A Brief Introduction to Provoked

A newsletter offering new psychological angles on conventional ideas and practices

For Those Who Crave More Curiosity, Courage, Creativity, and Compassion

Right now, there are 5,358 unread emails in my inbox. Instead of listening to podcasts when working out, I switched to tranquil playlists such as Ambient Film Scores, Writing Instrumentals, and Seductive Chill I and II¹. The reason: information overload.

Hhy write a newsletter when many feel overwhelmed? Simple. I view my job as educating the public about science. I offer access to scientific knowledge along with insights about self-improvement and fixing dysfunctional features of society. In this newsletter, expect to find streamlined intellectual content that’s fun, meaningful, and useful.

For over two decades, my Well-Being Lab has churned out research. While it brings me great joy to see well-being move from fringe to mainstream, this also means a lot of regurgitated, oversimplified content. Perhaps you’ve been exposed to some of the 492,000,000 articles repeating “mindfulness is good.” Mindfulness IS a valuable, trainable skill but there is a reason the mind wanders nearly half of our waking hours. Deprived of mindless moments, we lose out on mental restoration, nostalgia, preparation for an uncertain future, along with a wellspring of creative insights. A reliance on shallow mantras such as “other people matter” without sufficient depth (or recognition that “some people suck”) leave us ill-equipped for navigating the social world. Complex people in dynamic environments require sophisticated solutions.

Each of us possesses a genetic makeup, history of positive and negative life events, set of personality traits, values, beliefs, interests, skills, and social group roles and memberships unlike any other creature. Individual differences cannot be ignored. When someone shares tips, tools, tactics, and strategies, there is a gap between the evidence and how it can be applied.

• We must seek out high-quality evidence instead of relying on tradition.

• We must continually learn, updating beliefs as new information arises (easier said than done).

• We must uphold healthy skepticism about the validity and usefulness (real-world applicability) of claims.

In this newsletter, I detail interesting discoveries, what society is getting wrong, and ideas that are neglected or misunderstood.

I believe in challenging orthodox beliefs that are treated as facts with limited data. I believe the best functioning groups establish strong norms for curiosity, independent thinking, and critical thinking - to protect against conformity mistakes and correct them.

This newsletter is an offering to improve the mental fortitude of individuals, groups, and society.

The world needs curious, courageous explorers with utopian ideals. Hit the button below and join the conversation.

1. Think of these playlists as a pair of musical Sherpas who can help you reach peak states of tranquility. If someone else happens to be nearby, expect to lower the blood pressure of the room. Don’t skip over the most underappreciated song of the 1990’s.