What's Wrong With This Place?

The finale episode in season 1 of this podcast!Here is my take on the 5 biggest problems in the world right now. With an emphasis on the biggest problem of them all.Since I will be referring to a lot of the content, points and arguments from the previous episodes, you will get the most out of this final episode if you have listened to many of the previous episodes.… let’s dig in!

How do you approach other people? Ruthless or polite?Too nasty or too nice?Both approaches create distance between us.Ruthless is obviously hurtful - but too polite or too nice keeps us from the interesting space that lives close to our personal limits and boundaries. But it is in this space all the interesting authentic human stuff between us happens! It's about finding the middle path. In this episode I will take you through: The comfort zone, Hans Christian Andersen, authentic human behavior, connections, vulnerability and courage, Immanuel Kant, Me-Too, friendship, good intentions, rudeness, overly polite, the balanced middle path, our true emotional state and consideration-gravy (“omsovs”). And many other things.

Are AI-tools making us more creative or are we outsourcing our creativity to them?The many AI-tools around us have been touted as creative abundance tools, but in fact, they are reducing our ability to be creative and original - and they will deprive us more and more of the human originality and authenticity that we carry with us in our human edge, the human peculiarities and quirky subtleties.The focus on quick and safe profit and the focus on the end result and not the process will add to the flood of easy AI-generated stuff that is going to leave a mark on us as humans, and possibly cause a creative resignation in us.There is something innately human about creating things. And we have a human need to know if what we are interacting with is a human or something hollow and unreal.Is it fake or real?Superficial AI-generated LinkedIN posts, the Disney tendency, the AI-flood, distrust, the safe bet, the quirkiness and unpredictability of human’s originality, the opposite Turing test, sad useless job applications, Too-Much-Ness, Charles H. Duel and paid Chinese school cheating are some of the things that I will take you through in this episode.

The world today is full of so many things, options, distractions, choices, products, inputs and other stuff that tries to get our attention. All this, and more, is the overwhelming “too-much-ness” that swamps the world around us. It exhausts our mental energy, it ruins many simple human pleasures and it is currently breeding a young generation of people who are getting a sub-optimal emotional foundation in order to connect as friends or even romantically with others.In this episode I will take you through some of the known and unknown consequences and problems that this too-much-ness creates.Too-much-ness is one of the biggest problems in the world right now. A possible great filter for us humans. This episode will take you through everything from global declining birthrates, Isaac Newton, Wall-E, Japanese moms, circus presidency, the simple life, to Snapchat streaks, CNN, info signs, sand, ADHD, fame and much more!

Statistics, gossip from your friends, scientific articles, YouTube videos, influencers, the media, podcasts and many more - all of these constantly give you information that might be true, might not be true, or something in between.No matter what - these pieces of information are going to shape your mind, just like a bar of chocolate is going to shape your belly. And you will try to fight against some of this information. But not always because the information is wrong. Most likely because it doesn’t match your world view, or you think that it goes against your personal values. But asking “how can I know this?” - and asking “how-questions” about the information that you are exposed to is both hard for us to do, and it often takes personal and emotional strength to do.Asking “how can I know this?” is about taking yourself seriously - but also about doing the hard and often necessary thing. It’s about understanding what it actually is that you agree or disagree with.This episode will take you through: urban legends, banning water, Trump, statistics, AI, lies, journalism, global problems, vulnerability, 8 spiders a year, second hand knowledge, the star signs, fact checking - and what kickstarts it all is the age old question: “what is the total length of the blood vessels in our body?”I once saw this funny quote on Facebook: “Don’t believe everything you read online” - quote, Hans Christian Shakespeare.

Trying to predict the future is such an intertwined ability in us humans. An ability and a focus that permeates more of our lives than we think.The ability and the focus we have on predicting the future, is very much connected to our happiness. The future is just a collection of now-moments that are yet to come. And by being able to predict it, we pull in the future so that it becomes a mere extension of the present moment. Predicting the future comes from our intelligence, the ability to spot the invisible connections between cause and effect, and it is what takes us from weak animals to rulers of the earth - with all the problems that come with it.What happens to us when we can’t somewhat predict the future? In this episode I will take you into the rabbit hole of future prediction through: Music, AI, happiness, doomsday, complexity, game changers, Covid19, nuclear bombs, rhythm, predict/plan/prepare, uncertainty and worries, affective forecasting, stocks, politics, Parkinson’s disease, climate change and many other things. You are in for a treat!P.S. All my episodes are made WITHOUT the use of AI.

The present or the “now” is a fuzzy and fleeting moment that hits us so fast.Many people try to live in the moment, the present, the now. But we often live just as much in the now after it’s over, than we do in it, because we define what happened in the now-moment afterwards - and if you live so simple that nothing new ever happens to you, then you are just living unauthentically backwards in the present.Hence the words of Kierkegaard: “We live life forwards, but understand life backwards”.Let’s dive into the quirks of the fuzzy front edge of "now-moments", and how they affect us, and how we live and relive them as two different people.In this episode I will take you through Kierkegaard, all-knowing narrators, school shootings, background music, 9/11, fuzzy uncertainty, Schrödinger’s cat words, Churchill, insults and assaults and many other things.

In this episode I will take you behind the curtain, and give you my in-depth analysis of why Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. What’s in the secret sauce?There are so many layers of reasons, causes and values that we never talk about that all contribute to the larger explanation behind Danish happiness - and I want, as a native Danish person, to try and give you these invisible insights. Maybe inspiration for others?And not only will we explore the more hidden reasons behind this famous happiness, I will also give you a view of the “dark side of the force”, and talk about the bad things about Denmark that potentially could destroy our happiness.Feel free to send me an email with you input: [email protected]

It’s said that “opinions are like assholes - everybody has one”. But honestly, we often don’t just have one.The question is not if we have opinions or not. The question is how we defend them and do we see them as an intricate part of ourselves?In this episode we are going deep into something profoundly human. I will take you through the quirks of opinions, reasoning and heuristics. Why do we reason the way we do? The benefits and the drawbacks. The defense we build up around our opinions. The pride. The element of moving forward quickly in life with minimum mental effort. The heuristics and the irrational reasoning that makes sense - and the reasoning that doesn’t make sense, but seems completely rational.You will hear about opinions, reasoning, heuristics, pride, confidence, “alternative facts” and information we believe are facts, drivers license for democracy, alcohol, politicians, logic puzzles, disagreeing with yourself, rationality and much more. This is a good one!

The podcast has come to religion! The greatest conflict and war starter of them all.In this episode I give my 7 death blows to religion - the 7 reasons why I think religion is useless, why I am not religious, and why we are all atheists.Religion not only has a track record of being an accomplice to many wars, conflicts and lack of understanding during the years, but it has also tried to fill out a seemingly empty space in us humans, that we don’t need religion or gods for anymore.In this episode I will give you my thoughts on why religion, man-made gods or prophets are not necessary for living a good life.

We have all seen or maybe even done great deeds before.But what are they exactly and what are they good for?In this episode I will make the case that we need to do more great deeds, and what kind of mechanism or role they play in creating a good life.We will cross topics like computers, sports, Trump and politics, breaking bad group dynamics, taking or giving credit, game theory, praising people, cooperating, Santa Claus and Tit for Tat.You are in for a treat… or a deed.

The first best advice on how to reduce climate change the most, is also an advice that taps right into living a good life.Instead of stopping doing things that we actually like to do - in order to reduce climate change - we should instead focus on reducing or removing all the things that we don’t need or wouldn’t miss if they weren’t here. But these things are almost impossible to barricade in a climate demonstration.In this episode I will take you to the cross roads where actions that lead to climate change are the same as actions towards a happier life, and a better personal economy.What does climate change, handbrakes, dopamine and Bitcoin have got to do with happiness, serotonin, Candy Crush saga and healthy businesses? You will see (or hear)

You are not going to get the answer for: “What is the meaning of life?” And when you hear this episode, you will know why.‘Meaning’ is a powerful concept that fills our lives in almost every thinkable way. Perhaps even in ways you didn’t imagine.‘Meaning’ is a solid part of the foundation for a good life, but it also has a dark side.In this episode I will take you on an adventurous and ‘meaningful’ tour of the word ‘meaning’ and discover the quirks of how the concept of ‘meaning’ fills our lives - and what happens when it goes bad?You will hear about: Albert Camus, playing cards, PI, songs, survival, art, sports, horoscopes, Darth Vader, relationships, why?, happiness, purpose, commercials, dreams, depression, spelling errors and of course meaninglessness, among many other things. All with the intention of understanding our relationship to the idea of ‘meaning’, and its dark side.

Words can either be used to better understand the world and the people around us, and to make it easier to conceptualize abstract concepts or feelings.But words can also be used to disgrace, belittle or break the people we don’t share the same world view with.In this episode I will take you through the quirky and powerful world of words, and give examples on how words differ from country to country and how they can “make or break”. Create understanding or smear.I will take you through everything from Danish pastry and delicious herrings to racism, antisemitism, woke, LBTQ, schadenfreude, Goodwin’s law, hot babes, censorship, ancient Greece, Shakespeare and memes - to mention a few.

What is creativity? And what keeps us from being more creative?Creativity plays a natural part in a good and beautiful life.In this episode I will take you through the 4 axioms/rules of creativity.When you understand these 4 axioms, you will understand the nature of creativity, and be able to appreciate and better handle the mechanisms behind it.This tour into the fuzzy foundation of creativity will take us through riddles, thought experiments, biases, creativity tests, economic incentives, creative work, fear, the Mozart effect, thinking outside the box, human nature, idea combinations, mental building blocks, war, creative organizations, the Blur effect, spotting creative people and synesthesia just to mention a few.

A well nourished ecosystem around science beginning with the early school system, the high shool, up to university and the proper funding and attention to science at the high academic levels is one of the backbones of creating wealth and prosperity in a society.Science can make smaller countries and societies punch above their weight class - but what happens when societies don't invest in science, and why don't they?In this episode I will take you through Nobel prizes as the indicator for quality science in a country, the Arabian golden age, DARPA, NASA, Richard Dawkins, Nokia and Novo Nordisk, religion, NBA basketball, tyrannical leaders, the H1B visa and many other things.

Hygge is a safe and comfortable atmosphere of being together with other people, connecting and enjoying the simple pleasures in life. The Danish concept of hygge is so intertwined and deeply woven into the fabric of Danish culture and language - but hygge can be applied in so many other places, situations and aspects of life.In this episode I will take you through the fascinating quirks of hygge and make the case that the world needs more of it, and that hygge can be an element in the good life for anyone.This episode will cover hygge in politics and business, hygge words, loneliness, famous political settlements and hygge, bragging, super stimulus, competition, musicians, innovation, conflicts, problem solving and many other things in a hygge context.

What is luck?Luck is NOT magical. Your luck is just everything that you are not in control of, that has a beneficial effect on you.In this episode I make the case that despite our hard work, luck still plays a part in everyone's success story - and acknowledging this makes us stronger and more humble, and it creates the understanding that luck is something we can’t buy or create ourselves. It is something that has to be given from someone else. We hold a piece of each other's lives in our hands. And luck is an important piece of the "good life puzzle".This episode will talk about good luck and bad luck, Warren Buffet, Wayne Gretzky, lucky societies, stocks, political science, passing it forward, David Goggins, humility, sports, the great structural things behind luck, and many other things.

School can either be the sick old man of society or the mother of future solutions.There are so many valuable things that we could teach kids in school.In this episode I give you what I think are the 5 most important active skills that we should teach kids, in order to create the more robust, good, adaptive and future-ready kids.Forward to 6:30 if you want to skip directly to the prioritized 5-skills-list.I will give you my take on the 5 most important skills, how to implement them in school, their purpose and value.We will cover challenges and complexity, the future, science, generative AI, high IQ/intelligent kids, consuming vs creation, curriculum vs purpose, philosophy, pupils vs students, the good life, and many other things.

Let me take you behind the curtain of science - into the more hidden and unknown ethical and moral workings of science.Some people think that science is detached and even deprived from ethics and morals. But nothing could be further from the truth.In this episode I will take you through ethics, morals, religion, the Enlightenment, the connections between democracy and science, the softening of punishments during the ages, the January 6th insurrection, virtues like doing unto others what you want them to do to you - and much more.

Randomness can seem chaotic.But randomness in the "just right" amounts is a potent driver of beneficial change, a creator of healthy diversity and variety - and we humans don't appreciate it nearly enough compared to all the good things that it has given us. Randomness is nature's life insurance.In this episode I will cover many cases of randomness in health, in nature, in history and in society. We will venture into the world of music, potatoes and hunger, diversity, gay people and people who feel detached from their natural gender, the plague, a variety of animals, jobs, our hearts - and put it all into perspective in the world of randomness and society.

In this episode I open the door to the peculiar and irrational (but still somewhat understandable) world of our eating habits. Would you eat insects to reduce the carbon/methane footprint?Is there a good reason to why most of us consider insects a disgusting and weird thing to eat? But what about all the other weird things we eat? Things that we are totally fine with - but are just as weird. Let me take you through some of the strange things we eat without a care in the world - and introduce you to the concept of "Gastronomic Distance" or "Gastronomic Ignorant bliss". Bon appetit!

What is the scientific approach to life, and why is it different from the religious approach?In this episode I will take you through what happens when science is given religious connotations and why this is a problem.You will hear about COVID, research institutions, the scientific method, science shows, science education, alternative medicine, scientific papers, religion, why 10 philosophical discussions are no match for 1 honest experiment and more.

One of the major hidden sources of problems in the world today are "super stimuli".Let me take you within viewing distance of the evolutionary short circuit that is humans' true kryptonite.In this episode I will cover animals, candy, IT, the DDR times of East-Germany, reading, breast milk, parenting, models and much more. Stay turned for one of mankind's biggest "killers and thrillers".

If a scientist put a piece of candy in front of you. And before leaving the room the scientist told you that if the candy is still there when she gets back - then you will get 5 extra pieces of candy.Could you stand the temptation for 10 minutes?In this episode I will tell you why most adults can't do this in real life. And why this missing ability is keeping many of us from making the healthy choices.Join me for a helicopter perspective on health, investments, astronauts, the good life, and being and adult, and much more.

Let me take you behind the scenes of one of the major reasons why we don't agree on many of the bigger problems in the world today.Namely... Climate change. And the reason behind.. the invisibility of cause and effect. In this podcast I will take you through cause and effect, David Hume, intelligence, smoking, the "Don't look up" movie, comets hitting earth, company parties and many other things.

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