Chris Williamson Podcast

This post lists the books mentioned in the episode: 10 Books That Changed My Life!. Mentioned Books Essentialism by Greg McKeown The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart Lying by Sam Harris The Ape That Understood the Universe by Steve Stewart-Williams The Precipice by Toby Ord Lost Connections by Johann Hari The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield Endurance by Alfred Lansing Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker Models by Mark Manson

Katie Herzog is a journalist, podcaster, and writer. What does it take to get sober in today’s world? From traditional paths like AA to the grit of going cold turkey, the old methods of sobriety may no longer be enough. But what if counterintuitive, cutting-edge approaches, backed by modern science, offer new ways to manage alcohol use? And what does that say about the value of the old ways? Expect to learn why drinking might be a viable route to going sober, why white knuckling alcohol isn’t a great option, If AA were invented today what methods would be its first step, the difference between getting sober and living sober, the different reasons people drink and the underlying reasons why people tend to drink more than others, advice for people who need to quit but don’t want to stop, and much more… ...

Dr Sarah Hill is a professor at TCU, a research psychologist, expert in women’s hormones and brain science, and an author. Each month, women experience hormonal changes that go far beyond the clichés of PMS. These shifts can influence mood, stress response, and even how women relate to others. So how can recognizing these patterns make it easier for both men and women to navigate relationships when things don’t feel normal? ...

James Kimmel Jr. is a professor at Yale, a psychiatrist, and an author. Why are we drawn to revenge? From playground grudges to epic betrayals, the urge to strike back is universal. But is it a survival mechanism, or an ancient drive that no longer fits the modern age? Expect to learn why the feeling of revenge exists and how it is adaptive, what the biggest triggers of the desire for revenge is, why revenge and revenge fantasies make us feel good, the difference between revenge seeking and self defence or boundary setting, if some people happen to be more vengeful than others, if you should be lauding to forgive rathe than seek revenge, the steps to move through forgiveness, and much more… ...

Esther Perel is a psychotherapist, podcaster, and New York Times bestselling author. Why do modern relationships feel so difficult? Even the happiest couples on the outside often hide unspoken rules and silent expectations that slowly erode intimacy. Resentment grows, trust fractures, and love feels harder to sustain. So how can men and women build partnerships that endure in today’s ever-changing world? Expect to learn what the “Mankeeping” trend is that is going on with women right now, how women can support emotional openness in men without mothering or emasculating them, why there is an adversarial and tribal dynamic between men and women in the modern world, why women get bored with monogamy more quickly than men, if companies should rethink their approach to workplace romance and much more… ...

Dr. David Spiegel is a psychiatrist, Stanford professor, and leading authority on hypnosis and stress-related health. What exactly is hypnosis? Most of us picture it as a magician’s trick, when someone dangles a watch, your eyes get heavy, and suddenly you’re suggestible. But that barely scratches the surface. The real question is, what’s the true purpose of hypnosis? And what if we aren’t just hypnotized during those sessions, but in some sense all the time, walking through life under subtle trances we don’t even notice? ...

MacKenzie Price is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and co-founder of Alpha Schools. Just how broken is education? For fifty years, lofty promises in education have yielded dismal results. Now, with AI, infinite knowledge at our fingertips, and personalized one-on-one learning, how radically different could the school of the future look? Expect to learn what is fundamentally broken about the current education and school system, what kills motivation to excel in school for kids the most, if the issue with addiction to screen time and technology is to blame for lack of performance, how AI will revolutionize the education sector and which schools are already ahead of the curve, How Alpha school convinces skeptical parents that this radically different system will benefit their child, and much more… ...

Dwarkesh Patel is a writer, researcher & podcaster. The rise of AI marks the next great technological revolution, one that could reshape every aspect of our lives in just a few years. But how close are we to its golden age? And what warnings does the global AI race hold about the double-edged nature of progress? Expect to learn what Dwarkesh has realised about human learning and human intelligence from architecting AI learning, if AGI is right around the corner and how far away it might be, if most Job Displacement Predictions right or wrong, why recent studies show that tools such as ChatGPT make our brains less active and our writing less original, what Dwarkesh’s favourite answer to AI’s creativity question, what he biggest things about America/West that China doesn’t understand, the best bull case for AI growth ahead and much more… ...

Spencer Greenberg is a mathematician, founder, CEO & creator of ClearerThinking.org How much does IQ really matter? Most of us have met people on both ends of the spectrum and wondered where we stand and what that means for our future. But is IQ truly fixed, or can it be shaped in some very surprising ways? Expect to learn how much IQ matters in all areas of your life, what the pubic misunderstands about IQ, if we should be treating intelligence more like a skill than an inherent trait, why the obsession with IQ might just be a form of intellectual status-signaling, why imposter syndrome is shockingly common and some counterintuitive benefits to imposter syndrome, if traits like narcissism or sociopathy can ever be adaptive or useful, the most common misinterpretations of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and much more… ...

Dr Robert King is a psychologist, professor at University College Cork, and researcher on the evolutionary function of female orgasm. What makes the female orgasm so mysterious? For generations, men across the globe have sought to decipher it, and many women share their curiosity as well. So why does the female orgasm even exist? What’s its evolutionary purpose? And have scientists like Dr. Robert King finally cracked the code? Expect to learn what most people don’t understand about the female orgasm, why women have multiple orgasms and men don’t, the biggest predictors of the female orgasm, how much female desire of men is driven by other female’s desire of those men, what women want in men sexually, if penis size and length are as bog of factors as men tend to think, if there are similarities in reproductive anatomy across males and females, and much more… ...