Notebook Log
Books I’m in the middle of, ones I’m eyeing, and the messy links between them all.
Jonathan Haidt — The Happiness Hypothesis
I used to think happiness was just something that happened when things went well. This has me reconsidering how much is actually just biological wiring. It's making me wonder if we're chasing the wrong things entirely.
Daniel Kahneman — Thinking, Fast and Slow
It turns out I’m not as logical as I thought. The way we make split-second decisions is kind of terrifying once you realize how many shortcuts the brain takes. I’m starting to doubt every 'gut feeling' I’ve ever had.
Alex Korb — The Upward Spiral
I’m tired of 'just be positive' advice. I wanted to see if neuroscience actually backs up those small habit changes. Turns out, biology responds when you move, which feels like a much more grounded way to look at mood.
Norman Doidge — The Brain That Changes Itself
The idea that our brains aren't just 'set' once we hit adulthood is a relief. I’m obsessed with the cases where people literally rewired themselves. It makes me wonder what else I can unlearn if I try hard enough.
Robert Sapolsky — Behave
This started as a simple question: why do people act like this? Four hundred pages later, I’ve realized there’s no simple answer. It’s a mix of what we ate, our genes, and stuff that happened a million years ago.
Side Notes
Atomic Habits
James Clear
I keep seeing this referenced whenever habits come up. Time to find out what the fuss is about.
Deep Work
Cal Newport
I’m distracted constantly. I need to know if I can actually train my brain to focus again.
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk
Reading Sapolsky made me wonder how stress stays in our system physically. Here we go.
Notes on what I'm finding.
I like books that lead somewhere unexpected. I’ll start reading about happiness, which sparks a question about biology, which leads to a book about the brain, and suddenly I’m three subjects away from where I started. This isn't an exhaustive library—it's just a map of my own curiosity and the trail of breadcrumbs I've been following lately.
human nature · biology · focus · what's next