Replying toGlucose Supplementation for Sustained Stimulant Cognition

Glucose Supplementation for Sustained Stimulant Cognition

Agreed that this would clarify a lot. On the other hand, if you're very confident that taking the capsule helps, then at worst you've stumbled on the cheapest and least harmful placebo known to humankind (a sugar pill!!). Maybe you should just run with it (acknowledging that it helps while releasing or holding lightly to the proposed mechanism).

Replying toDon't accuse your interlocutor of being insufficiently truth-seeking

Michael Cohn10mo

Don't accuse your interlocutor of being insufficiently truth-seeking

I'd go with "I don't think this conversation is helping us ________" (eg, come up with solutions, figure out what to do next, understand why we really disagree). It opens the door to suggest meta-level changes to how you're interacting without 1) accusing them, 2) suggesting that they're the only one who should change, or 3) inviting arguments about their intentions or internal state. It might also help reorient the conversation from a small-scale win/lose frame towards a broader shared goal of accomplishing something. Finally, it allows you to suggest specific changes to make the conversation more truth-seeking while also addressing whatever may be motivating them to not be truth-seeking (eg, fearing... (read more)

Replying toWhen Is Insurance Worth It?

Michael Cohn1y

When Is Insurance Worth It?

100% agree with the principle that buying peace of mind can be a good deal whether the peace of mind is quantitatively justified or not, and the broader principle that we shouldn't be disdainful of emotions. But while emotions aren't entirely rational, they're not entirely irrational either. I expect that learning and applying the method in this post will help the user feel peace of mind at a level of insurance that's somewhat closer to optimal than they would have otherwise.

It's also probably useful to learn the quantiatively optimal strategy so you can be consciously aware of what premium you're paying for peace of mind, and make thoughtful decisions about how much it's worth to you. I said that buying peace of mind can be a good deal, but I'll bet there are people who -- if they could see exactly how big the risk-aversion premium they're paying is -- would decide that they'd rather deal with more anxiety and pocket the cash.

Replying toWhat Goes Without Saying

Michael Cohn1y

What Goes Without Saying

Maybe it's because I've read other posts like this, but I read it as expressing the unspoken assumptions of a particular group, not trying to get others to adopt them. That is, I took the scare quotes around "be reasonable" as actually self-effacing. I mean, it's obvious that the author does think these are good things, but the post came across to me as descriptive. If the post were written so as to imply that some people actively endorse the opposite of these things, eg, "pointless busywork is cool" then that would be obnoxious, but it seems worthwhile to me to point out that many people don't pay much attention to busywork either way and it's not a factor in their evaluation or decisionmaking.

I may also be biased because I love hearing about how different implicit assumptions and perspectives lead to different experiences, so that's what I went in wanting to read (and was satisfied).

Replying toYou are not too "irrational" to know your preferences.

Michael Cohn1y

You are not too "irrational" to know your preferences.

Thanks, that clears up a lot for me! And it makes me think that the perspective you encourage has a lot of connections to other important habits of mind, like knowing how to question automatic thoughts and system 1 conclusions without beating yourself up for having them.

Replying toYou are not too "irrational" to know your preferences.

Michael Cohn1y

You are not too "irrational" to know your preferences.

I'm a little surprised by how you view the subtext of the ice cream example. If I imagine myself in either role, I would not interpret Bryce as saying Ash shouldn't like ice cream in some very base sense. I interpret conversations like that as meaning either:

1) "You might have a desire for X but you shouldn't indulge that desire because it has net bad consequences"

2) "If you knew all the negative things that X causes, it would spoil your enjoyment of it and you wouldn't be attracted to it anymore."

3) "If you knew all the negative things that X causes, your hedonic attraction to the better world that not-x would create... (read more)

Replying toLocally optimal strategies

Michael Cohn1y

Locally optimal strategies

If I look at depression as a way of acting / thinking / feeling, then it makes sense that there could be multiple paths to end up that way. Some people could have neurological issues that make it difficult to do otherwise, while others could have the capacity to act/think/feel differently but have settled there as their locally optimal strategy.

Paraddictions: unreasonably compelling behaviors and their uses

Michael Cohn

I've been thinking about something I will clumsily call paraddictions: desires that don't quite rise to the level of an addiction, but that have a disproportionate and hard-to-moderate influence over your behavior. Can they be used as a tool for motivation and behavior change?

epistemic status: Most of the ideas here are generally solid behavior change principles that I'm just applying to a specific type of situation. The larger thesis of "this kind of strategy works and might be generalizable" is one I have less evidence for, and experimenting with it could have significant downsides.

My story

In 2011 my life wasn't going well. I was doing a postdoc in which I felt cynical yet... (read 1704 more words →)

Replying toWhat Ketamine Therapy Is Like

Michael Cohn1y

What Ketamine Therapy Is Like

The "horse tranquilizer" thing goes back to long before the pandemic. I was hearing it in the aughts in relation to recreational use. My guess about the term is that 1) among drug warriors, it's good moral panic fodder, 2) among drug users, it sounds really funny, and 3) I imagine it's easier to divert doses from the veterinary system than from the human pharmacy system, so it may have originated with dealers whose supply literally had the words "horse" and "tranquilizer" on the label.

Replying toWhat Ketamine Therapy Is Like

Michael Cohn1y

What Ketamine Therapy Is Like

I know of at least one telehealth service that reportedly has a pretty low bar for writing a ketamine prescription. My understanding is that everyonesmd.com is fully legit and a month's supply of ketamine costs less than one dose from Mindbloom. Now, on the other hand, some people probably shouldn't turn themselves loose with a month's worth of a mind-altering drug to be used ad lib -- but if you have a promising regimen in mind, and the medical system isn't delivering, this could be a big deal.

(everyonesmd.com looks VERY sketchy but based on online reviews and a report from someone I know personally, they do provide a telehealth appointment that can result in a valid prescription. I don't know if I would trust their drug suppliers but if you talk to customer service, instead of going through their checkout process, they are required to transfer your prescription to a reputable compounding pharmacy of your choice).

Replying toSlave Morality: A place for every man and every man in his place

Michael Cohn1y

Slave Morality: A place for every man and every man in his place

Another thought on this is that people often talk about smothering social norms or moralities by giving examples of petty, infantilizing rewards for behaving in infantilized ways. What about a libertarian-oriented society that enforces rules primarily intended to prevent people from restricting one another's behavior? What about an economic system that encourages entrepreneurship and invention by doing things like enforcing contracts, or providing a social safety net so that more people can start businesses or create products without worrying that they'll literally starve to death in the street if their first idea doesn't work? Participants in a society like that should still maintain some awareness that this is the work of humanity, not an expression of a fundamentally just universe, but it's hard for me to argue that just participating makes them into slaves.

Not every accommodation is a Curb Cut Effect: The Handicapped Parking Effect, the Clapper Effect, and more

Michael Cohn

In the fields of user experience and accessibility, everyone talks about the curb cut effect: Features that are added as accommodations for people with disabilities sometimes become widely useful and beloved. But not every accommodation becomes a "curb cut," and I've been thinking about other patterns that come up when accommodations intersect with wider society.

The original Curb Cut Effect

The eponymous curb cut -- the place at the intersection where the sidewalk slopes down to the street instead of just dropping off -- is most obviously there to for wheelchair users. But it's also great for people who are pulling a suitcase, runners who want to avoid jarring their ankles, and people who... (read 2940 more words →)

Data-driven donations to help Democrats win federal elections: an update

Michael Cohn

Linking to an update to an earlier post about how to make effective donations for the upcoming election. There are groups that can turn out 5x as many voters per dollar as the official campaigns can, and I want everyone to know and talk about the cool work they're doing! This late in the cycle, most donations will probably go to linearly-scaling programs like text and mail campaigns, but fortunately, there are approaches that are proven to work even in noisy, heated, heavily-spammed elections like the 2022 generals and GA Senate runoff.

As before I am not assuming that everyone in this community believes that intervening in US elections is worthwhile, or wants... (read more)

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Donating to help Democrats win in the 2024 elections: research, decision support, and recommendations

Michael Cohn

A couple of months ago I went searching for research-based or otherwise plausibly effective ways to donate money to help Democrats win in the US federal elections. I found a fragmented smattering of semi-closed, secretive sources. In this post I'll pull together the best and most inspiring recommendations I found from trustworthy people, as well as lots of other details about how and when to donate for optimal impact.

Note: wondering if recent news changes everything? Please see the section "Should I wait / give up due to the Biden resignation situation or the Trump assassination attempt?"

This post will not argue that members of this community should support Democrats, or even that intervening... (read 1794 more words →)

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On saying "Thank you" instead of "I'm Sorry"

Michael Cohn

Back in 2016 or so, I ran into an idea going around the self-help / trauma-informed-therapy / cognitive-behavioral internet: Learn to say “thank you” instead of “I’m sorry”. It’s turned out to be one of the most transformative pieces of advice I’ve ever taken. I’d like to share what it’s done for me, with just enough context to help others think about adopting it.

The idea

Whenever you want to apologize to someone who has done something for you, consider thanking them instead.

Examples

I trip and fall, and you help me up. I could apologize for inconveniencing you or I could thank you for helping me.
I refer to the fat guy statue in a Chinese

... (read 745 more words →)

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How to not renege prosocially, prosocially

Michael Cohn

I just discovered Duncan's post on Reneging Prosocially and I appreciated the work it did putting a focus on predictability, transparency, and care for others. It inspired me to write up my thoughts on a closely related subject: How to avoid needing to renege on commitments.

These are strategies I've developed over a lifetime of having memory and motivational issues, and trying to limit their impact on other people. They're not a substitute for using skills to make sure you do what you say you will, but they're a valuable way to deal with lapses. They may also be useful to people who don't have trouble upholding their commitments, but sometimes find that... (read 640 more words →)

San Francisco Meetup: Projects

Michael Cohn

Note: Our location has changed! Check the event info.

WHEN: Monday Aug 27, 6:15pm-9:00pm

We’ll be meeting to work on projects!

Near the beginning, we’ll go around and talk about what we’ll be working on, then do a couple of pomodoros. At some point we’ll break into general conversations and socializing.

Entering the building: Go to the lobby doors, which are about halfway down the block on 8th street under the big red awning. Use the dialpad to dial 892, which will call the host (Roger)'s phone and allow him to open the lobby doors for you remotely. Once inside, take the elevator to the 4th floor and go all the way down the long hallway... (read more)

San Francisco Meetup: Shallow Questions

Michael Cohn

Shallow Questions:

We’ll be doing quick rounds where you spend 5 minutes talking to someone, then rotate to someone new. We'll provide conversational prompts and structure, or you can choose your own topics. The goal is to just get familiar with a lot of your fellow meetup attendees.

To get into the building: Go to the glass doors directly across the street from the REI (precise location here). If there's no one to let you in, call 203-503-7508 (or text; may be slightly slower). alternate number: 734-846-1308.

Format:

We meet and start hanging out at 6:15, but don’t officially start doing the meetup topic until 6:45-7:00 to accommodate stragglers. Usually there is a food order... (read more)

San Francisco Meetup: Short Talks

Michael Cohn

WHEN: Monday Jul 30 2018, 6:15 PM

WHERE: 855 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103
For entry: Go to the glass doors directly across the street from the REI (precise location here). Call 203-503-7508 (or text; may be slightly slower). alternate number: 734-846-1308.

Short Talks

We’ll be meeting to give and listen to very short talks!

We’ll do 7-minute lightning talks with 3 additional minutes allowed for questions. We’ll also limit the number of programming-related talks to no more than half of all talks, in order to promote variety.

A talk doesn’t have to be formal, planned, or even something that you’d expect someone to Give A Talk About; it can be... (read 203 more words →)

San Francisco Meetup: Stories

Michael Cohn

WHEN: Monday 25 June 2018, 6:15 PM

WHERE: 855 Brannan St, San Francisco, CA 94103

For entry: Go to the glass doors directly across the street from the REI (precise location here). Call 203-503-7508 (or text; may be slightly slower). alternate number: 734-846-1308.

Stories

We'll be meeting to tell each other stories! Pick a story, ideally one from your own life, that you want to tell other people. If you don't have one ready, we'll have a list of prompts.

There's no set topic; you can choose whether you want your story to be funny, touching, instructive, revealing, koan-like, etc. You can also let the audience know what kind of response you would like, such as... (read more)

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LW

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Michael Cohn

On saying "Thank you" instead of "I'm Sorry"

Not every accommodation is a Curb Cut Effect: The Handicapped Parking Effect, the Clapper Effect, and more

How to not renege prosocially, prosocially

Paraddictions: unreasonably compelling behaviors and their uses

Michael Cohn

Paraddictions: unreasonably compelling behaviors and their uses

Not every accommodation is a Curb Cut Effect: The Handicapped Parking Effect, the Clapper Effect, and more

Data-driven donations to help Democrats win federal elections: an update

Donating to help Democrats win in the 2024 elections: research, decision support, and recommendations

On saying "Thank you" instead of "I'm Sorry"

How to not renege prosocially, prosocially

Michael Cohn

On saying "Thank you" instead of "I'm Sorry"

Not every accommodation is a Curb Cut Effect: The Handicapped Parking Effect, the Clapper Effect, and more

How to not renege prosocially, prosocially

Paraddictions: unreasonably compelling behaviors and their uses

Michael Cohn

Paraddictions: unreasonably compelling behaviors and their uses

Not every accommodation is a Curb Cut Effect: The Handicapped Parking Effect, the Clapper Effect, and more

Data-driven donations to help Democrats win federal elections: an update

Donating to help Democrats win in the 2024 elections: research, decision support, and recommendations

On saying "Thank you" instead of "I'm Sorry"

How to not renege prosocially, prosocially

My story

The original Curb Cut Effect

The idea

Examples