[tcskeptic]

I was thinking about this recently watching a conversation between Lex Fridman and Bryan Johnson and it struck me that there is a huge difference in optimizing lifestyle choices for human physical and mental performance, and optimizing lifestyle choices for human flourishing, or even say joy and wonder. I feel like there is this growing misunderstanding that the "optimal" human is one that can be the most productive at work.

[beepbooptheory]

I think saying its a misunderstanding is not giving people enough credit: we are constantly incentivized if not required to eschew joy and wonder in order to be productive and optimal. I don't think most people even have the chance to reflect on what they really want, they just need to make money to pay their rent.

[tcskeptic]

But it seems to me that the people that are most focused on being productive and optimal in this weirdly obsessive way are pretty high income -- they are not just scraping by to pay rent. I work with a company that does manufacturing here in the US -- it is pretty clear to me that the group of folks in our company that are skilled labor, hourly employees that are pretty well compensated, have more fun and make more time to experience joy and wonder than folks (like myself) that are more highly compensated and in the white collar world. This does not hold true for the lower end unskilled labor folks who have almost unavoidable material financial concerns due to income level. Now, I acknowledge this is very small sample size, but it makes me think.

[N1H1L]

Isn't it more of an American phenomenon though - because of the country's puritan roots?