December Monthly Bragging Thread

Kaj_Sotala

As in Joshua Blaine's original description (below), but may be used to brag about things you've accomplished either this month (December) or the previous one (November), assuming that you haven't brought it up in any earlier Monthly Bragging Thread.

In an attempt to encourage more people to actually do awesome things (a la instrumental rationality), I am proposing a new monthly thread (can be changed to bi-weekly, should that be demanded). Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to comment on this thread explaining the most awesome thing you've done this month. You may be as blatantly proud of you self as you feel. You may unabashedly consider yourself the coolest freaking person ever because of that awesome thing you're dying to tell everyone about. This is the place to do just that.

Remember, however, that this isn't any kind of progress thread. Nor is it any kind of proposal thread.This thread is solely for people to talk about the awesomest thing they've done all month. not will do. not are working on.have already done. This is to cultivate an environment of object level productivity rather than meta-productivity methods.

So, what's the coolest thing you've done this month?

I fill my bathtub with cold water, add 40 pounds of ice, and stay in until the ice melts. (Don't try this yourself until you have built up cold resistance by first taking cold showers, then cold water baths, and then cold baths with a little bit of ice.)

As I age the winters are becoming less pleasant and this is in part an attempt to alter my winter set point happiness.

You're not alone with the cold water fascination, ice hole swimming is a thing in Finland.

Besides increasing cold tolerance, there's anecdata that cold showers can help you fall asleep if taken in the evening (lower body temperature is a sleep onset trigger), and that they can help with depression.

6Lumifer12y

Hmm... An interesting paper on the effect of cold exposure on lipid profiles and CVD consequences. Mostly on mice, but they took a look at a few humans, too. As the paper notes, "We should emphasize that it was notoriously difficult to conduct the cold-exposure experiment in human subjects, and the majority of requested individuals were unwilling to collaborate on this project" :-D

4hyporational12y

I wonder if this partly works by increasing brown adipose tissue, or if it's just autonomic acclimatization, or just your increasing ability to tolerate discomfort for that matter. Wouldn't dressing more warmly work just as well for your purposes?

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December Monthly Bragging Thread

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December Monthly Bragging Thread

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