I used to always note how popular Youtubers would have so many videos where jumping into a pool was a big part of the clip. It would be looked at as doing the big thing. This would be the presented fun part of the video, and would show that the person was pushing their bounds. I didn’t really understand why it was so popular.
Cold Water Fear Splash
Then I see Kevin Simler, co-author of The Elephant in the Brain with Robin Hanson, post a quote from David Perell on Twitter that said “Risk awakens our learning muscles like a splash of cold water.”
The full quote from David Perell was “The best way to learn faster is to have a stake in the outcome. Risk awakens our learning muscles like a splash of cold water. If you want to learn to cook invite friends over for dinner; if you want to learn about stocks, invest in the stock market; and if you want to learn about an idea, publish an article about it.”
This linked back to the jumping in pool activity. Because I am more about insights than physical sensations, that version of risk-taking and cold water splashing didn’t resonate with me. However, this quote is the kind of cold water splashing I am fully with.
Brain Plasticity
The brain plasticity we have when we are little is one of the things people are always fond of later in life. It comes with growth and new connections that we might not make for decades when we are 40 or 60 years old. People know there was a time they were growing more, but it seems out of their grasp. However, the people who take those risks, such as trying things out of their depth, get to feel that plasticity again. It’s a jump into a swimming pool for the mind.
Why is it so important do these fear splashes when you are older? They’re the only way to stop being even older. Age comes with limitation, lack of choices due to physical and mental ability, and ends with a person who is pushed more toward being fixed than fluid over time.
Let’s Jump in a Pool
Youtube videos that include a mental jump into a pool are ones I check out and like to see more of. They give me that good feeling in the same way that many people got inspired by popular Youtubers jumping out of a plane or into a pool. It is a different category of wake-up actions.