Think smarter about what’s “good”

Cross-posted on the Clearer Thinking blog. Travis Manuel helped to edit and improve this post.  People like to think of things as "good" or "bad," such as: Trans fats are bad for you, and broccoli is good for you. Lethargy is bad, but exercise is good. Being cowardly is bad, and having courage is good. A problem with putting something in the "good" bucket of your mind, though, is that this can lead to the belief that the more of it there is, the better. But most go...
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On “superstimuli” and their dangers

Images generated by DALL•E. (This is my attempt to get the DALL•E 2 A.I. to make the cutest thing imaginable. Left: a combined puppy/kitten. Right: a combined tiger cub/wolf pup.)
A “superstimulus” triggers a response that evolution gave us, but to a stronger degree than is likely to occur in nature. They exist because we humans purposely optimize our environments to create these responses. We are surrounded by more superstimuli than most of us realize. Examples of superstimuli: • food: Cheetos / skittles / McDonalds • goal achievement: video games • visual arousal: porn • pair bonding: romance novels • affection: dogs ...
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