1. Find leverage
2. Do less, but better
3. Get healthy
Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
51–60 of 79 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#52Instead of trying to become smarter, I've been focusing on trying to be less stupid . Gurwinder Bhogal goes over this a bit on episode #602 of the Modern Wisdom podcast at roughly 15:00. https://chriswillx.com/podcast/ Some things in particular: - Focus more on writing and thinking clearly. - Try to think more slowly. https://sive.rs/slow - Avoid posting inane/uninteresting stuff on social media. - Avoid engaging in…
Copying a quote from that "slow thinking" post because I hadn't seen it and I think is valuable:
> People say that your first reaction is the most honest, but I disagree. Your first reaction is usually outdated. Either it’s an answer you came up with long ago and now use instead of thinking, or it’s a knee-jerk emotional response to something in your past.
Fascinating trying to think of questions people might ask, how I might respond, and why.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#53Something no one has mentioned yet: stop drinking alcohol to the greatest extent possible. A lot of us in our 30s are into craft beer, good wine, expensive Scotch etc... try abstaining for a full quarter (3 months) and see how you feel after. Even if your consumption was within government health guidelines (<14 drinks per week for men, less for women, and government drinks are small) you will probably be amazed at th…
Alcohol's impact on sleep is well documented.
Is the moderate consumption described, a beer or two after work, directly impacting cognitive functions or is it indirectly impacted by sleep?
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#54Our brain only gets smarter by pursuing a goal. And "get smarter" is the worst goal to have.
In you 30s you're not a child, your biology tells you - now pick the target, we can't afford to be smart everywhere anymore.
So either you get very smart at something specific by focusing on it (or few specific areas if you have enough capacity) or not smart at all.
Another alternative is to keep soothing yourself with those silly "improve your diet, read books and stop drinking" kind of advice you find all over the internet.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#55As a run-of-the-mill mathematician and programmer, what I've found the most helpful is studying philosophy. During my teens I went through an existential crisis, and the dread I've felt every day drove me to start reading philosophy books. I found Nietzsche, and while his books were extremely hard to read (took me years to actually go through them), I feel that it's shaped my mind in a universal way, giving me abilit…
Does Jordan Peterson helps?
Jordan Peterson is impressingly insightful, and a great motivational speaker.
I wouldn't call him a philosopher, because philosophy to me must have a timeless element that is necessarily detached from any specific time or society, and Jordan is first of all a clinical psychologist, which makes his experience inherently tied to the current society through his practice with patients.
That being said, we are living in the current day, I think his lectures and books are very helpful for anyone struggling with the meaninglessness of modern life.
I also personally dislike his usage of Christian mythology and ethics in presenting the "how-to" of life. It might be useful as a narrative tool, but Christianity in itself is extremely toxic life-denying philosophy.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#56Context: Just reached 40 + a few months
I don't know how to become smarter, but I definitely know how to become dumber:
- Sleep less
- Joints problems coming from few physical activity due to COVID WFH + I hate exercises
- Suddenly had hay fever after so many years
- Pressure from work + kid
- Financial pressure from owning some property (essentially, when you have a 30-yr debt, saving for a few years of spending does not feel safe at all)
I figure you can at least avoid some of these by making the right decisions.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#57The main way is increasing your general level of health. Physically, emotionally and mentally. Reading more doesn’t make you smarter, it just makes you more knowledgeable. Imagine if you had the level of acuity and liveliness you did when you were a child, but the maturity and experience you have now. People say that humans have an intellectual peak in their twenties, well that’s only because most people’s health sta…
Reading more doesn’t make you smarter, it just makes you more knowledgeable
There are signs from GPT family progress indicating otherwise.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#58Meeting and learning from others is a great way to start. Being curious and asking the right questions.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#59Our brain only gets smarter by pursuing a goal. And "get smarter" is the worst goal to have. In you 30s you're not a child, your biology tells you - now pick the target, we can't afford to be smart everywhere anymore. So either you get very smart at something specific by focusing on it (or few specific areas if you have enough capacity) or not smart at all. Another alternative is to keep soothing yourself with those…
I'm intrigued by this viewpoint and want you to elaborate more! Why is getting smarter the worst goal to have? Do you think it's useful to get very smart at something specific, or does it amount to the same as not being smart at all?
Asking as someone perpetually soothing myself with advice about diet, alcohol, spirituality, etc.
Re: Ask HN: How do you become smarter?
#60As a run-of-the-mill mathematician and programmer, what I've found the most helpful is studying philosophy. During my teens I went through an existential crisis, and the dread I've felt every day drove me to start reading philosophy books. I found Nietzsche, and while his books were extremely hard to read (took me years to actually go through them), I feel that it's shaped my mind in a universal way, giving me abilit…
Does Jordan Peterson helps?
The poster said "philosophy", not "quacky neo-theologian mysticism from a psychology professor drifting out of his lane while coming off of benzos".