“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Do introspective, intelligent people enjoy life more than the masses? Often not. Ben Casnocha wrote this after the death of David Foster Wallace. Awarded the MacArthur genius grant, Wallace was brilliant, but unfortunately, as Casnocha writes: Wallace’s suicide raises for me the question about the correlation […]
Why Most People are Happier Working than in Their Free Time
Are you happier when you’re working, or when you have time off? Easy answer right? We work in order to have free time. Everything from basic economics to our deepest intuitions tells us that we must be happiest during our free time. Turns out we were wrong. Flow, Flipped Intuitions and A Scientist’s Name You […]
Does the Ideal Life Depend on Your City?
I’m Canadian, but I’m currently living in the south of France. And, for the last five months, I’ve been doing something I never would have considered back home. I’m not talking about drinking wine, eating baguettes or speaking French (although I’ve been doing plenty of those things). No, I’m talking about riding a bicycle. For […]
The Serious Pursuit of Fun
Imagine that your main goal in life was to have as much fun as possible. What would your life look like? I’m asking this question because I reject the idea that the pursuit of fun, in its maximum, would result in a life of non-stop television, fast-food binging or substance abuse. Instead I’d argue that, […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.