PsycHacks Episode 604: Optimization fatigue (why you feel worse as you get better)
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Mar 13, 2026 A look at why relentless self-improvement messaging leaves you drained even as you improve. The episode explores how attention-seeking negative critiques and perfection-minded optimization erode learning. It highlights diminishing returns, why aiming for near-perfect outcomes can block growth, and practical rules for balancing challenge with sustainable progress.
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Negative Advice Hooks Attention
- Social media amplifies confident experts who tell you everything you do is wrong, creating constant corrective pressure.
- Orion Taraban notes creators use negative framing to hook viewers, so critique-heavy advice is often a marketing tactic, not pure truth.
Aim For An 85% Hit Rate
- Optimal learning needs a balance: aim for about an 85% hit rate rather than 100% to maximize growth.
- Orion uses machine learning and classroom examples to show too many errors cause quitting, too few create boredom.
Titrate Difficulty To Stay Engaged
- Do titrate difficulty to keep your hit rate around the sweet spot to accelerate growth and sustain engagement.
- Orion warns this may feel like stalled progress because success rate stays constant while tasks get harder.
