A Need To Read

Nichola Raihani is a professor of Evolution and Behavior at University College London. She joined me to discuss her new book The Social Instinct. We also spoke about: cooperation from cell to society, what makes us different from the great apes, what we have in common with meerkats, peacocking and why reputation matters, paranoia as a normal function of life, the impact of community on mental health and the idea of self-interested altruism.

You can find Nichola on Twitter: @nicholaraihani

This episode is about the different ways we deceive ourselves, and why we do so. If you want to find out more you can read Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson.

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You can also see my older newsletters with this link.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp, so if you want to learn to understand your behaviour or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

This podcast is sponsored by Athletic Greens so you can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

Get a Free audiobook with Audible! 

Get in touch: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

I had a great chat with Ben Aldridge, the author of both How To Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable, and How To Control The Uncontrollable. Ben's most recent book How To Control The Uncontrollable is a practical guide to Stoicism and how to bring it into your daily life.

We chatted about; combining fear and play, Ben’s favorite Stoic, how he got over himself, voluntary discomfort, the misconceptions about Stoicism, how to do negative visualization, how to become more grateful for the people you love, Sam Harris’ app Waking Up, Taoism and Buddhism, and Stoicism's use in parenting,

You can find everything for Ben on his website: https://www.benaldridge.com/ 

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter. You can also see my older newsletters with this link.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

I spoke with Dan, the man behind the Nice-Ish-Psychologist Instagram and Twitter accounts, and the Nice-ish Ramblings podcast. He is a HCPC registered Forensic and Clinical Psychologist, and uses his spare time to educate people on the internet about issues relating to masculinity, sexual violence against women, gender, and sometimes how all these aspects of society and culture interlink.

In the podcast we discuss; Masculinity and the ManBox culture, #Notallmen, How to speak about gender, Religion’s role in the patriarchy, the patriarchy in the government, Women in government, and how to be an ally.

Content discussed

Man Box Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men?language=en 

Invisible Women by Carolina Criado Perez 

Is Masculinity Toxic by Andrew Smiler 

Laura Bates's books

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter. You can also see my older newsletters with this link.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

In this episode I’m joined by Otto English — he’s a journalist who writes for; Politico, The Byline Times, and The Independent, among other publications. We talk about his new book Fake History, which looks to dispel some of the myths we are taught about historical figures and events. In the podcast we chat about; Churchill, Nationalism and Fake History, What really happened at Dunkirk, Boris Johnson, Whether we should be wary of China (or feel bad for doing so), and much more!

More from Otto can be found on Twitter @Otto_English 

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

In this meta-episode, I review Alain de Botton's review of Marcel Proust's life and work. Marcel Proust is one of the 20th Century's most influential authors and his In Search Of Lost Time spanned 7 volumes on love, art, time, and memory. His personal life is also on display in this book as Alain de Botton asks what Proust can teach us about; loving life, expressing emotions, suffering, reading, being a good friend, and how to be happy in love. 

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

This episode is a review/summary of BJ Fogg's best-selling book, Tiny Habits. In the podcast I discuss; the proven methods of behaviour change that BJ covers in his book, how to approach behaviour change, when to quit, how to make habit formation easy, and how to stick at it. 

Find the B MAP method here: https://behaviormodel.org/

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

THIS PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY BETTERHELP: If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to my sponsor www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within a few days.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

I went to Copenhagen for the weekend and found out about Hygge. Hygge is the Danish art of happiness and coziness, it's a philosophy that encourages connection, simplicity and mindfulness.

I read a book on the topic and spoke to some Danish people, this podcast is a collection of my thoughts on Hygge. 

Books mentioned

Hygge by Barbara Hayden

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

I’m joined by Daisy Harris-Burland and Harriet Bradley for a casual conversation about everything from books we've loved to the Kardashians. 

Get your bookmarks from: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheBookmarkBoys?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=795580183

Some of the books discussed were; 

How to think more about sex, Essays in Love, How Proust Can Change Your Life, and The School of life, all by Alain de Botton

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides 

Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger 

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact 

In this episode, I review The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton and The Socrates Express by Eric Weiner. Both books are excellent introductions to some philosophers you may not have come across just yet. In the podcast, I go into what we can learn from; Socrates (How to deal with unpopularity), Michel de Montaigne (How to deal with inadequacy), Arthur Schopenhauer, Gandhi (How to fight), and Epicurus (How to enjoy life). 

Support

The best thing you can do is share the podcast with a friend, or sign up for my new weekly newsletter.

If you want to learn to understand your behavior or emotions with the help of a professional you can get 10% off your first month of therapy by heading to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run through a 5-minute questionnaire and you’ll be matched with a therapist within 48 hours.

You can get an additional 5 free travel packs and a year's supply of Vitamin D3 with your Athletic Greens subscription at www.athleticgreens.com/aneedtoread 

I am reachable here: www.aneedtoread.co.uk/contact