The Other Press: Achieving our goals

“There’s something to be said about making a plan and ironing out all the steps along the way, but it’s not always the ideal approach to getting things done. You see, when you try to organize every aspect of your life, you’ll find yourself overworked and disappointed when things inevitably don’t play out the way you anticipated, or rather, planned.

In his book, Trying Not To Try, Edward Slingerland talks about how “we too often devote ourselves to pushing harder or moving faster in areas of our life where effort and striving are, in fact, profoundly counterproductive.” If we gave in a little bit to the idea of spontaneity or flow we’d find ourselves achieving our goals much easier.”

— Morgan Hannah, The Other Press

Morgan Hannah, “Trying Not to Try,” The Other Press, March 16, 2021.

Science: People are nicer when god is watching

“People are nicer to each other when they think someone is watching, many psychology studies have shown—especially if they believe that someone has the power to punish them for transgressions even after they’re dead. That’s why some scientists think that belief in the high gods of moralizing religions, such as Islam and Christianity, helped people cooperate with each other and encouraged societies to grow. An innovative study of 96 societies in the Pacific now suggests that a culture might not need to believe in omniscient, moral gods in order to reap the benefits of religion in the form of political complexity. All they need is the threat of supernatural punishment, even if the deities in question don’t care about morality and act on personal whims, the new work concludes.”

— Lizzie Wade, Science

Lizzie Wade, “To Foster complex Societies, Tell People a God is Watching,” Science, March 4th, 2015.

The Sydney Morning Herald: go with the flow

“It is endlessly frustrating to be told to “just relax” or “just be yourself” when you’re feeling anything but. Often, being told to “take it easy” makes you feel even more self-conscious and stressed.

But, according to Professor Edward Slingerland, it’s exactly that “go with the flow” state that we should strive to achieve.”

— Rachel Clun, The Sydney Morning Herald

Rachel Clun, “The art of just being yourself,” The Sydney Morning Herald, December 17th, 2014.

Science: The rise of moralistic religions

“Today’s most popular religions all have one thing in common: a focus on morality. But the gods didn’t always care whether you are a bad person. Researchers have long puzzled over when and why religions moved away from a singular focus on ritual and began to encourage traits such as self-discipline, restraint, and asceticism. Now, a new study proposes that the key to the rise of so-called moralizing religions was, of all things, more wealth.”

— Lizzie Wade, Science

Lizzie Wade, “Wealth may have driven the rise of today’s religions,” Science, December 11th 2014.

The Atlantic: the enemy of cool

“Calculation is the enemy of cool, it seems. Earlier this year I spoke with Edward Slingerland, a professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia, who studies cool full-time. In a post called “How to Not Try,” he explained to me four approaches to not trying. I think about them constantly.”

— James Hamblin, The Atlantic

James Hamblin, “No one Wins the Breakup on Social Media,” The Atlantic, December 4th 2014.

The Guardian: Russell Brand on monkeys and inequality

“Edward Slingerland, a professor of ancient Chinese philosophy at Stanford University, demonstrated this instinct to me with the use of hazelnuts. As we spoke, there was a bowl of them on the table. “Russell,” he said, scooping up a handful, “we humans have an inbuilt tendency towards fairness. If offered an unfair deal, we will want to reject it. If I have a huge bowl of nuts and offer you just one or two, how do you feel?”

The answer was actually quite complex.”

— Russell Brand, The Guardian

Russell Brand, “What Monkeys and the Queen Taught Me about Inequality,” The Guardian, October 13th 2014.

Los Angeles Review of Books: art and unselfconscious spontaneity

“Almost all the arts of life are enhanced when performed with unselfconscious spontaneity — think shooting hoops, playing a complicated musical passage, dining with friends. The moment we try not to try is often the moment performance collapses in a counterproductive muddle. This “paradox of wu-wei,” as Edward Slingerland calls it, can be explained as the goal of trying not to try. This ambitious book reprises much of the author’s previous work on classical Chinese philosophical cultivation of wu-wei (see his 2003 book, Effortless action) and broadens the scope of his previous engagement with cognitive science, particularly notions of embodied mind.”

— Andrew B. Irvine, Los Angeles Review of Books

Andrew B. Irvine, “The Paradox of wu-wei,” Los Angeles Review of Books, September 2nd 2014.

Psychologies: take a break from striving

“We live in a fast paced world where often our only relief comes from a two-week holiday which, of course, speeds by and before you know it you’re back, striving to get ahead again. What if you could take a break and not feel guilty, but instead bask in the unhurried glow and still achieve your milestones? Better yet, what if you could forget about trying to be the best and surrender to a happier, less stressful, but equally successful life? Sounds too good to be true? Keep reading...”

— Psychologies

“Life in the Slow Lane,” Psychologies, August 1st 2014.

New Statesman: True and false spontaneity

“Live for the moment. Be spontaneous. Be free and happy. Don’t worry about the future. Act as though it’s your last day on earth. Such is one modern conception of the good life. Adverts encourage us to drop everything and jet off for a city break at the last moment, or to walk at random into a bar where we are sure to meet a new gang of stock-photo besties, all ostentatiously sipping the same brand of transparent liquor. People are reluctant to make concrete social arrangements, so just say, “Text me.” Serendipity is our friend; planning is for losers. “Spontaneity” is rhetorically offered as the reason to celebrate both online social media and last-minute travel bucket shops.”

— Steven Poole, New Statesman

Steven Poole, “Think before you act: against the modern cult of spontaneity,” New Statesman, July 16th 2014.

The Huffington Post: never was there such an important book that takes itself so lightly

“In his new book Trying Not to Try, the University of British Columbia Asian Studies and Embodied Cognition professor Edward Slingerland treats us to a work of seminal importance. Yet never was there such an important book that takes itself so lightly. Slingerland explains the correspondence between ancient Chinese philosophical ideas about wu-wei, or doing by not doing, and modern neuroscience. In doing so in erudite fashion, he also manages to discuss Woody Allen, magic mushrooms, his daughter’s storybooks, Luke Skywalker and how hard it is to get a date when you’re desperate.”

— David Vognar, The Huffington Post

David Vognar, “Book Review: Trying Not to Try,” The Huffington Post, April 15th 2014.