This book is about Ikigai – a Japanese philosophy for how to live a long life and enjoy it. The authors make references to well-known psychological ideas such as Flow and Logotherapy, but also criticizes Western psychoanalysis for placing too much emphasis on control, direction, and intellectualizing – this is the opposite of Morita Therapy, … Read more
The Philosophy of Little Bets Little Bets by Peter Sims is about making many low-cost experiments and investing in what works, rather than investing in one big idea from the start. This philosophy isn’t new, it has been discussed in other books including The Learn Startup by Eric Ries and 4 Steps to Epiphany by … Read more
In Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, Dr. Gordon Livingston, a psychiatrist, imparts 30 pearls of wisdom in this short book. He has had his share of suffering in life. Within a year, one of his sons committed suicide and another died in an accident. He was also run over by a snowmobile while standing … Read more
The Female Brain Summary The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine is about how female brains differ from male brains. Studies around the world showed that women are more likely to be depressed than men are by a ratio of 2:1. As a medical student, Brizendine thought this was because of the patriarchal oppression of women, … Read more
Edward de Bono is known for his books about thinking. He coined the term “lateral thinking” that is now commonplace. An Introduction to Lateral Thinking De Bono wrote in the 1960’s when creativity was considered rare. He thought that lateral thinking could be an “insight tool” for solving problems. The concept of lateral thinking emerged … Read more
Why is Sex Fun? by Jared Diamond tries to explain a seemingly obvious question contained in the title. To most people, the answer is obvious and needs no further explanation. People have sex all the time, because sex is fun, there’s nothing else to explain. But to a scientist like Diamond, this answer is not … Read more
The Story of the Human Body by Daniel E. Lieberman is about how our bodies have evolved across time, how the environment and culture affected our development, and what, if any kind of behavior or lifestyle, is considered optimal for human beings. A Return to the Past Some have called for a return to the … Read more
Even though the human body has come a long way, the journey is far from over. What will the future look like? Will our technologies cure cancer, solve the obesity epidemic, and make people healthier and happier? Or are we headed towards a dystopia as described in WALL-E, where people are chronically ill weaklings who … Read more
The Story of Germs Most people think germs are invisible pests that cause disease. The less of them, the better. We disinfect our homes, food, and bodies with a collection of germ-killing weapons, including soap, bleach, and antibiotics. No one questions the assumption that cleaner is healthier. And for good reason. Sanitation and antibiotics has … Read more
The emerging and important new field of evolutionary medicine proposes that we have created an environment that is not well matched for our bodies. While farming led to more food and modern sanitation and medicine led to less infant mortality and increased longevity, there have been many cultural changes that have changed the interactions between … Read more