The Introverted Thinker Newsletter #020
Deconstructing the mind of a gambler, a podcast on neuroscience, and more.
Happy Sunday everyone,
Another edition of the newsletter coming at you. We’ve reached week number 20, a nice round-even number. A mini-milestone perhaps?
Anyway, this week I published numerous pieces over on Medium, but I’m deciding to share with you a small portion of one of the more different ideas I’ve had. Definitely, the first time I’ve written something like this.
And of course, we discuss a few more things afterward.
Enjoy.
The Counter-Intuitive Philosophy of a Gambler Can Yield Wild Results
Why the psychotic pursual of an unseen victory works.
Ever wondered why a gambler who is down millions of dollars carries on gambling despite his tragic losses? It’s because they operate on the following fascinating axiom:
“You always give up one step before the jackpot reveals itself.”
Personally, I would call such a frame of mind a psychotic obsession that only leads to destruction. But despite the chaotic nature of such a belief in the context of gambling, I admire it and would even say a philosophy for life can be developed from it.
There is an element of relentless persistence in a gambler who believes in this phrase, and it’s admirable. It is a beautiful thought if one can redirect the meaning of the premise to their own endeavors.
The seemingly catastrophic and careless nature of someone who lives life on the edge tells us nothing but one thing. And this one thing is what I will dive into in this article.
The Modern Mind’s Downfall: Quitting
Hey, you reading this, you know it's perfectly okay to quit right? When adversity hits, just forget about it. Quitting and leaving things behind is actually good for you, it gives you more chances to start over.
Wrong. What you just read couldn't be further from the truth. It highlights one of the pitfalls of the modern man: The belief that struggle is not worth enduring in this age of comfort and quick fixes.
Giving up on a pursuit is the same as a gambler who quits betting early, his next jackpot could have been hidden within the next roll of a die. Is this risky? Fuck yes. But what is life without a little bit of danger and thrill?
I’ve never gambled in my life, and have no intentions to, I'm just fascinated by the way a brain of a successful gambler works.
There is a common argument that we are simply multiplying our losses by pursuing things that aren't meant for us, and this is true. So in all honesty, quitting should be seen as a good thing.
But as you can tell from my stance, I'm in disagreement. Look, I'm no angel. I’ve quit things more times than I can count. But looking at this in retrospect, there has been one thing that I have never been so consistent and dedicated to.
This one pursuit has single handily yielded the most successes than anything else I’ve ever pursued, and it’s because of that relentless pursual we discussed at the start. It’s…
A Podcast That’ll Make You Want to Nerd Out:
How to Change Your Brain With Dr. Andrew Huberman - The Rich Roll Podcast
“Behaviour first. Thoughts, feelings and perceptions folow.” - Andrew Huberman.
What if I told you that you have the power to change your brain, rewire, reprogram, and re-invent yourself and how you see the world no matter how old you are? This is exactly what Andrew Huberman centers his life workaround. Behavior hacking.
Now look, I’m no scientific guy, in fact, I used to hate studying science in school, but this podcast was one of the best I’ve listened to in a while. Dr. Huberman is by far one of my favorite people to listen to on other people’s podcasts. He always has the most mind-blowing knowledge.
Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University. However, he had a rather interesting story of how he got to where he is. All of which he covers in this podcast. He went from delinquent skater in juvenile detention centers to a pioneer in neuroscience…
Everything from neuroplasticity, how we can alter our perception of time by using our eyes in different manners, hijacking our dopamine systems to self-motivate, and more are covered in this.
It is a long podcast but chuck it on 1.2-1.5x speed and it will be easy to get through! I wholeheartedly recommend this.
A Book I Read Last Week:
“Beautiful World, Where Are You” by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney is one of my favorite authors. Her novels are cemented in the top ranks of all books I’ve ever read. Her previous books Normal People, and Conversations WIth Friends (I talked about them in previous editions of the newsletters linked where appropriate) blew me away.
She has a way of making ordinary mundane life into this addicting, passionate, surreal story. And she did it again. One of my favorite parts about her writing is how laid back and casual the language is.
But what I like even more is a common theme across all of her books. This theme is human relationships. Rooney does such an excellent job at diving into the complex and fragile nature of each human relationship, whether that be romantic or platonic. Rooney covers each part of every relationship and every human interaction in such vivid detail, exploring tiny caveats and nuances from each side.
This book followed the plot of two sets of people, who often end up intertwining into each other’s lives. Alice is a young novelist, and a man called Felix whom she falls in love with. Then there’s Eileen, Alices best friend, and an older man called Simon she’s known since childhood whom she’s also in love with.
I have to say though, this book wasn’t as exciting as her previous ones. It was a little too mundane at times, which gave it kind of this depressing vibe. It was still good though if you are a fan of her.
3/5 stars.
Next week I have a very interesting nonfiction book to talk about…
Thanks so much for reading this week’s edition. It’s a bit shorter than usual.
I hope to see you back here next week, I have some interesting things to discuss. I appreciate your time.
Julian.