Why You Need to Subtract: The Vasa Effect

More from Curiosity Chronicle

1. 

   E469 · 2 Sep 2026 · 11 min

   9 Harsh Truths Nobody Told You About Success

   I'm convinced that the market for telling people what they want to hear is much larger than the market for telling people what they need to hear . That one fact explains a lot of what you see in the world. But my goal has always been to be real. Even if it's unpopular. Because everything I write is something I hope my son reads someday, and I owe him the truth. Today, that truth is a few things nobody told you about success. It may not be what you want to hear . But it's definitely what you need to hear ... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and…

2. 

   E468 · 28 Aug 2026 · 8 min

   The Focusing Illusion: A Science-Backed Life Trap

   Imagine two different people on the same mid-January day. One lives in California. He walks outside in shorts and a t-shirt. The warm sun beams down on his face. He puts on his sunglasses, unlocks his car, and turns the AC on full blast. One lives in New York. He walks outside in a heavy jacket. He grimaces as the cold wind hits his uncovered face. He opens the trunk of his car, takes out a brush, and starts cleaning the snow and ice off his windshield. Which one do you assume is happier? You just picked one in your mind. And I probably would have picked the same. Right up until I lived…

3. 

   E467 · 26 Aug 2026 · 9 min

   The Hidden Debt of Convenience

   A few weeks ago, I came across a podcast clip of Conan O'Brien talking about why he doesn't pay to fly private. He likes going through the airport, chatting with people at TSA, and "being in the world with other people that are traveling." It got me thinking about the obsessive pursuit of convenience and the hidden debt it creates in your life. Money has the ability to reduce the simple stresses, burdens, and inconveniences of adult life. But there's a certain level of inconvenience that's an important part of the human experience. When you seek convenience, you get a benefit now in the form…

4. 

   E465 · 19 Aug 2026 · 11 min

   Why You Need a Side Quest in Life

   The seat you randomly chose on day one is the seat you'll sit in for the rest of the term. My college professor said that, and he was right -- not just about lecture halls, but about life. Your life has gravity, and most people never even feel it building. This week, I break down the two types of gravity keeping you stuck and the simple answer to making sure you can always escape. ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments,…

5. 

   E464 · 14 Aug 2026 · 7 min

   The Scarlet Robe Effect

   A fancy robe nearly destroyed a philosopher's life. In 1765, Denis Diderot's financial means went from meager to extravagant. Soon thereafter, he came to own a fancy scarlet dressing robe. Diderot liked the status that the fancy robe conferred on him but quickly felt the remainder of his possessions could not compare. So, in quick succession, he purchased a new leather chair. New shoes. An elaborate wooden desk. All of which seemed appropriately matched to his lovely scarlet robe. Or, perhaps more important, appropriately matched to the type of person who wore such a robe. I call this…

6. 

   E463 · 12 Aug 2026 · 16 min

   The Traffic Jam Theory of Success

   Everyone's asking: how do I stand out in the AI era? A 1968 German mathematician's traffic paradox holds the answer. When everyone floods the new shortcut, the fast lane becomes the slow lane. Here's how to find the open road... ••• This episode brought to you by: DeleteMe - DeleteMe makes it quick, easy, and safe to remove your personal data online. Origin Financial - Your personal AI Financial Advisor. Track your spending, investments, and net worth—all in one place. Innerbody Labs - A Higher Standard. After reviewing thousands of health products, we built formulas we wished existed. Lemon…

7. 

   E480 · 9 Oct 2026 · 7 minNew

   The Loud Liker Theory

   Confession: I’ve never been someone who was a natural in social settings. As something of an introvert, I struggled to build new adult relationships. I often felt others weren’t responding to my social signals. In most cases, I just assumed they didn’t like me and moved on. But it turns out I was actually falling victim to a damning collision of two psychological phenomena: Signal Amplification Bias: Our fear of rejection in social situations tempers our ability to convey social signals, and blinds our ability to recognize that tempering effect. The Liking Gap: We assume others like us less…

8. 

   E479 · 7 Oct 2026 · 8 min

   The Stories You Tell Yourself

   When I was 13 years old, a single story changed the course of my life. But to understand it, I need to take you back in time to a strange experiment from decades ago. Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga was studying patients who had their corpus callosum surgically severed. His experiments led him to hypothesize that the left hemisphere has a specialized system he called The Interpreter, whose responsibility is to find clear cause and effect. Its job is simple: To take scattered, seemingly random data and facts about the world in front of you and stitch them into a coherent story that feels…

9. 

   E478 · 2 Oct 2026 · 8 min

   My 90 -10 Rule for Routines

   Confession: I'm a routine guy. I thrive on structure. I think of routines as a way to ensure execution against the daily action that contributes to long-term, compounding progress. But there's a dark side to routines that nobody talks about. When your routines become too rigid and complicated, they become a source of stress rather than strength. The routines meant to serve you can start to own you. This is where my 90-10 Rule comes in: 90% disciplined compliance. 10% open flexibility. 90% of the time, I'm locked in with my structure, but 10% of the time, I give myself the space to let life…

10. 

    E477 · 30 Sep 2026 · 8 min

    The Middle Path to Happiness

    In the 3rd century BCE, King Pyrrhus was preparing for an aggressive military campaign in Italy when a trusted advisor named Cineas asked him a simple question: After conquering Italy, what would they do next? Then Sicily. Then Libya and Carthage. And then? King Pyrrhus replied, "Then we will live a life of ease. Drink all day and have pleasant conversation with our friends." Cineas paused and spoke: "But what's stopping us from doing that today?" The story is one of the oldest documented cases of the Arrival Fallacy: the false assumption that reaching some achievement or goal will create…

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