Episode
#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
1:17:10
Published: Sat Feb 04 2023
Description
Adam Mastroianni is a postdoctoral research scholar at Columbia Business School and a writer whose research focuses on how people perceive and misperceive their social worlds. Does being smart make you happy? Does being dumb make you miserable? Why did the guy who created eugenics also get published in Nature for a revolutionary way to cut a cake? Adam is one of my favourite writers so today I get to ask him all these things. Expect to learn why super smart people can be so stupid, Adam's issue with the productivity approach of eating frogs, whether you can learn arithmetic by smell, why humans misjudge what other people want to talk about, why we forget so many of the things that we've learned, how come it's trendy to call the general public stupid and much more... Sponsors: Get 83% discount & 3 months free from Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (use code MODERNWISDOM) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and more from Athletic Greens at https://athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get 20% discount on House Of Macadamias’ nuts at https://houseofmacadamias.com/modernwisdom (use code MW20) Extra Stuff: Follow Adam's Substack - https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/ Check out Adam's website - https://www.adammastroianni.com/ Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom - 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/
Chapters
This podcast explores the issues with the productivity approach of eating frogs, smelling your way to learning arithmetic, why we forget things we've learned, and why we often misjudge what other people want to talk about.
00:00 - 05:27 (05:27)
Summary
This podcast explores the issues with the productivity approach of eating frogs, smelling your way to learning arithmetic, why we forget things we've learned, and why we often misjudge what other people want to talk about.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Adam talks about dealing with negative comments online, academic burnout, and the challenges of academic publishing.
05:27 - 08:26 (02:58)
Summary
Adam talks about dealing with negative comments online, academic burnout, and the challenges of academic publishing.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Academic intelligence does not always translate into making wise choices in life.
08:26 - 12:30 (04:03)
Summary
Academic intelligence does not always translate into making wise choices in life. There are examples of professors who were intellectually brilliant but made poor decisions that resulted in losing their jobs or facing legal consequences.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The pursuit of success can often lead us to focus solely on “winning” the game, but is that really living a fulfilling life?
12:30 - 17:55 (05:25)
Summary
The pursuit of success can often lead us to focus solely on “winning” the game, but is that really living a fulfilling life? Sometimes, achieving our goals can leave us feeling empty, as we mistake playing the game for true happiness.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The pressure to succeed and conform can lead us to suppress our true interests and inclinations, and lead us into careers that we're not truly passionate about.
17:57 - 30:18 (12:21)
Summary
The pressure to succeed and conform can lead us to suppress our true interests and inclinations, and lead us into careers that we're not truly passionate about. However, by recognizing and embracing our inherent values and preferences, we can rediscover our passions and lead fulfilling lives.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The speaker discusses how there are still unconventional experiments that could be done to learn about the world, but people don't do them because they look silly, and it's hard to write papers about them.
30:18 - 37:49 (07:31)
Summary
The speaker discusses how there are still unconventional experiments that could be done to learn about the world, but people don't do them because they look silly, and it's hard to write papers about them.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
People are often more willing to have deeper conversations than we think, and small talk is often lamented because individuals truly desire more meaningful interactions.
37:50 - 44:48 (06:57)
Summary
People are often more willing to have deeper conversations than we think, and small talk is often lamented because individuals truly desire more meaningful interactions. Recent cases in California indicate that forced sterilizations of women in prison have occurred, and this is troubling when we base intelligence solely on tests that do not encompass all mental abilities.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The speaker reflects on their world travels and the philosophy behind their approach to life and teaching, emphasizing the importance of gaining a sense of history and the many possibilities for human organization in different societies.
44:49 - 53:46 (08:57)
Summary
The speaker reflects on their world travels and the philosophy behind their approach to life and teaching, emphasizing the importance of gaining a sense of history and the many possibilities for human organization in different societies.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Like baking cookies, good ideas for experimental history take time to develop otherwise they'll burn and taste bad.
53:46 - 1:02:23 (08:36)
Summary
Like baking cookies, good ideas for experimental history take time to develop otherwise they'll burn and taste bad. It's important to take the necessary time to develop and present good ideas.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
Many people have the impression that the world is becoming increasingly worse, but this is only an illusion created by memory bias and emphasis on negative news headlines.
1:02:24 - 1:10:24 (07:59)
Summary
Many people have the impression that the world is becoming increasingly worse, but this is only an illusion created by memory bias and emphasis on negative news headlines. When looking back at past experiences, bad memories may not feel as bad, but good memories still feel good.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
A discussion about how being a part of the "rationalist" community can cause stress and anxiety due to the pressure of constantly trying to think correctly.
1:10:24 - 1:14:48 (04:24)
Summary
A discussion about how being a part of the "rationalist" community can cause stress and anxiety due to the pressure of constantly trying to think correctly.
Episode#585 - Adam Mastroianni - Are Smart People Actually Happier?
PodcastModern Wisdom
The host contemplates on the few important things to learn in life while reflecting on his past regrets.
1:14:49 - 1:17:07 (02:18)
Summary
The host contemplates on the few important things to learn in life while reflecting on his past regrets.