From weight-loss drugs to hair transplants, science offers faster ways to change how we look. But, asks Arthur Brooks, does removing struggle actually improve well-being?
I admit I have never needed to take weight loss medication, and I was judgmental of people who took them and felt it was a “short cut” until I heard this podcast ( see below). The expert interviewed is an endocrinologist who specializes in these medications. If prescribed correctly, it is not a short cut and requires hard work as maintaining or increasing muscle mass is vital to the road to good health… not just losing the weight. She outlines her protocol and states all of the pros to taking these medications. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mU19FtKepTBbEgM434jyV?si=2XmLjX2gSXOgTZn_lKnvig
There are honestly so many topics I'd like to hear your thoughts on. The thing I probably enjoy the most about your work is the extent to which it is genuinely grounded in science. I digress.
It's often said that character emerges from struggle. This is something that, in my twenty-two years here (as short as that may be), I've found to be true. But I wonder, too, about the extent to which struggle also provides the soil from which self-love itself can grow.
I had a rather dramatic encounter with my own mortality in early 2024. In the aftermath, I was forced to confront the possibility that the life that I had imagined I might build for myself was one that I would have to forfeit. At first, it made me extremely depressed. I had suffered a neurological injury, and for a while after I was discharged, it was incredibly challenging to communicate. I wasn't very articulate when I spoke. When I would sit down to write, nothing would come out of it. There was so much pain in that as a writer that nobody around me could really understand. Today, I don't remember much of the period. But I remember how profoundly helpless I felt, and how, for the first time in my life, I had to radically readjust my expectations for my adulthood.
From the moment I entered the hospital, to the moment I was extubated, to the moment I was discharged, the world kept moving. And I had a decision to make: I was going to either show up and be present to it, or I was going to sulk about my own condition. I decided that I wanted to be present to it, even if that looked different from what I might've originally thought. So, every night when my head hit my pillow, I set a goal that when I woke up the next morning, I would force myself to try to do something difficult. I'd like to say that I always accomplished whatever it was I challenged myself to do, but many days I didn't.
Around a year later, I was much further along in my recovery. Suddenly, the life I'd always wanted was a possibility again (which, for me, really just looks like a family, I think). And importantly, for the first time, I respected myself.
Agreed except—for people like me who’ve battled severe obesity from early childhood, GLP drugs are miracles. I’m happier because I no longer have to battle constant compulsions to eat. Appetite can be extremely disregulated, and these meds help. I no longer obsess over food constantly. It’s wonderful.
I understand most people don’t have severe early onset obesity and hyperphagia, but some do. These meds are not just cosmetic for us!
Honestly, I am so tired of people calling GLP-1's a shortcut. This drug has changed my life completely, but it's not like I don't have to pay attention to eating healthy. It doesn't melt fat. It helps me feel more normal when it comes to satiety which is a very difficult thing for those of us who have spent a lifetime losing and gaining weight. I actually began losing weight before starting the GLP-1 (which I did because of the diabetes I had developed). After I started on it I kept to the sensible eating plan I had already set for myself. As for happiness, it does not confer that by magic. I still have life challenges but now I am healthier as I face them.
I think Arthur Brooks is a very nice guy, but if his definition of happiness is related to surgeries or chemical interventions to enhance personal appearance, he's wrong.
Appearance is one of those things where being "not unhappy" is good enough. This can be achieved through hard work and abstinence, which have rewards of their own.
Anything more than abstinence and hard work becomes a shallow and unrewarding pursuit of unobtainable perfection, which, of course, leads to unhappiness.
Sleep, sunshine, exercise is the prescription for increasing health-span. Eating/hydrating well goes without saying.
GLP-1 is a sufficiently advanced drug that can squash diabetes when used properly. This provides one less area of health to worry about. An area of health that increases lifespan. GLP-1 does NOT change what’s upstairs
If we are unhappy, we mistakenly focus on potential external sources or acquisitions. "If I only had that Harley Davidson, I'd be happy." "My unhappiness comes from being trapped in a woman's body." "I need to get a better job." We can remove sources of irritation, but it won't usually make us "happy." We carry happiness or unhappiness inside. One can remove misery, and that's good, but it won't necessarily lead to happiness.
One important element that seems to be missing (and please correct me if I’ve overlooked it) is an assessment of baseline well-being prior to starting GLP-1s (or any intervention). Without understanding a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health at the outset, it’s difficult to meaningfully evaluate the impact of the treatment. For example, someone who is depressed, living with obesity, and experiencing broader health challenges may see changes in weight, but that does not necessarily translate into improved overall well-being.
Measuring baseline wellness would make it easier to understand when GLP-1s contribute to meaningful progress and when they do not.
I admit I have never needed to take weight loss medication, and I was judgmental of people who took them and felt it was a “short cut” until I heard this podcast ( see below). The expert interviewed is an endocrinologist who specializes in these medications. If prescribed correctly, it is not a short cut and requires hard work as maintaining or increasing muscle mass is vital to the road to good health… not just losing the weight. She outlines her protocol and states all of the pros to taking these medications. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mU19FtKepTBbEgM434jyV?si=2XmLjX2gSXOgTZn_lKnvig
There are honestly so many topics I'd like to hear your thoughts on. The thing I probably enjoy the most about your work is the extent to which it is genuinely grounded in science. I digress.
It's often said that character emerges from struggle. This is something that, in my twenty-two years here (as short as that may be), I've found to be true. But I wonder, too, about the extent to which struggle also provides the soil from which self-love itself can grow.
I had a rather dramatic encounter with my own mortality in early 2024. In the aftermath, I was forced to confront the possibility that the life that I had imagined I might build for myself was one that I would have to forfeit. At first, it made me extremely depressed. I had suffered a neurological injury, and for a while after I was discharged, it was incredibly challenging to communicate. I wasn't very articulate when I spoke. When I would sit down to write, nothing would come out of it. There was so much pain in that as a writer that nobody around me could really understand. Today, I don't remember much of the period. But I remember how profoundly helpless I felt, and how, for the first time in my life, I had to radically readjust my expectations for my adulthood.
From the moment I entered the hospital, to the moment I was extubated, to the moment I was discharged, the world kept moving. And I had a decision to make: I was going to either show up and be present to it, or I was going to sulk about my own condition. I decided that I wanted to be present to it, even if that looked different from what I might've originally thought. So, every night when my head hit my pillow, I set a goal that when I woke up the next morning, I would force myself to try to do something difficult. I'd like to say that I always accomplished whatever it was I challenged myself to do, but many days I didn't.
Around a year later, I was much further along in my recovery. Suddenly, the life I'd always wanted was a possibility again (which, for me, really just looks like a family, I think). And importantly, for the first time, I respected myself.
Agreed except—for people like me who’ve battled severe obesity from early childhood, GLP drugs are miracles. I’m happier because I no longer have to battle constant compulsions to eat. Appetite can be extremely disregulated, and these meds help. I no longer obsess over food constantly. It’s wonderful.
I understand most people don’t have severe early onset obesity and hyperphagia, but some do. These meds are not just cosmetic for us!
Honestly, I am so tired of people calling GLP-1's a shortcut. This drug has changed my life completely, but it's not like I don't have to pay attention to eating healthy. It doesn't melt fat. It helps me feel more normal when it comes to satiety which is a very difficult thing for those of us who have spent a lifetime losing and gaining weight. I actually began losing weight before starting the GLP-1 (which I did because of the diabetes I had developed). After I started on it I kept to the sensible eating plan I had already set for myself. As for happiness, it does not confer that by magic. I still have life challenges but now I am healthier as I face them.
I think Arthur Brooks is a very nice guy, but if his definition of happiness is related to surgeries or chemical interventions to enhance personal appearance, he's wrong.
Appearance is one of those things where being "not unhappy" is good enough. This can be achieved through hard work and abstinence, which have rewards of their own.
Anything more than abstinence and hard work becomes a shallow and unrewarding pursuit of unobtainable perfection, which, of course, leads to unhappiness.
Hi. I don’t think you read the article.
Sleep, sunshine, exercise is the prescription for increasing health-span. Eating/hydrating well goes without saying.
GLP-1 is a sufficiently advanced drug that can squash diabetes when used properly. This provides one less area of health to worry about. An area of health that increases lifespan. GLP-1 does NOT change what’s upstairs
🧠
If we are unhappy, we mistakenly focus on potential external sources or acquisitions. "If I only had that Harley Davidson, I'd be happy." "My unhappiness comes from being trapped in a woman's body." "I need to get a better job." We can remove sources of irritation, but it won't usually make us "happy." We carry happiness or unhappiness inside. One can remove misery, and that's good, but it won't necessarily lead to happiness.
One important element that seems to be missing (and please correct me if I’ve overlooked it) is an assessment of baseline well-being prior to starting GLP-1s (or any intervention). Without understanding a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health at the outset, it’s difficult to meaningfully evaluate the impact of the treatment. For example, someone who is depressed, living with obesity, and experiencing broader health challenges may see changes in weight, but that does not necessarily translate into improved overall well-being.
Measuring baseline wellness would make it easier to understand when GLP-1s contribute to meaningful progress and when they do not.
Cue ball! You are funny! Love your writing, wisdom and humor!