Welcome to Sunday Reads on Refocuser, a collection of weekly links from around the web to help you do incredible things.  These links span topics like creativity, performance, focus, exercise, nutrition, and positivity.  I’m posting this on Saturday this time to make sure email subscribers get this on Sunday.

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On Brain Stuff and Careers

The kind of instinctive decision-making advocated in best-selling popular psychology books like ‘Nudge’, ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ and ‘Blink’ is not backed up by reliable evidence, a study concludes.  My view is that inaction is almost always worse than wrong action.

What is the #1 predictor of career success?  Having an open network vs. a closed network.  In a closed network you’re surrounded by people with the same ideas and beliefs as yours, while in an open network you’re challenging one another.  So surround yourself with people who don’t think like you do.

A study on musical training “adds to mounting evidence that musical training not only gives young developing brains a cognitive boost, but those neural enhancements extend across the lifespan into old age when the brain needs it most to counteract cognitive decline.”

Positive emotions can signal your immune system to work harder… especially the awe, wonder, and beauty brought on by nature, art, or spirituality.

Lots of interesting biohacking apps (including those for brain training) listed on the Bulletproof blog.  Interested in the movement?  Check out one of my earlier posts on self-tracking.

Sleep & Food for Fuel

Sleeping in can lead to a feeling of jet lag by throwing off your biological clock. Consistency in your sleep habits is really what matters.  I ‘slept in’ until 7am today after a week of 5am wakeups – so I’m testing this today 😉

People still won’t believe it (the media of the 70s and 80s messed with our belief systems) but “a growing body of research suggests dietary advice to limit red meat is unnecessarily restrictive and not supported by current evidence.”  Lots of studies cited in this meta-analysis.

And while you’re eating healthy red meat, here’s a guide to buying the best meat at the grocery store.

Can intermittent fasting twice a week boost your energy and decrease your appetite?  Certainly possible. Happy to say I haven’t had so much as a sniffle in well over a year now!

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