Hacking the Hedonic Treadmill
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
My thoughts on a morbid National Geographic documentary about a guy named Ryan, who drinks himself to death. He has been drinking three pints of vodka a day for three years. Why I watched it twice...
Watch the documentary
My thoughts on the documentary...
This is a National Geographic documentary on the most abused drug in the United States, Alcohol. I watched it twice, it's so morbid. Morbid nonfiction content is actually an important part of my philosophical outlook. I consume a fair amount of morbid content. I'm not talking about watching movies like Saw. I really enjoyed this podcast series on the Mongols, Wrath of the Khans, and currently, I'm listening to the audiobook, The Origins of War in Child Abuse.
Here's why...
I live in the beautiful South American city of Medellin, Colombia - less than a stone's throw away from my office where I'm writing this is the top modeling agency in the most cosmopolitan city in South America. My office has a beautiful view. I am surrounded by beauty...
So I like to consume morbid content like this from time to time to knock myself off the hedonic treadmill.
Watching the documentary part of me says...
Fuck this guy. He deserves to be dead. It's a good thing that he did not have the opportunity to pass his alcoholic genes on to the next generation. All he did was cause pain to those around him and now that he's dead he cannot hurt anyone else.
But part of me believes that...
Whenever a human being dies, a library burns.
As someone who has faced the death of a loved one, it is a profoundly sad thing.
A difference between someone like me and Ryan is cognitive cross-training...
- Doing intermittent sober trips - going completely off booze for 30, 60, or 90 days.
- Mastering a second language.
- Doing brain training and meditation.
- Studying philosophy.
Other resources for addiction and alcoholism...
- 21 Biohacks and Uncommon Mindsets for Superhuman Will Power
- #24 Biohacking Boozing: a Guide to Drinking (Alcohol) Limitlessly
- Lifehacking Sobriety: 100 Days of Ethical Hedonism in South America's #1 Vice City
- Brain training software for self-control: Dual N-Back
Finally...
Join the Limitless Mindset Substack to...
Get frequent free edifying content about Biohacking, Lifehacking, and my holistic pragmatic antifragility philosophy. This informative (and often entertaining!) Substack is about how to take advantage of the latest anti-aging and Biohacking science and where I dispense timely mindset nuggets, lifehacking tips, and my own musings.-
{{#owner}}
-
{{#url}}
{{#avatarSrc}}
{{name}} {{/url}} {{^url}} {{#avatar}} {{& avatar}} {{/avatar}} {{name}} {{/url}} - {{/owner}} {{#created}}
- {{created}} {{/created}}
