How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life

by Adams, Scott

  2. C. J. Traoret et al., “Peanut Digestion and Energy Balance,” International Journal of Obesity 32 (2008): 322–28; C. E. G. Reis et al., “Ground Roasted Peanuts Leads to a Lower Post-Prandial Glycemic Response Than Raw Peanuts,” Nutrición Hospitalaria: Organo Oficial de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral 26 (2011): 745–51; D. J. O’Byrne, D. A. Knauft, and R. B. Shireman, “Low Fat–Monounsaturated Rich Diets Containing High-Oleic Peanuts Improve Serum Lipoprotein Profiles,” Lipids 32 (1997): 687–95; R. D. Mattes, P. M. Kris-Etherton, and G. D. Foster, “Impact of Peanuts and Tree Nuts on Body Weight and Healthy Weight Loss in Adults,” Journal of Nutrition 138 (2008): 1741S–1745S; A. A. Devitt et al., “Appetitive and Dietary Effects of Consuming an Energy-Dense Food (Peanuts) with or Between Meals by Snackers and Nonsnackers,” Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism (2011): 928352; A. L. Claesson et al., “Two Weeks of Overfeeding with Candy, but Not Peanuts, Increases Insulin Levels and Body Weight,” Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation 69 (2009): 598–605; “Nuts for You,” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 30 (2012): 1–4.

  3. I. Kohlstadt, “More Than Willpower: Curbing Food Cravings During Weight Reduction,” Townsend Letter (2009): 50; R. W. Jeffery et al., “Perceived Barriers to Adherence: Are Smaller Weight Losses or More Achievable Weight Loss Goals Better in the Long Term for Obese Patients?” 66 (1998): 641–45; A. G. Dulloo, “Explaining the Failures of Obesity Therapy: Willpower Attenuation, Target Miscalculation or Metabolic Compensation?” International Journal of Obesity 36 (2012): 1418–20.

  4. E. Lopez-Garcia et al., “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women,” Circulation 119 (2009): 1116–23; N. D. Freedman et al., “Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality,” New England Journal of Medicine 366 (2012): 1891–904; L. Arab et al., “Gender Differences in Tea, Coffee, and Cognitive Decline in the Elderly: The Cardiovascular Health Study,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 27 (2011): 553–66; “Coffee Drinking Lowers Mortality Risk in Women,” Harvard Women’s Health Watch 16 (2008): 6–7; “Coffee Does Not Increase Risk of Developing CAD,” Journal of Family Practice 55 (2006): 757–58; H. A. Campos, “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease,” Nutrition Reviews 65 (2007): 173–79.

  5. M. A. Yantis and K. Hunter, “Is Diet Soda a Healthy Choice?” Nursing 40 (2010): 67; J. A. Nettleton et al., “Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA),” Diabetes Care 32 (2009): 688–94; “Do You Really Need That Diet Soda? Research Connects the Drinks to Higher Heart Risks,” Harvard Health Letter 37, no. 10 (August 2012): 4.

  6. K. Spiegel et al., “Brief Communication: Sleep Curtailment in Healthy Young Men Is Associated with Decreased Leptin Levels, Elevated Ghrelin Levels, and Increased Hunger and Appetite,” Annals of Internal Medicine 141 (2004): 846–50; S. M. Schmid et al., “Single Night of Sleep Deprivation Increases Ghrelin Levels and Feelings of Hunger in Normal-Weight Healthy Men,” Journal of Sleep Research 17 (2008): 331–34; S. Pejovic et al., “Leptin and Hunger Levels in Young Healthy Adults After One Night of Sleep Loss,” Journal of Sleep Research 19 (2010): 552–58; A. M. Landis, K. P. Parker, and S. B. Dunbar, “Sleep, Hunger, Satiety, Food Cravings, and Caloric Intake in Adolescents,” Journal of Nursing Scholarship 41 (2009): 115–23; L. Brondel et al., “Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation Increases Food Intake in Healthy Men,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 91 (2010): 1550–59.

  7. G. Tamburlini et al., “The Spread of Obesity in a Social Network …”; N. A. Christakis and J. H. Fowler, “The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years,” New England Journal of Medicine 357 (2007): 370–79 and 1866–68; A. Boothe and R. Brouwer, “Unmet Social Support for Healthy Behaviors Among Overweight and Obese Postpartum Women: Results from the Active Mothers Postpartum Study,” Journal of Women’s Health (15409996) 20 (2011): 1677–85; J. F. Sallis et al., “Environmental Support for Eating and Exercise Change Scales: Ten-Year Outcomes of Behavioral Family-Based Treatment for Childhood Obesity,” 13 (1994): 373–83.

  8. S. Rajaram and J. Sabaté, “Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet,” Nutrition 16, no 7–8 (July–August 2000): 531–33; R. H. Liu, “Health Benefits of Fruit and Vegetables Are from Additive and Synergistic Combinations of Phytochemicals,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78, no 3 suppl. (September 2003): 517S–520S; T. J. Key, G. K. Davey, and P. N. Appleby, “Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet,” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 58 (1999): 271–75; I. F. F. Benzie and S. Wachtel-Galor, “Vegetarian Diets and Public Health: Biomarker and Redox Connections,” Antioxidants & Redox Signaling 13 (2010): 1575–91; “Vegetarianism: Addition by Subtraction,” Harvard Health Letter 29, no. 4 (2004): 6; C. T. McEvoy, N. Temple, and J. V. Woodside, “Vegetarian Diets, Low-Meat Diets and Health: A Review,” Public Health Nutrition 15 (2012): 2287–94; J. Hart, “The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet,” Alternative and Complementary Therapies 15, no. 2 (2009): 64–68; P. Deriemaeker et al., “Health Aspects, Nutrition and Physical Characteristics in Matched Samples of Institutionalized Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian Elderly (>65 yrs),” Nutrition & Metabolism 8, no. 1 (June 14, 2011): 37–45.

  9. J. Wright and C.-Y. Wang, “Trends in Intake of Energy and Macronutrients in Adults from 1999–2000 Through 2007–2008,” NCHS Data Brief 49 (November 2010): 1–8.

  10. Ibid.; D. Layman, “Dietary Guidelines Should Reflect New Understandings About Adult Protein Needs,” Nutrition & Metabolism 6 (2009); Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation, “Protein and Amino Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition: Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation,” WHO Technical Report Series 935 (2007); P. J. Woolf, L. L. Fu, and A. Basu, “vProtein: Identifying Optimal Amino Acid Complements from Plant-Based Foods,” PLoS One 6, no. 4 (2011): e18836; D. C. Willcox et al., “The Okinawan Diet: Health Implications of a Low-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense, Antioxidant-Rich Dietary Pattern Low in Glycemic Load,” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 28 (2009): 500S–516S; S. Schechter, “Nutrients-Dense Green Foods: Mining the Motherlode,” Better Nutrition 60 (1998): 16; F. Phillips, “Vegetarian Nutrition,” Nutrition Bulletin 30 (2005): 132–67; “Beyond Brown Rice: 10 Whole Grains to Discover for Your Diet,” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 24 (2006): 4–5; “Practice Points: Translating Research into Practice: Protein Sources in a Healthful Vegetarian Diet,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 99 (1999): 820.

  11. R. Mangels, “Scientific Update,” Vegetarian Journal 30 (2011): 26–27; D. Majchrzak et al., “B-Vitamin Status and Concentrations of Homocysteine in Austrian Omnivores, Vegetarians and Vegans,” Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 50 (2006): 485–91; H. J. Lightowler and G. J. Davies, “Micronutrient Intakes in a Group of UK Vegans and the Contribution of Self-Selected Dietary Supplements,” Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 120 (2000): 117–24; E. H. Haddad, “Meeting the RDAs with a Vegetarian Diet,” Topics in Clinical Nutrition 10 (1995): 7–16; “Some Vegans May Need Food Supplements,” Better Nutrition for Today’s Living 55 (1993): 18.

  12. Lopez-Garcia et al., “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke”; Freedman et al., “Association of Coffee Drinking”; Arab et al., “Gender Differences in Tea, Coffee”; “Coffee Drinking Lowers Mortality Risk”; “Coffee Does Not Increase Risk”; Campos, “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.”

  13. S. E. George, K. Ramalakshmi, and L. J. M. Rao, “A Perception on Health Benefits of Coffee,” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 48 (2008): 464–86; M. S. Butt and M. T. Sultan, “Coffee and Its Consumption: Benefits and Risks,” Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition 51 (2011): 363–73; G. W. Arendash and C. Cao, “Caffeine and Coffee as Therapeutics Against Alzheimer’s Disease,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 20, no. 1 Suppl. (2010): S117–S126; S. Acreman, “The Benefits and Drawbacks of Drinking Coffee,” Cancer Nursing Practice 8 (2009): 8; “What Is It About Coffe
e?” Harvard Health Letter 37 (2012): 4–5; “Brewing Up Health Benefits for Coffee,” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 25 (2008): 4–5.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Fitness

  1. J. D. Wiles et al., “Effect of Caffeinated Coffee on Running Speed, Respiratory Factors, Blood Lactate and Perceived Exertion During 1500-m Treadmill Running,” British Journal of Sports Medicine 26 (1992): 116–20; T. E. Graham, “Caffeine and Exercise: Metabolism, Endurance and Performance,” Sports Medicine 31 (2001): 785–807; T. A. Astorino and D. W. Roberson, “Efficacy of Acute Caffeine Ingestion for Short-Term High-Intensity Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24 (2010): 257–65.

  2. Gretchen Reynolds, “Moderation as the Sweet Spot for Exercise,” New York Times, June 6, 2012, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/moderation-as-the-sweet-spot-for-exercise/; G. Rollins, “Moderate Exercise Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease and Death in Men with Type 2 Diabetes,” Report on Medical Guidelines & Outcomes Research 14 (2003): 10; M. Gleeson and N. P. Walsh, “The BASES Expert Statement on Exercise, Immunity, and Infection,” Journal of Sports Sciences 30 (2012): 321–24; “Moderate Exercise: No Pain, Big Gains,” Harvard Men’s Health Watch 11 (2007): 1–5; “No Sweat: New Guidelines for Moderate Exercise,” Harvard Men’s Health Watch 6 (2001): 1–4.

  3. Anahad O’Connor, “Surgeon General Sees Hair Care as Exercise Barrier for Women,” New York Times, August 26, 2011, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE7DF1E38F935A1575BC0A9679D8B63&ref=reginambenjamin (accessed May 29, 2013).

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  A Final Note About Affirmations

  1. R. Wiseman, “The Luck Factor,” Skeptical Inquirer 27 (2003); “Tempt Luck Your Way,” Psychology Today, 2009, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creativityrulz/200912/tempt-luck-your-way (accessed April 22, 2013).

  2. M. D. Smith et al., “On Being Lucky: The Psychology and Parapsychology of Luck,” European Journal of Parapsychology 12 (1996): 35–43; M. D. Smith, R. Wiseman, and P. Harris, “The Relationship Between ‘Luck’ and Psi,” Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 94 (2000): 25–36.

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank my science and medical researcher, Zora DeGrandpre, for keeping me within shouting distance of rational thought.

  A big thank-you to Adrian Zackheim for somehow knowing I had this book in me before I did. Someday you have to explain to me how you do that.

  Thank you to my brother, Dave, whom I use as my writing muse. When I’m trying to find the perfect way to word a funny thought, I just imagine how I would say it to my brother. When editors say my writing is “voicey,” that’s why.

  Thank you to Maria Gagliano for your masterful edits to this book.

  Thank you to Emily Libresco, my Princeton-bound writing assistant, who did a terrific job critiquing the first draft. If any of you are worried about the next generation, don’t be. They make us look like chimps.

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  First published in the United States of America by Portfolio Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC 2013

  First published in Great Britain by Portfolio Penguin 2013

  Copyright © Scott Adams, Inc., 2013

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  ISBN: 978-0-241-96870-3

  *To be fair to Nietzsche, he probably meant the word “stronger” to include anything that makes you more capable. I’d ask him to clarify, but ironically he ran out of things that didn’t kill him.

  *I should warn you that 75 percent of my analogies involve feces, babies, or Steve Jobs. I do not apologize for that.

  *I’m including in my estimate babies, coma patients, and people who have never heard of those games.

  †I’m assuming there is such a thing as a dog-brained version of imagination. If not, don’t let the analogy derail the point.

  *In my twenties, I took a class to learn hypnosis.

  *Yes, I do realize that mentioning the tennis court at my house makes me sound like a gigantic douche bag, but I couldn’t figure out how to tell the story in a less douchey way.

  *Changing art to satisfy customers probably makes real artists ill just to think about. I considered myself an entrepreneur, not an artist, so I had no trouble being flexible with my so-called art.

  *Simply put, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow because the dollar you have today can be invested. The math of it is more complicated.

  *I’m paraphrasing Arthur C. Clarke’s observation that any sufficiently complex technology is indistinguishable from magic.

  *The detailed story of how Dilbert grew from a doodle to one of the biggest comic strips in the world is detailed in my twentieth-anniversary book, Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert.

  *The Alexander Technique is a method of moving in a conscious way with the goal of removing tension from your body.

  *In the fitness chapter that follows, I’ll talk about exercise and how it influences mood. Diet affects mood by influencing your energy levels and by both directly and indirectly affecting your brain’s chemistry. Exercise does something similar. You need to get both of those things right.1