Happiness:

The feeling that life is going well.

Looking back, one can usually remember the times when this feeling was present. And when it is present, one often recognizes it.

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Wann und Wo und mit Wem hatte man denn das Gefühl, dass das Leben gut läuft?

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When, where, and with whom did you feel that life was going well?

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Wann und Wo in seinem Leben hatte man das erste Mal das Gefühl, dass das Leben richtig gut läuft?

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When and where in your life did you first have the feeling that life was going really well?

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Eines der größten Glücksmomente ist es wohl, wenn man das Herz einer Frau gewonnen hat oder hat, für die man sich richtig stark begeistert.

--

One of the greatest moments of happiness is when you have won the heart of a woman you are profoundly captivated by.

Prosocial Tendencies:

"Prosocial tendencies are essentially the mirror image of antisocial ones — patterns of behavior, attitude, and motivation oriented toward the well-being, inclusion, and benefit of others. Where antisocial tendencies involve a shrinking of others' reality in one's inner world, prosocial tendencies involve an expansion of it.

At their core, prosocial tendencies rest on a genuine responsiveness to other people as full subjects — beings with their own needs, vulnerabilities, and inner lives that matter independently of what they provide. This shows up not as an occasional generous act but as a stable orientation: a default toward cooperation, care, and consideration rather than exploitation or indifference.

Some of the central features include empathy — not just the cognitive ability to model what someone else is feeling, but the motivational pull to do something about it. Prosocial people are moved by others' distress in a way that translates into action rather than just observation. Alongside this sits a genuine capacity for reciprocity: giving without constant mental accounting of what is owed, trusting that relationships are more than transactions.

Prosocial tendencies also show up in how people handle conflict and disagreement. Rather than overriding others' boundaries or minimizing their concerns, someone with a prosocial orientation tends to treat those concerns as legitimate data — worth engaging with honestly rather than deflecting or dismissing. There is a kind of basic respect for other people's authority over their own experience.

It's worth noting that prosocial behavior isn't the same as selflessness in a naive or self-erasing sense. Healthy prosocial tendencies coexist with self-interest and personal limits — the difference is that others register as genuinely real in the moral calculus, not as obstacles or instruments. The person can pursue their own needs while still being capable of genuine solidarity, care, and restraint when others are at stake."

Antisocial Tendencies II:

"Chronic Selfishness Not the normal self-interest everyone shows, but a default setting where one’s own desires function as the reference point. Example: In a shared living situation or relationship, the person routinely makes plans, spends shared resources, or adjusts schedules around their own preferences with minimal consultation or compromise. When confronted, they may genuinely feel puzzled (“Why is this a big deal?”) because the other person’s needs never carried equal weight in their internal calculus. Generosity, when it occurs, often feels strategic or transactional rather than freely given.

Subtle Boundary Violations These erode trust gradually rather than through overt aggression. Examples: Repeatedly “forgetting” or testing stated limits (emotional, physical, temporal, or informational); sharing private information about someone else because “it wasn’t that serious”; physical or emotional intrusiveness followed by minimization (“You’re too sensitive,” “I was just being friendly,” “Lighten up”). Over months or years this teaches others that their “no” is not reliably respected, leading to withdrawal, resentment, or self-doubt.

Exploitative / Transactional Relating People are experienced primarily through the lens of what they can provide (emotional support, status, practical help, admiration, sex, money, connections). The person may be highly engaging and attentive when they need something or when the interaction is low-cost and rewarding, then become distant, unresponsive, or irritable when the other person needs sustained support or when there is no clear payoff. This isn’t always conscious manipulation — it can simply be the automatic way relationships are parsed. Charm and warmth can be genuine in the moment but have limited depth or durability when personal cost rises."

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"Mild patterns often damage relationships through accumulated erosion of trust rather than single dramatic events. Partners or friends may describe feeling “used,” “invisible,” chronically disappointed, or subtly gaslit. The person themselves may experience repeated relational failures, workplace conflicts, or legal/financial problems without fully connecting the dots to their own behavior.

Severe forms carry higher risks of criminality, incarceration, substance use, and harm to others — though many people with ASPD are not violent criminals; some function in society (sometimes very successfully) while leaving a trail of damaged relationships." -----

Full ASPD is challenging to treat because the behaviors are often ego-syntonic (they feel normal and justified to the person) and there is typically little internal distress motivating change.

Antisocial Tendencies:

"Antisocial tendencies refer to patterns of behavior, attitudes, or traits that involve disregard for — and often violation of — the rights, feelings, and well-being of others. The term is used both in everyday language and in clinical psychology, though with somewhat different meanings.

In everyday language, antisocial simply means avoiding social interaction, preferring solitude, or being withdrawn. This is more accurately called asocial behavior and isn't inherently problematic.

In the clinical/psychological sense, antisocial tendencies are more serious and include:

Core features:

• Lack of empathy or disregard for others' feelings
• Deceitfulness, manipulation, or dishonesty for personal gain
• Impulsivity and failure to plan ahead
• Irritability and aggressiveness
• Reckless disregard for the safety of oneself or others
• Consistent irresponsibility (work, finances, obligations)
• Lack of remorse after harming others

On a spectrum: These tendencies exist on a continuum. Mild forms might show up as chronic selfishness, boundary violations, or exploitative behavior. At the more severe end, they characterize Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) — a clinical diagnosis requiring a persistent pattern across multiple life domains, with onset traceable to adolescence (often via conduct disorder).

Related concepts:

• Psychopathy and sociopathy are informal or research-based terms that overlap with ASPD but emphasize different things — psychopathy especially highlights emotional shallowness, callousness, and predatory charm
• Dark Triad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) share conceptual territory with antisocial tendencies
• Conduct Disorder in childhood/adolescence is often a precursor"
  
  
  
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  "Mild antisocial tendencies don't look dramatic — they rarely involve obvious cruelty or lawbreaking. Instead, they tend to show up as a consistent pattern of putting one's own interests so far above others' that the needs, feelings, and limits of people nearby are routinely overlooked or overridden.

  Chronic selfishness at this level isn't just the ordinary self-interest everyone has. It's a habitual orientation where the person's own comfort, desires, or convenience function as the default priority — not occasionally, but as a stable pattern. Others' needs register only weakly, if at all, and generosity or reciprocity tends to be strategic rather than genuine. The person may not experience this as selfishness at all; it simply feels like the natural order of things.

  Boundary violations in mild antisocial tendencies are usually subtle rather than aggressive. They might involve persistently ignoring stated limits — emotional, physical, or practical — not out of malice but out of a kind of low-grade indifference to the fact that those limits belong to a real person with legitimate authority over them. The pattern often includes testing where the line is, pushing past it, and then minimizing the other person's reaction ("You're too sensitive," "I was just joking"). Over time this erodes trust and leaves others feeling unseen or unsafe.

  Exploitative behavior at the mild end looks less like predatory manipulation and more like a habitual tendency to relate to people in terms of what they can provide — emotionally, practically, socially. Relationships have a transactional undertone. The person may be charming and engaging when something is needed, and notably less present when it isn't. They don't necessarily plan this consciously; it can simply be the lens through which relationships are experienced.

  What ties these three together is a diminished capacity — or motivation — to take the inner life of others seriously as something with real weight. It's not always cold or calculated. Sometimes it coexists with warmth, humor, even genuine affection. But the affection tends to have limits that correlate suspiciously with personal cost."

Warum? / Why?

Die Königin aller Fragen

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The Queen of All Questions

Das Erzählen / Storytelling:

Ich möchte es lernen, Personen stundenlang etwas zu erzählen. Ich beherrsche das stundelange Wechselgespräch. Doch das stundenlange Erzählen beherrsche ich nicht.

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I would like to learn how to tell people things for hours at a time. I have mastered the art of carrying on a conversation for hours. But I have not mastered the art of telling stories or speaking at length for hours.

Das Stoische Grunddogma / The Fundamental Tenet of Stoicism:

Sich nicht über Dinge einen Kopf machen, die sich nicht ändern oder beeinflussen lassen.

Über Dinge nachdenken, die sich verändern und beeinflussen lassen.

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Do not dwell on what cannot be changed.

Direct your attention toward what can be changed.

Telefonate / Phone Calls:

Wer rührt sich bei Dir am häufigsten telefonisch?

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Who calls you most often?

Fragen / Questions:

Welche Fragen treiben Dich an? Nach welchen Antworten suchst Du mit der größten Ausdauer?

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What are the questions that keep drawing you onward? Which answers are you searching for with the greatest determination?

Der Schöpferische Funke / The Creative Spark:

Den Schöpferischen Funken in seiner Reinheit betrachten, der so viel Schönes hervorbringt und zeugt.

Eben Dasjenige, was den Menschen beseelt, das ihn echt beseelt machen kann.

Wir nehmen nicht nur Schönheit und Schönheiten, sondern das reine Schöne (die Idee selbst) ebenfalls wahr, durch und mit und über diesen schöpferischen Funken.

Die Kunst besteht darin, immer wieder zum reinen Schaffen hinzufinden, d.h. beim Schaffen den Eindrücken der Außenwelt nicht gar zu verhaftet zu bleiben, sondern an den Ideen selber zu schöpfen.

Zurückfinden zu Gott (oder zur Sache selbst), in unterschiedlichen Lebenslagen und unter unterschiedlichen Lebensbedingungen, sozusagen.

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To behold the creative spark in its pure form, the spark from which so much beauty emerges and is born.

It is precisely that which animates the human being, that which can truly fill him with spirit and life.

Through, with, and by means of this creative spark, we perceive not only beauty and beautiful things, but also Beauty itself—the pure Idea.

The art lies in continually finding one's way back to pure creation; that is, in not becoming overly attached to the impressions of the external world while creating, but instead drawing directly from the ideas themselves.

To find one's way back to the thing itself, under different circumstances and conditions of life, so to speak.

Schönheit und Leben / Beauty and Life:

Das Schöne, das man aufgenommen, aufgesammelt hat, begleitet einen ein Leben lang. Und darum geht's ja eigentlich, Schönes aufzuheben.

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The beauty we have absorbed and collected stays with us for a lifetime. And perhaps that is what it is all about—to hold on to what is beautiful.

Verliebtheit / Infatuation:

Man wählt sich eine Person aus (bzw. es wird da eher unbewusst eine Person ausgewählt) und sammelt mit dieser viele schöne Erlebnisse.

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One chooses a person (or rather, a person is selected more or less unconsciously) and then shares and accumulates many beautiful experiences with them.

Beziehungen / Relationships:

Das Nette an Beziehungen besteht schon in den schönen Erlebnissen, die man miteinander hat und sammelt.

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One of the nice things about relationships is the beautiful experiences you share and accumulate together.

Bindung / Attachment:

Bindung funktioniert wohl primär, über die schönen Erlebnisse, die man miteinander geteilt hat. Wenn man also eine Person vermisst, so läuft dieses Vermissen über die schönen Erlebnisse, die man mit eben dieser Person hatte. Das und das war gut und wertvoll, und das habe ich mit genau dieser einen Person erlebt.

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Attachment seems to work primarily through the meaningful experiences two people have shared. When we miss someone, that sense of longing is often tied to the memories of those experiences. We remember what was good, beautiful, and valuable, and we remember that we experienced those things with that particular person. The thought is not merely "that was wonderful," but rather "that was wonderful, and I shared it with this one person."

Tension:

I think a person should train himself to endure a certain amount of tension.

Quantitative Wissenschaften / Quantitative Sciences:

Welchen Wissenschaften geht es primär darum, Beziehungen und Abhängigkeiten zwischen quantitativen Größen aufzudecken?

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Which scientific disciplines are primarily concerned with uncovering relationships and dependencies between quantitative variables?

Throwing Projectiles:

Rolf Degen

@DegenRolf

·

46m

A man's ability to throw projectiles overhead leaves telltale traces on his face. Humans have a remarkable and unique capacity to throw projectile weapons. The ability to throw overhand with power and accuracy, to wound and kill from afar, is a derived adaptation within the genus Homo that undoubtedly had a profound effect on the success of our ancestor, by offering advantages in fighting and hunting. As a result, the capacity to quickly infer this trait in others could have also been adaptive for the purposes of assessing coalitional partners, rivals and potential mates. The current research investigates whether people can accurately infer the overhand throwing ability of others based on facial appearance. We demonstrated that face-based inferences of overhand throwing ability are accurate, predicting an analogue of ancestral projectile weaponry, the javelin, among male track and field athletes. Moreover, we found that javelin throwers have distinctive facial shapes, which may be driving these perceptions. Facial morphometric analyses showed that javelin throwers could be distinguished from the other track and field athletes by more prominent brows, a narrower interorbital distance, a broader mid-face and a more elongated chin. Finally, we replicate these effects and demonstrate that face-based inferences of overhand throwing ability can be decoupled from perceptions of physical strength and formidability. Overall, the ratings from male and female participants were highly similar across all three studies, which is consistent with the view that face-based inferences of overhand throwing could have been adaptive both in terms of assessing potential rivals and coalitional partners (male–male competition) as well as identifying mating partners that can provide, protect and provision (female choice).

The Good Match:

When are two people well-matched enough that they should or could spend a few decades with each other?

Spannungsfelder / Fields of Tension:

Es gibt da Spannungsfelder, durch die wir uns hindurchbewegen: Spannung zu Idealen, zu Zielen und Ambitionen, zu anderen Personen, zur Erinnerungen.

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There are fields of tension through which we move: tension toward ideals, toward goals and ambitions, toward other people, and toward memories.

Humorous Days:

There are days — and they keep recurring — when I find myself extraordinarily funny. Making people laugh becomes effortless, even though nothing about me feels especially excited or wound up. I can't quite say how humor and lightness found their way into my life. Perhaps it's relaxation, perhaps ambition, or perhaps simply the sense that life is going well.

Teams / Teams:

Es gibt kaum etwas Besseres als Teil eines eingeschworenen und fähigen Teams zu sein oder ein solches aufzubauen und zu leiten.

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Few things in life are better than being part of a tightly knit, highly capable team—or creating and leading one.

Langsames Begreifen / Slow Understanding:

Warum dauert es bei manchen Personen so wahnsinnig lange bis sich da manche Erkenntnisse einstellen.

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Why does it take some people such an extraordinarily long time for certain insights to dawn on them?

Konsequenzen der Passivität / The Consequences of Passivity:

Was hat das für Konsequenzen, wenn ein Mann eine Dekade seines Lebens in einem relativ passiven Zustand verbringt?

Da wird dann wohl vieles nicht erreicht werden, was hätte erreicht werden können. Viele Räume werden nicht betreten werden, die hätten betreten werden können. Vieles wird nicht erlebt werden, das hätte erlebt werden können. Vieles wird nicht erkannt werden, das hätte erkannt werden können, da keine fruchtbaren Erfahrungen den Anstoß zu der Erkenntnis geben konnten.

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What are the consequences when a man spends a decade of his life in a relatively passive state?

Many things will likely remain unachieved that could have been achieved. Many doors will remain unopened that could have been opened. Much will go unexplored that could have been explored. Many experiences will never be had that could have been had. And many insights will never be gained that could have been been gained, because the fruitful experiences that might have given rise to those insights never took place.

Languages:

A man of education or ambition should be able to converse in several languages, and he should be able to speak his native language in a refined and cultivated manner.

Ambitionen / Ambitions:

Warum geht es darum, bestimmte Ambitionen zu kultivieren und zu pflegen?

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Why is it important to cultivate and nurture certain ambitions?

The Single-Phase Ambition Boost:

"The points on why many men ramp up ambition when single ring true:

• Mate attraction is a powerful evolutionary driver. Status, resources, competence, and displays of capability have been reliable signals in mate selection for men across cultures and history. Evolutionary psychology research (e.g., work by David Buss and others) consistently shows this pattern. When the pull of the "mating market" is active, ambition often serves as a strategy. Once paired, that specific pressure eases for many.
• Time and energy redirection is straightforward and underappreciated. A serious relationship is a high-maintenance endeavor—emotionally, logistically, and temporally. Single periods often create a vacuum that gets filled with work, projects, learning, or self-improvement. This isn't always "healthy" channeling; sometimes it's just displacement.
• Restlessness and the visible gap are psychologically potent. Loneliness or lack of immediate belonging can fuel drive. Achievement becomes a proxy for worth or a path out of discomfort. Many high-achievers have described this "productive discontent."

This explains the stereotype of the grinding single guy who levels up, then sometimes coasts after settling down.

Relationships and ambition: the double-edged sword

Not all relationships kill drive; some kill it, some redirect it, and some amplify it.

• The "comfort trap" is real. A stable, supportive relationship can meet core needs for connection, validation, and meaning so effectively that the hunger for external achievement weakens. "I already have enough" is a profound psychological shift. This isn't inherently bad (constant striving can be miserable), but it can lead to stagnation if unchecked.
• Conflict drain and partner misalignment are obvious saboteurs. Energy spent on drama or defending your goals is energy not spent pursuing them.
• The best case—"What can we build together?"—is the ideal. This is where ambition matures from ego-driven or status-driven to purpose-driven. It often becomes quieter and more sustainable precisely because it's less frantic. Some couples who push each other to higher levels: shared businesses, creative projects, family-building with big vision, mutual accountability. The drive doesn't disappear; the why evolves.

Some nuances worth adding

• Individual differences dominate. Personality (especially conscientiousness and neuroticism), age, attachment style, and life stage matter far more than relationship status alone. Some men stay relentlessly ambitious in relationships; others were never that ambitious to begin with. Some thrive in solitude, others wilt.
• It's not just men. Women show similar patterns, though the signals valued in mate selection differ on average (and cultural shifts are changing this). The restlessness-to-achievement channel exists across genders.
• Modern context: Dating apps, economic pressures, and cultural narratives around "self-optimization" probably amplify the single-phase grind for some. At the same time, declining marriage rates and longer single periods in young adulthood create more of these ambition windows.
• The healthy middle: The healthiest trajectory often looks like using single periods for intense growth, then finding a relationship that expands rather than caps that growth. The danger is either perpetual discontent (never satisfied) or premature complacency."

Why do men often become more ambitious when they are single?

"Several reasons may contribute:

1. Mate attraction

   Ambition, competence, status, and achievement can increase attractiveness. Throughout history, men who acquired resources and status often had greater reproductive success.

2. More available time and energy

   Relationships require attention, emotional investment, and time. When single, these resources can be redirected elsewhere.

3. Something to strive for

   Ambition often grows in the presence of a gap between current reality and a desired future. Being single can make that gap more visible.

4. Restlessness

   Many people experience a productive restlessness when they are alone. Work, learning, and achievement can become ways of channeling that energy."
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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   "Why do some relationships dim ambition?
   
   
   Not all relationships do. Some dramatically increase ambition.
   
   
   But relationships can reduce ambition when they provide enough comfort that striving feels less necessary.
   
   
   A relationship may dim ambition if:
   o It satisfies the need for meaning and belonging that achievement was previously serving.
   o It encourages comfort over growth.
   o A partner is indifferent or hostile toward one's goals.
   o Energy is consumed by relationship conflict.
   o The relationship rewards stability more than development.
   
   
   In such cases, a person may unconsciously think:
   
   
   "I already have enough."
   
   
   The drive that was once directed toward achievement loses some of its fuel."
   
   
   -----
   
   

   "A good relationship can enlarge ambition.

   
   

   Then the question changes from:

   "What can I achieve for myself?"

   to

   "What can we build together?"

   Those relationships do not extinguish ambition; they redirect and deepen it. Sometimes the ambition becomes less visible because it is no longer driven by loneliness, insecurity, or competition, but by purpose and commitment."

The Ambitious Man:

"I carry great ambitions in my heart, and I feel their pull every day."

Smarte Assistenten / Smart Assistants:

Wie sehr wird in den kommenden Jahren das Leben der meisten Menschen durch die Allgegenwart von smarten Assistenten geprägt sein.

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To what extent will the lives of most people be shaped by the ubiquity of smart assistants in the coming years?

The Unambitious Man:

A person who has never felt any significant ambitions in his heart.

Der Mitmensch / The Fellow Human Being:

Was macht den Menschen denn wirklich aus? Was lässt ihn uns mögen oder gar lieben?

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What is it that truly defines a person? What is it that makes us like them—or even love them?

Lebenslauf und Wertverlauf / Life Trajectory and Value Trajectory:

Das Leben eines Menschen ein bisschen wie ein Aktienverlauf, mit Höhen und Tiefen.

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A person's life is somewhat like the price chart of a stock, with its highs and lows, its peaks and valleys.

Zweierlei Welten / Two Different Worlds:

Vergleicht man die Welt von einer Person, die über Jahre hinweg viel gewollt, viel angestrebt, viel gelernt und erreicht hat, mit der Welt von einer Person, die über die Jahre hinweg kaum etwas gewollt, kaum etwas angestrebt, kaum etwas gelernt oder erreicht hat, so werden diese Welten recht unterschiedlich geformt und gestaltet sein.

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If one compares the world of a person who, over many years, has wanted much, pursued much, learned much, and achieved much with the world of a person who, over those same years, has wanted little, pursued little, learned little, and achieved little, one will find that these worlds have been shaped and formed in very different ways.

Genuine Character:

"Consistency across time and context is one of the most reliable indicators of genuine character."

Obsess Over Quality:

Make quality a non-negotiable standard in your work.

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Do the highest-quality work you are capable of doing.

The Brain Gym:

The Deep Life:

https://www.thedeeplife.com/

On Planning:

Why does sitting down to make a plan often feel unpleasant?

Punkte / Key Areas of Life:

o Finanzen
o Partnerwahl und Beziehungsleben
o Arbeitsleben
o Sonstiges Sozialleben
o Sport / physische Aktivität
o Geistige Interessen

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o Financial Life
o Romantic Relationships and Partner Choice
o Professional Life
o Social Life
o Physical Activity and Fitness
o Intellectual Interests and Pursuits

Sein und Suche / Being and Seeking:

Du musst dem Anderen
Gar nicht so genau sagen,
Wer Du bist,
Sag' ihm eher,
Was Du suchst!

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You don't need to tell the other person
Exactly who you are.
Instead, tell them
What you are looking for.

Der Durchbruch / The Breakthrough:

Der Durchbruch
Gelingt in manchen Bereichen
Nicht so recht,
Und dennoch sucht man ihn,
Den Durchbruch.

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The breakthrough
Does not quite come
In certain areas,
And yet one keeps searching for it—
That breakthrough.

Tension:

I enjoy feeling the tension when something is at stake.

Interesting People:

Where do we meet deeply interesting people?

Terrible Art Night:

Terrible Art Night: The Funniest Way to Meet New People

Friday, Jun 26 · 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM CEST

Terrible at drawing? Perfect, We need you!
And if you can draw, We’ll make it interesting anyway.
Welcome to the first-ever Terrible Art Night, where bad art is celebrated and meeting new people is actually... Fun!

### How does it work

You’ll be paired (and re-paired) with different people and draw eachother.
We give you ridiculous prompts. No skills required (like Karaoke for drawing).
At the end of every round, you sign your "masterpiece" and gift it to your partner.
The Cursed Collection: You’ll walk away with a pile of hilarious, weird portraits of yourself drawn by total strangers.

### 🧠 Good to know:

This is the easiest way to make friends. You can’t be shy when someone is drawing you as a "grumpy cat."
If you are an artist, we will humble you (prepare to draw with your non-dominant hand).
We provide the paper and pens (simple pencils only, no colors). You just bring the sense of humor (you’ll need it when you see yourself drawn as a potato)

The Dinner Date:

"I can only afford one dinner date with you — so try to enjoy your first and last."

Sharing a Laugh:

"Sharing a laugh is one of the more quietly profound things humans do together — and it's worth unpacking why.

At its core, a shared laugh is a moment of synchronized perception: two or more people suddenly see the same thing the same way, often something incongruous, absurd, or unexpected. The laugh itself is the signal — I see what you see. It's a flash of mutual recognition that requires no words.

A few things make it interesting from a behavioral and cognitive angle:

It's fundamentally social, not solitary. Research consistently shows people laugh far more in the presence of others than alone. Humor isn't just about finding something funny — it's about finding it funny together. The neurological reward seems to be partly about the togetherness itself.

It requires a kind of trust. You can only really laugh with someone if you feel safe enough to drop your guard. Laughter is involuntary and slightly undignified — it disrupts composure. Sharing it means allowing someone to see you momentarily undefended. That's why forced laughter feels hollow and spontaneous laughter feels intimate.

It establishes in-group membership. Shared humor often carries an implicit "we understand something together that others might not." Inside jokes are almost a ritual form of this — they replay the original shared perception and reconfirm the bond.

It's a brief synchrony of worldviews. When you laugh at the same thing, you're briefly revealing that your minds work similarly — that you share assumptions, sensibilities, timing. This is why humor compatibility is often such a reliable signal of deeper compatibility in friendships and relationships.

And it's irreproducible. You can describe a funny moment afterward, but you can rarely recreate it. The shared laugh exists fully only in the moment it happens. That transience is part of what makes it feel like something worth protecting.

In evolutionary terms, it likely serves as social bonding glue — a fast, low-cost way to signal alliance, shared perspective, and goodwill. But phenomenologically, it feels like something richer: a brief proof that you're not entirely alone in how you experience the world."

Gewitztheit / Wit:

Wenn man eine Spur gewitzter und gescheiter wäre als man doch ist: Dann, ja dann!

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If only one were a little wittier and a little wiser than one actually is—then, oh then!

Germany:

Theodore Beers

@theodorebeers

·

8h

One thing I miss about Germany is that it’s full of well-educated smart people with very modest income. They hate spending money – they have almost none – so everything is designed around that. The constant casual ripoffs, hidden fees, etc. prevalent in the US wouldn’t fly there.

Some Bits:

On the blog redesign:

I plan to redesign this blog soon. I've launched a few .com blogs elsewhere in the meantime, but those are still in an experimental phase — ongoing for several months now.

---

On Asimov:

I'm currently reading Asimov Laughs Again — a genuinely entertaining book. It's the sequel to Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor (the first volume, incidentally, is rather hard to find on Amazon — and I prefer reading paperback anyway).

---

On beautiful women:
Every man should have at least one beautiful woman by his side — though three to five, at least for a season, would be even better.

---

On books:
I've been reading several books on success and life design lately. I'll be sharing some fresh insights here soon.

Anspruch und Spannung / Standards and Tension:

Die Ansprüche an das Leben, an sich Selbst, an den Partner, an Kollegen, an Freunde, etc., machen das Leben spannungsreich. Ansprüche legen das Niveau fest, auf dem sich das Handeln, etc., bewegen soll. Dieses Niveau zu halten erfordert tendenziell Aufwand. Die Alternative hierzu ist natürlich die Anspruchslosigkeit.

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The standards we hold for life, for ourselves, for a partner, for colleagues, for friends, and so on, make life rich in tension and challenge.

Standards define the level at which our actions and conduct are meant to operate. Maintaining that level generally requires effort.

The alternative, of course, is to have no standards at all.

Klarheit / Clarity:

Sich den Rahmen schaffen, innerhalb von dem man deutlich leben will.

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Create the conditions in which you truly want to live.

Schmerz und Reichtum / Pain and Richness:

In manchem Schmerz liegt Reichtum.

Da sich durch manchen Schmerz erst manche Welten aufschließen.

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There is richness in some kinds of pain.

For it is through certain pains that certain worlds first reveal themselves.

Ein Witziger Kerl / A Witty Fellow:

Eine Person mit Einfallsreichtum.

Einfallsreichtum ist oft notwendig, um sich in schwierigen oder herausfordernden Situationen zurecht zu finden.

Wann und Wo gelangt ein Einfallsreichtum zur Blüte?

Witz, nach Kant, ist die Fähigkeit, neue Zusammenhänge zu detektieren.

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A person with resourcefulness and ingenuity.

Ingenuity is often necessary for finding one's way through difficult or challenging situations.

When and where does ingenuity flourish?

According to Immanuel Kant, wit is the ability to detect new connections.

Deep Work & Slow Productivity:

Will it pay off to read Deep Work or Slow Productivity three times?

Youtube / YouTube:

Wenn man Youtube wie eine Audio-Bibliothek verwendet, was sollte man sich da dann am ehesten anhören?

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If you use YouTube as an audio library, what is most worth listening to?

Pseudo-Productivity:

Cal Newport:

"The use of visible activity as the primary means of approximating actual productive effort."

Smarte Assistenten / Smart Assistants:

Wie sehr machen smarte Assistenten eine Person effektiver?

(Die Antwort hängt stark von der Struktur der Person ab. Ein smarter Assistent wirkt als Multiplikator, nicht als Grundlage. Wer klare Ziele, gutes Urteilsvermögen und die Fähigkeit hat, Aufgaben sinnvoll zu zerlegen, wird durch KI-Assistenten erheblich produktiver. Wer diese Qualitäten nicht mitbringt, wird vor allem effizienter im Produzieren von Mittelmäßigem.)

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How much more effective do smart assistants make a person?

(The answer depends heavily on the structure of the person. A smart assistant acts as a multiplier, not a foundation. Someone with clear goals, sound judgment, and the ability to break tasks down effectively will become significantly more productive through AI assistants. Someone who lacks these qualities will mainly become more efficient at producing mediocrity.)

Erfolg im Fokus / Success in Focus:

Ein bisschen geht's hier auf diesem Blog nun mehr um Erfolg, nun mehr um Ambitionen.

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Warum entbrennt in manchen Situationen der Erfolgswille im Menschen?

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(Titel wie "Schattenseiten der Ambition", "Lichtseiten der Ambition", "The Math of Success", "Skill Acquisition and the Odds of Success" häufen sich im Juni.)

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This blog is becoming a little more focused on success, and a little more focused on ambition.

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Why does the drive for success ignite within a person in certain situations?

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(Titles such as "The Dark Sides of Ambition," "The Bright Sides of Ambition," "The Math of Success," and "Skill Acquisition and the Odds of Success" have been appearing with increasing frequency throughout June.)

The Quality of Life:

Try to predict each day which actions will improve the quality of your life the most—and then act on them.

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Does reading well-selected books significantly improve the quality of your life?

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How does a given action affect the quality of your life?

Moral / Morality:

Eine Art Wette, welche Handlung in einer gegebenen Situation am meisten Wert hat oder generiert.

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A kind of bet about which action, in a given situation, has the greatest value or generates the most value.

Lesen als Wette / Reading as a Bet:

Wir generieren eine Vorhersage oder Wette, welches Buch uns denn am meisten bringen könnte.

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We make a prediction—or place a bet—on which book is most likely to benefit us the most.

Thinking in Bets:

Currently, I am reading Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke. A review will follow.

Das Spiel:

So ist das Spiel.

So wird's gespielt.

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Wollen wir Erfolg haben, in einem Spiel, so haben wir das Spiel zu studieren.

Offenheit:

Warum öffnet sich ein Mensch dem Anderen? Warum gibt er ihm tiefe Einblicke in sein Innenleben?

Beziehungen:

Warum machen sich Frauen in einer Beziehung verwundbar?

"Verletzlichkeit ist keine Entscheidung die man trifft wie eine rationale Wahl. Sie entsteht, wenn das Vertrauen eine bestimmte Schwelle überschreitet — wenn man genug erlebt hat um zu glauben: dieser Mensch hält mich, auch wenn ich mich zeige. Auch wenn ich nicht perfekt bin, auch wenn ich Angst habe, auch wenn ich schwach bin. Das ist kein Gedanke — das ist eine körperliche Entspannung, ein Loslassen das einfach passiert wenn die Bedingungen stimmen.

Und Frauen machen sich verwundbar, weil sie es brauchen — tiefer vielleicht als sie es sich eingestehen. Die gesellschaftliche Erwartung an Frauen ist komplex und widersprüchlich: stark sein, funktionieren, sich kümmern, präsent sein für andere. Das erzeugt eine permanente innere Anspannung. Sich in einer Beziehung wirklich zeigen zu können — mit den Ängsten, den Unsicherheiten, den unschönen Teilen — ist eine enorme Erleichterung. Es ist das Ablegen einer Last die man sonst immer trägt.

Und schließlich: weil Verwundbarkeit die einzige Währung echter Intimität ist. Frauen wissen das intuitiv. Man kann geliebt werden für das was man zeigt — aber man kann nur wirklich geliebt werden für das was man ist. Und das was man wirklich ist, zeigt sich nur in der Verletzlichkeit. Der Moment in dem eine Frau sich wirklich öffnet, ist der Moment in dem sie sagt: ich vertraue dir mit dem was ich wirklich bin. Das ist das größte Geschenk das sie geben kann. Und wenn es angenommen wird — ohne Urteil, ohne Ausnutzung, mit Wärme — dann entsteht eine Bindung die sehr tief und sehr dauerhaft sein kann."

Oder anders:

Warum öffnen sich Menschen überhaupt füreinander?

Warum lassen sie sich auf etwas ein, bei dem sie potentiell Genickbruch erleben können?

Schwierigkeiten:

In schwierigen Situationen zeigen Personen ihren Charakter (oder auch das Nichtvorhandensein eines Charakters) am meisten.

Erfolgswahrscheinlichkeiten:

Was sind die eigenen Ziele?

Was sind die Wahrscheinlichkeiten, dass man diese Ziele erreicht, wenn man nach Plan A handelt? Wenn man nach Plan B handelt? Wenn man gemäß Plan C handelt?

Erfolg:

Immer die Frage:

Was sind die eigenen Erfolgswahrscheinlichkeiten?
Wie lassen sich diese Wahrscheinlichkeiten erhöhen?

Probabilistisches Denken:

Ich möchte mir in den nächsten Monaten sorgfältig das Denken in Wahrscheinlichkeiten und Chancen einüben.

Das Heroische:

Das Starke, Fähige und Furchtlose an einer Person

Creative Achievement:

Creative Achievement: Behavioral Genetic Evidence for Overlap With General Cognitive Ability and for Independent Latent Traits
Timothy Bates, Ph.D.
June 08, 2026 CDT

Abstract

The relationship between creativity and general cognitive ability (g) has long been debated. This study investigates the genetic basis of creative achievement and its overlap with intelligence, expanding the traditional scope of creativity beyond art and science to include enterprising domains (business, military, and politics). Using a twin study design, we analyzed data from 2,141 twins who completed an extended Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ) and three tests of cognitive ability. Enterprising Creativity – strategic manipulating of human systems and resources – emerged as a valuable extension to the CAQ. Structural equation modeling evaluated competing hypotheses of genetic independence, complete overlap, or partial overlap between the constructs. Creative achievement was found to be heritable (h² = .56), with shared environmental influences estimated at zero. A latent creativity factor independent of general cognitive ability (rg = 0) loaded on artistic, scientific, and enterprising domains; residual genetic paths from g to the observed creativity measures were small (.29) or non-significant (–.08 for art). The study thus supports creativity as an independent latent trait, as well as the value of g, especially in science and enterprising creativity on specific achievement.

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"The most striking finding is the complete genetic independence of the latent creativity factor from g (rg = 0). This demonstrates that the genetic architecture of real-world creative achievement is not merely a downstream consequence of general intelligence but reflects a separate, heritable system that operates across artistic, scientific, and enterprising domains."

"The results support the hypothesis that creative achievement is heritable, is independent of cognitive ability at a latent level, but that cognitive ability directly raises specific achievements, especially scientific and enterprising."