A&B #14

Hey friends,

I'm writing to all 3,198 of you today. Hope you're having a great Sunday.If you need some motivation to pick up a book this weekend, here are some of the benefits you get from reading:

• Reduces stress levels by 68%

• Improves memory and concentration

• Helps develop stronger analytical skills

• Reduces the likelihood of Alzheimer's and dementia

• Expands your vocabulary and improves your writing skills

And if you need extra motivation, here's a short thread about how Malcolm X taught himself how to read books in prison and how he developed a passion for reading. Read the 

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter!

🎧  Podcast Update:

This week's podcast is with Robin Hanson, the co-author of The Elephant In The Brain.In his book, Robin explores the hidden (and often times darker) motives of human behavior life. Robin talks about: The hidden meaning of body language The dark motivation behind charity donations Why school is more about filtering than education How sex, status, and politics play a role in our motivesAnd much more.If you’re into evolutionary psychology or ever wondered why humans act the way they do, you’ll find this conversation fascinating.Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify | Overcast Watch: YouTube

📚 Book Lessons:

Here are a few lessons from The Elephant In The Brain:1) We Flaunt Our Good Motives & Hide Our Bad OnesHere's the thesis of the book: Our brains are built to act in our self-interest while at the same time trying hard not to appear selfish in front of others. In other words, we have multiple motives for our actions but it's looked down upon when we act selfishly. So, we flaunt our good motives and downplay our bad ones. For instance, a politician might say he's running for mayor because he wants to fix up his city, but he also wants to be mayor to he wants power and likes to feel important. Or, a professor might say she wants to write a book to share her knowledge to help more people, but she also wants to have a taste of fame. There's nothing wrong with having multiple motives, just be aware that there's usually more than one reason for any action.2) If You Want To Know What Someone's Saying, Look At Their Body LanguageIf you want to better understand what someone's thinking or feeling, observe their body language–it's often a hidden form of communication. For example, if two people are having a conversation, it's the person who holds more eye contact while speaking who is dominant. Eye contact can at times be considered an act of aggression so when a dominant and submissive person makes eye contact, the submissive one looks away first. Additionally, higher status individuals tend to have an open body posture, take up more space, speak more smoothly, interrupt more frequently, and generally set the pace of the interaction.3) The Darker Motive of Charitable DonationsYou would think that there wouldn't be any other motives for donating to a charity than to do some good in the world. But surprisingly, there are several. Here are a few: people tend to donate more when they're being watched to avoid looking stingy, they donate to advertise their generosity and raise their status, they're more likely to donate when approached by an attractive member of the opposite sex.In other words, charity is an advertisement, a way for people to show off and look good in front of their peers and potential mates. This helps explain why only 1% of charitable donations are anonymous.

✅ Actionable Advice:(this book is more research than practical advice, but here are a few takeaways)

• Be conscious of the fact that people tend to have more than one motive for their actions.

• If you feel that a person's words aren't matching their actions, examine their body language.

  • A good book for further research into the topic is What Every Body Is Saying. It's by an ex-FBI agent.

• If you run a non-profit organization, think about how you could boost donations through social proof.

• Do not make virtues out of your vices.

  • Yes we all have selfish motives, but that doesn't mean we need to act on every single one or can't create win-win situations to help others while looking out for our best interests.

📖  Reading Lesson:Three reading tips to guide you on your reading journey:1) Avoid books that are business cards in disguise.2) To cut your book recommendations in half, only take book recommendations seriously if the person has read the book more than once. 3) Books don’t expire, but sometimes their content does.

⭐️  Weekly Quote:"Read books to feel smarter.Apply what you've learned to become smarter."(retweet here)

📸  Photo of the Week:

I stumbled across an interesting article about the reading habits of people in 2020. Here are some stats about the US:

• Americans read on average 12 books per year

• The typical (median) American reads 4 books per year

• 27% of adults reported not reading a single book in the past year

You can find my full thread

as well as the original article

here

.

🙏  Hey everyone, this week's newsletter is brought to you by: TAoRI'm ecstatic to share that 58 people have signed up for The Art of Reading!The early bird special has come to an end, but since you're on my newsletter I'm giving you an exclusive discount. For the next 48 hours, you can get the course for only $79. That's a savings of over 45%.

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This is a limited time offer. After that, the presale price will jump to $99. Reading books has changed my life, I believe it can do the same for you. Make 2021 the year you become a lifelong reader.Learn more about the course here!

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next week!Read on,Alex W.PS: If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with a friend. They can subscribe here.