Show Notes
Spencer Greenberg, mathematician, founder of Clearer Thinking, and co-author of The 12 Levers, joins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about which self-help techniques hold up to evidence, why memory works like autocomplete, how exposure therapy cured his lifelong social anxiety, why the law of attraction can backfire, how to design hiring interviews that predict performance, and what his team found replicating new studies from top psychology journals. Show Notes Spencer Greenberg & Jim O'Shaughnessy Spencer Greenberg: Mathematician and entrepreneur, founder of ClearerThinking.org and Spark Wave, and host of the Clearer Thinking podcast. Clearer Thinking
The 12 Levers: Spencer and Jeremy Stevenson's evidence-based toolkit for improving your life. The 12 Levers
Clearer Thinking podcast: Spencer's interview show, where Jim has been a guest. Listen
Transparent Replications: Spencer's project that randomly picks and re-runs new studies from top psychology journals. Transparent Replications
Importance hacking: Spencer's essay on the problem his replications uncovered. Read the essay
Jim O'Shaughnessy: Host of Infinite Loops, founder and CEO of O'Shaughnessy Ventures, and author of the New York Times bestseller What Works on Wall Street. Follow Jim on X
Full transcripts: Transcripts and highlights from every Infinite Loops conversation. OSV newsletter
Books & Ideas Mentioned Reality tunnels: Robert Anton Wilson's idea that everyone perceives a different version of reality. Reality tunnel
The Challenger memory study: Research showing how far people's memories of a major event drift over time. Flashbulb memory
Spaced repetition: Spencer's recommended method for remembering what matters. Spaced repetition
My Dinner with Andre: The film that shaped how Jim designed Infinite Loops. My Dinner with Andre
Behavioral activation: The evidence-based depression technique Spencer describes. Behavioral activation
Daniel Kahneman: Whose work for the Israeli military showed which interview methods actually predict performance. Daniel Kahneman
Pre-mortem: The technique of imagining a plan has failed and working out why. Pre-mortem
Replication crisis: The finding that many published psychology results don't hold up when re-run. Replication crisis
John Sarno: The NYU physician whose work on the mind's role in chronic pain Jim credits with curing his frozen neck. John E. Sarno
Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert: Jim's reference on how emotions show up physically in the body. Candace Pert
Mirror box therapy: The phantom limb treatment Spencer uses to show the brain can reinterpret a pain signal. Mirror box
More from Infinite Loops
Pre-order No One's Coming to Save You today: https://infinitebooks.com/products/no-ones-coming-to-save-you David Rhoiney was five when his father walked out, forcing David to become the "man of the house." Compton, Oakland, Long Beach: no matter where they turned, fear and hunger waited. Long nights in the homeless shelter. Drive-by shootings. Strangers in overalls dragging his mother away. As his world collapsed, David lost hope. No one was coming to save him. But he could save himself. When basketball threw him a lifeline, David grabbed it. So began an unlikely journey, one that carried him from living in a Volkswagen Jetta onto the courts of Division I, through the halls of the Naval Academy, into the corridors of national intelligence, and under the watchtowers of Guantánamo Bay. At last, scalpel in hand, David reached the operating room, where he could become the man his family needed. Ed William, a former lawyer, spent several days interviewing David and spoke to dozens of people from his life. The result is Ed's first book, No One's Coming to Save You: The Escape of David Rhoiney, out from Infinite Books on 8 December and now available for pre-order: https://infinitebooks.com/products/no-ones-coming-to-save-you "A powerful and deeply moving account of a boy forced to grow up too soon and the man he fought to become." —Rob Henderson, bestselling author of Troubled Ed joins Jim to discuss: The time David was forced to fight a schoolyard bully in front of his family.
Emma Camp, senior newsletter editor at The Wall Street Journal's Free Expression, joins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about why Gen Z is dating less and spending more time alone, how therapy culture and helicopter parenting can turn growing pains into permanent labels, why the fix for the housing shortage is more housing, and why she invites everyone she's met to every party. She also previews her forthcoming essay collection on Gen Z and risk aversion. Show Notes Emma Camp & Jim O'Shaughnessy Emma Camp: Senior newsletter editor at Free Expression, The Wall Street Journal's opinion newsletter, and former Reason magazine editor. Read Free Expression
Julie Fredrickson, Managing Partner of Chaotic Capital, rejoins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about Montana's Right to Compute Act, why verified human data may become one of the most valuable assets online, what nuclear power and the encryption wars teach about regulating AI, why chatbots keep recommending the same sunscreen, and what 2,089 days of daily public writing taught her about being wrong. It is her second Infinite Loops conversation, three years after Episode 181. Show Notes Julie Fredrickson & Jim O'Shaughnessy Julie Fredrickson: Managing Partner of Chaotic Capital, an early-stage venture fund, and a former founder in e-commerce and beauty. Chaotic Capital
Derek Sivers, author, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and founder of CD Baby, joins Jim O'Shaughnessy on Infinite Loops to talk about parenting a teenager who is ready to leave home, why he moves countries on purpose and plans to live in Bangalore and Shanghai next, the certainty slider, and how AI can make you less dependent on big tech, not more. It is his first podcast after more than a year of saying no to every request. Show Notes Derek Sivers & Jim O'Shaughnessy Derek Sivers: Author, entrepreneur, and TED speaker, and founder of CD Baby, once the largest seller of independent music online. Derek's website
Dr. Brent Seales, computer scientist at the University of Kentucky and co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge, joins guest host Nick Tawil on Infinite Loops to explain how synchrotron X-rays and machine learning are making unopenable ancient scrolls readable, and why the work has now shifted from engineering to reading. This summer in Naples, his team presented results from three sealed Herculaneum scrolls, including the first read end to end. Show Notes Brent Seales & Nick Tawil Dr. Brent Seales: Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair of Heritage Science at the University of Kentucky and co-founder of the Vesuvius Challenge. Brent Seales at the University of Kentucky