Don't Trust Your Gut - Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

There is a lot more content in the book - these are just the bits that seemed most relevant to my life at present. Dating and kids Attraction/swipes based on height, race, jobs, similarities. But don’t affect if a relationship with be successful. Sexiest male jobs: Lawyer, cop/firefighter/military, health professional. Personality can affect how someone views physical attractiveness. In big part it’s a numbers and bravery game - ask lots of attractive (physically or otherwise) out, and 10% will say yes. 1 ask, 0 dates. 1000 asks, 100 dates. Successful relationship: Satisfaction with life, conscientiousness, growth mindset, secure attachment styles. Where you raise your kids is the most important factor. Surround them with adults who share the values you want your kids to have. Wealth ~9/10 rich people own a business. Rich businesses: Real estate, investing, auto dealerships, independent creatives [but might not include super-poor], market research, middlemen (e.g. distributors). Never-rich: Building equipment contractors; residential building construction; automotive repair and maintenance; services to buildings and dwellings; architectural, engineering, and related services; building finishing contractors; personal care services; petrol stations. Business success needs: Limited price competition (no fight to the bottom); geographically localised (not dominated by global monopoly); laws (helping create local monopolies); high barriers to entry; brand names. The average successful entrepreneur is 42. They’re not an outsider - they’ve spent years learning through their jobs, and were often the top of their previous field before founding their company. The modern world of 20-something tech start-ups is an anomaly. Successful and unsuccessful companies both have about equal luck - the former just take advantage of it. Make your own luck by producing prolifically and putting it and yourself out (even if you think it’s bad). Sales: less enthusiastic and less smiling sells more. Happiness Activities Happiest: Sex, theatre/dance/concert, exhibition/museum/library. Least happy: Sick, working/studying, caring for adults. Overestimated: Pets, sleep/resting, computer games. Underestimated: Exhibition/museum/library, drinking alcohol, sports/exercise. Active activities provide more happiness than passive ones. Happy activities (e.g. music, socialising, alcohol) in nature/beauty can be used to enhance unhappy activities (e.g. working, waiting, commuting) A negative has a higher magnitude than a positive. Your favourite sports team losing is more powerful than a win - one win and one loss is a net negative. If you support a team that wins two games out of three, your expectations adjust - so still a net negative. The key is to reduce the magnitude by caring less. Note: Only 60k people, only iPhone owners, only those who want to take part in such a study.