Keeping with the theme I’ve started a few months ago, here are my own book summaries for the books I’ve read between May and September this year.

Social Sciences and Psychology

📚 Lost Connections

👉 Lost Connections - Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

After reading The Lonely Century last year, which opened my eyes to the increasing isolation in our lives, I was kind of motivated to read more on that topic. That’s how I’ve found out about Lost Connections which is an exploration of depression and its root causes.

The book introduces the concept of “disconnection” as a primary cause of depression. Hari outlines seven types of disconnection. He talks about disconnection from meaningful work, other people, meaningful values, childhood trauma, status and respect, the natural world and from a hopeful or secure future.

What I found particularly insightful was Hari’s exploration of ways to “reconnect.” These strategies offer paths to a more meaningful and enjoyable life, emphasizing our connections to others and reminding us that “humans are nature” already. This perspective adds a new dimension to my understanding of focus and attention, placing them within a broader context of human well-being and social connection.

👉 Read my notes

📚 Stolen Focus

👉 Stolen Focus - Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

After the impactful experience of reading Lost Connections I felt compelled to delve into another of Hari’s works. While “Lost Connections” explored depression and our daily micro-interactions with people and nature, “Stolen Focus” takes a more scientific, empirical approach to investigating various aspects of attention.

One concept that immediately struck me was James Willson’s layered model of attention:

  1. Spotlight attention (first layer):

    • Focuses on immediate actions like making coffee or reading a chapter.
    • Involves narrowing down focus.
    • Distraction at this level disrupts near-term actions.

  2. Starlight attention (second layer):

    • Concentrates on longer-term goals such as writing a book or being a good parent.
    • Acts as a guide when feeling lost, much like stars in the sky.
    • Distraction here can cause us to lose sight of our longer-term objectives.

  3. Daylight attention (third layer):

    • Enables understanding of our longer-term goals.
    • Requires clear thinking and reflection.
    • Compared to daylight illuminating a scene clearly.
    • Distraction at this level can lead to losing our sense of personal identity and direction.

As I continued reading, I was amazed by Hari’s comprehensive approach to the attention crisis. He doesn’t just point to the usual suspects like increasing screen time and social media usage. Instead, he adds a more nuanced picture of our changing relationship with information and mental states. Therefore here are some aspects which lead to the deterioration of our ability to focus and pay attention:

  1. The decline of book reading

    • Having learned about the benefits of reading from Cal Newport, I found Hari’s exploration of how people are giving up on books particularly resonant. It’s not just about reading (like you do for entertainment reasons), but about the cognitive benefits that extended, focused reading provides.

  2. The loss of mind-wandering

    • This was an eye-opening concept for me which I’ve first met when Cal Newport was talking about the power of solitude in his book Digital Minimalism. Hari argues that we’re not only losing our ability to focus but also our capacity for unstructured thought (aka mind-wandering, just do nothing). In our constant desire to stay “productive” or entertained, we’ve eliminated those crucial moments of mental downtime.

  3. The state of constant skimming

    • Perhaps most alarmingly, Hari suggests that we’re often neither focusing nor mind-wandering, but exist in a state of constant skimming. We’re processing a never-ending influx of information without truly processing it or allowing our minds to rest and reflect.

These insights have made me reconsider not just how I manage my attention, but how I conceptualize it. It’s clear that reclaiming our focus isn’t just about reducing screen time or blocking distractions – it’s about fundamentally restructuring how we engage with information and allow our minds to work.

👉 Read my notes

History and Anthropology

📚 Sapiens

👉 Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

After becoming a Harari fan through “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” I was eager to dive into “Sapiens”. I consumed both books as audiobooks, each one quite long. While the audio format was convenient, I found myself wishing for a physical or e-book copy to take notes. The depth and breadth of Harari’s books make me think I’ll likely revisit these books in the future for a more in-depth study.

In a nutshell “Sapiens” is about how Homo sapiens came to dominate the planet. Harari talks about the story of our species’ rise, from outcompeting other human species (like Neanderthals) to our impact on the animal kingdom, including the extinction of many species through hunting. This narrative is a very interesting look at our species' historical impact on the planet.

Despite some criticism (I’ve had some serious discussions with my mother, who strongly dislikes Harari), I believe the author does an excellent job explaining the evolution of fundamental human developments like writing and reading. He delves into the motivations behind these advancements, providing insights into why and how they occurred.

What I particularly appreciate about “Sapiens” is its interdisciplinary approach (I guess this applies to all of his books). Harari touches on various aspects of human development, including religion, economy, sociology, and politics. This comprehensive view offers readers a deeper understanding of the society we currently live in, explaining the origins of our laws and different political systems.

A key takeaway from the book, which resonates with thoughts I’ve encountered in other sources, is Harari’s explanation of what distinguishes Homo sapiens from other species:

  1. Our ability to collaborate collectively towards a common goal.
  2. Our capacity for abstract thought and storytelling, which has been the foundation for countless innovations. As Harari points out, everything ever built started as someone’s imagination - an idea also explored by Sir Ken Robinson in “Imagine If”
  3. The development of language (both written and spoken), which allowed us to exchange information (across borders and generations).

These unique aspects have allowed our species to create complex societies, develop advanced technologies, and ultimately shape the world as we know it today. I highly recommend “Sapiens” to anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of human history. While it may challenge some preconceptions, it offers a thought-provoking journey through the history of our species that I found both enlightening and engaging.

Sociology and Current Affairs

📚 Triggerpunkte (Trigger Points)

👉 Triggerpunkte - Konsens und Konflikt in der Gegenwartsgesellschaft

In the context of Europe’s (and beyond) current political landscape, marked by a noticeable right-wing shift, “Triggerpunkte” offers a insightful analysis of societal tensions in Germany. As someone who doesn’t consider himself politically active, I found myself increasingly concerned about the polarized and extreme nature of political discourse in Germany. The rise of the AfD to a level of influence that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago exemplifies this shift.

“Triggerpunkte” presents the findings of a team of sociologists (Steffen Mau, Thomas Lux, Linus Westheuser) who conducted empirical research across Germany. What struck me about their approach was the diversity of their subject groups:

The researchers posed questions on controversed issues such as immigration, climate change, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and income inequality in Germany. By measuring emotional responses, they identified topics with high conflict potential across different groups. They also explored correlations between people’s arguments and factors like educational background, political affiliation, income, age, and origin.

This book had a profound impact on me. It helped me understand the frustrations many people have with the current German government, their fears about the impact of climate change countermeasures, and why some perceive immigrants as a significant threat. These insights are crucial for anyone trying to comprehend the current political dynamics in Germany.

One of the most reassuring findings from the study, in my opinion, was that overall, German society maintains:

However, the study also revealed a small group of individuals (Polarisierungsunternehmer), some with political interests, propagate extreme arguments. These actors attempt to influence mass media perception through fake news and whataboutism, aiming to create more cleavages within the society. The authors’ discussion of these cleavages was particularly enlightening.

Reading “Triggerpunkte” has given me a more nuanced understanding of the complex social and political landscape in contemporary Germany. It’s a crucial read for anyone seeking to understand the underlying factors driving current political trends, not just in Germany but potentially in other countries facing similar challenges.

👉 Read my notes

Health and Psychology

📚 When the Body Says No

👉 When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress (by Gabor Mate)

My journey to Gabor Maté’s work began with an interview I stumbled upon between Maté and Guy Rose, host of “London Real”. I was immediately captivated by Maté’s clear and profound explanations on various aspects of trauma, which prompted me to delve into his book, “When the Body Says No”.

At the core of Maté’s argument is the inseparability of body, soul, and mind - a holistic view that challenges conventional medical approaches. Throughout the book, Maté presents case studies from his medical practice, illustrating how physical pains often have roots in (childhood) trauma that manifest as chronic stress within patients.

One of the most enlightening aspects of the book is Maté’s exploration of stress, drawing on the work of Hans Selye. Maté uses Selye’s definition to provide a comprehensive understanding of stress and its various facets:

In searching for a word to capture the meaning of the physical changes he observed in his experiments, Selye “stumbled upon the term stress, which had long been used in common English, and particularly in engineering, to denote the effects of a force acting against a resistance.” He gives the example of changes induced in a stretched rubber band or in a steel spring under pressure. These changes may be noted with the naked eye or may be evident only on microscopic examination.

Selye’s analogies illustrate an important point: excessive stress occurs when the demands made on an organism exceed that organism’s reasonable capacities to fulfill them. The rubber band snaps, the spring becomes deformed. The stress response can be set off by physical damage, either by infection or injury. It can also be triggered by emotional trauma or just by the threat of such trauma, even if purely imaginary. Physiological stress responses can be evoked when the threat is outside conscious awareness or even when the individual may believe himself to be stressed in a “good” way.

This definition of stress provides a crucial framework for understanding how emotional and psychological experiences can manifest in physical symptoms. It underscores Maté’s central thesis that our mental and emotional states have profound impacts on our physical health.

Maté’s work challenges us to consider the long-term health implications of our emotional experiences and the importance of addressing psychological well-being as a key component of overall health.