Barry Schwartz and the Paradox of Choice

“We laud our almost boundless freedom of choice as if it were a good thing per se, irrespective of what the choice is between. This is of course absurd because any rational person would prefer to choose between two good things rather than between a thousand bad ones. But, under these circumstances, how do weContinue reading “Barry Schwartz and the Paradox of Choice”

Comforting Thought: From ‘harder, better, faster, stronger’, back to circadian rhythms and rituals

“The cycles of nature and the cycles of time predate the modern world. The world we currently live in is linear and about more, more, more or ‘harder, better, faster, stronger’. This way of thinking dictates that we should not miss out on anything. We are encouraged to grow throughout our lives, as a partContinue reading “Comforting Thought: From ‘harder, better, faster, stronger’, back to circadian rhythms and rituals”

Comforting Thought: If We Want to Do Something Well – We Cannot Do It All

“Opt out of the relentless pursuit of personal optimisation of our lives. Opt-out of picking and choosing a new partner when we get bored of the person we have been with for many years simply because we are bored. Opt out of trying to become a social media influencer with a million friends on InstagramContinue reading “Comforting Thought: If We Want to Do Something Well – We Cannot Do It All”

How to Counter the Anthropocene: Frugality and the ‘Joy of Missing Out’

“The main threats to humankind were once posed by the forces of nature. Now they are self-inflicted. We are the cause of our own problems and they can only be solved at the level of the society that created them. One help would be to collectively rediscover the ancient virtues of frugality, moderation and theContinue reading “How to Counter the Anthropocene: Frugality and the ‘Joy of Missing Out’”

Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann

This book could have become a shallow antidote to the internet term for FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. Yet the Joy of Missing Out is brimming with exciting, novel and interesting ideas. It’s a slender book of around 90 pages that’s jam-packed full of interesting concepts and insights which draw together psychology, economics, communityContinue reading “Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann”