Little mental effort for big gain

to profit from thinking

Everyone has a different reality that is built from their way of thinking. My goal is to give you tools that will improve your thinking and with it your reality.

Education for hard work gives nothing to anyone, it usually results in the opposite result. The right education is to look for a small effort for a big profit. One of the beautiful things about education is that there are little tricks we can do on ourselves and children to achieve this huge profit. One of them is the understanding that the pleasure from the desire is greater than the pleasure when you achieve something, that is, you always have to strive for something, this pleasure is the one that pushes us all the time and gives us meaning.

Want to improve your thinking with a little effort?

Very easy, stop jumping from place to place with your attention.

You know those people who concentrate like crazy and you really need to wake them up?

Their attention is not directed to many places, but they focus on one place.

I am like that. Jumping from one mental place to another is very expensive and wastes your “profit” and creates confusion.

Our brains are built in a way that allows us to concentrate on one thing at a given time, and when we jump from one thing to another it takes time to get back. The modern world is full of a thousand distractions and temptations, but the big winners are those who know how to concentrate. The focus and concentration are suitable for man by nature in terms of evolution, after all there were not a thousand distractions and text messages and videos. Our attention was often in one place on one thing. This has a huge impact on our good life, the brain rewards us when we pay attention and engage in the present. Attention is actually a form of love.

Our children want our attention, so do our friends and so do the rest of our relationships. That is, knowing how to pay attention not only improves thinking, but also our relationships, which are a cornerstone of a good life.

A legendary manager and preferably an engineer

Education for correct thinking begins at school. Education reflects to us how we will look in ten years or more.

In order to move forward, education systems need to constantly improve, not freeze, try new things, measure success and improve all the time. Thus, in the Ministry of Education, as in the Ministry of Health and other government ministries, one must constantly hold pilots, try new methods, and if they succeed – expand them.

What everyone misses in the education system in Israel is the importance of a “legendary” administrator to the education system, male or female, who must first of all have the education of an analytical engineer with a pedagogical background and not the other way around.

Every action in education needs feedback, with the help of which we can find ways to optimize what we did or cancel it.

The problems in the education system are not the low salary of the teachers or the small number of them, but the structure of the system, the lack of management, control and creativity in it which attracts insufficiently good personnel. The solution is strong central management by a manager and a revolution in the entire education system: reducing subjects, instilling values, creating people. The important thing is to improve the thinking ability of the students and not to learn to memorize.

There is no data on Israel but it is a good bet to assume that we are like the USA where the average intelligence is decreasing, the reason is most likely the lack of reading of the new generation due to the social networks and thoughtless videos we are flooded with, the intelligence in the USA is decreasing according to this study .

Frame anywhere and anytime

What is a frame?

“Framework” is the way our brain remembers ideas and processes, it is a mental model that the brain creates to understand what it sees and how to react. Think of a frame as the blocks of thought, you can make new ones, build towers, destroy towers, everything is built from frames that almost all include frames in the content.

It is about how we construct our individual understanding, our reality based on our experiences, beliefs, values, knowledge and culture. Our reality is not one frame, but probably consists of millions of small frames. A frame that we have used recently is easier for us to pull out.

It is important to remember that while the framework of our reality can guide us, it is only a representation of the world and not an accurate reflection of objective reality. “Hot air rises up” is a frame of mind that depends on another frame of what is “air” and what is “rising”.

The closest frame

In every field there are models in our brains, templates ready to quickly deal with similar situations, which define reality. There are many such models for a quick understanding of what you see. For example, you see someone in front of you smiling and you immediately feel less threatened, this is an important frame of mind.

That’s why each person remembers reality differently, because the frames that exist for him are different from the other, and we tag reality to existing frames or create new ones.

frame in many areas

There is a huge advantage for those who frame in many areas.

Most people frame from one central area.

Just like a football player gets an advantage if he played basketball before, it helps to see those around him better.

Frameworks from the world of action and the world of spirit fit best into each other.

The best way is to simply deal with many areas that interest you, that’s how you learn many frameworks of reality. I always liked to act more and less to research, that’s how I founded several companies. I liked the Bible, music, psychology, football, poker, mathematics, physics and economics. I framed a lot of things from there that I usually “transfer” from one to another.

A smart person is the one who pulls out real frames quickly from any field

The ability to extract and adapt and produce suitable frames is actually wisdom.

The ability to produce new frames is of course based on existing frames.

Existing frames were acquired over time, therefore people are not born with frames but make them, like anything that requires ability, making frames also requires training.

An important conclusion here is that you are not born smart, but you get this ability through training.

Obviously there is also a genetic element, but training is much more important.

Where is the profit in the framing

It is equivalent to the question – where is the profit in wisdom? Framing gives a better understanding of reality and the ability to anticipate the future better than others, this is a huge advantage for material and non-material gain. Suppose I framed that the casino statistically profits on people, from here it is already possible to frame that it is not worth gambling for the money, but only for the fun. Just a small example of the advantage of the framer. The least expected profit in frames is to practice transferring frames from field to field. The profit when you have millions of frames is in quickly retrieving them and transferring them and upgrading them. Upgrading, erasing and production happens by feedback and this is a critical point, sometimes frames need to be erased, especially the ones we grew up with. For example “money is made by smart people”, delete it and frame it as “money is made by people who have trained to earn”.

Suppose you have a “psychological” framework that people don’t like to disobey instructions. You want to advertise your company, so in the advertisement you will give an instruction “Go to the site now and buy.” It is of course important to get feedback if it worked, because a reliable framework is proven. Our world is connected and similar in many fields, therefore the huge profit is in transferring frameworks from field to field. We founded Plus500 and made huge money following a mathematical framework I had in my head and took it to the field of finance. Of course, to build Plus500, thousands of small frameworks were needed that were different for each founder. One of the frameworks was to “copy and improve successful companies”. Another framework was to “copy only the essentials,” then there is no need for a huge and never-ending project. Take Google as an example, it didn’t copy all of Yahoo, just the “search box”.

How to accumulate frames?

There is no magic solution here, according to my experience to accumulate frames you need to think about things, read, learn a second language as well as practice math, physics, and the sciences where there are very reliable frames that do not require feedback. In the activity there are frameworks that are almost impossible to learn in books and they are frameworks from real life, such as “when you start a company everyone gets along very well, but it changes over time,” this is just an example of a framework that can only be obtained from real activity.

A second language produces frames because there are words that represent a frame that does not exist in your main language, such as “optimize” in English. Also a programming language, for example, because it has frameworks.

That’s why it’s much smarter to frame and not memorize, the idea is what’s important.

The importance of science in real settings

The biggest gain is when we get a real framework, and it of course happens in the sciences as well as in theoretical books and newspapers that write real stories. The commentary can be ignored. The danger is to accept unreal frames, for example imaginary numbers, Internet, YouTube or unfounded thoughts. That’s why I always try to frame from reliable sources and cross check with what I know.

The best training for frames

This is the most important section in the frames because it will improve your very thinking. It’s really banal, but if you didn’t take anything – at least take this. The way I practice in the frameworks is to simply think about things. Yes, simply thinking about events, cases, feelings, nature, profit and asking “why?” That’s how I came to the idea of “the frameworks” and “free thought”.

So the next time you’re riding the bus and put your head on the window, practicing in Lemsgar, I hope, you’ll remember that this is how I do it even when I’m not on the bus.

change who you are

One day when I was walking with friends in Eilat, a line from a song popped into my head about the singer friend among us “It aint easy changing who you are, It aint easy being a rock star”, it was in a humorous section about him, because he was far from being a rock star. He composed this song, and it’s excellent by the way, but it dawned on me that it’s really hard to change who you are today. After I changed from the “business” period, the change was gradual and very slow, but it was due to the fact that I wanted to be close to nature and the habit of walking in nature. And so it empowered it.

Habits define who you are, so when I want to change something, I think about why I would like to change and don’t think about a goal that has nothing to do with me. It is better to think about changing the company or yourself and not just about the goal of “making money”. Continuous improvement by method, then enjoy the way. And this is exactly the missing link to success that I didn’t know how to define until now.

In order to earn, and no matter what, a plan, ambition or idea is not enough, you have to build habits for the goal, and I’ve been doing this all these years without being aware of it. It started early in the morning from reading economic newspapers to playing our product daily to reading books about business and many other habits. In order to succeed in my matriculation, I had the habit of studying three days from morning until 4:00 p.m.

The non-trivial part, and this is the point you will hit or miss, is that it is more important to think in terms of who you want to be than where you want to go.

Because “where I want to go” stems from our desire to be something. “I want to be a good person” or “be a writer”. The change is really hard, but you will find the solution to it in the “successful habit”. The way to change who you are is through habits, and when something becomes a habit then it’s easy.

Becoming a “pianist” is similar to becoming a “mathematician”, you need a daily habit to become one or both.

Good habit

Tricks make habits

If you’ve come this far, you already know that you should look for methods that work and not something one-time. A habit is a method, it is a method to train ourselves for the better.

If you manage to control your habits, you will control where you are going and it will be easy for you to be what you want. Habits can be controlled with tricks, because they are very elusive. Our habits are meant for the savannah in Africa and less for an 8th floor apartment in the center of Tel Aviv.

Small and continuous improvements

Success does not happen overnight, it is a long process of small daily improvement through habits.

At Plus500 I didn’t have to think about how to put out fires because I had a habit of treating the problem permanently and not the symptoms, so it was easy. The habit requires no effort.

Another habit was to always ask myself in every offer what the profit and what the risk was, I felt that others did not have this habit, but for me, from childhood, the chance and the risk always jumped.

Habit is not work

When you do something out of habit it’s not work, it feels like a reward. It’s like a bug in our head that we win for good, it helped in ancient times to do repetitive Sisyphean things and enjoy them. The habituation has contributed to our survival. As in everything, there are those who have it strongly ingrained, and there are those who are less, but everyone should benefit from the tendency to habits. You can also earn by breaking habits, and it’s a free thought in the end to earn, not just dig. I, without really noticing, really enjoy implementing habits, one of the habits I’ve always liked is getting up early.

The inner voice of addiction is the key

Addiction is actually a bad habit, which is not good for us and which we keep repeating.

Our brain is lying to us, in this case, signaling us “You won’t get along without coffee,” “You can’t eat without salt, it’s not tasty,” “You’re not smart enough to learn math.” It presents us with “facts.” The key to victory here is not to believe them, and the truth is that most of this phrase “you won’t manage without” or “it’s impossible without” is false because we humans, adaptable creatures, can get used to almost everything, and the big secret is that in the end we enjoy almost the same way. Although the mind sometimes signals “it is impossible without”, you will learn to contradict it and it will be easy for you to think freely about many subjects and break bad habits.

I also fought to break bad habits, one of them is smoking, from the age of 20 to the age of 30 I smoked about a pack a day, it took me two years to fight this habit until I won, it was really, really hard. I just didn’t give up, I broke down and went back to smoking about 10 times in these two years. So this is also a success that took two years.

The habit of not forgetting and constantly improving

At Plus500 I had a little habit of writing down on a page all the important things that need to be done in the business and then pushing them every day, such as “entering Estonia,” “issuing,” and also small things “closing with Tomer the color of the logo,” it was a habit to write And to carry out so I don’t forget, this habit is with me even in free thought, I have an idea so I write it on WhatsApp to myself. These habits basically defined the company and me.

It connected to what I wanted for Plus500, to be a flagship company, so the habit of constantly improving it connected to that.

Who you are and what you want to achieve

The action intensifies the change and proves to us that what we want to be – really happens. That’s why it’s critical to speak in actions that become habits that change us into what we want to be. Today, when someone asks me a question, and I consider whether to lie, I tell myself “I’m not a liar” and not “I won’t lie,” it’s easier when the foot connects to who you are. It is very difficult to be someone else all the time, so the habits must align with who you are, for example an athlete, reliable, sociable and generous, so the habits that will fit are sports, telling the truth, being socially active and running in the morning. Even in a company when it has a vision of how it should be, it’s easy to build habits and methods for the company, but they need to coalesce with what the brand represents.

Habits for freedom

When you think about it in free thought, habits give us freedom of thought. Good money habits allow us to have no financial problems, food habits make us healthy. Then there is time to be free and not to deal with the problems that lack of good habits cause us. I always came prepared for the tests because I had the habit of studying a few days before the test, it was not an effort for me, because I was used to it.

I saw, heard and smelled

What motivates us to do a habit is usually a certain trigger, there is no good word for it in Hebrew except leap. But it’s a hard word I had to look it up, and it’s the first time I’ve come across it. The power is according to the intensity of the senses, in humans the sense of sight is the most developed and therefore the most significant, and it should be used for good or bad.

When you smell chocolate, you want to eat chocolate. You watch TV, so you want to rest and watch a movie. There is usually a trigger for our habits.

The sense of sight occupies a huge part of our brain, therefore sight is a very significant trigger for our habits.

One of the things that really helps to assimilate and remember the habits we want, is to say them out loud. This activates the trigger of the “hearing” sense.

There are no people who resist temptations

Some people hide them. When there is no ice cream in the fridge, my children do not ask for ice cream. The big secret is not to activate the triggers for the habits we don’t want and also to introduce the triggers for the habits we want. Everyone has a certain amount of temptations they can withstand. Our big gain is usually not seeing the triggers. It is very difficult to practice without being tempted, but it is much easier to hide the temptations on purpose, and this is exactly free thought at its best, big profit with little effort. Little effort to hide a trigger, crazy effort to avoid a trigger for an available temptation. For example, when I wanted to use my mobile less, I left it in the car. Then I had to go out to the car to get it every time I wanted to check something, it really reduced my use of the mobile phone.

Studies have shown that the most stable people simply learned not to encounter temptations. This. That’s the big secret.

I feel like it, I don’t feel like it

One of my nice methods is the “habit stack”. I already do everything I don’t feel like doing in one fell swoop: wash, throw away the garbage and fold laundry. I call it “the habit pile”. I also do it while walking, I added to it the habit of listening to a Shema book, and today when I walk, I really miss not listening to a Shema book. I listen to the book on the loudspeaker, of course, and not with wireless headphones, which rather irradiate our brains and are not recommended.

A few repetitions of the habit

To establish a habit the most important thing is how many repetitions we do of it and not how long it lasts. Let’s say I want to inculcate the habit of reading, it’s better to read 20 minutes every day, rather than two hours once a week. It is different from other things we are used to like running training.

May the habit be comfortable to begin with

When we start something, it’s just as hard for us to stop as it is to start. And this is the small effort we were looking for, the effort to start.

When my little boy in first grade didn’t want to do his homework, of course we weren’t excited, but I suggested that he put it on the kitchen table open to do and not do it, because I would get upset if he did it. After a meal I saw that he was doing an exercise in arithmetic. It worked on him. Now I had to think of the next move that would make them in a calm atmosphere in the room, introduce it to him as usual. Only the habit will make me stop working and be in a small effort and a big profit for me and for him.

Precisely because of the “law of convenience” it is important that it is easy for us to start our habits.

If you want to go for a daily run, it will really help if all you need is to get out of the house and start running. As soon as you change into sports clothes, it is quite certain that you will run, in short, make sure that the beginning is comfortable.

Habit in a suitable environment

One of the nicest things my dad built for us in the room was a large table and matching cabinets. We didn’t have money to buy furniture, so dad built it himself as I look at him and help and hinder a bit. When I closed the door in my room, there was a quiet and distraction-free atmosphere. I still remember the feeling of peace and order that helped me concentrate on homework and studying.

Today I realized why it contributed so much to me, because it allowed me to get into the habit of studying without distractions, the habit of concentrating, there were no triggers for habits that did not contribute to me. Since then I really enjoy the habit of concentrating because we enjoy habits, it’s a trait built over millions of years of evolution. As soon as I closed the door in the room and it was quiet, it created a trigger for me to study. That’s why working in an office is more effective than working from home for most people, it triggers them to “work”.

Build such an environment for your children and yourself, and it will be easy for them. Yes, a mobile near them is a terrible trigger, it should not be there.

A word is a contract between us

Make your life easy

Do you want an easy life? Make sure this word is a word in your home. And after that – at your workplace.

We communicate with each other with words. The most important thing to impart to our children and ourselves is the habit that a word is a word. Otherwise there is no stable foundation in the house. Otherwise communication has no meaning and everything needs to be checked and said several times. There is a very big profit here if, both in our family life and in our business and social life, we surround ourselves with people whose word is word. The children learn from us when they see that with us a word is a word.

Imagine a world

Imagine a world where most of what people say to each other they actually do. Sometimes there is no choice and you have to bluff a little in order not to hurt, but most of the time you can stay true to your word. The most dangerous people I have known are those who did not keep their word.

I raise my children with the same education I received, “the word has value” and stand by what they say.

A “talent” to invest time

my route

When I was ten years old, I moved with my family to the USA. We lived in today’s Silicon Valley. This is how I acquired English as a second language, and I really think in both languages ​​today. I knew firsthand the American culture that advocates building a method for everything and systematic conduct that aims to handle things in a thorough and thorough manner. My father talked a lot about the Technion and mathematics and physics, which made me invest in these two subjects. All the fathers of my childhood friends studied or were faculty members at the Technion. With the encouragement of my parents, I read the newspaper ‘Haaretz’ and especially its economics section and that of Maariv.

mom and dad

My parents constantly talked to us about how everything is possible and that the Gonen family is not afraid of anything. I grew up in the ‘Dania’ neighborhood in Haifa, a neighborhood of rich people, of businessmen, we were the poor of the neighborhood. This fact pushed me to succeed like them. My parents always talked about the money you make in the profession you study, so from a young age I understood that you can earn much better by starting companies, I also saw my uncle from the USA, Shlomo Gonen, who succeeded there on his own. All the time I played football, basketball, squash and surfing. A sport that constantly pushes for achievements.

Las Vegas

Then I came across Las Vegas on a trip with friends and realized that the gambling field could be really good for me, I just need to be on the home side. Read my route again and you will understand that this is not about gardens at all, just a somewhat rare route that if you understand what each intersection has given, it is easy to build such beautiful routes for children or you: analytics through mathematics and physics which gives a thinking advantage, a second language which according to research also gives a thinking advantage, culture of perfection and politeness like American culture, self-belief in one’s ability, studying at a high academic institution, participating in a sports team to build character and achievement, theoretical reading of newspapers and books and a desire to succeed. Everything is an effect of the environment. Nothing went easy, the beginning was always very difficult. That is why it is so important to make a revolution in the education system in Israel and to implement the principle that the basis of success is training and hard work. When you exercise free thought, you realize that you are not born successful, you are born equal.

Learn from scratch

I have seen this throughout my career, Johnny Levy for example who works with me on free thought, taught himself to be a designer with the help of several courses and designs everything himself. Elad Ibn Chen who started with us at Plus500 without knowledge of the stock market became a leading financial manager. We have the ability to learn everything, everything depends on desire and time and sometimes also the influence of age. Admittedly, we like to attribute success to “natural talent”, when in fact the majority is a “talent” to invest time.

An important section

If you don’t have the strength to read this section – you will find strength. It is very important to explain it to children and youth so that they believe that everything is possible with deliberate training. You can’t do something big without dreaming, and you can’t dream without believing.

The term “perfect pitch”, also known as “absolute hearing”, refers to the rare ability of a person to recognize or reproduce a musical note without any reference tone. Various experiments have been conducted to understand the nature of “absolute hearing” and if it can be acquired or improved through training.

Its prevalence is relatively rare, and estimates suggest that about 1 in 10,000 people have this ability.

Mozart had this ability. So Mozart was 1 in 10,000 and had parents with a musical education who pushed him from the age of 3 which let’s say 1:1,000 meaning Mozart was one in 10,000,000?

When you exercise free thought it doesn’t work out, it feels too rare these hems.

Almost four decades ago, Kazuko Eguchi, a young Japanese music instructor, was frustrated by her inability to possess “absolute hearing.” As a result, she created an early learning program known as the Aguchi Chord Instructional Method designed to assist young learners in acquiring perfect pitch.

Many believe that “absolute hearing” is an innate talent – either one is born with it or not.

Prominent musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Mariah Carey, Jimi Hendrix and Yanni have “absolute hearing”. Since the introduction of Aguchi’s method, thousands of Japanese children have successfully developed the skill of recognizing notes by ear.

It was thought that you are born with it, but you learn it

In 2012, researcher Ayako Sakakibara published a study involving 24 children who learned using Eguchi’s chord teaching method. Of the 22 who completed the study, all achieved “absolute hearing”. The research indicated that with proper exposure and training, it is possible to develop “absolute hearing” and that it is not just a unique gift bestowed upon a select few. The Eguchi method relies on short, frequent and focused training sessions. The cracking must start from a very early age.

So how does this relate to achieving our goals? One point of departure from learning “absolute hearing” is that our ability to learn or achieve is not limited; But the way we approach our goals is what really matters. The students at Aguchi’s school did not engage in haphazard learning, but went through a structured system of deliberate practice to acquire perfect pitch.

Suresh Kumar Sharma, an Indian man with an extraordinary memory, etched his name in the pages of history when he broke the world record for reciting the decimal places of Pi from memory. This mathematical constant, represented by the Greek letter “π”, is the ratio between the circumference of the circle and its diameter and is an irrational number with infinite decimal places. The previous record was held by Rajveer Meena of India, who recited 31,415 digits in 2015.

In October 2020, Sharma took on the challenge of breaking the record. Over the course of 17 hours and 14 minutes, he carefully recited 50,000 decimal places of Pi without error. His incredible feat was documented by Guinness World Records and cemented his place as the new world record holder. He has a brilliant mind or he just trained like a wild boar, what do you think?

Memorizing and reciting the digits of Pi has become a popular challenge for memory enthusiasts around the world, with competitions held every year on March 14 (14.3 representing the first three digits of Pi: 3.14). Sharma’s achievement serves as an inspiration to those attempting to push the limits of human memory and a testament to the dedication and focus required to achieve such an extraordinary feat.

Are you born good at math?

This is the biggest question that almost everyone is concerned with.

Can I be good at math?

Can I be a good musician?

Yes, all you need is to challenge yourself and take you out of your comfort zone. That way you will find techniques and methods to improve. When you encounter a roadblock, all you have to do is take a different path.

Today there are answers to these questions, and they are very unequivocal. Yes, everything is possible and it’s a matter of deliberate training from an appropriate age.

It is important to understand that practicing or engaging in a profession is really not enough. Studies show that doctors who have been doing the same thing for 20 years are often worse than a new doctor. Time gives us nothing without feedback and constant improvement of the result.

The most important understanding of all in education – the greatest importance is the amount of time invested and not the talent. Investment time > ability > large output > ability… There are two important conditions for developing ability: the younger the age, the investment time affects the ability in a more significant way, and also the investment time should be fed back to success – that is, understand when there is success or failure, otherwise the brain Ours does not know how to improve abilities. For example, there are people, not many, who are very efficient in tasks and solving problems – the reason is usually that they came from a certain lack and that for many years they practice simplifying and reaching a solution as quickly as possible, they are not always aware of it.

Learn from practice and not from formulas

Focus, feedback and correction is the best way for our brain to learn, therefore in all education systems it is important to emphasize practice, even practice without theory at all. That’s how I studied physics at the Technion, I saw that I didn’t understand anything in the lectures, so I only went to the exercises, it was a little difficult at first but during the exercises I started to understand.

To win When we engage in deliberate practice, our brain undergoes significant changes. By focusing on specific skills and devoting time and effort to improving them, we change the structure of our brain and allow us to become more skilled at our chosen tasks.

Strengthening neural connections: during deliberate practice, the connections between neurons (the brain cells responsible for transmitting information) are strengthened. As these connections, or synapses, grow larger, the brain becomes more efficient at processing and performing tasks related to the practiced skill.

Be 100% focused on goals

In targeted training it is important to be fully focused during the training and not half-eared. The best way to achieve this is with healthy sleep and a combination of sports. Set yourself goals for improvement and feel progress. The best time is after getting up at a fixed time because there is nothing to prevent you from studying and exercising and thus the training also enters into your routine. The enjoyment of things that are routine is caused by an evolutionary reason, it is easy for us to do the things that are routine, compared to the first time we had to do them. Throughout my studies, as well as during the period of building my companies, I would always start shortly after getting up at a fixed time and usually up to about an hour for such a session. Studies have shown that this is the best time to concentrate on it. And of course it’s important to get up with a natural wake-up time, without an alarm clock, that’s how your body wakes up hormonally. Studies have shown that the more people sleep, the better they progress. Logic also supports this. I will spare you these studies, look them up or trust me.

My time was always planned for learning or training, that way there were no surprises, there was a routine and the time would pass more nicely.

Advance and then get stuck, it’s not genes!

In most professions and abilities, at first you progress the fastest and then get stuck. Try to understand what is not working for you and where the problem is, try to get out of your comfort zone and solve the problem in a different way, this is precisely targeted training, it can be in the field of software, singing, running or writing. Most people get stuck at some point, but a very small group of people don’t give up and find ways to move forward, be in that small group, it’s not genes, it’s a way of working. Sometimes a new guide can help after you got all you could from the previous guide.

Activation of new brain areas and tasks not intended for them

Depending on the task practiced, different parts of the brain become more active during deliberate practice. For example, practicing a musical instrument activates the motor cortex (responsible for controlling movement) and the auditory cortex (responsible for sound processing). As these brain areas become more active, they also develop and strengthen and contribute to improved performance. The proof of the activation of areas of the brain for tasks that were not really intended for can be seen in blind people who actually “train” to see with their hands.

Blind people rely on their sense of touch to read braille, a system of raised dots that represent letters and numbers. When they lose their sight, their brains adapt to process information differently, using different parts of the brain to understand Braille.

In sighted people, the visual cortex is the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information. However, the brains of blind people reassign the visual cortex to process tactile information instead. When blind people read Braille, their visual cortex becomes active and helps them interpret the raised dots through touch.

The somatosensory cortex is the part of the brain that processes sensory information from touch and the body from the body. In blind people, the somatosensory cortex becomes more sensitive and responsive to tactile stimulation, such as feeling Braille dots. This enhanced activation helps them read Braille more accurately and efficiently.

Blind people often show increased connectivity between different brain regions, such as the somatosensory cortex, visual cortex, and language processing areas. This improved communication between brain areas allows them to effectively process and understand Braille through their sense of touch.

The brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself is called neuroplasticity and plays a crucial role in blind people’s ability to read Braille. When they lose their sight, their brains undergo significant changes, allowing them to process tactile information more efficiently and use it for tasks such as reading Braille.

The brain is more flexible with age

Each type of training has the ideal age to start it. It is important to start math, music, reading and sports from a young age to keep these learning abilities open. I, for example, did not read at a young age and today I find it difficult to articulate and write well. They once thought that Mozart was a genius because he played at the age of 4, today YouTube is full of such children.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself throughout our lives. Purposeful practice improves neuroplasticity and allows the brain to form new neural connections and pathways when we learn new skills or refine existing skills. You see it in the ability to play the piano.

Playing the piano is a complex skill that requires mind-body coordination. Let’s explore how brain plasticity changes with age and its effect on learning to play the piano.

During childhood and adolescence, the brain is plastic and can easily make new connections and adapt to new experiences. This is an ideal time to learn to play the piano, as the brain can quickly develop the neural connections needed to play the instrument. Young people often find it easier to learn to read sheet music, memorize songs, and develop fine motor skills for playing.

In adulthood, the plasticity of the brain decreases compared to that in childhood. However, adults are still able to learn to play the piano and experience brain changes associated with neuroplasticity. Adults may need to devote more time and effort to practice, but they can still develop the neural connections necessary to become proficient at playing the piano. In addition, adults can benefit from their increased focus, discipline and understanding of complex concepts.

As we age, the brain’s plasticity decreases even more, and learning new skills like playing the piano can become more challenging. However, it is still possible, even for older people, to learn to play the piano and experience the benefits of neuroplasticity. Regular practice can help maintain cognitive function and even slow down age-related cognitive decline. Adults will need to be patient and consistent with their practice to make progress.

Short term versus long term memory

In deliberate training we want to work on long-term memory, it remembers patterns and has difficulty remembering meaningless sequences. I noticed this at school, when I had trouble memorizing songs or verses from the Bible, it was simply not an area I delved into and practiced on. The first book I read was at the age of 20, John Grisham’s The Firm, but I always memorized formulas for calculus tests without any difficulty , it entered my long-term memory.

Our brains are wired to recognize patterns and make connections between related pieces of information. This ability to remember logical sequences and correlations is often more effective than trying to recall random, unrelated items. Chess players are a great example of how our brains excel at remembering meaningful patterns and sequences.

Professional chess players differ from ordinary players in the thousands of board positions they have in their long-term memory. In the experiment they saw that they remember board positions much better than normal players, but when the board is arranged randomly, they remember the boards like normal players. This shows exactly how deliberate practice works on long-term memory.

Chess is a complex game that requires players to strategize and plan their moves in advance. Top level chess players demonstrate an amazing ability to remember sequences of moves and their outcomes. Their brains are exceptionally adept at recognizing patterns and making correlations between the arrangement of the pieces on the board and successful strategies.

Chess players often study historical games and learn common opening moves called “openings” to gain an advantage over their opponents. These openings include sequences of moves that have been proven effective in previous games. By learning and recognizing these patterns players can quickly adjust their strategies to counter the opponent’s moves.

One of the reasons why chess players can remember these sequences more easily is that they “distribute” information. Chunking is a cognitive process where we group related pieces of information together, making them easier to remember. Chess players can remember complex board positions because they group related pieces into a single mental unit or “chunk.” This makes it easier to remember entire sequences of moves instead of random positions of individual parts.

As chess players gain experience and expertise, their ability to recognize and remember meaningful patterns and sequences improves. They develop an extensive mental library of familiar board positions and strategies that they can quickly access and apply during a game. This knowledge allows them to focus on higher level strategic thinking instead of trying to remember individual moves.

What is the talent? What was the training that resulted in the talent?

In the end, the difference in abilities depends on the ability to concentrate for a long time and on making attempts that have not yet been made. This very training teaches creativity. The ability to concentrate for a long time is not innate, it is an acquired ability. At some point in the timeline when the ability improves, we feel pleasure. Professional musicians enjoy playing very much and so do top dancers.

Parents and teachers should give the child or student self-confidence and recognition, so that in difficult times the child will not give up, after all, difficult times always come.

Many times the person who excelled in something simply found a smart study method and nothing more.

So when you see Messi, always ask yourself what is the talent? What was the training that resulted in the talent?

Laszlo shows that we are all born equal

I know I’m good at math right now and I know it’s led me to success in life, Technion, logical thinking, decisions, even marriage.

And so it was important to me that my daughter also have this freedom that I have. I tried to understand what makes people succeed in learning because I think I’m not “good at math from birth” and I came across the following story:

Once upon a time, in a small and strange town in Hungary, there lived an extraordinary family – the Fulgars. The father of the family was Leslo, his wife Clara and their three daughters – Zuzsa (Susan), Zasofia (Sofia) and Yehudit. Laszlo Polgar was an educational psychologist who firmly believed that “geniuses are made, not born.” He had a revolutionary idea – to raise his daughters as chess prodigies to prove that with the right environment and hard work, anyone can excel in a given field.

Laszlo started teaching his daughters chess at a very young age. Susan, the eldest, started playing when she was only four years old, Sofia and Yehudit followed her. The girls were homeschooled by their parents, with a strong emphasis on chess and other intellectual pursuits. Laszlo and Clara created a stimulating environment for their daughters, providing them with thousands of books on various subjects, as well as countless chess puzzles and chess games for learning.

The Polgar sisters trained diligently and spent hours each day honing their skills on the chess board. Their hard work began to pay off, and soon they started making waves in the chess world. Susan, the eldest, became the first woman to win an International Master title at the age of 12. She went on to become the Women’s World Chess Champion in 1996 and held the title for four years. Susan was also the first woman to earn the title of Grandmaster by achieving the required norms and ranking.

Sophia, the middle sister, was equally talented. Although she did not pursue chess as strongly as her sisters, she was remarkably successful. Sofia won the International Women’s Masters title and won several tournaments, including the 1989 New York Open, where she won several multi-masters.

But it was the youngest sister, Judith, who shattered all records and expectations. By the age of 15, she had become the youngest International Grandmaster in history, breaking Bobby Fischer’s long-standing record. Judith was not only the strongest chess player of all time, but she also regularly competed with and defeated the top chess players. She reached a record world ranking of No. 8 in 2005, the highest ranking ever achieved by a woman.

The story of the Polgar sisters is a testament to their father’s belief in the power of hard work and determination. By devoting themselves to the game of chess and the pursuit of knowledge, the sisters not only broke down barriers in the male-dominated world of chess but also inspired generations of young girls to follow their dreams and challenge the status quo.

In the end, the Folgar family’s experiment became an undeniable success, proving that with the right environment, dedication and passion, anyone can achieve greatness. And so, the legend of the Fulgar sisters lives on, a shining example of the power of human potential.

Some would argue that just as there is a distinction between humans and apes, humans themselves are inherently different in terms of the circumstances of their birth, implying that we are not born equal. However, the reality is that we are born with a relative degree of equality, with no initial skills or abilities. As we grow, we develop different skills in many areas that are significantly influenced by factors such as nutrition, parenting, mental stress, a supportive environment, friends, studies, academically inclined parents and countless other aspects. While the structure of the brain at birth may be different, its influence is negligible compared to environmental factors, without any genetic abnormality.

From a genetic point of view, the most prominent aspect is one’s character that can determine the fields we are drawn to, and consequently the skills we develop within them. For example, I personally have an aversion to memorization, which has led me to struggle and falter in humanistic disciplines. As a result, my proficiency in areas that require a strong command of language and expression.

And by the way, I saw that my daughter develops “talent” in arithmetic only with the help of hours of practice, many hours. At first I saw normal abilities and over time I saw a really unnatural “talent” develop. And that’s how I was too, only from seventh grade I started investing more than others in math, because my father kept saying his was 100. A kind of healthy competition, zero talent.

No feedback, no learning

One day I was playing poker at a table in Las Vegas, I told myself that today I don’t come to make money at the table, I only come to learn about new methods and people’s behaviors. I made moves just to test theories, like betting too much or too little, harassing people with repeated raises, not looking at my cards at all and playing by the reactions I see from people and their bet size. It developed nice abilities in me, just like a blind person strengthens the sense of touch. This small change advanced me in the game like I never did when I came with the “today I want to earn” attitude.

The importance of measurable and quantitative feedback, error correction and continuous learning in human development cannot be overstated. The process is simple – training then feedback then correction then training then feedback, so on and on, it could be thousands of iterations or a few. This iterative process is essential for growth and improvement in various aspects of life, including personal, professional and behavioral areas. Feedback and subsequent error correction are necessary for people to develop and excel in any given field or activity.

In everything you do it is important to get feedback, let’s say you set up a website to sell anti-baldness ointment, there is no teacher who will give you real feedback, you need to create the feedback by calculating daily how many bought, how many entered the website and how much it cost you. Then you have something to work with; Cost per buyer on the site and number of buyers are good quantitative feedback.

In certain professions or activities, such as skateboarding, feedback is readily apparent. For example if a skateboarder fails to perform a trick properly, he can immediately distinguish his performance based on the result. This clear feedback allows him to adjust his technique and try again, which ultimately leads to improvement.

However, there are areas where feedback may not be so simple, such as poker. In this case, a player may make a strategically correct decision that will result in a loss due to the element of chance. As a result, it can be challenging to determine which aspects of their game need improvement.

Instilling the need for feedback and making corrections in children is essential for their growth and development. This is how our brain works, it needs feedback to learn.

This applies not only to their academic pursuits but also to their behavior and social skills. By teaching children to be receptive to feedback and willing to make adjustments, we equip them with the tools necessary for continuous improvement throughout their lives.

Ideally, the education system should operate on the basis of this principle of feedback and correction and enable continuous improvement for students at all levels. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The system often fails to provide consistent and meaningful feedback, especially when students advance in higher grades and continue to special studies.

In a well-functioning education system, students will receive continuous feedback, allowing them to identify areas of weakness and improve their skills accordingly.

A good exercise for the students to learn to create a mechanism with quantitative feedback is a week of lectures, every day the students go up and talk for 5 minutes about a certain topic, get grades and feedback from the rest of the class and the next day everyone corrects and goes up again, so that after a week you should see and watch the grades. Every day the child sees a weighted grade of the class and comments and the next day should improve. This is exactly an improvement mechanism that is good in every area of life.

In addition, educators and administrators monitor student progress to identify potential gaps in the curriculum or teaching methods and make necessary adjustments. By adopting a feedback-driven approach, the education system can better serve students by fostering a love of learning and the ability to adapt to new challenges as a lifelong gift.

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems that resemble the way the human brain learns also rely on feedback and correction to improve their performance. This is often achieved through a process called “training” where artificial intelligence models are fed data and given feedback on their outputs. Here are some examples:

Supervised learning, in this type of machine learning, an AI model is provided with labeled data (input-output pairs) and learns to make predictions or decisions based on the feedback it receives during training.

Example: An AI model for image recognition receives a set of labeled images, where it learns to recognize objects within the images based on the correct labels it is provided.

Reinforcement learning, in this approach, an AI agent learns by interacting with its environment and receiving feedback in the form of rewards or punishments based on its actions.

Example: An AI system for a chess game receives feedback in the form of winning or losing games, allowing it to adjust its strategy and improve over time.

A book that explains this topic excellently is Anders Eriksson’s Peak .

“Pulse” compared to the scientist who improves physics studies

The education system today is teacher-biased, but it should be student-biased. A teacher is not tested according to his skills or abilities, he is directly hired. The problem is not budgetary, it is only in management. Fewer teachers and more money. Good teachers bring good teachers and also keep them in the system, we are all looking for good people around us.

When the education managers are from the analytical field, education will jump a level. Take for example the physicist who improves the ways of teaching physics.

Karl Weimann is a renowned physicist and educational researcher who has devoted a significant part of his career to changing physics education. As a Nobel laureate in physics (2001), Wieman is not only an accomplished scientist but also a passionate advocate for improving the way physics is taught in schools and universities. His research focuses on evidence-based teaching practices and the application of active learning techniques to improve students’ understanding of physics concepts.

Weimann’s research on physics education led to several key findings and recommendations. One of the main tenets of his work is the importance of moving away from traditional lecture-based teaching methods, which often fail to engage students and promote deep understanding. Instead, Weiman advocates the use of active learning strategies that encourage students to think critically, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

To achieve this, Weiman developed and promoted the use of interactive teaching techniques, such as peer teaching. This is a thought model that must be taken into schools – let students from higher grades teach lower grades and have group activities to solve problems. These methods aim to engage students in the learning process more effectively and foster a deeper understanding of physics concepts. Moreover, they help create a more inclusive learning environment as students from different backgrounds can actively participate and contribute to the learning process.

Weimann’s research also emphasized the importance of building mental models in students in physics education. For building models, the “lemma” is important, not the information. By providing real-time feedback and opportunities for students to reflect on their learning, teachers can support their students’ growth and address misconceptions before they become entrenched, help them build a mental representation of physics, and enable incremental learning from increasingly complex problems. In today’s schools there is no understanding of the importance of the mental models in the students and the threshold conditions for their construction: small problems, quick feedback, a feeling of success, inspiration from the real world, increasing difficulty and constantly leaving the comfort zone.

In addition to his research on teaching strategies, Weiman was an advocate of using educational technology in the classroom. He developed computer simulations known as PhET Interactive Simulations, and advocated their use to help students visualize and explore physics concepts. These simulations allow students to manipulate variables and observe the effects and promote a deeper understanding of the underlying principles.

Some title for the most important section here

It turns out that in children, temperament and listening affect vocabulary. That is, the character of the child, and not his IQ, affects his verbal ability through training.

In chess, the players with the higher IQ have an advantage at the beginning, but only at the beginning. After that what matters is the training. Even when you want to hire an employee at work – take the one who has the most desire to learn and not the one who has the most knowledge. The prophecy comes true when the child is told “You are not good at math”. But the truth is that the child feels alone, even if they don’t tell him. And this is the big problem because children and adults know how to get hints when they are not appreciated, and then in fact a vicious circle begins – he will not appreciate himself, then he will not have the desire to practice or learn because it will not change anything, there is a problem with him.

The most important mental model for teaching children that will accompany them in any field is one of the simplest, “I trained with deliberate training and then I progressed,” this is the success model that says that progress is not genetic or dependent on fate, but depends on the person himself and if he practices. I recite this to my children a lot and confront them. Their answer usually says “but how can I be a professional basketball player when I’m short” and then I answer them “height is not an ability, it’s a physical attribute”. If a child has this model in his head, he will make an effort and progress in every field, from math, dance to soccer or the Bible quiz. This is a model that helps to succeed in other fields.

If it was possible to be excellent in the field, then the best youth tennis players would always end up being at the top of the world and this is not the case, you cannot tell from the youth players who will be a world class tennis player.

Tom Brady, one of the best football players of all time, was selected 199th out of 254 in the draft, meaning he was not one of the best with the highest ability, but over the years and deliberate training he reached the top. All his life he trained to train and improve abilities, he did targeted training with feedback from every game, I’m sure the others don’t come close to that. He also improved his diet and his whole life. Tom Brady is known for his strict diet, sleep routine and lifestyle choices that he believes have contributed to his longevity and success in the NFL. Brady adopted a holistic approach to maintaining his health and performance that included a combination of proper nutrition, sleep and exercise.

Some key aspects of his regime:

• Sleep – Brady emphasizes the importance of adequate and quality sleep to aid recovery and overall health. He usually aims for a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep each night and maintains a regular sleep schedule.
• Exercise and recovery – Brady follows a personalized training regimen that focuses on functional strength, flexibility and mobility. He incorporates resistance bands, flexibility exercises and yoga into his routine. Brady also prioritizes recovery methods, such as massage, foam rolling and cryotherapy to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.
• Healthy Lifestyle – In addition to his diet and fitness routine, Brady maintains a strict lifestyle that supports his career that includes: limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption, reducing exposure to environmental toxins, and prioritizing time with family and friends for emotional well-being.

With the help of maintaining a strict diet, sleep routine and healthy lifestyle choices, Tom Brady has been able to maintain a high level of performance throughout his long career while defying expectations for an NFL quarterback his age.

But, and there is a “big but” here, what is critical is the targeted training and not the duration of the training. Otherwise, many poker players will beat their heads with losses all their lives – even though they play all day, they do not build themselves new mental models for the game, they do not correct mistakes and receive feedback. Of course it’s not just for poker, but for most abilities in the world, 95% don’t do deliberate training and are therefore stuck. Imagine a world where everyone knows what intentional training is, I hope you are now one of those if you managed to survive this far. Many times you need to take a coach to help with targeted training and after you have learned everything from him, take a new teacher or coach.

Dividends are good

Education is the best indicator of the future of the country and the family. The only place where an investment of 1 shekel can return 100 shekels with dividends. Education gives humans what they have longed for for thousands of years: freedom! But here we are talking about freedom of thought. With the help of mental freedom it is easy to reach physical freedom. “To be free in our country,” says the anthem. Values are built when there is an understanding of how they improve life.

A critical part of education is management, you can read about it here: Making money with the “freedom to think” .

Jewish education

Learning the Bible is important for imparting values even to students who are completely heretics. Jewish education unites us as a people in a Jewish state. The spirit of the Bible advocates freedom, kindness and modesty – values that it is important for everyone to assimilate.

Good teachers bring good teachers

There is a rule that generally applies to all systems that have people in them. Excellent teachers bring excellent teachers, and mediocre teachers bring mediocre teachers and below. Today in the education system in Israel, mediocrity and below has spread and this of course seeps from the management of the Ministry of Education into the field.

How is Meir Har Zion produced?

People grow up in homes where the framework of rules is fixed, there are assumptions and usually they don’t ask too many questions, but accept the reality: this is the food you eat, this is how homes should be, these are the good professions and so on. Most children do not grow up independently either, that is, they enter into an existing reality and a fixed framework of rules. These things actually deprive children of the necessary training to be trailblazers. The daring fighter, Meir Har Zion, says that when he was a very young boy, he would travel all over the country and go on trips alone, he practiced independence and breaking rules, so it is no wonder that he was unique and special, he was not born that way, he trained for it without knowing it.

In addition, to be a trailblazer you must be a person who reads books, I have not come across a visionary who was not a book person. Herzl, Ben Gurion, Begin, Golda, Franklin, Jabotinsky, Elon Musk, Einstein, Jefferson – they were all book people. I’m not saying it’s the only way. But I’m trying to explain why there are so few visionary and groundbreaking leaders, entrepreneurs and CEOs. Leaders also need to be charismatic as well as have the luck and marketing ability to reach the top.

But all these are not enough, something else is missing, usually you also need a challenging childhood, one that makes you dream, dream of a different future, and then you practice imagining a different future.

Add to all those who have to be decent and honest and then you end up with lonely, lonely lonely people.

In order for all these things to work out and take place, we come to the conclusion that these are really lonely people, but they exist and they are within us, we need to look for their glimmer of free thought and “profit from them”.

So the next time your child wants to build a tree house or dig a tunnel to the neighbor’s house, let him.

Second intelligence – to improve thinking itself

Calculus is like a second intelligence. Calculus helps us build correct models of reality. Without mathematical training of the brain during childhood it is impossible to build appropriate mental models in adulthood, therefore it is important to teach children mathematics (calculation) from a very young age in all educational institutions and it is even more important that they practice at home!

When we improve the thinking itself, we actually raise all our abilities, from calculating how much a candy costs with VAT to throwing the basketball in the basket, this calculation multiplies crazy power.

The power of mathematics is in integrating with the world through information and models to make much better decisions combined with logic. Not by convincing myself that I am right, but by turning the wheel many times and measuring the results. It is important to define the problems gently, but solve them powerfully. An example of a mental model: when I scratch a lottery ticket, my chances of winning do not change if someone else took a ticket before me. The model behind this statement: there is no change in the probability of winning or losing if I drew one card or another.

The subjects that should be emphasized are those that improve thinking and decision-making: arithmetic, a second language, theoretical reading (including newspapers) and physics. About the advantages of a second language – read more here .

Second language, third intelligence

Studies show that bilingual speakers score better on intelligence tests. Of course, getting more intelligence just from learning a second language is a big gain with little effort. Exactly what we are looking for, or at least what I am looking for.

Two options at the same time

A second language makes us think much more freely and outside the box on any subject, because the brain gets used to always using two options for each relevant language. Various studies have shown that a second language improves our very thinking. It is interesting that immigrants usually have a second language, which probably helps their success, especially in countries with equal opportunities like the USA. English, or any second language, but preferably English, is actually a force multiplier because it improves all of our thinking and not just on a specific subject, as opposed to, for example, memorizing material in history which does not improve the very thinking.

A software language is a language

A software language is like a language for everything, it also improves our very thinking.

The computer is like a second brain for us, especially if we know how to develop software or use Google Docs, and even Excel, and of course searching in ChatGPT adds a lot to our thinking and deciphering ability. It is important to teach children how to operate them correctly to raise the child’s intelligence in sharing the machine.

The gateway to the world of knowledge is English

Most of the professional literature in the world is written in English. Every subject taught at the master’s degree level is conducted almost entirely in English. That is why there is a huge advantage for those who speak a second language, and it is better that it be English of course. For free thought we need knowledge, and most of the knowledge in the world is in English. Most of the most important books I have read are in English.

Words that are not in your first language

One of the reasons that a second language improves the very thinking is that we get words that are not in our main language at all and win a new way of thinking. For example, Hebrew does not really have the words “minimal” and “maximum”, and when we learn English, we add more new forms of thinking to our thinking box and improve the thinking itself. Also in the programming language there are new words that actually increase the toolbox even more, like If then or j=100 which means to insert a value into a variable, we frame a word for an idea in the brain and then pull out this frame in any thought process that needs it.

How come everyone has ADHD

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses in the United States among children aged 4 to 17 years increased from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007, and to 11.0% in 2012. 2011. This indicates a steady increase in ADHD diagnosis rates over the years.

The clear thing is that children are constantly being tested for all kinds of disorders and that in the past they were less tested.

The second thing is the diet of many children which makes them behave strangely. Nutrition is known to affect our mindset and especially children. I see my children – when they are rambunctious and unhappy, I ask my wife if they have eaten sugar, and the answer is usually yes. No research is needed here.

Studies have shown that certain foods and dietary patterns may be associated with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and other behavioral or mental problems in children. Some studies have indicated a potential link between food additives, artificial colors and ADHD symptoms in children. A meta-analysis published in 2012 in the journal “Pediatrics” reported a small but significant association between artificial food coloring and increased ADHD symptoms in children. Such additives include, for example, sodium benzoate and artificial colors such as red 40 and yellow 5. However, not all children with ADHD may be sensitive to these additives, and more research is needed to establish a clear causal relationship.

Excessive sugar consumption has also been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental problems. Some studies have also shown a potential link between high sugar intake and ADHD symptoms or other behavioral problems in children. A study published in 2011 in the “Journal of Attention Disorders” found a positive relationship between high sugar consumption and ADHD symptoms. However, the link between sugar and ADHD is still not fully understood, and more research is needed.

Certain dietary patterns, such as the Western diet that includes processed foods, refined sugars and non-animal fats, have been linked to worse mental health outcomes in children. Conversely, a healthier diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, has been linked to better mental health. A 2017 study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that nutritional interventions can improve mental health outcomes, including ADHD symptoms, in children.

Some studies have indicated that deficiencies in specific nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D, may be associated with ADHD symptoms and other behavioral or mental health problems in children. Thus, a study published in 2005 in the “Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology” found that an omega-3 fatty acid supplement can improve ADHD symptoms in children. However, it is important to note that nutritional supplements should be done under the supervision of a healthcare professional because excessive consumption of certain nutrients can also cause negative effects.

Read here what free nutrition is and why it is suitable for humans.

me me me

One of the most important things in modern times is that everyone looks primarily at themselves, and this is why modesty education is so important today. “My soul is like dust for anything” This allows thinking without ego and self-aggrandizement and this is exactly what helps to move forward in life, to make decisions based on data and logic without ego.

boys and girls

Separation between boys and girls in real subjects in the first years – studies show that the separation between boys and girls in the first years of school increases the chances of success for girls due to differences between girls and boys.

Educate that moving forward is a value

Education for constant progress – that is to make people act in a circle – difficulty or pain > another look and study of the process > progress – and not in a circle – difficulty or pain > blaming the world for problems > despair and inaction. People who operate in the first circle (about 10% of people) are the most successful, but the correction through education is possible and even easy. Education for improvement – trying to improve everything possible and moving forward gives meaning. The improvement is made through the ability to hear criticism, respond positively to it and correct the opinion accordingly.

teach decision making

It is important to teach how to manage a correct decision-making process and how and why it is good to change one’s mind in the right way. These skills, which will not be acquired without study, will change the face of society if the majority decide to act according to logic. To teach all the biases we are born with, such as confirming what we know, not accepting new facts that contradict existing opinions, not making decisions under mental pressure because they are based on emotion and so on and so forth…

Compound Interest

Compound interest is a universal law that applies not only to investments, it is one of the wonders of the world and in education – one of the most critical laws. When you invest what you have learned, that is – the “interest” – back in life, the increase in abilities is tremendous. An example from economics – an investment of 10,000 NIS for 25 years at 10% annual interest will yield 110,000 NIS. That’s 11 times the money. An example in a career – when you learn something new every day by reading (or any other way), countless possibilities for learning open up based on the new knowledge we have gained. He who does not learn, will always remain where he stopped. It is basically compound interest in learning that can yield huge profits. Reinvest what you’ve learned to improve abilities, that’s what smart and successful people do.

Study video, don’t want to be a parrot!

In recent years, there has been a clear trend of changing the role of the teacher in a fundamental way. This change is expressed in the direction of the teacher to be a guide to the students and less of a “lecturer” who reads from a syllabus and pre-written essays using the MAM method (the teacher stands and teaches). Methods such as a “reversed classroom” can be seen in which the students learn the imparting material (the stage in which they absorb knowledge) as filmed or written homework and only then come to class and perform the practice and discussion stage. A number of other methods have been developed, such as project-based education (PBL) which developed in Hi-Tech and in the association ‘Atid Plus’ which I founded in 2013 with my partners Daniel Kobler. As part of the association’s work, we developed the “Tech Farm” program where the students learned the materials with the help of small research groups who worked together to solve a problem in the agricultural farm and invented a prototype with the help of mentors and finally entered the national competition for youth entrepreneurship in the fields of agrotech. In fact, three years in a row, we won the competition in the first three places, alongside a significant increase of hundreds of percent in the amount of people who approach the 4-5 mathematics and extended science majors. The change was so noticeable that in the youth village ‘Khonat’ in 2013, only two students completed 4-5 math units, and 3 years later there was an increase of almost 1,000%. We realized that with the help of positive modeling, along with the leadership of excellent educators and field coordinators such as Coral Beaton (who later became the CEO of the association) it is possible to create a fundamental change and depth in science studies that are not “read” to children, but are actually done in the field and create motivation in the students to reach the extended scientific majors Along with excellent instructors with high training abilities and small learning groups.

Allow a student to become a teacher

You can see in the coach of the US national team the method in a math school that Petah is equipping high school students to teach , and it works amazingly.

During a morning walk on the Carmel beach at the end of 2021, I approached Daniel, my partner in the establishment of the “Etid Plus” association with the idea of producing VBL – video based learning or in Hebrew “video based learning”. I came in this direction because I thought that if I were a teacher, I wouldn’t want to repeat the lesson plans all the time like a parrot. I would like to invest my time in meaningful education, helping the weak and positive modeling where I help those who really struggle with practice alongside those in the class who can run at a pace higher than their own independently.

Teachers and schools were well rewarded in the pilot project. The pilot continued extensively in 2022 with regular teachers in 8 schools who did not receive significant compensation, with the aim of testing whether the project is sustainable on a national scale. The teachers in the extended pilot showed poor motivation and an inability to invest time, and this led to the conclusion that in order to succeed on a national scale, the Ministry of Education needs to invest in producing quality videos in all core subjects with the best teachers in Israel and really produce “stars” alongside learning and learning technologies around the video that will create an interactive experience.

Today this happens mainly in Yschool and other individual websites of private companies. In our opinion, in order for the project to be successful, the Ministry of Education should issue a tender to private companies with the tender being divided among several production companies and not controlled by one company in the market such as a foreign exchange company. All this alongside an additional reward for successful productions with an objective score that strives for measurement tools that meet the standards of free thought.

In this way, you don’t have to hire only professional teachers, but you can also hire students and students of higher grades who will only practice the class, just like in the academy where the practitioners are students. A professional teacher will still be in charge of the class, but his time will be freed up to look at everything from above and take care of the weak.

In my opinion, this method should only be used from the 4th grade onwards because younger students must have a teacher in front of them and work on persistence and the ability to self-direct learning.

New school to check feasibility

Coral Beaton, the CEO of the association, is currently establishing a new school together with educationist Theodore Landau called “Toho” which will create “positive chaos” in education and will be the first of its kind in Israel, for youth from the social and economic periphery who aspire to be independent and excellent. The school provides guidance and continuity from the 9th grade under academic and boarding conditions, through service in the IDF until discharge from the army and even in academic studies and employment after the army. The school will be completely different from the schools that exist today, more like an academy than a school, with elective classes and an emphasis on the core subjects – Mathematics, and English – a bilingual school alongside a strong connection with high-tech companies and advanced industry in the field.

Neither the teacher nor the student want to be a parrot. The teacher, we already understood why, the student doesn’t just want to memorize all day. Most traditional learning to this day is based on seeing the student as a “container”, who only receives in a one-way way. The assumption is that the base of knowledge is the teacher. Today’s reality already shows the opposite. We need to break the dependence on the teacher as the basis of knowledge and develop as many independent learners as possible – video learning as a code name for all independent learning that is not based on a teacher. Read a book, listen to a recorded lecture from abroad, search for information alone, learn through playing, etc. Learning in fellowship, a genius and simple idea that is hundreds of years old that the religious communities and the Torah education do it in a phenomenal way from the age of 3 in “Haydar” and the state-secular education has a lot to learn from them.

A method for learning methods

Learning methods and access to solutions – intelligence is often confused with a method or an approach to problems. Order and organization contribute to the understanding of the problem before us regardless of the intelligence of the problem solver. In software development, the best developers are those who approach the problems in front of them in a generic way with a certain approach when their work environment is modeled and they are not necessarily the smartest developers in the organization. That is why it is critical in schools to teach a correct approach to different types of problems and this of course includes order, understanding the problem in depth, arranging the information, etc.

John Mitton’s JUMP Math program is founded on the belief that anyone can excel in math, given the right learning environment and resources. This innovative approach to mathematics education has been the subject of various studies that sought to evaluate its effectiveness.

One study conducted by Dr. John Pollock of the University of Toronto was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the JUMP Math program in improving students’ math performance. The study included students from grades 3 to 6 and compared their math achievements before and after participating in the JUMP Math program. The results showed that students who participated in the program had significant improvements in their math performance with an average increase of 2.4 grades in just one year.

Another study conducted by researchers from the University of Western Ontario and Wilfrid Laurier University investigated the impact of the JUMP Math program on students’ mathematical knowledge and self-confidence. The study found that students who participated in the program demonstrated not only an improvement in math performance, but also increased self-confidence in their math abilities.

In a 2016 randomized controlled trial, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, investigated the impact of the JUMP Math program on the math achievement of students in grades 1 through 5. The results indicated that students in the JUMP Math group performed higher than their peers in the control group, indicating that the program is effective in improving students’ math skills.

These studies provide evidence that the JUMP Math program can lead to significant improvements in math performance and self-confidence among students. By breaking down complex problems into manageable steps, providing continuous assessment and feedback, and building confidence through success, the JUMP Math approach empowers students to develop a strong foundation in math and overcome the common barriers associated with math anxiety. The success of the JUMP Math program supports the idea that with the right tools and instruction, anyone can learn and excel in math.

Part X

The family imparts values and a personal example, but also a spoiled education from a home that is later difficult to fix. That is why it is important to provide education for optimism and positive thinking – to do great and important things you need to dream, and to realize dreams you need to be optimistic. It is recommended to read Flourish by Martin Seligman. At the end of each day ask “What was good today?”

Part X – Every human being has a part X that fights change and progress through various excuses. Teach your child to fight his X part and constantly improve and move forward and change his mind when circumstances change.

People talking about people talking about ideas

People are generally divided into two types, the type that likes to talk about ideas and opinions and the other type that likes to talk about people and shopping. I am of the first type, I was always more interested in processes and ideas that would advance me than hearing what other people were doing or bought for themselves.

It’s worth educating yourself and your child not to bother with what others have or don’t have, but more with how they got where they got, how to study and what to spend the time on.

It’s more interesting how Elon Musk for example got to where he got than how much money he made yesterday. By the way, regarding Elon Musk, one of the things that should interest you is that he has read hundreds of theoretical books since he was a child, and this is one of the main factors of his success. The second factor is probably the lack that grew in him, that he took him to a good place.

study alone

Self-learning – most of the fields in which we reach a high level such as composition, soccer, software, mathematics, painting, photography, carpentry, etc., we learn by ourselves out of the will to progress and out of curiosity. There is a stage where if the child doesn’t learn on his own, he won’t be able to get through it – most of the time this desire exists in children who came from some kind of deprivation, therefore it is important to expose the children to new things and guide them in an initial direction and leave the rest to them.

Does analytics bring morality?

According to free thought, yes, because it develops logic. Logic builds morality in childhood because conscience is actually the desire not to cause harm to another. This is how children build their conscience and morality from a young age. Analytics basically helps the child to quantify, but not only numbers, but also abstract ideas.

take the first step

It is important to educate to strive for contact with action and not just to plan and plan.

Education to think that changing reality is possible – if we act. A man asked every day for weeks to win the lottery or he would go bankrupt. Every day he came and asked to win the lottery. On the last day, he literally begged, “I have to win the lottery, why don’t you let me win?!” Then he heard a voice: “No problem, but you have to buy a ticket first.”

fight jealousy

To compare yourself only to yourself from the past and not to others who will always be smarter, prettier, funnier or richer. You shall not covet. It is important to educate exactly the opposite of what social networks educate and that is to constantly look at others, upside down! Look at yourself and get better.

Actions are worth a thousand words

A personal example in every aspect of life where you want to teach the way to act, such as the desire to accept criticism.

Modesty – through personal example.

Minimalism – through a personal example. Don’t buy a thousand things. Just what is needed.

Family reading – it is easier to teach to read when everyone reads at the same time. Non-fiction books and biographies are preferable. Actions and words are equal – to show by personal example and explanations that the word has power and one should do what they say and say what they do.

For example in our house if my wife or I promise something to the children, it will always be fulfilled, word for word, but we expect the children exactly the same. An example in actions, not in words.

Learn to give and receive honest feedback

One of people’s problems is that they don’t accept criticism and see it as a personal injury.

I really like to ask people and friends their opinion on many subjects, and I often encounter the fear of giving me criticism. After all, that’s why I ask, to receive criticism, that’s the only way I can improve, especially in business. I thought of the name Plus500 on a trip to India when my partner and friend Gal was with me, of course I asked him on the stairs what do you think of the name? He told me “great name,” I know him, if he thought it was a bad name, he would have just said “crap of a name,” I wrote the name down in that coffee shop in India.

If someone says something bad about your idea, it’s not about you! If you “enter” him, you will no longer hear real criticism from him and that is very bad for you. Bad criticism of an idea – great for you, that way if you think about it freely and see that he is right, you will save a lot of unnecessary work. Your thoughts and ideas need honest criticism from those around you, otherwise you will be like Saddam Hussein or others who did not understand the reality around them. Teach your child this way, to ask for honest criticism and give honest criticism.

Politeness brings beauty

Politeness education – when you think about the other, huge processes take place even at the state level. Small things affect the big things in the end. The most polite countries are also the cleanest (Japan, the Nordics and others).

Courtesy brings great products and a beautiful country. Courtesy is often seen as simple social etiquette, but its impact goes far beyond pleasantness and good manners. In fact, politeness can be a driving force behind the development of great products and a beautiful country. Here are some reasons why:

• Collaboration and Innovation – Courtesy fosters a positive and respectful environment, encouraging people to work together and share ideas freely. A spirit of cooperation leads to innovative solutions and quality products that respond to a wide range of needs and preferences.
• Citizen Satisfaction – Polite and courteous employees tend to provide better customer service, understand and anticipate their customers’ needs, which leads to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, higher demand for products and services.
• Attracting talents and investments – a polite and respectful business environment attracts talented professionals and investors from all over the world. This influx of talent and investment contributes to the development of advanced products, services and infrastructure, ultimately enhancing the country’s overall beauty and prosperity.
• Social Harmony – Politeness helps create a harmonious society where people are more likely to respect and support each other. This social cohesion makes it easier for communities to work together to improve their environment and preserve their natural beauty.
• Environmental consciousness – a polite society tends to value respect not only for each other, but also for the environment. This collective consciousness encourages the development of environmentally friendly products and sustainable practices that contribute to the beauty and general well-being of the country.
• Tourism and international reputation – a polite and hospitable culture attractive to tourists. They are more likely to visit and recommend a country where they feel respected and valued. This is how the tourism industry is strengthened, which supports the preservation of natural and cultural heritage sites and enhances the beauty of the country.
• Conflict Resolution – Politeness is an essential component of effective communication that helps resolve conflicts in a more amicable manner. This leads to the allocation of resources and better decision-making, resulting in the efficient development and maintenance of infrastructure and public spaces.

True independence is freedom

What appears to be independence is more the child’s ownership of his time and his decisions, giving him autonomy over his world, trusting him. The children feel when they are trusted. The term “employing children” is not recognized by the tribes because the children have their own time and agenda, the more correct definition is freedom, to give freedom, not to control just as no one likes to be controlled. This is how I grew up, I control my time and am interested and busy with what I want. There was a time when I was 4 years old that I didn’t want to go to kindergarten, my mother agreed, and I didn’t go to kindergarten for several months.

Finding a field where you want to accomplish something great and noble – this shows that it is a field suitable for parents or children. Freedom for children eventually leads to teamwork because they perceive at a certain point that they need to work in a team to do something big and succeed, this is how humans also developed, the strength of homospines is cooperation, and therefore this is a critical quality to develop in children despite the definitions that are placed between homes today, a phenomenon that was not exists in Israel but is developing rapidly.

I grew up in a home that taught you independence since we were little. The parents were at work all day. My father Jacob, an electrical engineer from the Technion, worked in Raphael for many years and came home after 10 at night. My mother Naomi, worked as a social worker in the service for the child, would come back after midnight. We prepared food for ourselves, traveled by bus alone to classes and basically did whatever we wanted. You don’t complain or whine because everything is your responsibility and you don’t want to make it difficult for the parents. There were fights every day at home over everything, from chocolate bars to the television. It taught me to manage on my own about food, money, enemies, that’s how we were sometimes between the brothers. We never had to report where we were and when we were coming back. There was total freedom and support that we could do anything. I remember that my father would always say “The Gonen family is not afraid of anything” it still resonates with me, and I also repeat it all the time to my children “The Gonen family is not afraid of anything”.

Independence is letting the child go out alone and play with friends in the neighborhood. In the US we don’t have that and it affects the children’s development, it’s one of the biggest advantages in Israel. It’s a huge difference if you have to drive a child to friends or it happens alone. I’ve noticed my children – when we don’t try to control their desires, they don’t try to control Son, he who gives freedom – receives freedom. A child’s independence should also be expressed in his dealing alone with anger and frustration, you can practice this and it is recommended to give the child full independence in dealing with them, take them to motivation and not to despair.

Trains difficulties in getting out of them

When children understand that difficulty and lack are obstacles that must be overcome, and not walls that cannot be overcome – good things happen. That’s why it’s important to let them deal with them alone and make sure they have hope. Excellent article about what science has to say on the subject .

Difficulty can also be expressed in the unwillingness to do small tasks at home, but it is important to start with small tasks. What worked best in our house was to give each child a role in the meal, one cleans the kitchen, the other washes the dishes and the third little one just clears the table. Every week the roles change. At first they would complain but after a week or so it is completely natural to them.

We don’t wrap up the tasks with nice words and we don’t go around but straight to the point “Take the plate to the sink.”

One of the things that helped me get out of difficulties was that I always saw the horizon beyond the immediate problem. Also, my parents always underestimated the size of challenges and problems, something along the lines of “I know it’s hard, but you’ll surely make it.” Helping children is important, but only when they really need help, otherwise it’s better to let them try on their own.

In the Yuktan tribe, when the children learn to walk, the mothers stand behind the child, and he feels that he is walking by himself. Compared to the meddling parents who will stand in front of the child and hold his hands, one can understand a lot from this.

You cannot succeed without failures. It is important to tell about failures and why they happened. It’s good to fail but yes to understand where the mistake is and not to repeat it. Doing chores at home teaches independence and gratitude.

They didn’t know to reveal otherwise

Reveal! Children will gain most of the knowledge and abilities on their own, the beauty is to start the process. The child’s character will eventually lead him to focus on one matter and toss aside another matter. For example: open a bank account for a child and show him how to deposit money and how to buy a stock. I remember my dad buying me a Commodore the first time so I could see how the new personal computer worked.

Leave the symptom

Solving the problem and not the symptom is largely the essence of free thought. Jeff Bezos, who built the company that changed the way people shop, said this powerful sentence: “You don’t fix the symptom, you fix the problem that caused the symptom – and that’s the secret of Amazon’s success in the last 20 years” (minute 12:33 on YouTube this one ).

What is important for parents to know?

Naturally, children want to be independent.

Home, plans, business, health, our desires get messy or decay over time, that’s why we constantly have to invest energy in arranging them – education to order and not accept the mess is critical from a young age.

Kindness is passed on to the next generation – it is important to show this by personal example.

Children copy what they see and will grow up with what they saw, that’s how nature made us.

Education for reading or mathematics is like compound interest, you invest the previous knowledge in additional knowledge and the return is unimaginable.

Difficulty, lack and dealing with them are good for building a strong character and a desire to improve.

Gardens

Kindergarten education is an essential basis for children’s learning and development. These early educational environments not only support families by enhancing their educational efforts, but it is important that they foster a love of nature and an appreciation for the world around us. Through character-building activities, children learn the importance of self-discipline, as well as the difference between short-term and long-term goals.

Moreover, kindergarten education instills a sense of patriotism and love for one’s country, while teaching essential social skills such as politeness, empathy and effective cooperation within a team. By promoting good eating habits, young learners are encouraged to make healthy choices that contribute to their overall well-being.

Daily reading activities in kindergarten help children develop literacy skills and cultivate their love of books. In addition, these educational frameworks emphasize the value of minimalism and contentment, and teach children to appreciate simplicity and find happiness in less. Finally, kindergartens provide opportunities for children to become familiar with numbers, divisions, and simple arithmetic and lay the foundation for their analytical skills and future success in mathematics.

People like to be with friends the most

The thing that children love most is playing with children. It’s very simple. This is due to hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, when they lived in tribes and had to take care of each other as adults, the training for this happened in the children. Nature built us a mechanism that rewards us when we are with friends. Even adults, it is most natural for them to be in the company of close friends. In modern society you see a friend for four hours a week at best, in our past we see tribes as at least 8 hours a day with members in the tribe. This is one of the reasons that tribes untouched by modernization are happier than modern man.

Some studies have found that people in tribal societies can have relatively high levels of happiness and well-being. For example, studies on the Hadza people in Tanzania and the Tsiman people in Bolivia have shown that they experience high levels of satisfaction and well-being from life. Factors such as strong social ties, meaningful work and a deep connection to nature are considered to contribute to their happiness.

This is a point that is not taken into account in modern construction full of walls as well as in new neighborhoods. The education system doesn’t touch it enough either, for example letting older children teach younger children, it’s completely possible, but not carried out in schools.

A university is madly promoting society

Why does the university promote society and how can it do more?

• This is the place where engineers and economic leaders are trained.
• Mandatory software studies in all faculties also in literature.
• All online courses – oblige universities to allow anyone to join their studies online.
• Each faculty will have a course in mathematics.
• Practical integration in the industry as part of the studies.
• Providing options for the integration of new companies from the universities.
• Courses in decision-making and changing opinions.

I read and learned

Specific books on education that greatly influenced my thinking:

Esther, whose last name I don’t know how to write in Hebrew, and who is, in my opinion, the best teacher in the world, taught in Silicon Valley at my son’s school. My wife and I went to see her lecture. After a minute I understood why she is a legendary teacher in Silicon Valley with thousands of students who adore her. She answers with abysmal confidence, with a wise look and you see that she has seen almost everything. Bottom line, she trusted her students, and that gave them the mental strength not to be afraid to learn. During her talk, I already bought her book on audible, and my wife ordered the printed book. In the lecture Esther stated that it is most important to educate children for independence, trust, kindness, cooperation and mutual respect. Independence means trusting the children not as if, but really, like letting them make an omelet at the age of 6, get up for school alone and take responsibility for their day.

It is recommended to read the book by probably the best teacher in the world – Esther Wojcicski .

In one lecture the mothers asked, “What should I do if my daughter wants to go to school with torn and open shoes without eating?” Esther smiled and answered “Does it bother her or endanger her?” The mother understood without further explanation, to let the girl go like that. It’s her problem. And it is exactly education for independence to let the child take responsibility for his actions as long as it does not endanger his life.

Measure what is possible

Measuring what is possible to earn is an important framework.

Another book that is very important for thinking, even though it is not from the world of education, is “Measure what is important” by John Dorr, one of the first investors of Google and other companies. The book demonstrates how by measuring and re-feeding you can constantly improve using a method called OKR (acronyms for “key objectives and results”). It is a method of engineers that will greatly improve the education system when the level is measurable and with clear and measurable goals. It is a goal setting and performance management framework that helps organizations and individuals set clear, measurable goals and track progress toward achieving them. OKRs consist of two components:

• Purpose: A quality purpose that is clearly defined, ambitious and inspiring.
• Main results: a set of quantifiable and measurable results that indicate whether the goal has been achieved.

Example: Suppose a company wants to improve its customer satisfaction. Here is an example of an OKR for this purpose:

• Goal: improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Key results:

• Reduced average customer support response time from 24 hours to 8 hours within 3 months.
• Achieve a 90% satisfaction rate in customer feedback surveys over the next 6 months.

The goal is qualitative and inspiring, while the key outcomes are quantifiable and provide specific targets to measure progress.

How children were once educated

Another highly recommended book, Hunt Gather Parent , shows how children were raised in tribal societies. You will find surprising information there about operations that have disappeared from today’s civilization. The book is very important because many solutions for proper education disappeared from us with modernization. One of the things that changed my perception is that the mothers of the past were close to their baby in the first years, slept with him, nursed him and did not let him cry at all, this completely changes the western intuitive approach that says to raise a baby in another room, let him cry and educate him to be alone, to sleep Alone from a young age. In the tribal society in his early years he is close to his mother all day, nursing whenever he wants.

“Hunters, Gatherers, Parents” is a book by Dr. Michaeline Duclef, published in 2021. The book, a combination of anthropology, history and parenting advice, presents an alternative approach to modern parenting methods. Dr. Duclef examines traditional parenting methods used by hunter-gatherer societies and shares important insights and lessons that can be applied to parenting in today’s world.

In the book, Dr. Duclef talks about her experiences traveling with her young daughter to meet indigenous families in different parts of the world, including the Mayan families on Yucatec Island in Mexico, the Inuit in Arctic Canada and the Hadzaba in Tanzania. She examined their parenting methods and identified common principles that contribute to raising cooperative, resilient and happy children:

• Teamwork – encouraging children to be active contributors to family and community tasks fosters cooperation and a sense of belonging.
• Modeling Behavior – Children learn best through observing and imitating their parents and other community members.
• Fostering Autonomy – Allowing children to explore and learn at their own pace, with guidance and support, helps build independence and self-confidence.
• Emotional support – providing a nurturing environment that validates children’s emotions while teaching them to regulate their emotions contributes to their emotional well-being.

Overall, “Hunters, Gatherers, Parents” challenges conventional Western parenting norms and offers an alternative approach that emphasizes cooperation, emotional intelligence, and community involvement for raising well-adjusted children.

Successful education systems in the world

The book Cleverlands is a book by educator and researcher Lucy Crehan that explores the education systems of five countries known for their academic excellence: Finland, Japan, Singapore, China and Canada. The book reviews the secrets behind the success of the education powers in the world and can be used as a tool in free thinking to “copy success and improve”, to see what works in the best education systems in the world and apply.

In her book Krihan combines her personal experiences, interviews with teachers, parents and students and a comprehensive review of educational research to reveal the central principles behind these successful systems:

• Equality – All five countries prioritize equality in their education systems and ensure that all students have access to quality education regardless of their socio-economic background. This is achieved through funding allocation, comprehensive welfare support and interventions for struggling students.
• Quality teachers – these countries invest heavily in the recruitment, training and professional development of teachers. They ensure that teaching is a respected profession, attracts top talent and provides them with adequate resources and support.
• Tailored Curriculum – The curricula in these countries are designed to be culturally relevant, evidence-based and focused on developing core skills. Students are encouraged to think critically, solve problems and engage in collaborative learning.
• High expectations and responsibility – the education systems in these countries set high expectations for both students and teachers. They use standardized assessments to track progress and hold schools and teachers accountable for student outcomes.
• Balance between autonomy and centralization – there is a balance between giving schools and teachers autonomy in their teaching methods and curriculum while maintaining a certain degree of centralization to ensure consistency and quality throughout the system.

Frames everywhere

Free thought is actually transferring thought models from one field to another, I did it when I founded Plus500, when I realized that short-term trading is random, that’s how I used a general mathematical model built in my head about short-term trading. Another example of transferring a model – when you see that animals in the wild don’t get fat even though they sometimes have food in huge quantities, the mental framework is “endless food, not fattening, a control mechanism” when transferring the framework to humans, they understand that the problem with human obesity is not the quantity. The framework can be transferred to humans because we are also a kind of animal.

The book ” Framers ” explores the power of human cognition and its unique ability to build mental models or “frames”. The book delves into how framing affects decision making, problem solving, and innovation and demonstrates how the correct use of frames can help us navigate complex issues and adapt to a rapidly changing world. By understanding and harnessing the power of framing, individuals and companies can improve their ability to face challenges and shape a better future. The book is important for understanding what the education system actually does, that it helps children build mental models of the reality around them, ie framing.

Framing is a cognitive process in which people build mental models or “frames” to understand, interpret, and organize information in the world around them. These frameworks shape our perspectives, influence our decision-making, and guide our problem-solving and communication. Framing helps us understand complex situations, prioritize issues, and navigate the vast amount of information we encounter every day.

Framing can be both conscious and unconscious, and often reflects our personal experiences, cultural background, and cognitive biases. The way a problem or situation is framed can significantly affect our perception of it, as well as the solutions we consider and the actions we take. When we are aware of how the frame works and adjust our mental frames, we can improve our ability to approach challenges and make better decisions in various aspects of life.

abstract thinking

Abstract thinking is important for several reasons, including problem solving, creativity, and adaptability. It allows people to understand complex concepts, make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and approach situations from multiple perspectives. Teaching abstract thinking to children can be facilitated through various methods, such as cultivating a growth mindset, using analogies, participating in open conversations, encouraging creativity, promoting critical thinking, and providing opportunities for reflection.

Problem solving is important for abstract thinking because it allows people to break down complex problems into simpler components and find connections between different elements. This cognitive ability helps children understand different aspects of a problem, consider different solutions, and develop strategies for solving it.

Abstract thinking fosters creativity by allowing children to imagine new possibilities, generate original ideas, and explore unconventional solutions. This skill helps with artistic expression, innovation and invention.

As children develop abstract thinking skills, they become better equipped to adapt to new situations and challenges. This cognitive flexibility is essential in a rapidly changing world because it allows children to learn and apply new information effectively.

To teach children abstract thinking, encourage children to embrace challenges and see failure as an opportunity to learn. By cultivating a growth mindset, you can help them develop resilience and persistence, which are essential for abstract thinking.

Analogies are a powerful tool for teaching abstract thinking, as they help children make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. Use everyday examples to illustrate complex ideas and encourage children to come up with their own analogies.

Encourage the children to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings openly. These are open questions that promote critical thinking and stimulate intellectual curiosity.

Provide opportunities for children to engage in creative activities such as drawing, writing or building. This will help them develop their imagination and think outside the box.

Teach children to analyze information, evaluate evidence and question assumptions. Introduce them to logical thinking, argument and decision-making processes.

Encourage the children to reflect on their experiences, thoughts and feelings. This self-awareness can help them identify patterns, draw conclusions and make connections between different aspects of their lives.

Long term usually beats short term

When choosing the right path between long-term laziness, you should resist laziness and go for the long term.

Humans tend to think about the present moment, mainly because of evolution, our reality used to be more survivalist, so the short term was more important than the long term, like the scent of the lion that required quick direct action at that moment. In children, the desire for short-term entertainment is especially noticeable: from shows (2 hours) to movies, series, reality, YouTube and Tiktok (15 seconds). Long-term thinking has a special power because you can achieve abilities and achievements when you only think long-term, such as starting a company that usually requires several Years of hard work and long-term thinking, at the end of which you can earn ability and capital that would never have been achieved in any other way. Most people don’t think long-term in their day-to-day life, so this gives a big advantage to those who do.

The tendency is always to interpret what happened today or yesterday, but in fact it is much wiser to understand the trend of several years and not rely on the events of today or yesterday.

For example, a government wants to change the courts, it is better to interpret it in a span of years – deterioration of the quality of the government.

The tendency to work easier will often win in the long run – you see the desire not to work hard in any business or technology: a car instead of walking, a hot dish instead of fresh food, a gas stove instead of a campfire, Amazon… and this is the most critical point: do you want to win? Practice long-term thinking and then slowly start thinking long-term! Practicing long-term thinking is actually delaying gratification in many cases.

Relationships are more dangerous than smoking

Unlike the tiger that lives alone, humans, like animals, are tribal creatures that need company in order to survive. Of course we can also survive alone, but our nature is tribal, social. In times of danger or emergency, we always consolidate and unite in order to survive. Therefore biologically we have a reward when we are around other people and this is reflected in long-term relationships. Therefore it is not surprising that a long-standing study found that relationships are the most important factor in longevity and quality of life, more than nutrition and more than anything else. It goes along with evolution, science and logic, so there is a nice crack in free thought.

Long-term research has found that relationships are the most prominent health factor that predicts longevity and happiness. They also wrote a book about him called Good Life. Good, long-term relationships result in prosperity and health. However, there is a feeling today that the tendency is to think short-term – ending relationships with high frequency for the “next excitement” of starting a new system; changing spouses to younger ones; People who don’t get into relationships at all to stay young and free.

The difference between a one-year company and a 29-year company is heaven and earth. Our natural survival tendency is to be with people we’ve known for a long time (tribe), that’s how evolution made us.

In long-term relationships, the parties get to know each other deeply and naturally develop a common and unique language that allows the couple to promote their common interests. And here is the huge advantage.

The same idea works in business too. Long-term acquaintance and good relations in business allow you to move forward quickly without problems of mistrust that entail a lot of unnecessary time on partnership agreements, a lawyer and countless investigations and tests.

Today the “joint hunting” of the past can be expressed in a good relationship and the management of the “family business” or in working with friends on a common goal. I felt the lack of the “tribe” especially when I left Plus500 after we worked together for years with a common goal and a deep acquaintance.

Long term investments if you don’t want to lose

Yes crypto, day trading stocks, sports betting is all short term investment, and you will probably lose.

There is great difficulty in believing and planning a profit of one million NIS in ten years, but not on earning ten thousand NIS tomorrow. Long-term investments lead on average to a higher return than short-term because they save costs as well as timings of when to enter and when to exit. The stock market has risen in the last 50 years at an annual average of 7% above inflation. In other words, approximately every 10 years you will double your money if you just stick to the indices without exiting and entering. In contrast, day traders (short-term investments) mostly lose all their money, when the money goes to commissions and interest to exchanges, brokers and banks. So tell me which of these two groups should you belong to?

long term studies

• Most of us are motivated by the desire to work easy (short term) and be a little lazy. But as in many things, it is worth giving up laziness for a better future (long term).
• Planning studies for 10-20 years ahead gives a huge advantage over others and for yourself. An effort of a few years (let’s say 4) alone gives a return for a lifetime (let’s say 50).
• School studies are critical for long-term thinking! When we consider whether to study math or physics in the short term it will not give us much, but in the long term it will improve our thinking and give us an advantage in any chosen subject.
• Example: Should you study at a university or college? An article about the difference in salary between colleges and universities . Is it worth investing two years in improving grades in order to be admitted to a recognized university? Obviously. University graduates enjoy an average salary of 23% more than college graduates, so you will both recoup your investment in just a few years and develop strong connections from the university.

Long term business

• In business it is especially critical to think long term because a good business is supposed to be built for many years, and it takes a long time to reach the goal (for example building an electric car).
• Shem Tov – Tov Shem Mashman Tov – the expression here that represents integrity and truth nicely explains the rule that it is better to be honest and with a good reputation, than to be full of bad money. And decent business activity over time will give a much bigger profit than quick bites (it’s nice to see that the evil here is punished with a low profit).
• The branding of a business (like a person’s name) makes the difference many times between a successful business and a failed business – branding by definition is long-term.
• The company I know that thinks the furthest is Amazon. She thinks many years ahead. The difference between her and the others is that she doesn’t think how to earn now, but how to improve the service and products for the customer. Amazon puts the customer at the center. Two things she constantly improves because Jeff Bezos realized that this is what people are looking for: a cheaper price for products and faster delivery. There is no doubt about both – they improve the lives of customers.

Reading and listening to books

Life is challenging, because in life we are first tested and only after that we learn, but with the help of books it is possible to reverse the above order. Reading is one of the most important ways to progress in life and encounter a reality that we haven’t seen before reality hits us.

This is the list of books I read and loved and helped us, among other things, establish Plus500 and think freely: recommended books I read .

The rich read books

88 percent of wealthy people “spend thirty minutes or more each day reading for self-education or self-improvement.”

Successful people read a lot. It is known that wealthy people develop daily habits such as exercise, yoga, a healthy sleep routine and reading.

coincidence? I think not! Remember what we said above about how reading improves your cognitive functions?

If you’re curious what their favorite books are, check out this list of top books that successful people read and that I’ve read too.

Why is it important for you and your children to read fiction books and biographies

People who write books usually think abstractly, so it’s probably worth listening to them, compared to people who don’t write books.

Picture it – writers are like chefs, but their ingredients are ideas, not vegetables. They bounce thoughts, bounce insights and serve everything on a plate of pages, decorated with wisdom. So if you wouldn’t turn down a meal from Gordon Ramsay, why would you turn down a book by a talented author? It’s like choosing a fast food hamburger over a five star restaurant meal.

You might ask: “Why would I prefer non-fiction and journalism over books with plots?” Well, think of it this way: non-fiction books are like gym sessions for your brain. They exercise your logic muscles much more than the average detective novel where sometimes the detective’s logic seems to be activated by magic beans.

However, don’t get me wrong, fictional stories can also be a decent workout for your brain. They are more like yoga – stretching your imagination and empathy instead of logic.

Think about it, you wouldn’t trust a five year old to drive a car, would you? So why trust someone who doesn’t read to initiate a conversation? Reading sharpens our cognitive abilities, just like driving lessons sharpen driving skills.

Have you ever wondered how we train artificial intelligence? It’s a process quite similar to how we humans learn. Just like we feed AI with tons of data, we feed our brains with information, much of which comes from books. So, basically, reading a book is like upgrading your internal software – no coding required!

In books you find distilled wisdom, like finding a pearl in an oyster. This transfer of knowledge is similar to the transfer of a family heirloom from generation to generation, priceless and eternal.

Now, not all books are created equal. Reading a book written by a qualified person, such as an academic or a successful entrepreneur, is like getting advice from a seasoned life coach. They are the kind of books that give you a dose of reality, not the sugar coated fantasy.

Think about it, most of the people who have left their mark on this world are bookworms. From Einstein, who probably loved books more than his hairbrush, to Elon Musk, who might be plotting to build a library on Mars, to Bill Gates, who could probably build a fort with his book collection.

Contrast that with, say, TikTok. It’s like comparing a homemade apple pie with a store-bought candy bar. Sure, the candy may give you a quick sugar rush, but the pie is immensely satisfying and nutritious. A book written by an economics professor will usually be more substantial than a TikTok video created to garner likes.

Take Warren Buffett for example, the man who probably reads more in a day than most people do in a month. Mantra for his success? Book, “The Smart Investor”. It is not that he succeeds and hence calls, but that he reads and hence succeeds. So the next time you hesitate to pick up a book, remember, you’re only one book away from being the next Warren Buffett. Well, sort of.

How to listen to books and where to buy books

• Audio books – hearing is an ability that we have for several million years compared to reading which is several thousand years old – the conclusion is clear – it is much more natural to listen to a book than to read it. The reason some people prefer to read is due to habit only and not ability. Some people do not read much, and there are many reasons for this, including reading disabilities that make it difficult to read long books continuously. This is where audio books come in (recorded books that you can listen to on your phone or any device connected to the internet). Audio books are a wonderful way to get all the knowledge and wisdom that exists in the world without devoting special time to reading. I myself usually listen to audio books while driving. By exercising free thought, you realize that listening to books and reading books are very similar.
• Listening to books is possible at: audible , storytel .
• Buying books at home: Amazon and Stymatsky.

Why are books so important to us?

• Making money – books give us new ways of thinking about the economic world and the forces in it. Quality economic newspapers such as wsj and de-marker are important here.
• When reading, we imagine what we read or hear, and thus imagination and thinking develop greatly.
• Books are usually written by very intelligent people and picked up by publishers, which is a very good filter.
• By reading, especially theoretical books, we actually learn new things, and studying develops our thinking and maintains mental capacity.

Slander is bad

I made a change about myself and stopped the ugly habit I had of laughing at others and talking about them in a disparaging way, even though they deserved it many times. I realized that it is mainly harmful to me. Try it, it works.

The Bible teaches us not to speak ill of others, “slander”, and that this is critical not only for the well-being of others, but also for our own well-being. By avoiding speaking negatively about others, we can maintain our mental and emotional health and contribute to creating a positive environment around us.

One of the reasons why avoiding negative self-talk contributes to our well-being is that it helps us cultivate a positive self-image. When we speak kindly of others, we demonstrate qualities such as compassion, empathy, and understanding. These qualities positively reflect our character, and when we develop them, we feel better about ourselves. This, in turn, improves our self-esteem and emotional well-being.

Another reason is that not speaking ill of others can lead to stronger and more supportive relationships. When we avoid gossip and slander, we build trust with those around us, fostering a sense of community and belonging. In turn, we benefit from the emotional support and encouragement that comes from having positive relationships. This social support can be vital to our mental health and general well-being.

In addition, avoiding negative speech helps prevent conflicts and misunderstandings that can be emotionally draining and stressful. By speaking kindly and respectfully to others, we promote a peaceful and harmonious environment. This reduces the likelihood of arguments and disputes and allows us to enjoy more positive interactions and experiences. As a result, our stress levels decrease, and our emotional well-being improves.

Moreover, when we refrain from speaking ill of others, we are aligning ourselves with the Torah and the commandments of the Bible. This alignment can provide us with a sense of purpose and direction, which contributes to our overall well-being. For many people, living according to their spiritual beliefs brings comfort, inner peace and a deeper sense of fulfillment.

mental biases

Our brain works on us

It is said that our environment and genes determine what our lives will look like, but our decision-making is much more important than both of them. Biased thinking is thinking from an impulse that has no logic and connection to the needs of those whose thinking is biased. Individuals create their “reality” from their worldview without being biased.

An example of a thought bias: when someone buys an expensive car just because his neighbor has an expensive car. There is no rational reason for this behavior and it originates from jealousy of a neighbor – “bias from envy”.

In order to think correctly and clearly, we must know what makes us think incorrectly and unclearly. Just like you avoid alcohol before a trip or a fateful test. Decision-making and judgment are the main influencing factors on our day-to-day life, but not only our decision-making, but also of all the factors that influence us. That is why it is important to understand what affects decision-making and to improve them.

Biases exist for various evolutionary reasons. For example, a large part of our way of thinking is built for hunter-gathering, but we live in a modern environment, where shopping at the supermarket does not require advanced hunting ability, nor special gathering ability. It is therefore likely that these biases are channeled elsewhere and distort our thinking. This distortion can be corrected by understanding the biases that cause it. Like the animals, we also work mainly to obtain food, shelter and reproduce, as well as to obtain information about these three.

The information placed before you here was gathered by standing on the shoulders of giants such as Charlie Munger and many others. In the past biases were more good than bad, otherwise they would have been wiped out during the evolution of humans. They work quite well considering the mental capacity of humans and that is why they have been preserved during evolution. Biases can be used to spread good as well as spread evil.

One of the significant causes of the various biases is our desire for consistency – that the actions and opinions in the past be compatible with the reality and our opinions today – if there is no such compatibility we usually explain it by changing the reality and not the opinions.

We want the “I” not to change because then the meaning is that he was wrong, and then we have instability. Therefore, in many cases when there is a war between “I” and “reality”, the “I” wins. Because I was not wrong because I am special and stable in my opinions.

where is the catch When several biases operate at the same time, we completely lose the logical and correct thinking for us or the environment. For example, in gambling at the poker table, the incentives, association and reciprocity biases work on us, just as pizza works on 3 different mechanisms that do not exist in nature: sugar, fat and proteins. We can’t handle these stimuli when they appear together!

An example of a positive use of these biases – excessive influence bias of an authority figure: in hospitals to avoid the bias of an authority figure, i.e. the doctors, the nurses do not take everything for granted and check what the doctors ask for.

“jealousy” bias

“It’s not greed that drives the world, it’s envy.” One of the most unspoken biases out there, but one of the most important. Think of another example of this bias.

They understood the power of jealousy in ancient years: Proverbs 27: “Cruelty is hot, and a bird washes; And who will stand, before Keno.’

Jealousy makes us make wrong decisions in the long run, like buying a sports car because our neighbor has one. Train yourself to ignore the jealousy that occasionally wants to break out.

“That’s how I grew up” bias

This is the biggest bias on our warming globe and is a sub-bias of ownership bias. Most of our opinions were planted in us by our parents and others came from the environment where we grew up without giving any thought to whether they are true or not? And if you don’t take anything away from here, at least take this point – we didn’t give thought to most of the opinions and models we have in our heads, because we grew into them!

You have never thought if it is really better to have a “big house”, “vegetables are healthy”, “running shoes for shock absorption” because you grew up knowing that all of this is true (no!).

Under this bias comes the tendency to maintain the status quo, we prefer mistakes from what we are doing now than the fear of making a change and then making a mistake!

This is seen beautifully in regimes that do not change, as well as in relation to the ultra-Orthodox in Israel that Ben-Gurion outlined.

“stage” bias

I’m big and I’m beautiful, otherwise I wouldn’t be on stage or in its short name – “I’m on stage”.

This is a bias that works on those who stand on “stages”, such as prime ministers, CEOs, commanders, doctors, psychologists, pilots, celebrities and anyone the public looks at longingly. The one standing on the “stage” sees the admiration of part of the audience and subconsciously explains it to himself for his qualities and his judgment. Those close to him are influenced by the audience and of course accept his opinions without much doubt and strengthen his “qualities” even more. This is also where the “bias of rooting an opinion from activity” comes in – by the very fact of being on a platform he roots his opinions from the activity and from the fact that he talks about them! And of course the viewers who came to see, also took action and rooted the opinion because of the activity.

You have to be on “stage” to feel the intensity of the audience’s love. Just like drugs, admiration and power disconnect the person standing on stage from reality as long as he does not oppose it and also surrounds himself with “yes” people and not with real people who will bring him back to reality. The ones who suffer from the bias are the spectators because they are affected by the “authority” bias, and then there is a “celebration” because the one standing on the “stage” suffers from the “I am great” bias, and the spectators suffer from the “authority” bias. When I got off the stage for the first time I felt the “hey”, I saw how I adored myself and I wanted more of it. But I fought it to come back to reality.

The greatest enemy of free thought is our ego, it does not allow us to question our existing opinions and reinforces the biases “that’s how I grew up”, “rooting active opinions”, “denial bias” and many more.

As soon as we understood that there is no substitute for our independent thinking (free thought) and that it cannot be bought from someone with money, we understood an important lesson for life in general and we advanced in free thinking in particular. Likewise regarding receiving advice, the consultant tells you what is good, and most of the time you receive the advice from the paid consultant as a matter of course, and woe betide you. There are two ways to deal with this: understand that he is missing in the consultation and correct as a sniper corrects his injuries when the wind is blowing, or – the correct way – learn a bit about the subject yourself with free thinking with the help of the counseling and understand what is the correct way to act.

“ownership” bias

This is a bias from our greatness and main opinion, product or service. Because of her we buy big houses, don’t change our minds and tend to see ourselves as special.

When we own a product, an opinion or anything else we attribute more value to the ownership than it is worth. If we have built the product or thought about the opinion, the value of ownership is even more amplified. When we build a house, studies show that we will value it at a higher price than the market price. When we think of an idea (like this for example), we will think it is much better than it really is.

From the bias of ownership comes the sub-bias “defense of the existing opinions” (confirmation of what I know).

Our mind is built on fortifying our positions against conquerors, just like a fortress – let in only those who are familiar and ignore all others. The mind does not want to waste unnecessary energy on other opinions and constantly wants to be perfect for itself. This is a bias similar to “this is how I grew up”, but it is different because there is an assumption that there is already an opinion that I have thought about or a model in my head.

You see it amazingly in dogs: try to get meat out of a Rottweiler that he got.

Sub-bias – “tendency to inaction” – the ownership bias makes it difficult for us to “kill” things, so our tendency is always to inaction. That’s why we prefer to leave things as they are, but in this situation inaction is exactly the same as “letting the process continue to exist”. That’s why it’s important to predetermine state and date criteria to “kill” processes.

“incentives and reinforcements over discretion” bias

Xerox tried to figure out why the new machine wasn’t selling as well as the old one until they changed the compensation for the sales people. People act and change their minds according to incentives and reinforcements.

Therefore, if you want to understand someone’s decision or recommendation, it is advisable to know what their incentives are.

“man with the hammer” bias

The man with the hammer is looking for a place to hit with the hammer even though there may be other solutions and other problems. In investments, people come to trading systems with the goal of hitting the buy button – that’s what the hammer knows how to do, but most of the time you don’t have to do anything. When we have an illness or pain, the syndrome manifests itself when we do nothing and wait. Several biases come together in the hammer and the man syndrome, which is why it is so strong: his professional reputation depends on performance and this is an incentive bias, he loves himself and his ideas and he has expressed them to other people – a consistency and commitment bias.

The “complication instead of simplification” bias

The source of the bias lies in our strong intuition to solve the problem in front of us instead of the problem that caused the problem and not try to think: maybe our basic assumption is wrong?

“denial” bias

You will find the mothers of the most obvious criminals to be convicted, they always believe that their son is innocent. It’s a good protection for our delicate soul and it usually works great, but it doesn’t distinguish between good and bad.

“side-picking” bias

We are built to choose a side, black or white, although the right path is often something in the middle. For example, when asked “Are you right-wing or left-wing?” the answer would make much more sense if given to a specific question: “For settlements?” “What is important in education?”

“Who will win the elections?” – the correct answer is 44% Golda and not “Golda!”

Two people: one smoked and died at the age of 87, and the other did not smoke and died at the age of 40 – we want to choose a side here, “you can smoke and reach the age of 87”, but the correct sentence is “you can smoke and reach the age of 87 in 15%.”

“opinion-forming activity” bias

When we take action, we fix the idea more strongly. When the opinion is wrong, it can lead to a severe bias in thinking. When a whole class shouts “Death to the Jews,” the very shout reinforces that opinion. Re-education camps of all kinds know this tendency very well. You see it in relationships as well – love develops from the fact that people are together.

In ownership bias when we built the product or thought about the opinion, the bias gets even stronger.

“association” bias

When we see a cowboy on a horse smoking a Marlboro cigarette we make the wrong connection between the man on the horse and smoking. Terrible things happen because of the aforementioned bias caused by our desire to reach a quick explanation for things – “There’s a handsome man on a horse?” ” – the scene was not staged in Savannah.

“reciprocity and revenge” bias

Revenge

On my last visit to Vegas I lost a good amount of money bluffing at the poker table.

At the same time, in business, Google went up in price, and I thought ChatGPT was taking a market away from it with a better product. I had a hard time living with the Vegas poker loss, so against my own rules I shorted Google to get back the poker loss. This time I was able to recover the loss, but for me it was revenge for the loss, a bit strange but I understood that it was a complete bias.

In the study of our desire for revenge, it is clearly seen that humans tend to take revenge even though the revenge itself will make them feel much worse and make them think about the other party much longer. Because of this bias we see so many wars between people, families, villages and countries.

mutuality

More than once you will hear from product sellers “I also use a TV like this at home” – of course, with a free mind with a little math you realize that he is probably lying, but it works. We want to be part of a group (it used to be the tribe) buying the same products and the same behavior.

Reciprocity creates camaraderie, camaraderie makes us feel like we belong.

People go crazy over small returns of things because they return not only affection, but also enmity because of the tendency to reciprocity, and in these cases small crises can escalate until they get out of control. The fear of missing out makes us sometimes do things that are not beneficial to us and sales agents use this as expected: “There is one more vacuum cleaner left.”

“do as expected” bias

Ask a lot and then ask a little – in an interesting experiment they asked passers-by to take juvenile delinquents to a zoo for a consecutive week and then reduced the request after one afternoon – the change greatly increased the response compared to a direct question about one afternoon. We don’t want to disappoint the side in front of us.

The “consistency and commitment” bias

We want to appear consistent in what we do, no matter how stupid it is, even though it actually shows wisdom – society does not look favorably on a change of mind: “He zigzags!”

“comparison” bias

When you let people move their hand from cold water to hot water and from hot water to room temperature water, they attribute a different size to the room temperature water. We are comparative and relative creatures. You see this bias to the extreme in children – they don’t care how much they got, the main thing is that the siblings don’t get more. And this is where the anchor bias is visible – when we have a starting price for the product.

“authority” bias

The Nazis used, of course, the natural tendency of humans and German culture to respect authority – a large part of the Nazi apparatus followed “orders I received from above.”

In large systems you see the bias of the person in authority. For example, in hospitals you see the effects of the phenomenon “that’s what the doctor said” every day.

“Chemical Dependency” Bias

Using alcohol, drugs and pills of all kinds will cause reality to be distorted and make wrong decisions (it’s always nice to be in front of a drunk player at the poker table). Most often, the bias of judgment will be accompanied by stubborn denial and gradually deteriorating morality and sometimes a complete moral breakdown. Of course, our brain does not know how to deal with substances that are not found in our bodies in nature.

Indians traded 1,400 buffalo tongues for a few gallons of whiskey from the white man. It was the animal they lived on for thousands of years but still hunted 1,400 of them just for the tongues [My Life Among The Indians – 156 – Catlin].

omission bias

In a game where you pick the outcome of the lottery, the odds are against the people, but they are taken for their gamble also because of the commitment and consistency bias – they picked a number, so it’s probably the best. It’s much better than a game where people choose a number. Slot machines use this every round where the bettor misses.

When my kids and I went into the arcade, they only played the machines that had an element of luck and gave out tickets to buy gifts. Games that didn’t give any kind of money to buy gifts, weren’t taken into account, you see this bias from a young age!

“non-mathematical mind” bias

A non-mathematical brain bias gives analytical people a significant advantage in almost all areas of modern life that are based on computers and logic. It is very difficult for our brain to think probabilistically like “the chance of the event happening was 80%, but it didn’t happen in the end.” We will remember that it didn’t happen. I kicked the goal and I had 80% to score – I will mention that I missed and not that in 80% of the cases, I do score.

For example, we tend to release a thief who says, “I haven’t done it before, and I won’t do it again,” but in terms of probability he has done it before and will do it again.

“Availability and clarity of information” bias

When a glass of Coke is in front of us, we will drink much more of it, just as we will use the sight that is placed in front of our eyes to explain a phenomenon. In a way, our psychological tendencies make things unavailable because when I jump from one thing to another the tendency for consistency and commitment makes me lock up, boom! And this is mistake number one.

“pressure” bias

When we are under stress, our whole decision-making mechanism goes wrong for biological reasons. Pressure should help us escape and not make a decision whether to invest a million shekels in an apartment. You can see this in a poker game in an amazing way, when someone loses a large sum he gets angry and stressed, and his next decisions will be especially bad. The easy solution here is to get up from the table and play only when you are calm.

Physics

וָה֗רֶצ הָֽיְת֥ה ת֨הו֙ וָ֔הו וָ֖שַךְ אַל-פְּ֣י ת֑֑ומ; Where were you, in the foundation of the land? Hagad, if you knew she understood.

Physics is meant to describe phenomena we witness in laws and formulas. A basic physical understanding is very helpful for free thinking because physical models can be taken to many fields.

By exercising free thought about physics, it is possible to arrive at correct assumptions with a high probability. Everything you will read here is betting with high probabilities and nothing more. All the hypotheses below are based on 1+1 math with logic. This is not a scientific paper and does not pretend to be one, it just shows free thinking about physics.

The universe is finite

It is very easy to think and bet on the assumption that the universe is finite, and this is because there is nothing infinite in nature. That’s why we will continue to use this model and conclude our hypothesis that it is wrong to bet on a model that cannot be known if it works in other places, and infinite things currently have not been proven or observed.

• There are no infinite things in nature.
• The universe is finite, and therefore such a thought experiment: when we go in a certain direction, in the end we will return to the same point where we are now. Otherwise the universe is infinite.

The big bang and the hypothesis of when the next bang will be

According to the researchers, these are the conclusions from the observations:

• 13.7 billion years ago was the big bang.
• 5 billion years ago the universe began to expand rapidly. Wikipedia .
• From the big bang until 5 billion years ago the universe expanded at a rate (opposite of acceleration).
• Nature is cyclical almost everywhere we look. Everything has a life cycle. A good assumption would be that the universe also has a life time that is one big bang to the other.

From the points above, as well as from the assumption that the universe is finite (and therefore returning to the same point), it can be concluded that we passed the midpoint approximately 5 billion years ago. That is, what causes the acceleration of the expansion of the universe is the attraction of the matter in the universe to itself.

From here you can calculate:

The time from bang to bang [ 13.7 minus 5 ] * 2 = 17.4 billion years

The time from today to the next bang (back to point) = 17.4 minus 13.7 = 3.7 billion years

Time is discrete

• From the assumptions that there are no continuous things in nature and that there is no infinity, it can be understood that there is a small unit of time less than which we reach time 0 where time does not move.
• The smallest unit of time is constant.

From the point above we understand that we move like in frames on television or in jumps actually. We do not move continuously.

An explanation for the limitation of the speed of light

We know from observations and from Einstein’s theory of relativity :

• It is impossible to exceed the speed of light, which is 300,000 km per second.
• When a body increases speed relative to another body, time passes more slowly for it.

An explanation that the human mind can understand for these two phenomena, as well as for the fact that time is discrete, is that there is a kind of update waves everywhere in the universe that update the position of every substance in the universe.

The speed of the update waves is exactly the speed of light 300 thousand km per second.

• As we move forward with the update waves, our time passes more slowly due to the Doppler effect.
• The update waves cause the movement in the universe to be like frames and the space to be smeared along the update line because the update is not simultaneous in the whole universe.
• If matter is moving close to the speed of light, its time almost stops because update waves cannot reach it.
• The speed of light itself has no mass because there is no impact of update waves.
• The speed of light is limited by something fundamental in the universe that is beyond the speed of light, because gravitational waves are also limited to the speed of light. That is, both gravitational waves and light are limited to the same speed. This is an excellent explanation that there are update waves in the universe.

There is no proof of updating waves, but it will be possible to show that there are updating waves if it is shown that the direction of the speed has a meaning for time and not just the magnitude of the speed.

Of course it’s an informed bet, I didn’t think of an experiment that would prove it. Meanwhile, only free thought proves it to me.

Extraterrestrial life

My bet is that there is no extraterrestrial intelligent life for the following reasons:

• where are they? They had a good few billion years to evolve and get here.
• When you return to evolution and reach organisms that are almost only dna, it can be assumed that life began on Earth and was not implanted by a meteorite or the like. It is recommended to read Seven Clues to the Origin of Life.
• Moon, magnetic field, distance from the sun, Jupiter to prevent meteorite impact, water, mass extinctions and 3.5 billion years of evolution for mammals show that the probability is very small.
• When you look up at the stars there is a feeling that the one who put us here wanted us to stay on earth. There is a great void and unimaginable distances.

Endless list for schools

• Improving thinking ability through learning math and a second language, which are two of the only subjects that improve thinking ability itself and not just knowledge of them.
• A measure of success in schools – the level of well being of the students.
• Learning English at the level of a mother tongue – English provides a gateway to vast knowledge accumulated by humanity. All academic knowledge is in English as well as the theoretical literature and professional books. The connection to the world outside of Israel will be made in English and because humanity is so connected to economic necessity, it is a mandatory tool for children.
• School environment – trees, sports fields and an environment that looks natural. The investment pays off.
• To teach correct thinking it is critical to explain what makes us think incorrectly. Learning “thinking biases” will help with this.
• The compulsory subjects that everyone (including Arabs and religious) will study without exception: Hebrew, citizenship, math, English, physics, sports and proper nutrition. One of the important goals is to unite all its citizens around the love of Israel regardless of religion, gender or race. This is critical for the unification of the country’s citizens and equal opportunities for students in the future.
• Freedom of action for school principals, especially in determining additional and specific compulsory subjects for schools and national measurement.
• Creation of a video and audio array for all study materials by subject and class by the best teachers. The set of lessons will help sick students and those who have missed school days and those who want to study alone. In some schools, it is possible to save teachers’ work hours if students learn through the presentation of the recorded lessons.
• Education for doing – how to complete a task and how to do it, in general.
• Education for order and organization – in order to succeed in tasks and achieve goals, they must be organized. It is possible and important to teach how to do this and what tools to use (Excel, Asana, sheet of paper, etc.). In the USA, organization and order are taught in schools.
• Physical Education.
• Financial education – how the economic system works and why you should increase your capital and save money for the future.
• Accounting – the profession that requires the most investment. Studies show that separating boys and girls in learning real subjects improves girls’ achievements, so it is worth considering separating the sexes.
• Compulsory subject – basic physics. Studying physics helps a lot to understand the world around us and to build correct mental models.
• Reading at school – to give students the ability to read if they have not acquired it at home, it is very necessary for an intelligent life.
• Framing – understanding what a mental model is and how to create it. Analytical study helps a lot in creating correct thinking frameworks .
• Education to achieve well being – health, achievement, positive thinking, meaning and relationships. It is recommended to read Flourish by Martin Seligman.
• Education for independent thinking as protection from misinformation coming from sources such as YouTube, TikTok, and the like. To teach what is the best way to the truth: analytical, reading and investigation and understanding of the reality closest to the truth.
• Homework – it is important to give lessons and homework exercises prepared by an educator for self-study and delaying gratification. In all the wrong theories according to which homework should be reduced, the parent puts himself in the center (to make it easier for himself) and not his children.
• Learning to “optimize” – it is important to educate that it is possible and important to know what you want to optimize in a certain task. Most children approach the problem without knowing what they want to improve and how to measure the improvement. Without understanding what you want to improve and how to measure it is very difficult to reach the right solution. For example, when a child wants to build a YouTube channel – the measure of improvement will be how many percent started and finished watching. How to improve it: learning to speak clearly, improving the melody in the voice, topics and the like. Testing how each direction of improvement improves the overall index.