Restart Your Life in 7 Days: https://bit.ly/3RgzVhi
This episode is sponsored by Viome. As a special offer to my viewers, Viome is offering $110 off your test. Go to https://bit.ly/ViomeImpact and use code IMPACT to save.
I hope you're ready for another enlightening episode of Impact Theory, where we're exposing the surprisingly controversial paths to happiness. Today, we feature the brilliantly unconventional evolutionary behavioral scientist, Gad Saad, a renowned author, YouTuber, and award-winning professor who asserts that happiness is not a destination, but a byproduct of specific behaviors.
In this thought-provoking episode, Gad reveals the dangerous yet rewarding pursuit of truth and authenticity, which has resulted even in death threats. He delves into why being anti-fragile, and pursuing truth and authenticity are key to the Saad truth about happiness. We also dig into the importance of intellectual variety, and expose why a non-fragmented personality can better handle opposing views and challenging ideas.
'The only road to individual dignity and sustained existential happiness is to adopt an ethos of personal agency. You are the ultimate architect of your own happiness, so get to work.'
-Gad Saad
After watching this episode, you'll be equipped with a fresh perspective, understand the true nature of happiness, and will hopefully be inspired to foster an anti-fragile mindset. Discover why your ability to solve novel problems is more than critical, why apologies can sometimes be an attack on your identity, and so much more. Don't miss out on this riveting conversation with the ever-authentic and truthfully controversial Gad Saad!
Check out Gad's latest book, The Saad Truth About Happiness, 8 Secrets for Leading the Good Life: https://www.amazon.com/Saad-Truth-about-Happiness-Secrets/dp/1684512603
Saad Truths:
'It's very very difficult for me to not be authentic if I need to defend some truth claim, [...] so the death threats come from the fact that I have to decide, am I going to be a fanatic and walk away from a defense of truth, or am I going to be authentic not only to myself, but to truth by stepping on some toes? And regrettably, at times I step on the wrong toes, which yields some death threats.'
'Don't worry about taking a statin to lower your LDL scores. Make sure that you have two, three, four friends that you really trust and love and you can engage in reciprocal rituals with.'
'I don't think you can solve some of the most important novel problems if they're not at the cusp of interdisciplinary.'
'Having a conciliate mindset, being a generalist, in my view, are probably the best ways to crack novel problems.'
'Groups that are religious out survive groups that are not religious through the mechanisms of greater cooperation communality cohesion. So they are very earthly biological reasons for why religiosity confers greater survival rates to the religious than the non-religious.'
'The justification for why you should have a punitive progressive tax is that as you make more money, you pay more and more inexorably very aware of it. Exactly. So that argument stems from exactly of the things that I talk about in the parasitic mind, which is the confusing of equality of opportunities with equality of outcomes.'
'I think that if you can crack those two things in whatever profession you choose, creativity, impulse, temporal freedom, you're well on your way to being happy.'
Follow Gad Saad:
Website: https://www.gadsaad.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GadSaad
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GadSaad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctorgadsaad/
WARNING: I will never ask for your contact info in the comments section, that is someone impersonating me!
@bhajans163 Says:
Bring an amazing guest.
Talk more than the guest.
Truly a tragedy.
@BlakeMiller Says:
Too many ads, not worth watching even though Gad is amazing. Ads every twenty seconds. WTF
@porter9260 Says:
Saad completely missed the point on gender identity and WTF bro why you just let that pass?
@elizabethk3238 Says:
Tom, you are "disagreeable" in that your language is often offensive to your audience. Especially since you are equipped to refrain from using harsh language.
@mikee6618 Says:
great take on saccharine lex's bs
@chrismichael9556 Says:
The audio is normal during the ad and then the rest of the podcast it's like they are whispering
@iuvalclejan Says:
Gad is right about some things, but wrong about others, and I'm "going after him". First, working hard is not something most of our hunter-gatherer ancestors did. It's a relic from agrarian times that had evolved some special things like "the treadmill of infinite aspirations", when we moved to cities. See Suzman's book "Work" for a better evolutionary perspective. Second, the whole "cuckolding" thing only makes sense in a monogamous culture, which means mostly agrarian, as monogamy is also a relic of agrarianism, as shown by such evolutionary thinkers as Ian Morris. In a tribe, there is not much advantage for spreading my genes more than other men in the tribe, but there is great advantage in collaborating with other tribe members in childrearing. In other words, group selection trumps individual selection in that environment. In a post-agrarian, urban culture, the situation is more complex, with some advantages to monogamous child-rearing (as shown by Henrich et al.) and some advantages to polyamorous child-rearing (as shown by Christopher Ryan). Third, evolution can be used to justify anything, in so-called "just-so" arguments and naturalistic fallacies. Whether something is good for some people's happiness or not is not determined by evolution. It could make us want things that are make us happy in the long-term and unhappy in the long-term. It could also be a mismatch (as Gad pointed out but didn't flesh out here), something that made us happy in the past, but is making us miserable now (like jealousy for some people in agrarian cultures). It could also be that some people don't have the cultural and genetic make-up that causes some behavior in most people, and that they could be selected for in the present and future, although they were deselected in the past, because of a changed environment (e.g. feeling jealousy or rage because of the possibility of being cuckolded).
It is ironic that the European Enlightenment which Gad is a proponent of in his values of individual freedom (moderated by Theory of Mind about others) and authenticity, is also at odds with many of the chimp-like behaviors he is an apologist for (especially the ones with a gender differential).
@0i0l0o Says:
Yo. Give my high-value lazy a ** tinestamps.
@adoteq_ Says:
What I do, I answer everything with a question and as a question. If someone tells me something, then to me that is a question. At the same time I answer where I want to go. The answer to that question is the question to the answer of where I want to be
@wendellbabin6457 Says:
2:55:10 A PhD from the "School of Hard Knocks"?
@wendellbabin6457 Says:
2:46:42 ALSO NEVER forget that Reputation Destruction and SAVAGING us the NATURAL, "Evolutionary?" playing Field of Women and Machiavellian Sociopath Types Precisely because they are PHYSICALLY Incapable of Retaliation. Especially when Reputation Destruction can be accomplished WITHOUT ANY cost or Repercussions at ANY Level.
And in the Current Pathological "Woke" cultural landscape that is EXACTLY what maybe even Western Civilization is MORE Threatened than anything besides External PHYSICAL DOMAIN Enemies.
BASICALLY "Surrounded" within AND without.
@wendellbabin6457 Says:
1:19:47 I wonder if Tom is confusing Gallipoli and Lebanon?
@wendellbabin6457 Says:
33:23 What I think Peterson often describes as viewing History of WWII Germany through perspective of Germans RATHER than the BROADER Allied view.
NOT Perp and Victime or Oppressor Oppressed the "Woke Mob" do NOT even Identify as Marxist uf Not ouright Stalinist at its core. May NOT even be CAPABLE of doing SO. But like just discussed by Solchenytsin in Gulag Archipelago in the Soviet case.
With a nod to someone like Dave Chappelle, the joke in the USSR back then also often mentioned by JBP by the Ordinary Folks was "we pretend to work, and they ("Soviet Government") pretend to pay us.
@wendellbabin6457 Says:
13:07 I am not educated in any way to level of someone from DR. Saad's "Ecosystem", and when he uses this " Big Word, I guess "Scientific" descriptions I naturally, like most similar folks struggle for the Personal equivalent(s).
My best take at this for those he calls Ontological and (Edit: consequentialist ?), see I would now need to rewind in the middle of typing this comment to even remember the other one "Real Time", but maybe a "Lay Term(s)" would be the Human Level at which these operate IRL.
ONE'S affects or consequences LIKELY go NO FURTHER than MAYBE ONLY one other Human Scale Relationship. Do I look fat in these jeans is his examle for us.
The Other is one that POTENTIALLY has 2nd or 3rd or FURTHER (Edit: add ORDER) consequences if Lied about in either COmission OR OMission or BOTH. (Edit: EVEN unknown, or unknowable. Potentially catastrophic. Why, I believe, The U S Founders and Framers WANTED ANY of these sorts of Political "Experiments" to first be THOROUGHLY tried at the LOWEST POSSIBLE "LEVEL" of Government FIRST. before, say, Amending the Construction at the Federal Level or EVEN multiple States. Of as Diverse as possible as Humanly Manageable. Small vs large, rich versus poorer. Industrial versus Agricultural or mining. Party alliliation. Neither of currently existing ones even EXISTED at the time. Certainly Republican Didn't. Not certain for Democrat if existed or "Evolved form prior" whig for example. Think it was Madison who didn't want ANY. Too old and worried about merely Maslovian Existence at this point in life to LIKE EITHER "Staight Ticket" any more. Haven't for DECADES.)
@jennifermerva9538 Says:
The problem is people think their opinion is them. That's why they get offered when you disagree with the opinion.
@Nyumc99 Says:
2:50 minutes , ish. What Tom is saying in my opinion is, be strategic with the use of your personal integrity . Wonderful podcast gentlemen. Thank you. 👌👏☯️
@christobita8038 Says:
On Lex, there's a discussion to be had about whether his message of love is helpful or not... But the fact Gad can't recognise he's being genuine about it says something about the type of person he is.
@Dorythefish13 Says:
Ew. Man mind porn. Right wing garbage science.
@avogue7831 Says:
It's interesting the guest can't differentiate between social democracy which are capitalist and their taxation regimes which vary. See Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Australia as examples. New Zealand is a good example of graduated taxation, also known as progressive taxation, in which the tax rate increases as the amount of money being taxed increases. The goal of a progressive tax is to reduce the burden of low-income individuals. No entrepreneur believes this discourages risk taking or expanding their businesses, financial rewards for innovation and hard work (sic) or discourages striving for success, afterall they all have accountants that manage their endeavours within the taxation rules.
@onseayu Says:
Gad, you are right about Lex. Soooo annoying and fake most of the time
@AnnaMishel Says:
I also have an aversion to reading fiction. Reality is INFINITELY more interesting!
@AnnaMishel Says:
You don’t have to make a choice on which books to bring. Just have them all on you iPad.
@marnikondor5885 Says:
I love how Gad brought up Confucius.
@jituteron Says:
Gad is brilliant, with a fascinating background and wonderful stories to tell. He advocates for seemingly just causes, but humble he is not.
@cassiahector3191 Says:
Tom, I do enjoy your podcast! You bring on the most interesting guests, including Dr Sad. What I find disturbing is your need to swear, you’re such a robust individual with an amazing broad command of the English language. I’m so turned off when you use profanity.
@emilyknowlton8602 Says:
The average person has to constantly work jobs they hate just for food, shelter, and medicine.
@MikhaelaBryden Says:
Such a good interview and conversation between you two! Love it!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
@cecilcharlesofficial Says:
One’s beliefs aren’t a choice, though certainly they can change over
time. While also, they are incredibly and irrevocably important to your experience of life. But they’re not chosen. And this is what allows you to finally have faith, trust.
@RoxannaDayl Says:
the law by frederic bastiat has astounding insights - all within 76 pages. spend $6 and see why he and Ben Franklin were friends
@YungKingz__ Says:
Im so much like gad saad
@adriansinclair5323 Says:
Tom, you so need to host Charles Hoskinson on your show. He would be an excellent source who could fill in your curiosity about potential solutions to the financial future of the world conundrum with very meaningful ideas.
@tapeburner3942 Says:
audio is shit
@z0uLess Says:
Why did he quit soccer just because he was injured? Sounds like someone that does not want to work
@z0uLess Says:
Have people noticed that the word "authenticity" has popped up recently and now everyone is using it?
@danielbrunelle6709 Says:
Valid point of view on taxation. However think about your book sales and imagine how it would have never gotten out of the ground because you need people with disposable income that in other case(without gradual taxation end redistribution of resources) coiuld not afford id because they are struggling to pay thier share for hospitals and other stuff. simplestic but meh, it's more complicated but i guess you get the point.
@TonyWeirPD Says:
My takeaway from this video is that I need to use the phrase "social-science imbeciles" more often.
@sondrax Says:
It’s called… Asperger’s. 😐
(And this isn’t a weigh-in on his positions, many of which I agree with. But his approach…)
@rayhayden4553 Says:
Richest man of Babylon got both fiction data
@AIQREATIONS-pk7jr Says:
I saw Tom in a new light in this great interview
@BoBo-tx9sp Says:
WOW! This is Joe Rogan with a quantifiable IQ. It's a shame I only found it today.
@catherinesalacuse3284 Says:
Smart thinker Gad Saad. I believe that, when not having his background of education personally, only if one grew up outside of the US, in an outer culture, can one appreciate & agree with @gadsaad comments.
Life is never about happiness always or life’s leitmotiv as we have no control over it. Happiness is a combination of struggles and happiness.
That’s what forty years of my life has been in Europe & that’s why the 35 next years in the USA have been such an easy journey, even to this day.
That’s when hypersensitivity, perfectionism and strength get to be intertwined.
This singularity that have given us the most pains & suffering, endured as a handicape, when & if we find out about it, though only if we understand it can we master our thoughts and others around us.
It took me to be 70 years of age & these last very few years diving into Philosophy, to reach the lightness of being, as Milan Kundera said.
I very much appreciated to discover Gad Saad, thank you to Tom Bilyeu. 🇫🇷🇺🇸
@Garrhart Says:
Fascinating convo
@kathiefleming2830 Says:
Food for thought: my almost seven yr old grandson has “ will to power”. He hears truth about people die, they don’t live forever, he’s seen it. Then he tells me how death is not going to happen to him or anyone he loves. He’s 7 but like Tom and others out there try to seek information that helps them fight against their fear, in this case of mortality, their are ways I can fortify, armor myself; body, will and emotion (thoughts/truth) so I can now live in this world, presence, circumstances I’m in. Jack is almost 7, he’s just started the dance ,I’m 69, and have done the dance, through a lot of circumstances, but less and less struggle against the reality that I’m mortal.
@brianrichardson8331 Says:
This is an amazing conversation. I love hearing people converse that have open minds and love learning new things, have a teachable mindset, love challenging themselves on their beliefs, and aren't rigid if there is more to learn about a topic. Fantastic.
@JuanMejia-md8re Says:
Lame
@Appleloucious Says:
One Love!
Always forward, never ever backward!!
☀️☀️☀️
💚💛❤️
🙏🏿🙏🙏🏼
@stephy4030 Says:
So good !!
@jstdrv Says:
Sam Harris is having an NPC bluescreen moment.
Lex will not have him on because Lex is a construct
Love Gad. Good guest!
@bobbeckel5266 Says:
Fascinating discussion. My observation of atheists is that they don't "get it". They don't seem to understand that believing in God is different from believing God exists. Atheists think believers actually think God exists. Atheists do not see the utility of the idea of God. They probably doubt that the idea of God is responsible for the advance of human civilization. They just don't get it.
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