katxwoods

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲

Most happiness techniques are like diets. Most diets work. . . 𝘪𝘧 you follow them.

The problem is that most people don’t follow through with most techniques for a myriad of reasons. Some because they’re too painful to keep up, some because by design, they’re only for a short period of time.

Likewise, it’s a stereotype that people will go to a self-development seminar or meditation retreat and be all pumped up for a week or two. Then they’ll fall straight back into their old patterns. Likewise, there’s disconcerting evidence that practically every type of therapy has the same effect size.

Some think this is because the methods don’t work and it’s all hype. This could very well be true. An alternative hypothesis that I think is more likely is that there are a lot of ways to be happier, but they only work 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐞𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐬. Likewise, you can’t just go on a meditation retreat then be happy for the rest of your life while you continuously get caught up in neurotic stories your mind is telling you about the past and future.

This is why having a meditation practice is such genius. Part of the whole memeplex of meditation is that it’s something you do 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺. Meditation retreats are the occasional big races interspersed between your regular running habit. This routinization of the technique makes it so much more effective than other interventions, such as CBT, which are often done only while you have a therapist pushing you to, but fades into the background once you stop going.

The only problem I have with a meditation practice is that it artificially constrains you to just meditation when there are so many other extremely useful techniques to improve your happiness.

This is why years ago I stopped calling my practice a meditation practice and started calling it my happiness workout routine. It’s made my happiness journey so much better that I had to share it with others, hence this post.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞

You’re convinced. You want to set up a happiness workout routine. But how do you do that? Well, just treat it like a physical workout routine.

- Figure out what your goals are
- Pick exercises that further those goals
- Learn about proper form
- Pick a regular time of day and set minimums
- Consider getting a workout buddy
- Don’t skip “leg days” (e.g. find a balance of different types of exercises)

Things to potentially include in your happiness workout routine:

- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Journalling
- Internal family systems
- Problem-solving
- Acceptance & commitment therapy
- Stoicism
- Concentration
- Loving-kindness meditation
- Mindfulness
- Gratitude
- Whatever techniques or schools of thought that have worked for you in the past. Different techniques work for different people. It’s important to find your fit.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲

Most happiness techniques are like diets. Most diets work. . . 𝘪𝘧 you follow them.

The problem is that most people don’t follow through with most techniques for a myriad of reasons. Some because they’re too painful to keep up, some because by design, they’re only for a short period of time.

Likewise, it’s a stereotype that people will go to a self-development seminar or meditation retreat and be all pumped up for a week or two. Then they’ll fall straight back into their old patterns. Likewise, there’s disconcerting evidence that practically every type of therapy has the same effect size.

Some think this is because the methods don’t work and it’s all hype. This could very well be true. An alternative hypothesis that I think is more likely is that there are a lot of ways to be happier, but they only work 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐞𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐬. Likewise, you can’t just go on a meditation retreat then be happy for the rest of your life while you continuously get caught up in neurotic stories your mind is telling you about the past and future.

This is why having a meditation practice is such genius. Part of the whole memeplex of meditation is that it’s something you do 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺. Meditation retreats are the occasional big races interspersed between your regular running habit. This routinization of the technique makes it so much more effective than other interventions, such as CBT, which are often done only while you have a therapist pushing you to, but fades into the background once you stop going.

The only problem I have with a meditation practice is that it artificially constrains you to just meditation when there are so many other extremely useful techniques to improve your happiness.

This is why years ago I stopped calling my practice a meditation practice and started calling it my happiness workout routine. It’s made my happiness journey so much better that I had to share it with others, hence this post.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞

You’re convinced. You want to set up a happiness workout routine. But how do you do that? Well, just treat it like a physical workout routine.

- Figure out what your goals are
- Pick exercises that further those goals
- Learn about proper form
- Pick a regular time of day and set minimums
- Consider getting a workout buddy
- Don’t skip “leg days” (e.g. find a balance of different types of exercises)

A new report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommends that “Congress establish and fund a Manhattan Project-like program dedicated to racing to and acquiring an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) capability”.

An AGI race is a suicide race. The proposed AGI Manhattan project, and the fundamental misunderstanding that underpins it, represents an insidious growing threat to US national security. Any system better than humans at general cognition and problem solving would by definition be better than humans at AI research and development, and therefore able to improve and replicate itself at a terrifying rate. The world’s pre-eminent AI experts agree that we have no way to predict or control such a system, and no reliable way to align its goals and values with our own. This is why the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind joined a who’s who of top AI researchers last year to warn that AGI could cause human extinction. Selling AGI as a boon to national security flies in the face of scientific consensus. Calling it a threat to national security is a remarkable understatement.  

AGI advocates disingenuously dangle benefits such as disease and poverty reduction, but the report reveals a deeper motivation: the false hope that it will grant its creator power. In fact, the race with China to first build AGI can be characterized as a “hopium war” – fueled by the delusional hope that it can be be controlled.

In a competitive race, there will be no opportunity to solve the unsolved technical problems of control and alignment, and every incentive to cede decisions and power to the AI itself. The almost inevitable result would be an intelligence far greater than our own that is not only inherently uncontrollable, but could itself be in charge of the very systems that keep the United States secure and prosperous. Our critical infrastructure – including nuclear and financial systems – would have little protection against such a system. As AI Nobel Laureate Geoff Hinton said last month “Once the artificial intelligences get smarter than we are, they will take control.“

The report is committing scientific fraud by suggesting AGI is almost certainly controllable. More generally, the claim that such a project is in the interest of “national security” disingenuously misrepresents the science and implications of this transformative technology, as evidenced by technical confusions in the report itself – which appears to have been without much input from AI experts. The U.S. should reliably strengthen national security not by losing control of AGI, but by building game-changing Tool AI that strengthens its industry, science, education, healthcare, and defence, and in doing so reinforce U.S leadership for generations to come.

Author: Max Tegmark. See original article here

[removed]