In theory, we ought to have a system in place that rewards those who bring benefit to individuals and society and disincentivizes those who bring harm. And yet, contrary to what we’ve been taught in school that is not the system we have in place. In fact, in many cases, companies profit most when they …
Resolving to exercise more and eat healthier? Unfortunately, most of us will give up on our yearly New Year weight loss resolution well before year end. Before long, we’ll blame ourselves and our lack of will power. Not to let anyone off the hook but maybe it’s not a will power issue, maybe there is …
There is a trend below which is a problem if you are concerned about health: Outside Food = Less Healthy Food I wrote a post explaining why mixing capitalism, food, and human biology predictably leads to chronic disease (though it is not inevitable and we can do something about it – see the orange box …
Got a raise? I know this advice is going to suck… but, you’ll be convinced. Most people including most financial planners will at best tell you to save some part of it for investing and use the rest to spend as you like. Not good advice. The Trap of Social Comparison (Keeping up with the …
Earlier this year the US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy called attention to an unusual epidemic affecting us: an epidemic of loneliness. Because it’s something we’ve all experienced it, many of us are not surprised. On the other hand, it is unusual given that our lives are simultaneously more interconnected than in the past. What’s going …
As anyone who knows a little about health can tell you, every healthy person has a few things in common: they exercise regularly (often outdoors in nature), they consume nutritious food, and they sleep well. While healthy overlaps considerably with happiness, to be happy you also need a healthy supportive social network with the freedom …
So far, I’ve been trying to convince individuals to reconsider their relationship with consumption. I think the message for the individual is so compelling that just about anyone who understands it, is likely to reconsider their relationship with many of the things we spend money on these days. Society and Mindless Consumption – A Solution …
Revolutionary Policy # 1: Teach Investing & the Science of Happiness Read More »
I once gave a talk to a room full of physicians of various specialties. Here’s what I said: “Today, as you all know, 73% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Diabetes is ten times more common than it was a hundred years ago. Anxiety and depression rates among children in particular are skyrocketing. Now …
You may have heard of a famous study in 2010 by 2 nobel-prize winning economists, Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton at Princeton University that demonstrated a correlation between income and happiness. It made a lot of headlines at the time. If you just read the news articles, you would surely have come away with a misinterpretation of …
My father passed away not long ago. He had a number of medical problems but thankfully he lived to old age, lived to see his grandchildren, and to leave a lasting impression on many, especially me. But in the late 1980s he suffered a heart attack in his early 50s. I remember the day vividly. …
