Snapshot · Modern Wisdom
Evolutionary medicine researcher Randy Nesse calculated that if male mortality rates were reduced to female rates, more years of life would be saved than if cancer were cured entirely.
Where this was said
At 2:18:38 · chapter starts 2:13:35
Stewart-Williams surveys the major physical health sex differences: men are more prone to cardiovascular disease, most cancers, and early death; women are more prone to immune disorders and pain conditions. The male mortality disadvantage is particularly stark — men die younger than women in the vast majority of cultures, including most where women face high maternal mortality. The mechanism becomes clear when you consider the Korean Joseon Dynasty eunuch data [1] — Chris Williamson "Eunuchs lived longer than intact men: Korean Joseon Dynasty eunuchs lived significantly longer than intact males of identical social standi…" 2:17:30 : eunuchs castrated before puberty lived significantly longer than intact males of identical social standing, directly implicating testosterone. Stewart-Williams points out we technically already have a known intervention to close the lifespan gap — it just comes with obvious drawbacks. Randy Nesse's evolutionary medicine calculation [2] — Chris Williamson "Curing male mortality gap > curing cancer: Evolutionary medicine researcher Randy Nesse calculated that if male mortality rates were reduce…" 2:18:38 lands as the most striking statistic in this section: if male mortality rates were reduced to female levels, more years of life would be saved than if cancer were entirely cured. The 88%/90% symmetry of Darwin Awards and Carnegie Hero Awards closes the section: male risk-taking cuts in both catastrophic and heroic directions with almost identical frequency.
Korean Joseon Dynasty eunuchs lived significantly longer than intact males of identical social standing, showing testosterone has a direct biological cost to male lifespan.
88% of Darwin Award winners (people who die through spectacular self-inflicted stupidity) are men, and 90% of Carnegie Hero Award recipients (people who risk their life to save a stranger) are also men.
Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson analyzed almost 500 self-improvement techniques and found they all reduce to just 12 underlying psychological drivers.
Cold exposure has good short-term alertness benefits but the evidence base for long-term health benefits is much weaker than popularly believed.
In a randomized study of 20 habit-formation techniques run on hundreds of people, almost none of the techniques produced statistically meaningful results.
People given a tiny-habit fallback option (e.g. 10 squats instead of gym) were actually MORE successful at completing the full habit, not less.
The most effective habit-formation technique was 'habit reflection' — recalling a past successful habit, writing down what helped, then applying those lessons to a new habit.
A study found that simply scheduling enjoyable activities was as effective as standard cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, leading to its own therapy called behavioral activation.
The 'worry time' technique — deferring all worries to a designated time of day — helps people realize they have more control over worry than they thought and reveals it is less useful than it feels.
A study found that participants told to try to stay awake while in bed fell asleep faster than participants told to try to sleep — illustrating the paradox of direct effort.
Spencer Greenberg reduced his severe social anxiety dramatically in roughly 6 months through a structured exposure therapy hierarchy, culminating in asking strangers for hugs.
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