Did you know one of the most common medical myths is that a defibrillator can restart a heart?
In the movies, when a character dies and their heart stops, the hero uses a defibrillator to restart their heart.
They place the paddles on their chest, say “clear!” and zap the dead person.
An electric current courses through the body.
If the actor really wants that award, they’ll arch their body as if they’re being electrocuted and “beep beep beep” we see they’ve got a pulse back.
Phew!
Except.
That is absolute bullshit.
Literally doesn’t work like that. It can’t restart a stopped heart.
THE only way to keep a heart going, is manually pressing on the person’s chest over and over (or using adrenaline).
In fact, modern AED devices are specifically designed to NOT zap someone when their heart is stopped.
So why does Hollywood show this? Why do we believe that’s how AEDs work?
I also vaguely remember my nurse ex-girlfriend telling me that heart rate monitor things (in the UK at least) don’t go “beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep” when someone’s heart pulse stops.
Anyway.
Here’s three more things that I believe.
1. Going to the gym does not help you lose weight.
Bizarrely, this is the most controversial thing on my list because it’s considered so…common knowledge.
The common myth is that if you want to lose weight, go to the gym.
Cardio especially, right?
We all have those little fitbit or watch monitor things that tell you “you’ve burned 200 calories” in a workout.
So the consensus is that if you want to lose weight, go to the gym and burn off the excess calories.
If you burn 2000 calories a day, and you eat 2200 calories, going to the gym can help you lose that excess 200 calories.
Everyone knows that, right?!
It’s SCIENCE!
Except it’s not.
It’s literal nonsense.
You cannot lose fat by going to the gym.
The only way you can lose fat (which is what most people mean by lose weight) is by reducing the number of calories you eat.
My body burns around 1800 calories a day.
It’s not 2000 as most food companies (who literally benefit from having you eat more) and it’s CERTAINLY not 2500.
Yes, all people are individual and yes your caloric burn rate through the day can change over long periods of time or with significant changes to your body.
I.e. my Gran who weighs 40kg (if that) will burn way way fewer calories than a 120kg bodybuilder.
BUT – going to the gym to increase the number of calories you burn, with the goal of losing weight, is a complete myth.
I have absolutely no dog in this fight, I have nothing to gain if people consume more calories and buy into the myth that going to the gym makes you lose weight.
If you want to learn more read this, watch this.
2. There’s no such thing as trauma
Told you this stuff would make me look mental.
So first off, it’s important to point out that I’m not denying the existence of awful events.
Terrible, torturous and evil events happen all the time. If anything I would argue that life is vry difficult and hard and unfair.
Those events, like losing your home, assault, abuse, death – all those things happen to good, undeserving people all the time.
But those are not the trauma.
“Trauma” is defined as a life changing experience that negatively impacts a person after the event has happened.
Get hit by a car, you’ll experience physical trauma that obviously leaves you injured.
I also am not denying that physically hurting someone hurts them.
What I am denying, is the existence of “cause and effect” psychic scaring.
Put simply, I deny that people’s past events determine their behaviour.
Adult acting out and being angry? Maybe they had a bad childhood.
Your boss or manager bragging all the time? Maybe their parents spoiled them.
Don’t trust your partner? Probably because you had another partner cheat on you.
Except I don’t believe any of that is true.
All of that is based on Freudian and Jungian “aetiology” where our past events cause our current behaviour.
I am a follower of Adlerian style “teleology” which proposes that people’s behaviour is driven by their goals, not their past.
It’s way way too much to go into on an email, but please do ask me about it if you ever see me.
I believe awful things happen to people, I’d never ever deny that.
But my belief is that your current life does not have to be tied to the past.
People can change (it might be difficult) but they, we, you can change.
If this seems even remotely interesting, read this.
3. Personalities don’t exist.
This is a belief that got me fired from my first ever marketing job.
People say “oh I’m a type-A personality” or “he’s just grumpy, that’s his nature.
And then we take personality tests like Meyers-Briggs or 16Personalities or a horoscope, (funny that all these things we’re taught to believe in often have a very profitable product to sell behind it).
We love to tell people we’re INFPs or “fire hare” or libras or type-A style people.
And one of my core tennant beliefs is that, by definition, human beings do not have a personality “type”.
Personality is explained as how you behave, especially with regards to other human beings.
Maybe you’re quieter in groups, or more dominant.
Maybe you’re more assertive at work and more passive at home.
Creative tasks require you to be more focused whereas admin or number based tasks require you to be more collaborative.
Here’s a personality report for a very VERY famous (and cool) person. Can you guess who it is?
You are generally a good person and have strong moral beliefs but you have been known to break the rules either when people aren’t looking, or, when you believe it’s right. You often feel guilty about your actions and wish you could do better, but your friends would probably describe you as a dependable person. You’ve got a good sense of humor but know when wrong is wrong and will stand up for your beliefs. There are things you wish you could do better, but you’re also proud of what you’ve accomplished if other people challenge you.
Who does that sound like?
Send me an email with your guess.
Who was it?
The answer…
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It’s you.
I literally made that up on the spot.
I’ve never met you (most likely) but tell me that didn’t sound at least a bit like you?
One of my deepest, firmly held beliefs, is that “people can change”.
People can change.
Change their behaviour, their outlook, their personality, their actions.
Ultimately, if you don’t believe that people can change then you’ll find this all impossible to understand.
But our personalities are based on
- What’s considered the most virtuous or valuable way to behave
- What’s the most convenient and practical way to behave.
Again, this all requires a lot more depth and thought and I can’t go into everything in a single email.
But fundamentally, our “personality” is just our best way of handling how we want other people to think of us.
Bit harsh, probably a difficult medicine to swallow.
But please please please don’t take it personally if I’ve offended you – this is just based on my experiences and what I’ve learned and read.
At least I hope I’ve been honest with you and authentic and you can say “Mike is a raving nut job but at least he’s entertaining.”
I don’t disparage or get angry with anyone else’s beliefs.
We’re all just doing our best and we’re all trying.
Just wanted to share this.
P.S. I also believe that if you poke a belly button too hard your guts will spill out, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
