Vishal Srivastava Newsletter

Evolutionary Mismatch, A Book Recommendation, and Thread of Skills

Hello friend

Can’t believe today is the last day of the 8th month of this year!

That means only 4 months to go in 2022!

Isn’t time flying extra fast? Or is it just me? Wasn’t it 2020 like 6 months back? :/

One of my friends had an interesting perspective on this. He said that many of us tend to subconsciously skip those 2 years of the pandemic from our memories. So, it seems like we are still getting used to that 2 years of “gap where there was hardly any external change”.

In fact, this is the reason why some people now refer to their covid-adjusted age instead of their real age. So, that way, I still have 2 more years to go until I turn 30 as per my covid adjusted age!

Not bad, actually! 😀

Anyway, coming back, I have 3 things to share this week.

Article of the Week: How to be Healthy in a Dopamine-Seeking Culture

The article talks about the evolutionary mismatch that exists all around us.

Humans evolved in an environment that was about seeking fast-reward, lower-effort goods to survive in times of scarcity. That strategy was helpful for survival in those times but counter-productive in modern times.

The food industry as well as the technology industry leverages this mismatch to produce foods and products that give instant dopamine hits (faster rewards) but lead to harm in the long term.

Overcoming this mismatch is the key to being grounded and healthy in the modern world. The article dives deep into how we can do so.

Read the Entire Article Here

Book of the Week- The Incredible Life of a Himalayan Yogi

I revisited this book last weekend and it has some surprising gems which I had not noticed on my first read.

If you are someone who likes reading spiritual books or who enjoyed The Autobiography of a Yogi (one of my favorite books!), you might love this one.

My favorite quote from this book:

It is only through the desire for the transient objects of material life that the higher desire for spiritual flowering will awaken in the heart of man.

Find it on Goodreads Here

Tweet of the Week- Thread of Skills

This is not just a clichéd list of career skills or skills to make money online. 😀 It is a collection of some life-affirming skills. I found it quite unique and interesting.