The Sad Truth About Chasing Status - David Pinsof

David Pinsof is a research scientist at UCLA, co-creator of Cards Against Humanity and an author. Humans want things. Then we tell ourselves stories about why we want those things. And these reasons are often very flattering, but almost exclusively bullshit. We do not understand our motivations, and this is part of our brain's design. So, given this limit on introspection, is it possible to ever truly understand ourselves? Expect to learn the difference between bullshitting and lying, why we can’t we admit that we want status, why human desires are so fickle and silly, how the modern world has hijacked our status games, why we find certain things interesting, why you actually don't want to be happy no matter how much you claim that you do and much more... Sponsors: Get 10% discount on all Gymshark’s products at https://bit.ly/sharkwisdom (use code: MW10) Get 10% discount on Marek Health’s comprehensive blood panels at https://marekhealth.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM) Get 20% discount on Bubs Naturals at https://www.bubsnaturals.com/ (use code MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #status #power #happiness - 00:00 Why is Everything Bullshit? 06:40 How to Properly Absorb Evolutionary Psychology 11:07 The Randomness of Status Games 15:21 How Social Media Has Impacted Status Games 18:00 How to Gain Status While Hiding Status Signalling 25:44 What If I’m Just Being Altruistic? 30:11 What People Misunderstand About Our Desires 35:14 Our Need to Out-Compete Our Elders 43:08 Do People Really Want to Be Happy? 52:06 Finding a Life Purpose Beyond Status-Seeking 1:01:59 Why We Find Certain Things Interesting 1:12:09 Where to Find David - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostDavid Pinsofguest

Aug 17, 20231h 12mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 17, 2023
Duration: 1h 12m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

David Pinsof is a research scientist at UCLA, co-creator of Cards Against Humanity and an author. Humans want things. Then we tell ourselves stories about why we want those things. And these reasons are often very flattering, but almost exclusively bullshit. We do not understand our motivations, and this is part of our brain's design. So, given this limit on introspection, is it possible to ever truly understand ourselves? Expect to learn the difference between bullshitting and lying, why we can’t we admit that we want status, why human desires are so fickle and silly, how the modern world has hijacked our status games, why we find certain things interesting, why you actually don't want to be happy no matter how much you claim that you do and much more... Sponsors: Get 10% discount on all Gymshark’s products at https://bit.ly/sharkwisdom (use code: MW10) Get 10% discount on Marek Health’s comprehensive blood panels at https://marekhealth.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERNWISDOM) Get 20% discount on Bubs Naturals at https://www.bubsnaturals.com/ (use code MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #status #power #happiness - 00:00 Why is Everything Bullshit? 06:40 How to Properly Absorb Evolutionary Psychology 11:07 The Randomness of Status Games 15:21 How Social Media Has Impacted Status Games 18:00 How to Gain Status While Hiding Status Signalling 25:44 What If I’m Just Being Altruistic? 30:11 What People Misunderstand About Our Desires 35:14 Our Need to Out-Compete Our Elders 43:08 Do People Really Want to Be Happy? 52:06 Finding a Life Purpose Beyond Status-Seeking 1:01:59 Why We Find Certain Things Interesting 1:12:09 Where to Find David - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
David Pinsof
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and David Pinsof, The Sad Truth About Chasing Status - David Pinsof explores why Most Motives Are Bullshit: Status, Happiness, and Self-Deception David Pinsof argues that most of what we say and think about our motives is "bullshit"—not deliberate lies, but truth-indifferent stories designed to gain status, approval, and advantage. He distinguishes bullshitting from lying, then uses evolutionary psychology and game theory to explain why we misread both our own and others’ motivations, especially around status, morality, and politics.

RELATED EPISODES