Daniel Z. Lieberman, Michael E. Long The ‘molecule of more’ whose machinations make you desire what you don’t have, and drives you to seek new things. That which offers rewards when you obey it, and punishes you when you don’t. Dopamine, whose fingerprint is visible in most of the thoughts and actions we do on […]
Olivia Laing This was a book that had been on my list for a while now, thanks to quotes from it reaching me from various sources. I now realise why a lot of people hold it in high regard. It’s not just the deep and poignant insights about loneliness, and its connection to art, but […]
Schopenhauer is believed to have said “A man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills.” We can replace will with ‘want’ and it still holds. But we have convinced ourselves otherwise – that we desire things independently. Based on the work and philosophy of René Girard, and his own experiences, Luke Burgis sets about dismantling this notion – what the book calls the Romantic Lie – self delusion.
‘Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.’ With excellent framing, relatable examples, and easy ways of application, James Clear does a great job of explaining why good habits are important, and how one can constantly create, review, and align them.
Our behaviour at any given point is driven by a whole lot of factors – the immediate neurobiological to events that happened millennia ago. Though this is far from an easy read, Robert Sapolsky peels back the layers to give the reader a better sense of what drives behaviour.