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The Real Killers Aren’t in the News
Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.
Today at a Glance:
Breaking Free from Conditional Self-Worth
Focusing on What Really Matters for Reducing Your Risk of Death
Maslow’s Hammer: A Dangerous Trap
“Every previous revolutionary movement in human history has made the same basic mistake. They’ve all seen power as a static apparatus, as a structure. And it’s not. It’s a dynamic, a flow system with two possible tendencies. Power either accumulates, or it diffuses through the system.
In most societies, it’s in accumulative mode, and most revolutionary movements are only really interested in reconstituting the accumulation in a new location. A genuine revolution has to reverse the flow. And no one ever does that, because they’re all too scared of losing their conning tower moment in the historical process.
If you tear down one agglutinative power dynamic and put another one in its place, you’ve changed nothing. You’re not going to solve any of that society’s problems, they’ll just reemerge at a new angle.
You’ve got to set up the tech that will deal with the problems on its own. You’ve got to build the structures that allow for diffusion of power, not re-grouping. Accountability, demodynamic access, systems of constituted rights, education in the use of political infrastructure.”
Breaking Free from Conditional Self-Worth
Anne-Laure Le Cunff
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
Many of us live as if our worth is a running calculation. We’re adding achievements, subtracting failures, and hoping the final number earns us respect, love, or basic acceptance. This habit, known as conditional self-worth, forms early as our brains link external rewards to internal value: good grades meant approval, winning meant attention, being helpful meant love. Over time, we learn to see ourselves as only as good as our latest success, and the bigger the gap between who we are, who we want to be, and who we think we’re supposed to be, the more we chase achievements to compensate, fueling anxiety and burnout. The real shift begins when you decouple self-worth from outcomes: risks stop feeling existential, failures stop becoming verdicts, and your energy returns to the work instead of constant self-evaluation. With time, this new operating system creates space for growth, resilience, and a far steadier sense of self than any achievement ever could.
🎬Action!
Interrupt the self-worth scorekeeping. Catch yourself when you begin turning a setback or silence into a judgment of your entire identity. When you notice thoughts like “If this fails, I’m worthless,” pause and ask whether your value truly hinges on this single moment or outcome.
Gather evidence that your worth is unconditional. Actively seek situations and relationships where you’re appreciated simply for who you are. Spend time with people who value your presence, humor, or curiosity, and join communities where contribution isn’t tied to achievement. Let these moments retrain your brain’s assumptions about where value comes from.
Intentionally diversify your self-worth portfolio. Reduce reliance on any one identity by exploring new activities and roles. If work dominates your sense of worth or you’re known for being “the smart one,” explore arenas that surface different strengths, like creativity or athleticism. Keep it small and doable, like signing up for an improv class, joining a hiking group, or volunteering in a way that feels meaningful.
Focusing on What Really Matters for Reducing Your Risk of Death
Dr. Taylor Yeater, Dr. Kathryn Birkenbach & Dr. Peter Attia
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
Most of us fear the dramatic, like the masked killer, the random attack, or the headline-grabbing tragedy, but when it comes to what actually ends most lives, the real threats are far more mundane: heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions that almost never make the front page. As a recent analysis from Our World in Data shows, U.S. media coverage overwhelmingly fixates on rare, emotionally charged causes of death like homicide, terrorism, and drug overdose, even though these account for only a tiny fraction of mortality. Meanwhile, the conditions responsible for the vast majority of deaths, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, and metabolic illnesses, receive only a sliver of attention. If someone relied on news coverage alone, they’d worry more about being attacked on the street than about their cholesterol or blood sugar levels. The broader lesson is clear: media outlets are designed to maximize attention, not reflect the actual landscape of health risks, so staying genuinely informed means grounding your understanding in data, not headlines, and focusing on the common, modifiable threats that quietly shape longevity far more than the sensational events that dominate the news.
🎬Action!
Ground your health priorities in real data, not headlines. Media outlets amplify rare, dramatic events (homicide, terrorism, overdoses) and largely ignore the common, chronic causes of death that actually matter. Don’t let coverage patterns shape your sense of risk and, instead, balance it with reputable, data-driven sources to understand what truly affects longevity and make decisions accordingly.
Prioritize the “big four” chronic killers that drive most mortality. Heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and metabolic illness account for the majority of U.S. deaths each year. Treat them as your main health focus: Track cardiovascular and metabolic markers, stay on schedule with cancer screenings, and support long-term brain health proactively.
Build your health decisions around modifiable risks. The threats dominating headlines are largely unpredictable, but the real killers, like blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin resistance, inactivity, or poor sleep, can be changed. Invest your effort where it actually moves the needle: consistent exercise, high-quality nutrition, proper sleep, and preventive care.
Maslow’s Hammer: A Dangerous Trap
Sahil Bloom
🔦Lights, Camera, ...
Maslow’s Hammer is a reminder of how easily we mistake familiarity for wisdom. After World War I, France invested enormous resources in building the Maginot Line, a fortress perfectly suited for the last war but irrelevant to the fast-moving, tank-driven conflict that followed. It was a spectacular solution to a problem that no longer existed. The same thing happens in everyday life: we cling to the strategies, habits, and identities that once helped us, applying yesterday’s tools to today’s challenges simply because they feel comfortable. Whether in business, relationships, or personal growth, it’s tempting to treat every new situation like a version of the old one. But progress requires periodic recalibration and a willingness to see when a familiar hammer no longer fits the job. The real question is simple: are you choosing the tool that works, or just the tool you know?
🎬Action!
Regularly audit your default tools. When you face a new challenge, be it at work, in relationships, or in your personal routines, pause before acting and ask: “Am I using this approach because it’s truly the best fit, or simply because it’s familiar?” If it’s the latter, deliberately explore at least one alternative tool or strategy that better matches the current situation.
TOOL TIP
Medieval Cookery: If you’ve ever wondered what people actually cooked and ate in the Middle Ages, this site is a delightful rabbit hole. It’s a curated collection of historical recipes, translations, and cooking notes that turns old manuscripts into approachable, real dishes. A fun resource for anyone curious about how food, culture, and daily life intertwined centuries ago.
FUN FACT
Football players spit so much because exercise increases the amount of protein in saliva. When you exercise, the amount of protein secreted into the saliva increases. A protein mucus named MUC5B makes your saliva thicker when you're exercising which makes it more difficult to swallow so we tend to spit more. It may occur during exercise because we breathe trough our mouths more. MUC5B could activate to stop our mouths from drying out, therefore.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.
