The cult of self-optimisation

If I were to put into practice just a tiny amount of the content I’ve recently viewed on social media, I would, immediately on awakening, make sure I rehydrate with water. The bottle would be steel or glass to minimise the absorption of harmful microplastics, which stimulate the adrenal gland. I would then do a three-minute mobility sequence to optimise my joint health and dexterity, and to impede ageing. Then I’d promptly go outside and walk barefoot on the grass to let the Earth’s electromagnetic forces radiate through the soles of my feet.

After this, it would be daily meditation time, followed by a series of positive affirmations recited in the mirror. Then – depending on whether it is a workout day – I would breakfast with either high-protein / low-carb or high-protein / medium-carb macros, eating whole foods sourced from organic providers. Having ensured the optimal provision of micronutrients, it would be time for an ice plunge. After this, I would have an espresso with raw milk and wild honey, optimising mental function for the day ahead.

I would, of course, need to ‘get my steps in’. The Sun exposure would optimise my vitamin D uptake. I’d take this time to listen to a podcast hosted by inspiring corporate influencers, who teach me about ‘capableness’, ‘confidence’ and ‘wealth achievement’. Then I’d listen to an ambient-noise playlist designed to elevate brainwave intensity. I’d sit at my laptop until a similar round of self-optimising routines dominates lunch and dinner. Then, I’d take to bed at the optimal time to boot my metabolic system to the circadian rhythms of night and day, before awakening to start the whole process again.

If this sounds like a desperate life, that’s because it is. It is the cult of self-optimisation. People have become caught in this incessant urge for continual self-improvement and are now trapped in a deeply self-oriented way of living. Everything is measured by one’s own emotions. Self-acceptance and self-esteem are key – the goal is to make you feel good about yourself. But what about the other people in your life?

It is no coincidence that, as the cult of self-optimisation has gained strength in recent years, the contemporary world’s crisis of loneliness has continued to spiral. Last year, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy argued that loneliness is a public-health threat, similar to tobacco, drug use or obesity. In the UK, GPs are now prescribing ‘social activities’ to tackle the problem.

Someone caught in the self-optimisation algorithm would probably learn that studies show how social interaction optimises emotional and cognitive stability. Then they would undertake the grim business of spending time with others just because a neuroscientist told them to on a podcast.

Self-optimising is also desperate because this level of narcissistic self-absorption makes people oblivious to society at large. Profound and systemic issues like the housing crisis, mass migration and the gradual breakdown of public infrastructure are all buried under daily affirmations about acceptance and calmness. The conversation is never about fighting for a better quality of life, especially not if that fight comes at the cost of health and happiness – the sort of fight undertaken by inspirational people you’ll find in history books.

Then there is the endless mantra of ‘studies show…’. The problem is that studies show one thing one day and another the next. Blindly following ‘the science’ without common sense leads people round and round in circles. It makes them malleable, susceptible and increasingly easy for influencers to influence.

We saw this in full effect during the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘Following the science’ was weaponised for overt reasons of social control. The previously obscure world of ‘nudge theory’ was put to use by governments all over the world. Our emotional responses were manipulated by deliberate messaging and imagery, in the same way that the image of the perfectly self-optimised life is paraded before impressionable young minds each day on social media.

Ironically, self-optimisation actually makes people more delicate and vulnerable. Life is full of challenges, changed circumstances and derailed plans. For those chasing a self-oriented lifestyle, a daily challenge can make it feel like everything is collapsing. Normal threats to being in a permanently good mood are at risk of being medicalised under umbrella terms like anxiety. More studies come along to promise what will make it all go away and the self-optimisation trap starts up again.

Maybe the answer is for people to stop trying to be their best selves and start just being themselves. Spending time with the people whose company they enjoy, without any prompting about optimal neuroscientific benefits. Eating the food they enjoy because – horror of horrors – it tastes nice. Taking a normal, healthy interest in the world beyond one’s tightly controlled bubble. Learning to live among the maddening challenges of daily life without hiding behind clinical terminology.

One might even go so far as to drink some water from a plastic bottle, forgetting for a moment what all those toxic microplastics are doing to your adrenal glands.

Jacob Phillips is an academic living in London. Follow him on X: @Counteredlogos