XFrequentist comments on Group rationality diary, 5/14/12 - Less Wrong

20 Post author: cata 15 May 2012 03:01AM

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Comment author: XFrequentist 16 May 2012 04:22:23AM *  8 points [-]

Cool, thanks for doing this (internet high five!).

Anyway...

I've bitten my nails and the skin around them compulsively since I was a child, and have previously used bad-tasting polish, tried CBT, and briefly seen a hypnotherapist to try to stop. I started paying attention to when I did it during the camp (I believe following Critch's first session on self-modification), and I eventually noticed that I do a little pre-bite running of my fingertips over my nails to identify candidate spots to munch on. I shifted to using this feeling as a trigger and immediately congratulating myself for noticing. This hasn't worked completely yet (I think there are a few more precursor states that I've yet to identify), but I'm encouraged.

I resolved a few long-standing issues at work today in a very pleasing manner, but it's hard to tell if this has anything to do with the camp or if they were just ready to pop. I'm in a very content and energized state (oddly, despite little sleep), which may have helped.

I also think I've successfully instituted a policy of flatly refusing all sugars (using Jolly's trick of mentally classifying them as Gross Non-Food Things), because I just flatly refused the offer of a piece of banana bread without even considering it.

I failed at my goal of getting some work done at the airport before my flight home - it was just too much fun hanging out!

Comment author: XFrequentist 18 May 2012 08:00:24PM 9 points [-]

Also, two "Use Fungibility" wins:

  1. Saw a parking ticket in my wife's bag, and had the thought "Wait, she has a disproportionate hatred for paying these and she's extremely busy. Doing it for her is a cheap way to buy some husband points [we literally have these, although accounting is somewhat haphazard]." She was ecstatic!

  2. In a teleconference, my boss muted the line and asked a simple but important question (about the financial relationship between two other groups that were on the call) that none of our team could answer. I realized that she hates asking "stupid" questions much more than I do (and that it was much more acceptable for me not to know the answer than for her not to know), so I piped up and asked the relevant people to clarify how their groups interacted. We got a clear answer and she was visibly relieved at avoiding having to ask the question.

Comment author: Jolly 16 May 2012 05:46:49PM 4 points [-]

Glad to hear it's helping!