Topic 1: Evolutionary Heritage 3:53

Topic 2: Personal Values 8:15

Topic 3: Cognitive shortcut 20:31

Topic 4: Social comparison 28:25

Today I am joined in-person by my friends Petra and Gabi, as we talk about judging. We learn that making judgements on those around us is an evolutionary skill that helped us survive, and discuss its place in today's world where survival, food and shelter is no longer our biggest challenge. While it may be typically viewed in a negative light, we also recognise how beneficial it can be in relationships, work and wellbeing.

Humans are competitive animals by nature. But just how does it affect your life? Are some types of competitiveness better than others? Where does it come from? Today I discuss these questions and more, sharing research in the field and personal stories. I end with some guidance on what I believe is the best way to harness a competitive spirit to achieve your goals while minimising the downsides.

Our success and happiness in this world is probably more dependent on those we bring into our life than we might estimate. At the same time, the rate of introductions and interactions in society has never been so abundant. So how can we deduce which people we meet are worth spending more time with, when we already have so little time to devote to relationships? Today I discuss six techniques you can use in order to evaluate someone's character quickly when meeting and getting to know them. This episode was inspired by Ted Gioia, a former consultant at McKinsey and Stanford MBA who is perhaps better known as a jazz critic and music historian. You can check out his substack here.