Scott Alexander reviews 'Crazy Like Us', exploring how Western mental health concepts spread globally and whether raising awareness of mental health problems might make them worse. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'Crazy Like Us' by Ethan Watters, which explores how Western mental health concepts are spreading globally. The book presents case studies on anorexia in Hong Kong, depression in Japan, PTSD in Sri Lanka, and schizophrenia in Zanzibar. While Scott finds the book's main thesis only moderately interesting, he's intrigued by a recurring sub-theme: whether raising awareness of mental health problems might actually make them worse. He discusses each case study, offering his own insights and critiques, and concludes by imagining a culture that runs 'Mental Health Unawareness Campaigns'. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares and comments on highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' 'Hive Mind', covering various aspects of IQ research and its societal implications. Longer summary

This post is a collection of highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' book 'Hive Mind', along with Scott Alexander's commentary. The passages cover a wide range of topics related to IQ, including its measurement, cultural differences, effects on cooperation and voting behavior, and its relationship to national economic performance. Scott provides critical analysis and personal insights on these excerpts, often relating them to other research or raising questions about their implications. The post also touches on topics such as the Flynn effect, nutrition's impact on intelligence, and group dynamics in decision-making. Shorter summary