23 Lessons from 2025 - Chris Williamson

The Parental Attribution Error

There is a prevalent psychological double standard where individuals blame their parents for their flaws while claiming their strengths as entirely their own creation.

This "parental attribution error" overlooks the reality that most traits are double-edged swords; the same environments that cause pain often forge powerful capabilities.

Examples of this "complicated inheritance" include:

• A childhood lack of support may result in anxious attachment, but it can also forge the ability to endure discomfort and be alone with one's emotions.
• Being pushed too hard can lead to neuroticism, but it is often the same source of ambition, discipline, and drive.
• A lack of praise might cause low self-worth, yet it often provides the fuel to outwork everyone else.
• Hyper-independence born from a lack of trust can also manifest as being capable, adaptable, and calm under pressure.

Maturity requires acknowledging that the traits one is most ashamed of are often the dark side of something useful, meaning one cannot simply "throw away the sword" without losing its utility,.

Advice Hyperresponders

The Parental Attribution Error - Chris Williamson

We love blaming our parents, it’s practically a rite of passage in modern psychology.

But there’s a double standard buried in the trend: we attribute what’s broken in us to our upbringing, while claiming what’s strong as ours alone.

This is the Parental Attribution Error.

Like the Fundamental Attribution Error (where we blame others’ actions on their character but excuse our own by pointing to circumstance), this is a skewed way of assigning credit and blame.

We externalise the bad, internalise the good.

You’re quick to blame, slow to credit.

You say you’re anxiously attached because no one held you when you needed it. But isn’t your ability to be alone with your emotions and to endure discomfort quietly also forged in that same crucible?

The Brutal Truth About Female Attraction - Chris Williamson with Macken Murphy

Physical Attraction and Male Physique

Research indicates that women's ideal preference for penis size is slightly above average (approx. 6.3 inches length), but most women have never encountered their ideal size, and only about 27% have broken up with a man due to size issues,,.

Men frequently overestimate the level of leanness women desire, aiming for 10% body fat when women typically prefer a healthier, "softer" range of 13-15%,.

Women's physical preferences, such as broad shoulders and height, act as proxies for formidability, favoring men who look like they could win a fight or provide protection,.

Much of modern male physique optimization (e.g., extreme bodybuilding) is actually a form of intra-sexual competition for status among other men, rather than being optimized for female attraction,.

Sexual History and Relationship Stability

Discipline Expert: The Habit That Will Make Or Break Your Entire 2026! - The Diary Of A CEO with James Clear

The Four Laws of Behavior Change

Every habit follows a four-step feedback loop comprising a cue, a craving, a response, and a reward.

To build good habits, one should apply the "Four Laws of Behavior Change" which correspond to these steps: make the cue obvious, make the craving attractive, make the response easy, and make the reward satisfying,,,,.

Conversely, to break a bad habit, one should invert these laws: make the cue invisible, the craving unattractive, the action difficult, and the outcome unsatisfying,.

While the first three laws increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the moment, the fourth law—making it satisfying—increases the odds that the behavior will be repeated in the future.

Identity-Based Habits

Why Vigorous Exercise Is 10x More Effective Than Moderate - Dr Rhonda Patrick with Brady Holmer

Vigorous Activity Significantly Outperforms Moderate Activity

A new study using objective measurements suggests that previous physical activity guidelines, which calculated the equivalence between vigorous and moderate intensity exercise based on caloric expenditure (a 1:2 ratio), dramatically underestimated the health benefits of vigorous activity. The research, which tracked outcomes such as all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, found that vigorous intensity physical activity is anywhere from four to ten times more potent than moderate intensity activity in reducing disease risk.

The health equivalence ratios comparing the required time of moderate intensity physical activity (MOD) needed to match 1 minute of vigorous intensity physical activity (VIG) are substantial:

• 1 minute of VIG was equivalent to about 4 minutes of MOD for reducing the risk of all-cause mortality.
• 1 minute of VIG was equivalent to nearly 8 minutes (7.8 minutes) of MOD for reducing the risk of cardiovascular related mortality, which is especially important as cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in many developed nations.
• 1 minute of VIG was equivalent to approximately 9.4 minutes (nearly 10 times) of MOD for reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• 1 minute of VIG was equivalent to 3.4 to 3.5 minutes of MOD for reducing cancer mortality.

The efficiency gap is even wider when comparing vigorous activity to light activity, where 1 minute of vigorous activity was equal to between 53 and 94 minutes of light activity for most outcomes, and up to 156 minutes (nearly 2.5 hours) for cancer mortality.

Context of the Study and Revisions to Physical Activity Guidelines

Finding Your Purpose Solved - Mark Manson

The Essential Nature and Structure of Purpose

• Purpose is an abstract concept that defines a crucial psychological need, often considered as important as love or happiness.
• The fundamental structure of purpose comprises three components: Direction, which provides a long-term orientation; Action, as purpose is highly active and requires doing rather than just thinking; and Contribution/Personal Significance, where one feels they are adding value to something greater than themselves.
• Purpose is often confused with passion, which is merely a fleeting emotional state, or values, which are enduring principles one aspires to.
• The concept of "finding your purpose" is misleading; purpose is dynamic and is often built or discovered through action rather than found like an object.
• The official working definition is that purpose is a dynamic values-aligned other-impacting life aim that organizes your goals and actions across time.

The Foundational Philosophy and Psychology of Meaning

Using Red Light to Improve Metabolism & the Harmful Effects of LEDs - Dr Andrew Huberman with Dr Glen Jeffery

Mitochondrial Mechanism and Light Physics

• Long wavelength light, encompassing red, near infrared (NIR), and infrared (IR) light, improves overall health, metabolism, and organ function.
• The mechanism involves the light being absorbed not by the mitochondria itself, but by the nano water surrounding the mitochondria.
• This absorption reduces the viscosity of the water, which in turn increases the spin rate of the molecular motor that produces ATP (cellular energy).
• Longer-term or chronic exposure to long wavelength light promotes the synthesis of more proteins within the electron transport chains, enhancing the cell's long-term energy-making capability.
• Light in the long wavelength range is nonionizing, meaning it does not carry the damaging "kick" of short wavelengths and is safe for therapeutic application as it does not alter DNA.
• Long wavelength light penetrates deeply into the body, scattering throughout internal organs, and is capable of passing through bone and the skull.
• This light passes through standard clothing, such as a t-shirt, regardless of the garment’s color.
• Mitochondria function as a community, sharing information across cells in different areas of the body, allowing localized stimulation to produce systemic responses.
• Lasers should be avoided for light therapy because they scatter unevenly in tissue, creating highly concentrated, damaging spots called "caustics".

Health Concerns with Modern Lighting and Safer Alternatives