroin) that took down many musicians of their time. They were singularly dedicated to their trade, and worked endlessly at it. Yet many hippies who experimented with the “turn on, tune in and drop out” culture of the time, ended up with addictions or drug habits, children out of wedlock, little savings and lacking stability with their jobs and life in general. The 3 Grateful Dead members at least didn’t appear buy into this fully, in spite of what they said or how the band was attributed to that lifestyle. I’ve come across a few successful hippies who appear willing to attribute their success to counterculture values instead of traditional ones. Or to live the carefree hippy lifestyle on the outside while living like a responsible adult in private. Wonder if this was an early manifestation of luxury beliefs? Especially when the counterculture/feminist ideas of that time started to gain traction more broadly.