Cults and Social Needs (with Alice Mottola)
1. Anticipate Profound Future Changes
Keep an open mind to solutions and be ready for the world to be profoundly different within your lifetime, as history shows how temporary and contingent current systems are.
2. Use History as Problem-Solving Toolbox
Look back at historical tools and solutions to address current societal problems, especially when existing approaches are not working effectively.
3. Understand Human Nature Via History
Study history to grasp the variability of human thought, beliefs, and experiences across different cultures and times, breaking assumptions about what is fundamental.
4. Broaden Reference Class for Unprecedented
When facing unprecedented situations, look at a wider range of historical reference classes, as history often “rhymes” and reveals timeless human lessons.
5. Prioritize Health Span Over Lifespan
Focus on interventions that improve functionality and quality of life, aiming to be healthy at an older age rather than just extending life while “falling apart.”
6. Practice Intermittent Fasting for Health
Implement intermittent fasting as a stressor to make your body stronger, potentially increasing health span and slightly increasing lifespan without sacrificing much performance.
7. Implement 16:8 Intermittent Fasting
Start with a common schedule of eating between noon and 8 PM, then fasting for 16 hours, or shorten the eating window further for more extreme benefits.
8. Consider Longer Fasts for Health
Explore multi-day fasts for health benefits, as they act as a stressor that encourages your body to utilize fat reserves. (Extreme caution advised for very long fasts).
9. Invest in Companies Near Floor
For responsible long-term investing, focus on profitable businesses with real underlying value that would not immediately go bankrupt if hype disappeared. This approach helps even if it means missing out on speculative gains.
10. Be Wary of Market Hype
Recognize that human nature is susceptible to FOMO, idolization, herd behavior, and the assumption that past trends will continue, which can drive irrational market valuations.
11. Avoid Unrealistic Returns Expectations
Understand that making 60% returns a year is not normal, as many new investors have come to believe due to recent market conditions (e.g., crypto), leading to dangerous misconceptions.
12. Recognize Challenges of Beating Market
Be aware that due to trading commissions, taxes, and the existence of highly skilled funds, the average investor is likely to underperform the market.
13. Consider Metformin for Blood Sugar
If fasting blood sugars are starting to slip (in the 90s rather than 70s/80s), Metformin might be helpful, though lifestyle changes are generally preferred. (Not medical advice).
14. Explore Mitochondrial Function Compounds
Investigate compounds that aim to improve mitochondrial function, as these are plausible ways to enhance functionality and slow aging, especially when dysfunction is present.
15. Explore Senolytics for Anti-Aging
Keep an eye on senolytics, a promising class of drugs that kill senescent cells (which cause inflammation), potentially leading to healthier and longer lives.
16. Consider Plasma Dilution for Anti-Aging
Research suggests that removing and filtering old plasma from older individuals can produce an anti-aging phenotype, which is an area of active investigation.
17. Be Wary of Institutional Creep
Understand that new government organizations often persist beyond their initial problem, taking on new missions and contributing to systemic sclerosis, making change difficult.
18. Recognize Risk of Concentrated Interests
Be aware that small, concentrated interest groups can nudge policy for large benefits, causing widespread minor pain without strong opposition.
19. Understand Need for System Reinvention
Acknowledge that complex systems like countries, similar to companies, must continually reinvent themselves to adapt to changing environments and avoid decay.
20. Avoid Telomere Lengthening Supplements
Based on the speaker’s hypothesis, telomeres might be a backup fail-safe, making lengthening supplements potentially not a good target for anti-aging.
21. Exercise Caution with Rapamycin
Understand that Rapamycin is a “dangerous and edgy” compound that profoundly stimulates the body, trading robustness for some life extension, and has significant side effects.
22. Focus on Root Causes of Aging
Advocate for and explore anti-aging approaches that tackle the fundamental engineering problems of the body, such as dealing with accumulated byproducts and errors.
23. Avoid Shorting Market Bubbles
Even when convinced of irrational prices, it’s difficult to profit from shorting bubbles due to the unpredictable timing of their collapse.
24. Diversify with International Exposure
While China is a growing economy, direct investment can be challenging; consider proxies like trading partners or raw resource flows for diversification.
25. Scrutinize International ETF Holdings
When buying ETFs for international exposure, always check their specific holdings to ensure they align with the sector or overall economy you intend to invest in, as marketing can be misleading.