Behavioural Psychologist: We're Not Having Enough Sex! Fat Makes You Attractive & The Poorer You Are The Friendlier You Are!

1. Prioritize Connection Over Autonomy

Actively choose social connection over individual desires, especially in trivial daily decisions, as constant autonomy can lead to isolation and unhappiness, a common issue in modern wealthy, urban societies.

2. Integrate Connection into Habits

To sustain social connection amidst a busy life, integrate social activities into existing routines or solitary pursuits (e.g., doing a puzzle with a friend) by setting specific rules, making connection habitual rather than a constant decision.

3. Prioritize Family Connection

Regularly engage with family, ideally sharing meals and conversations, as humans evolved in close-knit family units, and these rituals foster deep, essential connections for happiness.

4. Choose Friends Over Personal Preference

Occasionally sacrifice personal preferences to join friends in their activities, as this strengthens social bonds and rebalances the modern tendency towards excessive autonomy, even if it feels like a small compromise.

5. Invest in Experiences Over Possessions

To increase happiness, especially for successful individuals, prioritize spending disposable income on experiences (e.g., travel, activities) rather than material possessions, as experiences create lasting memories and avoid the unwinnable status game of material goods.

6. Seek Social Engagement if Wealthy

Wealthy and educated individuals, who tend to be more isolated, should actively seek regular in-person social engagement (like community groups or ‘church’) to counteract the tendency to outsource needs and improve friendship satisfaction and happiness.

7. Support Male Education and Partnership

Society should invest in educational environments that better suit boys and encourage men to partner with women, as uneducated and unpartnered men with poor prospects are linked to societal problems and crime.

8. Reduce Parenting Drudgery to Boost Fertility

To encourage higher birth rates, society should minimize the ‘drudge side’ of parenting, potentially through advanced robot nannies that handle difficult tasks like nighttime care, making child-rearing more appealing.

9. Display Honest Signals of Quality (Men)

Men seeking attraction should demonstrate ‘honest signals of quality’ such as calculated risk-taking, earned wealth, ambition, humor (indicating an agile mind), and kindness, as these traits are evolutionarily attractive to women.

10. Prioritize Health and Youthful Appearance (Women)

Women seeking attraction should focus on appearing healthy, young, and maintaining a favorable hip-to-waist ratio, as these are evolutionary signals of fertility that men are primarily attracted to.

11. Combat Anxiety with Present Mindfulness

To reduce anxiety, practice mindfulness and focus on the present moment, as anxiety is primarily a future-based construct stemming from the human capacity to simulate future scenarios.

12. Engage with Religion for Meaning and Connection

Religious participation, whether through personal prayer or communal church attendance, significantly correlates with higher happiness, providing a sense of meaning and crucial social connection, especially for wealthier individuals who may lack other social networks.

13. Seek Meaning and Practice Kindness

While life may be inherently devoid of meaning, the search for meaning correlates with increased happiness. If meaning isn’t found, focus on making the best of life by prioritizing kindness and connection, which are fundamental human evolutionary solutions.

14. Strategize Exercise Around Other Behaviors

Exercise amplifies the effects of other behaviors: good habits (e.g., blue light blocking) have a greater positive impact on recovery on exercise days, while bad habits (e.g., alcohol consumption) have a more negative impact. Therefore, consider being sedentary on ’naughty’ days and maximizing good habits on exercise days.

15. Partner for Lifestyle Goals

To increase the likelihood of achieving lifestyle goals (e.g., fitness, learning), commit to pursuing them with others, as mutual support and accountability enhance effectiveness and foster connection.

16. Consider Getting a Pet

If you are a hard-driving individual who struggles with loneliness due to work commitments, consider getting a pet (dog, cat, etc.), as data suggests pets significantly contribute to happiness and provide companionship.

17. Engage in Idle Socializing

Actively participate in casual conversations and be present during idle social times (e.g., lunch breaks), as these seemingly unimportant interactions build stronger bonds and counteract the isolating effects of constant digital engagement.

18. Practice Gratitude for Progress

Recognize and appreciate the vast improvements in modern life compared to past generations, as a lack of appreciation can lead to chronic unhappiness despite increased wealth and comfort.

19. Re-evaluate Dating App Expectations

Men should recognize that dating apps heavily favor a small percentage of men, while women receive many swipes but often from men they are not interested in, suggesting a mismatch in preferences and app suitability for different relationship goals.

20. Address Sleep Worries Actively

Actively counter sleep-related anxieties, as the worries themselves can hinder sleep quality. Engage in calming activities like reading in bed to divert your mind and promote better rest.

21. Optimize Coffee and Eating Times

Avoid coffee late in the day (especially after 2 p.m. for some individuals) and restrict eating to daylight hours to support the body’s natural rhythms and improve sleep quality.

22. Recognize Gender Differences in Sleep Needs

Men generally require about 20 minutes less sleep than women and appear to sleep more effectively per hour, suggesting that individual sleep requirements can vary by gender.