Book by Peter and Michaela Axt "On the Happiness of Laziness"

Goal of the day: 260 words. Written: 752.

The basic idea of the book is quite interesting, somewhat unique and most importantly, thank god, it is based on scientific research. Laziness is good for us.

And especially useful if you want to live longer than 52 and die of a heart attack.

Rating if you're not going to read on:

• I personally find the topic(s) interesting: 7/10 (although I don't really care about health, if laziness and its benefits are mentioned, I'm already interested!)
• Writing style and words: 4/10
• Consistency of information: 7/10
• Enjoy reading: 6/10
• Overall: 6/10

Things I discovered in this book:

According to some research, we all (like other species of animals) have a similar amount of "life energy".

Sure, this is referenced in the book, but various mammalian life forms can use about 2,500 kilojoules (kJ) for every gram of body mass, based on the "average" individual. So, if we take the average human weight in kilograms and multiply it by 2 million (math, chase it), we get how many kilojoules our body can "carry out" in a lifetime. Consuming it is death.

According to research and cited scientists, the constant is the same in mice, elephants, and humans. It turns out. Huh.

It follows that those who use their resources more slowly live longer.

For example, cats that sleep half the day and snooze the other day live an average of 5 years (or a third) longer than dogs that are constantly running around and fighting for power with other dogs.

Also, athletes die of heart attacks more often than those centenarians who never exercised or otherwise wasted their vital juices.

The book mentions five ways to use up resources faster (and it seems normal): Exercise, Eating, Sleeping, Stress and Cold.

Exercise: While exercise and daily movement are very healthy (and enjoyable), setting marathon records, pushing yourself to the max, and breaking a sweat don't cut it. Of course, the authors back this up with research.

As for weight: You are encouraged not to sweat through intense programs and torture and stress your bodies (this should probably be of interest to you if you attend [insanity] programs). Instead, find out what weight (BMI) is right for you…

…And eat less. Or eat more. But since most of the time the goal is to lose weight, not gain it, that's probably why the book talks more about losing it using four methods: skipping breakfast or dinner, day-long fasting days a week, or week-long fasts every six months.

Here was a side idea that the periods of religious practice and fasting here... Oh my God, so they are arranged just like that!

The further I go, the more strangely I find arguments for following religious practices, even if you are not a believer. This is surprising!

Those who sleep too little in an attempt to "become more productive" are also criticized.

And I have to agree here - almost all studies show that those who sacrifice sleep for work not only don't get more done in less time, but generally live less happy lives, are less creative, get sick more often, or die sooner. If you sleep less than 7 hours a day - then you are either sick (see your family doctor) or you are an idiot.

When it comes to stress, it is emphasized that the people who lived the longest were always the calmest.

And here's the interesting thing - you can check it yourself. Simply ask the oldest people you meet on the street (or Lithuanian centenarians) whether they created businesses, were nervous a lot, how they reacted to failures. You will like the answer.

And finally: Every kilojoule you need to maintain a temperature of 37 degrees (it is the same for all people, regardless of whether they live in Greece or Lapland), is a joule that brings you closer to death.

According to animal and even human studies, creatures living in southern Europe and enjoying warmth and sunlight (another ingredient) actually live longer than northerners. Well, it's true that there is a solution: we all have radiators and can maintain normal heat around us without having to sleep with an open window at night.

The authors also provided possible charts for exercise, nutrition, or appropriate natural weight for height, but I wasn't really interested or delved into those.

However, they are there.

Comments to authors and feedback:

• It is a pity that the book was published in the old year 2001, and most of the mentioned researches were carried out in 1990-1999. There was only one source from the year 2000.
• However, I really liked the bibliography and references at the back of the book (and throughout). Evidence at last!
• In the first half of the book, there were some rather strange phrases, sentences and words. I'm not sure who's to blame here, but I'm inclined to blame the translator.
• I don't know why there was a page at the back of the book for "notes", but I didn't even notice it was there until I finished the book. The content is ahead. Um
• But instead, I liked the unworn quotes, sayings, short poems on the topic in the text. It made the book enjoyable and I rewrote it myself.

After reading effect.

I will flip through this book again and pick out the quotes and references for my notebook. Then I will sell the book or give it away. Although I really enjoyed it, it has a little too much health writing for it to fit on my shelf full of educational topics. Also, the book is unfortunately already old. Maybe in those 15 years, new research has appeared that refutes everything?

happy sloth
Daniel