What the Humans Like Is Responsiveness

Everyone wants to know how to be liked. But I think we all know, actually, how to be liked, it’s just that it’s hard. It takes attention and openness, and the confidence to present your character like it’s a fun mask you’re wearing rather than a lesson you’re desperate to teach someone. If you have that, it’s simple: when people put energy into you... See more

He says that a major factor in burnout is “broken steering”: people feeling, for a long period of time, that their efforts to exert control don’t do anything. They show up to work, click their mouse, make suggestions, and nothing happens, and it’s hard to tell if their work ultimately matters. There is a classic phrase for this—being a “cog in the ... See more

What the humans like is responsiveness

People are happy enough rich, and people are happy enough poor. But it’s hard to imagine anyone happy without a feeling that their actions have some impact, however small. Even if you’re not going to be remembered by history, you want to be remembered by your barista. The prisoner, though largely robbed of power, is probably happier if he can vex h... See more