17 Dec 2025 · 4 min
Brian Johnson explains doublethink, the ability to hold two contradictory thoughts and switch between them as needed. A golfer plans analytically then executes with confidence. Matthew Syed's Bounce and Nassim Taleb's barbell strategy describe the same idea.
You're listening to Optimize with Brian Johnson. More wisdom in less time. Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another micro class. This one's on Doublethink. It's inspired by Bounce by Matthew Syed. Awesome book. Doublethink is an idea inspired by George Orwell's 1984, in which he suggested that we have the ability to hold in our little brains two contradictory thoughts simultaneously and accept them both as true. So imagine you believe this and you believe the opposite simultaneously, and you're able to pull out whichever one is relevant. If this one helps you, you pull that one out and then you bury the other one. If this one helps you, you pull it out and you bury the other one. Double thing. Simultaneously holding contradictory thoughts, burying the one that isn't useful for you in the moment, and using the one that is and being able to switch it at will. It's a really powerful idea. Matthew Syed tells us the best performers are able to do this. He uses the example of a golfer. Imagine our guy lining up and he's going to make a shot right now. What does he do? First, he employs a very rational approach. He looks at his strengths and weaknesses, the risk of failure at different shots. He analyzes it very closely and carefully. Then once he's made his decision, he gets rid of that and he brings this to the surface, which is an irrational, optimistic, uber confidence and hashtag, done. I am going to hit this shot perfectly. Boom. Never any doubt doubt in this phase. None here. Double think. It's similar to Nassim Taleb's antifragile idea where he tells us barbell strategy. We need to be simultaneously conservative and simultaneously super aggressive. Super conservative, super aggressive. Double think. Be whichever is appropriate for that moment and hold both there, ready to tap into whatever is going to be optimal in the given situation. Think about that. Do you lean one or the other? It's a difficult skill to master, but what's Doublethink? Hi, this is Brian. I hope you enjoyed that micro class. If so, I think you'll enjoy everything else we offer at BrianJohnson. Me. Two basic things. One, our free newsletter. It's called the Optimizer. Over 50,000 people start their day with it and they tell us it's pretty awesome. And two, our optimal living membership program. This is where I put all my best stuff. 10 bucks a month for a ton of wisdom. Two primary things in there. Philosopher's notes plus optimal living 101 classes. When you sign up, you'll get instant access to 250 philosopher's notes, which are basically six page PDFs and 20 minute MP3s where I capture my favorite big ideas from great books. The PNTV episodes are kind of a mini version of all that goodness. You'll also get instant access to all my optimal living classes. This is where I take all the ideas we cover in the Philosopher's Notes and and boil it down to the most practical stuff you can apply today. Classes include Confidence 101, Getting Stuff Done 101, Relationships 101, Habits 101, et cetera. You'll also get access to what we call micro classes that I think you'll love. We aim to astonish, and we're blessed to have thousands of members telling us we're helping them change their lives and that this is the best 10 bucks they invest in themselves every month. Go to BrianJohnson ME membership to learn more. Thanks for your support and have an awesome day.
