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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
A mathematician/entrepreneur in social science. Here, my aim is to help you gain insights about psychology, critical thinking, philosophy, tech, and society.
New Yorkspencergreenberg.comJoined December 2011
3,255 Following
9,315 Followers

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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
It’s weird how many people assume that if someone has symptoms and many doctors attempt to find the cause, but none of them can, that means it’s not a real problem. Every medical problem we now know how to diagnose was once a mystery. We definitely do not understand them all.
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
A question for those who understand the body better than I do: are there any naturally occurring processes in the body by which stored calories (e.g., in fat or glycogen) are removed by a mechanism OTHER THAN by converting them to energy or burning them? Thanks!
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Which of these four theories do you think is the most likely to be the biggest cause of the rise of obesity in the U.S. over the past 50 years? Or, if you have another theory, please write it below in the comments!
When you make a selection it cannot be changed
307 votes3 hours left
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Take a moment to notice how exactly you’re feeling RIGHT NOW. Notice both your mind and body. Which of these best describes how you feel at this moment?
When you make a selection it cannot be changed
225 votes39 minutes left
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Some people claim it's possible to reach a form of enlightenment through meditation (where you are free from almost all suffering or have other incredible changes). What's your view on these claims about the potential effects of meditation?
  • True and many can do it
    9.7%
  • True but VERY hard to do
    47.5%
  • Only somewhat beneficial
    23.3%
  • "Enlightenment" is B.S.
    19.5%
257 votesFinal results
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Of course, if you and the other person both enjoy arguing whether Star Wars or Star Trek is better (or whatever subjective question you enjoy debating), then ignore my advice and keep doing what you’re doing. If everyone’s having fun, you’re doing it exactly right :)
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Instead of treating your preferences as better than theirs: (1) discuss what standard of evaluation to settle on for this conversation OR (2) point out aspects they may not be sufficiently taking into account that may change the evaluation according to THEIR OWN preferences
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
People often debate how “good” a movie/novel/piece of art/food is. This is pretty weird since preferences are subjective. And these discussions often devolve into people trying to impose their preferences on someone else. But there is, I think, a better approach: 🧵
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Should you try to avoid going to bed angry with your partner (i.e., should you try to talk out or resolve disputes before sleeping rather than sleeping on them)
  • Yes always/almost always
    28.5%
  • Yes usually
    38.7%
  • 50/50
    19.5%
  • Usually not
    13.2%
333 votesFinal results
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
I’d like to propose the “20-80 rule”: for large projects, the “last 20%” often takes more than 80% of the time. Why? Because large projects usually involve hidden complexity, countless small details, and extra tasks that are very hard to anticipate early on.
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
The last time you backed a project on Kickstarter (where you were supposed to receive some reward/item in exchange for your pledged money) AND they hit their funding goal, what happened after they hit their goal?
  • Received reward on time
    13.3%
  • I received it very late
    20.8%
  • I never received it
    8.1%
  • I’ve never backed one
    57.8%
173 votesFinal results
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Does anyone else struggle to tell the difference between "15" and "50" when they're spoken, or is this just a me thing? I've misheard which number people meant at least 20 times.
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Say you run a replication of a psych study (on new participants), and the original results replicate when using the statistical method of the paper. But, there’s a better statistical method and when that’s used it fails to replicate. Is this a successful or failed replication?
  • It’s a failed replication
    60.4%
  • It’s a successful rep.
    39.6%
139 votesFinal results
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
Would you be interested in listening to a podcast episode where one person is pro "ask culture" and one is pro "guess culture," and the three of us explore together why they disagree (and what the pros and cons of each of these forms of social interaction are)?
  • Yes, very interested
    19.2%
  • Yes, a little interested
    27.6%
  • Not interested
    11.5%
  • What's ask/guess culture?
    41.7%
156 votesFinal results
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
A question for you: for my podcast, I've done two episodes where I bring together people on opposite sides of a major societal division and explore with them the root of their disagreement. What societal division should I do this for next? The prior divisions I covered were...
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Spencer Greenberg 🔍
@SpencrGreenberg
One of the most useful things you can do is form a learning habit. If you spend 30-60 minutes learning per day, 6 days a week, and prioritize (so that you learn what’s useful/important based on your values and goals), in 10 years, you’ll know a remarkable amount.
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