End the Year with an Appreciation of Beauty
The best modern poetry, 80's hair metal songs, and wise psychological interventions
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Your attention span is fucked.
Mine too. We are trapped in what I refer to as a dopamine cul-de-sac, traveling in loops, consuming content recommended to us by people and machines, later digesting a similar bout from yet another batch of recommendations, and then regurgitating it with others who did the same or who you think might enjoy your repackaging. Round and round. Never arriving anywhere.
Research shows that our attention when looking at a screen went from an average of two and a half minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds today (link). Short-form video content is specifically designed to deliver information in quick, fragmented bursts, conditioning the brain to seek constant novelty and we’re all hooked on the drip (link).
Poetry is the off-ramp.
Not because it’s good for you in some eat-your-brussels-sprouts way. But because poetry demands something that your brain has forgotten how to give.
Written poetry is the most ancient record of human literature, dating back over 4,300 years. The fact that it has accompanied humankind over such a long period suggests a strong grip on human cognition and emotion (link). Researchers found that poetic language triggers parts of the brain related to non-automatic processing of meaning, where people try to make sense of what they are reading and who they are, resulting in this flexible model of what is possible (which is so damn enjoyable). (link)
And there's something else. Philosopher Iris Murdoch reasoned that beauty can lead to what she called “unselfing,” a process that motivates the individual to transcend self-interest and become more generous and kind. A process where the individual self and its concerns are diminished such that energy can then be directed to entities vaster than the self. In a world where we’re drowning in self-optimization, this is a way out… (link)
So before midnight, before the resolutions you won’t keep and the champagne that’ll give you a headache, take 90 seconds. Watch or listen to this poem. Not to analyze it. Just to feel something powerful about who you were and what you are becoming…
With whatever feeling appears, I wish you great moments with yourself (and those you love)
If you’re interested in wise psychological interventions:
We will have great times together in 2026.
Thanks for being part of the growing Provoked community, where we believe curious, courageous exploration is less risky than complacency.
Todd B. Kashdan is an author of several books including The Upside of Your Dark Side (Penguin) and The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively (Avery/Penguin) and Professor of Psychology and Leader of The Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.
Yes to the power of poetry and oof to that young mans poem. Great share. Thanks Todd.
This is an excellent article and I love the Instagram poetry from that gentleman. Much appreciated, Todd!