The collapse of modern attention (and how to get it back) - Cal Newport - #1067
Modern Wisdom
03/05/26
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Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University, a productivity expert and an author.
Has AI “workslop” damaged our ability to focus? When AI entered the workplace, many thought it would replace knowledge workers. Instead, we’re flooded with AI-generated noise that feels productive but often isn’t. In this new era, is the real competitive advantage simply the ability to focus?
Expect to learn what the future of work will be with major advancements in AI, what most people’s relationship with productivity is like at the moment, why your ability to focus is becoming increasingly more important, how people should deal with a lot of work messages, if new AI tools actually have been as transformative as they have claimed to be, if AI in the workplace has been a huge disappointment so far and why and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Did Cal Predict the Attention Crisis? (3:57) Why Distraction Is Exploding Right Now (9:56) Can You Actually Retrain Your Attention Span? (14:30) Cal’s Top Focus Strategies (22:56) Should We Have Shorter Work Weeks? (33:29) Is Workslop Destroying Productivity in the Workplace? (48:53) Can AI Reliance Create More Opportunities For Us? (01:00:31) Why AI Should Push Us Toward Hard Thinking (01:03:33) You Need to Work Smarter, Not Harder (01:13:27) Why Organisations Obsess Over Busyness (and How to Stop It) (01:27:53) Is Quantum Computing Actually Useful in AI? (01:32:46) Why Reading is More Important Than Ever
(01:44:08) Where to Find Cal
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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. Kathryn Paige Harden is a psychologist and behavioural geneticist, Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and an author.
Are people born evil, or does evil emerge from circumstance? While we tend to blame genetics for humanity’s darkest behaviors, science and psychology suggest a far more complicated picture. If biology, environment, and experience all shape behavior, how should society judge, or punish, those who may never have had full control over who they became?
Expect to learn what Kathryn learned from her first 4 million-person study, what the evolutionary roots of aggression, dominance, and impulsivity are, if there is a heritability of antisocial behaviour, why punishment is a useful tool for responding to harm, what Kathryn makes of the looksmaxxing movement, and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) Why Kathryn’s Last Book Was So Controversial (5:28) What Drives Risk-Taking Behaviour? (9:21) What Drew Kathryn to the World of Antisocial Behaviour? (11:59) How Humans Have Evolved to Become Deviant (20:48) Should You Wait Until 30 To Try Drugs? (25:02) Is Punishment More About Circumstance Than Crime? (31:02) How Genetic is Deviance? (35:14) Why Bad Behaviour in Kids Makes Us So Uncomfortable (43:01) When Do You Become Responsible For Your Actions? (47:43) Is Addiction Genetic? (53:47) Are Men More Prone to Antisocial Traits? (1:03:24) If Behaviour is Genetic, How Do We Justify Punishment? (1:11:09) Should Genetic Behaviour Affect Criminal Sentencing? (1:26:52) Why Do We Crave Retribution? (1:32:05) Do We Enjoy Judging Others? (1:43:15) Does Prison Actually Work? (1:51:49) We Need to Question Our Own Moral Instincts (1:58:14) The Top Reasons Epigenetic Inheritance So Controversial (2:04:50) Does Environment During Pregnancy Shape a Child’s Genes? (2:10:11) How Much of Motherhood is Just Luck? (2:13:46) Kathryn’s Ethical Stance on Embryo Selection (2:29:37) Can Embryo Selection Prevent a Crumbling Genome? (2:36:45) Is It Fair to Suppress Genetic Behaviour in Men? (2:49:25) Is Looksmaxxing Damaging Our Genetics? (2:59:55) Where to Find Kathryn
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Check out Kathryn's book: https://tinyurl.com/msd53w6s
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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Get In Touch:
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Next Episode
Dr Peter Salerno is a social psychologist, professor, and researcher.
Why are narcissists so manipulative? At some point in your life, you’ve probably encountered a narcissist. They can take control of a situation so subtly that before you realize it, you’re caught under their influence. So how can you spot a narcissist early, and what can you do to protect yourself from their manipulation?
Expect to learn why people repeatedly tend to hurt others deliberately, which parts of the brain are actually involved in empathy and self-control, why the idea that “hurt people hurt people” is so attractive, why narcissists often pull someone close and then suddenly push them away, how to spot when flirting or drama turn into manipulation, if someone can be genuinely in emotional pain and still choose to hurt others and much more...
Timestamps:
(0:00) How Peter Discovered His Niche in Psychology (3:31) Which Personality Types Cause the Most Conflict? (10:05) What Causes Cluster B Personality Disorders? (12:54) Is Antagonistic Behaviour Genetic? (17:42) How Cluster B Traits Evolved Over Time (21:54) The Neuroscience Behind Personality Disorders (31:06) Do Narcissists Devalue Everything? (39:48) Are Personality Disorders a Choice? (43:48) What Are The Other Cluster Disorders? (46:50) Why “Hurt People Hurt People” Is So Compelling (53:30) What Narcissism Really Is (01:02:00) Narcissists vs Psychopaths: Who Is More Dangerous? (01:04:55) Which Personality Disorders Commonly Occur Together? (01:09:21) The Hardest Personality Disorder to Treat (01:12:38) How Real Change Happens in Personality Disorders (01:18:58) Who Get Stuck in Toxic Relationships? (01:24:11) How Sexuality is Utilised in Personality Disorders (01:28:26) Things Cluster B Personalities Rarely Do (01:32:43) How Cluster B Personality Traits Develop (01:38:15) How Likely Are We to Be Histrionic? (01:40:16) The Biggest Sex Differences in Personality Disorders (01:44:53) Where to Find Peter
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 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/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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