Provoked Newsletter

Naval Ravikant suggested This definition is far removed from the IQ test we sweated through on whether a Tetris-like shape could be rotated. A billionaire with a private island argues that intelligence is getting what you want. And this is how IQ evolved since the test Alfred Binet built in 1905 to discover which French schoolkids needed extra help.

Last night I gave a sold-out Pints and Profs talk on the science of dating. I even received emails from people who got stopped at the door, which tells you something about the current state of romance where apparently adults will leave their homes on a Sunday night to hear a psychologist explain why finding someone worthy to bed or love has become a magnificent shitshow. Cheers to those escaping adulting for a few hours to consume beer and gather at the intersection of nerdiness and sexiness.

This is part of a series where I respond to questions by Provoked readers. You can read prior issues here: A Science-Backed Guide to Raising Kids with Synesthesia Subpar Parenting: A Dear Provoked Column I remember having a conversation in the hallway of the Psychology Department at George Mason University. A faculty member asked me if I’m religious and I replied that I’m atheist.

I bring up my version of heaven with friends because it is better than movie versions of the afterlife. It is far more satisfying than the reunion on the cloud, everyone issued a harp and a mild look of contentment and absolutely nowhere to be. It beats the long white hallway where everyone you have lost stands in a row, freshly showered and delighted that you finally made it…a phase the is annoying from the get-go. In mine, you get the almost awesome experiences back.

I read a lot of non-fiction books and as a result, I notice that 27.8% of psychology books feel compelled to mention the Solomon Asch studies on conformity, the Stanley Milgram shock experiments on obedience, and Muzafer Sherif’s Robbers Cave experiment on intergroup conflict and cooperation. I’m not gonna lie, I shake my head and skip these pages. There are hundreds of thousands of social science studies.

I was a mile into a walk to the gym when I saw two adults climb out of a sedan in the multiplex parking lot, and between them they had a freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn, the kind you make at home for pennies, and they were transferring it by the fistful into the pockets of their tracksuit pants. Both of them wore sweatshirts too, which is not weather appropriate in this heat, which means they dressed for cargo capacity. More pockets, more popcorn.

Let me share a short story about reading an article that annoyed me. Andy Kessler wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal called “The Happiness Industrial Complex” (Inside View, July 26) It is a strange article suggesting that trying to measure happiness is futile. He argues that happiness is immeasurable, which mirrors what one United States senator once said about love.

I try to create the greatest articles because you appreciate irreverent, psychologically sophisticated writing (you don’t need another article telling you the best predictor of happiness is happy relationships). If inclined, introduce Provoked to new readers: 3 referrals → 1 free premiummonth 5 referrals → 3 free months 10 referrals → 6 free months I am writing this from a pool chair.

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