#7 - Feeding Frenzy

Feeding Frenzy is a weekly round-up of reading, listening, or watching that is worth your time. These posts will act as the foundation of mental meandering across all domains!

Worth Listening

Dan Harris on The Drive with Peter Attia

"Mindfulness is the ability to know what's happening in your head at any given moment without getting carried away by it." — Dan Harris

In this episode, Dan Harris, a correspondent for ABC News and co-founder of the Ten Percent Happier meditation app. In this podcast, Dan openly shares his journey into meditation. He willingly shares his struggles with addiction, depression, and emotional volatility. For Erich, the book 10% Happier was one of the first books he read on the topic of meditation. This conversation covers many of the stories Dan told in the book. The podcast is an excellent jumping-off point for those who would be interested in mindfulness and meditation; this is a good entry point. Dan himself was a skeptic and sought our mentors to help guide into mindfulness.

Worth Reading

The Power of Questions

"Asking questions means you want to learn. You want to understand and know. So where do you start? Anywhere you want. But don't feel pressure to begin with the big questions, the ones we all confront at one time or another, like the meaning of life, or what exists beyond our physical experience of the earth. There is a significant amount to be learned from the seemingly mundane ones, questions that seem so basic, once we reach about age 12 we no longer bother asking them—because we either think we know the answer or are afraid of admitting we don't."

It should come as no surprise that we love questions, but it's not because of the podcast that we want to be able to ask good questions. Good questions translate into connecting more effectively in daily life as well. Asking questions means you're engaged and actively interested in another person and could be expanded into having better conversations as well. A conversation can be thought of like a game of catch, and sometimes people are better than it than others. It's still a skill - the other person needs to throw the ball back to you or vice versa

Seeking an Obesity Cure, Researchers Turn to the Gut Microbiome

"Obesity is a very complex disorder," said Dr. Jessica Allegretti, the director of the Fecal Microbiota Transplant Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Perhaps the microbiome is a contributing part of it, and maybe for everyone, it's slightly different. But even for patients where the microbiome is playing a big part, I think this would be something that is part of a larger weight loss program."

Studying our gut microbiome is a relatively new area of research. What we find fascinating is that with research in this area provides more knobs to dial in when looking for ways to combat obesity. On the outside, it's easy to look at the problem and say it is your diet that all wrong, but there's always an outlier who has tried every diet still has trouble losing the weight. We believe that giving people tools and options to further their health is the best we can hope for. Let's keep expanding the tool box!

Worth Watching

How We Chase Dopamine: Porn, Social Media, and Alcohol by Steven Kolter

“For example, when you check your phone for a text, the uncertainty or "magic of maybe" in what the text might deliver results in a 400% spike in dopamine – roughly the same amount of dopamine as a person gets from cocaine. "We're essentially putting highly addictive drugs into the hands of kids before they have any natural defenses against them," says Kotler.”

In a recent podcast from Tim Ferriss and Tristan Harris one of the statements made was we are all addicts in one way or another. The only difference depends on which ones society has decided we shouldn't be part-taking in at all ( Paraphrased heavily). We want to do is bring awareness. Maybe the next time, you want to grab your phone top and think what is you need to do that. These devices are here to stay. The apps and phones have been built in a way that provides a constant source of dopamine. In short, it is up to us as individuals and communities to work through solutions that help us take back the reigns from technology. We can use the "magic of maybe" in a positive way. Use it to build meaningful connections with others and a positive impact, not something that distracts you from the moment.

Technology works for us, we don't work for technology.

BONUS: MAKE THE MOVE!

How to Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You

If you intrigued by the previous link, then we encourage you to take the next step!

This week is a wrap and plenty to chew over for this week! Feel free to let us know any thoughts and suggestions that may contribute to these posts. It may pop-up on Feeding Frenzy or develop into a full-fledged post of its own.

Stay Curious, and have a great week!

Previous Feeding Frenzies: #1, #2 , #3, #4, #5, #6

Check out our recent episodes:

#67 - Angels and Airwaves Live: Follow the Maybe

#66 - Jordan Criss and Ben Kapolnek: Football, Music, and Storytelling

#65 - Joe Jackowski: SVA Leadership Summit, Japan, and Power Dynamics

Checkout our blogs:

The One Who Wears The Mask by Jordan Criss

Wearables: Meet WHOOP and Oura Ring by Erich Wenzel

Spiraling Upwards: A Poem on Being by Joe Jackowski

Connect with Us on Social Media:

Twitter: @erichwenzel & @feedingcuriosity1