19 Uncomfortable Truths About Human Nature - Gurwinder Bhogal - #1073
Modern Wisdom
03/19/26
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Gurwinder Bhogal is a programmer and a writer. Gurwinder is one of my favourite X follows. He’s written yet another megathread exploring human nature, cognitive biases, mental models, status games, crowd behaviour and social media. It’s fantastic, and today we go through some of my favourites. Expect to learn what the Oxytocin paradox is, why anxiety is now the most common mental health condition in the world and why the Rumpelstiltskin Effect might be to blame, the reason why 20% and 40% of undergraduates at many elite American universities are now registered as disabled, what AI will do and make to best steal our attention, why 1% of users generate 99% of the content you see online, whether you’re the person who doesn’t know how to improve their life or someone who doesn’t know when to stop and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Can Empathy Make You Cruel? (8:19) Does Diagnoses Actually Solve Anything? (20:09) Why So Many People Now Identify As Disabled (23:09) The Harmful Power of Slopaganda (25:34) Can Truth Survive the Information Overload? (33:00) Why Social Media Isn’t Real Life (36:41) The Rise of Red Pill Content (42:04) Can Stress Actually Make You Happier? (58:21) Do Standards Outweigh Capacity? (01:02:23) Why We Focus On Our Weaknesses (01:10:16) Is Main Character Syndrome Warping Reality? (01:17:28) Why You Should Argue Like Your Opponent Will Win (01:22:01) Will Everything Eventually Become Illegal? (01:24:46) The Hype Cycle of New Technology (01:31:32) Nature vs Nurture: What Really Shapes Us? (01:34:41) What Your Worldview Reveals About You (01:38:04) Is Optimistic Pessimism the Best Mindset? (01:43:29) Where to Check Out Gurwinder
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Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
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Previous Episode
Dr Debra Soh is a neuroscientist, sex researcher, political commentator, and author.
Why are we more connected than ever—but having less sex? Technology promised endless connection, but many people feel more isolated than ever. With sexlessness increasing, what’s causing the modern “sex recession,” and what can be done about it?
Expect to learn if people having less sex is a big deal or not, what the current state of modern sexual activity is, when the sex recession started and if rising hypergamy was a factor, if the role of porn attributed to the sex recession and the shocking new neuroscience of porn use, why looksmaxxing and plastic surgery are on the rise, the role of social media and smartphones had in growing sexlessness, what can be done top-down to fix the sex recession and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Is Sex Really Declining? (4:13) When Did the Sex Recession Start? (7:24) Why Hypergamy Is Changing (16:26) Is Hypergamy Reshaping the Dating Market? (22:39) How the Pill Changed Female Sexual Choice (32:01) Life As a Romance Novel Model (33:27) How Modern Environments Disrupt Our Hormones (37:05) Porn’s Devastating Impact on Men (46:42) How Porn is Impacting Women (51:38) Is Porn Making Sex More Aggressive? (01:08:25) How Social Media is Rewriting Sexual Norms (01:14:10) The Beauty Standards Porn is Creating (01:25:04) Is Looksmaxxing Backfiring? (01:29:11) Is Sexlessness Destroying Marriages? (01:38:25) Is the Sex Doll Revolution Coming? (01:45:52) Why Connection Feels Harder Than Ever (01:47:48) Are We Opting Out of Having Children? (02:01:50) Can the Sex Recession Be Reversed? (02:05:36) Where to Find Debra
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom
New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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Next Episode
Nir Eyal is an author, behavioural design expert, and investor. What does it mean to truly hold a belief you endorse? Maybe some of what we believe isn’t true. But more interesting is how beliefs are formed, and how they can be reshaped. So how do you update your beliefs in a way that actually serves you, rather than holds you back? Expect to learn why beliefs are so important and why they are just tools not truths, what’s wrong with the traditional view of behaviour change and motivation, why smart, disciplined people still quit when their beliefs weaken, how big of a problem limiting beliefs are, how to reframe rejection and failure, why rumination feels productive when it’s actually destructive, how to audit your beliefs and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Why Belief Shapes Everything You Do (7:43) Are Spirituals Beliefs Weaker Than Religious Beliefs? (11:32) The Power of Choosing What You Believe (16:34) Why You Shouldn’t Treat Beliefs as Fact (20:17) Can Belief Be Engineered? (28:58) Rumination: Helpful or Harmful? (30:57) How to Rebuild Belief After Failure (38:28) Can You Really Create Your Own Luck? (41:19) You’ll Always Find Negativity If You Look For It (46:24) How Beliefs Can Physically Affect Your Body (52:29) How to Break Free From Limiting Beliefs (01:03:38) The Challenge Behind Changing Health Beliefs (01:08:18) You Have More Agency Than You Think (01:13:05) Why the Brain Defaults to Helplessness (01:15:37) You Need to Believe in Your Potential (01:21:46) The Placebo Prayer Protocol (01:26:34) Where to Find Nir
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom
Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom
Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom
New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Check out Nir's new book: http://geni.us/beyondbelief
Free belief change guide Nir mentioned is here: http://nirandfar.com/belief-change
Bonus content and the 30-Day Belief Transformation Journal: http://nirandfar.com/beyond-belief
-
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
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