Written Self
@writtenself.bsky.social
Daily doses of curiosity-driven thought, exploration, discoveries, and fresh perspectives on why we think the way we do.
Join us at https://thethought.writtenself.com/
Join us at https://thethought.writtenself.com/
What's one thing you stopped trying years ago that might actually work now?
On learned helplessness and testing the ropes that no longer hold us: medium.com/p/bound-stil...
On learned helplessness and testing the ropes that no longer hold us: medium.com/p/bound-stil...
Bound Stillness
When Memory Replaces Possibility
medium.com
October 26, 2025 at 1:45 AM
What's one thing you stopped trying years ago that might actually work now?
On learned helplessness and testing the ropes that no longer hold us: medium.com/p/bound-stil...
On learned helplessness and testing the ropes that no longer hold us: medium.com/p/bound-stil...
If I were advising a friend through my exact situation, what would I tell them to do?
Try asking yourself this. The answer arrives quickly. Because you already know what needs to happen. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#selfawareness #growth #curiosity
Try asking yourself this. The answer arrives quickly. Because you already know what needs to happen. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#selfawareness #growth #curiosity
October 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
If I were advising a friend through my exact situation, what would I tell them to do?
Try asking yourself this. The answer arrives quickly. Because you already know what needs to happen. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#selfawareness #growth #curiosity
Try asking yourself this. The answer arrives quickly. Because you already know what needs to happen. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#selfawareness #growth #curiosity
A vaccine prevents 10 child deaths but causes 5. Most parents refuse it.
They'd rather allow 10 deaths by doing nothing than cause 5 by acting. Twice the harm. Half the guilt. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#psychology #omissionbias #cognitivebias #community
They'd rather allow 10 deaths by doing nothing than cause 5 by acting. Twice the harm. Half the guilt. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#psychology #omissionbias #cognitivebias #community
October 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A vaccine prevents 10 child deaths but causes 5. Most parents refuse it.
They'd rather allow 10 deaths by doing nothing than cause 5 by acting. Twice the harm. Half the guilt. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#psychology #omissionbias #cognitivebias #community
They'd rather allow 10 deaths by doing nothing than cause 5 by acting. Twice the harm. Half the guilt. Read more in this week's issue, The Witness.
#psychology #omissionbias #cognitivebias #community
We are the author, even when we think ourselves the witness.
I knew a relationship was over years before I admitted it. But I watched it fade like an old photograph in sunlight. Here's what that silence taught me about the choices we make by not choosing:
I knew a relationship was over years before I admitted it. But I watched it fade like an old photograph in sunlight. Here's what that silence taught me about the choices we make by not choosing:
October 23, 2025 at 3:20 PM
We are the author, even when we think ourselves the witness.
I knew a relationship was over years before I admitted it. But I watched it fade like an old photograph in sunlight. Here's what that silence taught me about the choices we make by not choosing:
I knew a relationship was over years before I admitted it. But I watched it fade like an old photograph in sunlight. Here's what that silence taught me about the choices we make by not choosing:
We build invisible comparisons constantly. We design frames that make the path of least resistance feel like wisdom.
This is the deeper architecture. Not what coffee shops do to us. What we do to ourselves.
This is the deeper architecture. Not what coffee shops do to us. What we do to ourselves.
October 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
We build invisible comparisons constantly. We design frames that make the path of least resistance feel like wisdom.
This is the deeper architecture. Not what coffee shops do to us. What we do to ourselves.
This is the deeper architecture. Not what coffee shops do to us. What we do to ourselves.
I watch the line behind me while remembering the line before. Most orders are Grande.
We must all want the same amount of coffee. Or something else is deciding for us.
We must all want the same amount of coffee. Or something else is deciding for us.
October 21, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I watch the line behind me while remembering the line before. Most orders are Grande.
We must all want the same amount of coffee. Or something else is deciding for us.
We must all want the same amount of coffee. Or something else is deciding for us.
Grande. I cannot remember the last time I ordered any other size at Starbucks.
When the barista asks for my size, for a split second I look surprised. Of course they will ask, but ordering Grande feels so automatic that clarifying feels redundant.
Why does everyone order the same thing?
When the barista asks for my size, for a split second I look surprised. Of course they will ask, but ordering Grande feels so automatic that clarifying feels redundant.
Why does everyone order the same thing?
October 20, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Grande. I cannot remember the last time I ordered any other size at Starbucks.
When the barista asks for my size, for a split second I look surprised. Of course they will ask, but ordering Grande feels so automatic that clarifying feels redundant.
Why does everyone order the same thing?
When the barista asks for my size, for a split second I look surprised. Of course they will ask, but ordering Grande feels so automatic that clarifying feels redundant.
Why does everyone order the same thing?
Try this once a year. Pretend you are starting from zero. Rebuild your life deliberately. Your job. Would you apply for it now? Your city. Would you move there fresh? Give yourself permission to un-choose.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #growth #mindfulness
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #growth #mindfulness
Inertia of Choice
Status Quo Bias | Why we stay where we are
thethought.writtenself.com
October 18, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Try this once a year. Pretend you are starting from zero. Rebuild your life deliberately. Your job. Would you apply for it now? Your city. Would you move there fresh? Give yourself permission to un-choose.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #growth #mindfulness
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #growth #mindfulness
Status quo becomes precious not because it serves us well, but because it already exists. The job we complain about every Sunday. The relationship that stopped growing years ago. We likely stopped choosing them long ago.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #learning #community
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #learning #community
Inertia of Choice
Status Quo Bias | Why we stay where we are
thethought.writtenself.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Status quo becomes precious not because it serves us well, but because it already exists. The job we complain about every Sunday. The relationship that stopped growing years ago. We likely stopped choosing them long ago.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #learning #community
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #learning #community
Objects in motion stay in motion. So do choices. Wayne only eats at McDonald's. In Osaka. In Calgary. He questions the adventurers. How many things do you choose simply because they are familiar?
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #psychology #curiosity
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #psychology #curiosity
Inertia of Choice
Status Quo Bias | Why we stay where we are
thethought.writtenself.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Objects in motion stay in motion. So do choices. Wayne only eats at McDonald's. In Osaka. In Calgary. He questions the adventurers. How many things do you choose simply because they are familiar?
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #psychology #curiosity
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/inertia-of... #psychology #curiosity
Set impossible anchors before the world sets realistic ones. Anchor fitness to an athlete, relationships to depth never experienced. You will fail toward something far beyond where careful anchors take you.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #growth #community
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #growth #community
First Impression
Anchoring Bias | How initial information shapes all decisions
thethought.writtenself.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Set impossible anchors before the world sets realistic ones. Anchor fitness to an athlete, relationships to depth never experienced. You will fail toward something far beyond where careful anchors take you.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #growth #community
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #growth #community
The first number becomes your measuring stick. A friend pays $500 for a haircut, suddenly $50 feels like a bargain. We orbit the first number we hear, adjusting but never far enough.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #learning #humanbehavior
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #learning #humanbehavior
First Impression
Anchoring Bias | How initial information shapes all decisions
thethought.writtenself.com
October 14, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The first number becomes your measuring stick. A friend pays $500 for a haircut, suddenly $50 feels like a bargain. We orbit the first number we hear, adjusting but never far enough.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #learning #humanbehavior
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #learning #humanbehavior
Our floor can easily become our ceiling. I said minimum wage in my interview. The hiring manager's frozen expression showed me I had become my own ceiling. What wrong numbers anchor you?
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #psychology #curiosity
First Impression
Anchoring Bias | How initial information shapes all decisions
thethought.writtenself.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Our floor can easily become our ceiling. I said minimum wage in my interview. The hiring manager's frozen expression showed me I had become my own ceiling. What wrong numbers anchor you?
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/first-impr... #psychology #curiosity
When your brain spots patterns, it is showing you what it considers important. The things you notice are breadcrumbs to your own preoccupations. What does noticing a pattern tell you about yourself?
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #mindfulness #growth
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #mindfulness #growth
Pattern Hunger
Apophenia | How random feels meaningful
thethought.writtenself.com
October 11, 2025 at 5:34 PM
When your brain spots patterns, it is showing you what it considers important. The things you notice are breadcrumbs to your own preoccupations. What does noticing a pattern tell you about yourself?
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #mindfulness #growth
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #mindfulness #growth
Psychologist Klaus Conrad found that apophenia often preceded delusion. First an unsettling sense of connection. Then the explanation for why. We are all somewhere on this spectrum. The difference is degree, not kind.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #learning
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #learning
Pattern Hunger
Apophenia | How random feels meaningful
thethought.writtenself.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Psychologist Klaus Conrad found that apophenia often preceded delusion. First an unsettling sense of connection. Then the explanation for why. We are all somewhere on this spectrum. The difference is degree, not kind.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #learning
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #learning
Every once in a while, I make time for a number. I glance at the clock and 11:11 shines. Before the digits change, I find myself glancing over and over. Checking if the magic is still there.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #curiosity
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #curiosity
Pattern Hunger
Apophenia | How random feels meaningful
thethought.writtenself.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Every once in a while, I make time for a number. I glance at the clock and 11:11 shines. Before the digits change, I find myself glancing over and over. Checking if the magic is still there.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #curiosity
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/pattern-hu... #psychology #curiosity
When someone tells their story with certainty, I wonder: what is fact, what is construct? Try writing down a significant event, then ask what factors you typically leave out.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #growth #mindfulness
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #growth #mindfulness
Compulsive Storytelling
Narrative Fallacy | How stories override facts
thethought.writtenself.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:02 PM
When someone tells their story with certainty, I wonder: what is fact, what is construct? Try writing down a significant event, then ask what factors you typically leave out.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #growth #mindfulness
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #growth #mindfulness
Narrative fallacy: we transform random events into coherent stories. A startup succeeds, we credit vision. Timing and luck may have mattered more than the story admits.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #learning
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #learning
Compulsive Storytelling
Narrative Fallacy | How stories override facts
thethought.writtenself.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Narrative fallacy: we transform random events into coherent stories. A startup succeeds, we credit vision. Timing and luck may have mattered more than the story admits.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #learning
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #learning
I like definitive lists. That is how I found Rashomon. A samurai is dead. Four witnesses, four completely different stories. None lying. Each believes their version.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #curiosity
Compulsive Storytelling
Narrative Fallacy | How stories override facts
thethought.writtenself.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I like definitive lists. That is how I found Rashomon. A samurai is dead. Four witnesses, four completely different stories. None lying. Each believes their version.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/compulsive... #psychology #curiosity
Notice your first instinct when something goes wrong. Do you immediately look inward ("I should have left earlier") or outward ("The schedule changed")? Your attribution pattern shapes every choice automatically.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #mindfulness
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #mindfulness
To or Through
Locus of Control | How attribution shapes everything
thethought.writtenself.com
October 4, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Notice your first instinct when something goes wrong. Do you immediately look inward ("I should have left earlier") or outward ("The schedule changed")? Your attribution pattern shapes every choice automatically.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #mindfulness
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #mindfulness
A British study following 7,500 people found that children with internal locus of control at age 10 were less likely to be overweight and had higher self-esteem at age 30. Your sense of agency shapes everything.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #learning
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #learning
To or Through
Locus of Control | How attribution shapes everything
thethought.writtenself.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A British study following 7,500 people found that children with internal locus of control at age 10 were less likely to be overweight and had higher self-esteem at age 30. Your sense of agency shapes everything.
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #learning
Read more: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #learning
Life happens in two ways: to or through you. The train doors slide shut three seconds before I reach the platform. The same brain that knows about bad luck insists this situation is mostly my fault.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #curiosity
To or Through
Locus of Control | How attribution shapes everything
thethought.writtenself.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Life happens in two ways: to or through you. The train doors slide shut three seconds before I reach the platform. The same brain that knows about bad luck insists this situation is mostly my fault.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/to-or-thro... #psychology #curiosity
The next time you need someone to do something, offer choice instead of commands. Not fake choice. Real autonomy. "Shoes on now or grab them on the way out?" Watch the pushback soften.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #community
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #community
Freedom Reflex
Reactance | Why Rules Spark Rebellion
thethought.writtenself.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The next time you need someone to do something, offer choice instead of commands. Not fake choice. Real autonomy. "Shoes on now or grab them on the way out?" Watch the pushback soften.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #community
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #community
Reactance: when autonomy feels threatened, we push back instinctively, even against our interests. Tell a child not to touch something and it becomes irresistible. We choose against ourselves just to prove we can choose.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #learning
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #learning
Freedom Reflex
Reactance | Why Rules Spark Rebellion
thethought.writtenself.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reactance: when autonomy feels threatened, we push back instinctively, even against our interests. Tell a child not to touch something and it becomes irresistible. We choose against ourselves just to prove we can choose.
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #learning
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #learning
Freedom is both a right and a reflex. At four I threw a brick at my mother. Do you also resist when choice becomes command?
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #curiosity
Freedom Reflex
Reactance | Why Rules Spark Rebellion
thethought.writtenself.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Freedom is both a right and a reflex. At four I threw a brick at my mother. Do you also resist when choice becomes command?
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #curiosity
Full story: thethought.writtenself.com/p/freedom-re... #psychology #curiosity