And when I started listing out big project ideas like economic/​political systems change, reducing diseases/​aging/​major causes of death, resolving climate change, working on advanced market commitments, etc., I couldn’t think of anything that was as tractable that would significantly improve lives at scale.
There are ways to improve democratic decision making & alignment with people’s values & priorities in big ways, but implementing the mechanisms is a big political challenge if not a non-starter.
Attacking major causes of death is feasible if we find scalable solutions for aging, obesity, & addictions. We could likely increase lifespans/​healthspans by 5% or more, but at this point we may get a decent amount of this when existing markets scale GLP1 drugs.
It seems like a short-sleepers intervention, even if it only reduced required sleeping hours from 8 to 6, would be equivalent to giving most people 6 more years of conscious life or a 7.5% longer healthy life if it could be done in an affordable drug/​therapy.
And it seems most challenges for an intervention would be narrow technical challenges & known regulatory challenges instead of unwieldy, widespread political/​societal challenges.
I really like the potential here. I’ll keep reading more on it & look forward to any updates or opportunities to support it.
Maybe the most tractable new idea to improve lives by 5% or more at scale!
I recently came across this short-sleepers intervention idea on Twitter. https://​​x.com/​​byersblake/​​status/​​1865853596769849671?s=46
And when I started listing out big project ideas like economic/​political systems change, reducing diseases/​aging/​major causes of death, resolving climate change, working on advanced market commitments, etc., I couldn’t think of anything that was as tractable that would significantly improve lives at scale. There are ways to improve democratic decision making & alignment with people’s values & priorities in big ways, but implementing the mechanisms is a big political challenge if not a non-starter. Attacking major causes of death is feasible if we find scalable solutions for aging, obesity, & addictions. We could likely increase lifespans/​healthspans by 5% or more, but at this point we may get a decent amount of this when existing markets scale GLP1 drugs.
It seems like a short-sleepers intervention, even if it only reduced required sleeping hours from 8 to 6, would be equivalent to giving most people 6 more years of conscious life or a 7.5% longer healthy life if it could be done in an affordable drug/​therapy. And it seems most challenges for an intervention would be narrow technical challenges & known regulatory challenges instead of unwieldy, widespread political/​societal challenges.
I really like the potential here. I’ll keep reading more on it & look forward to any updates or opportunities to support it.