PODCAST

A Need To Read

Ed Cunningham

For the curious mind.

arts books

All Episodes

48:13

#157 A new way to think about happiness

A Need To Read ·

2022/03/31

In this episode, I discuss my thoughts on happiness and why we should drop our obsession with it. I cover: why you should be careful who you admire and listen to, how well we are placed to make rational judgments in our life, the different types of happiness, hedonic adaption, Natural vs Synthetic Happiness, whether we want to be happy all the time, the illusion of control of our minds and life, perfectionism, self-esteem, Stoic and Buddhist views on happiness and what to do when sadness eventually

59:02

#156 The Sunny Nihilist, with Wendy Syfret

A Need To Read ·

2022/03/28

Wendy Syfret is a Melbourne-based writer and editor, and author of The Sunny Nihilist. She has spent time working for VICE and has contributed to The Guardian, British Vogue, and ABC. She is the current editor at RIISE and her work can be found at www.Wendysyfret.com Support Please help me by sharing this podcast with a friend, or by signing up for my new weekly newsletter. To get 10% off your first month of therapy head to www.betterhelp.com/aneedtoread from there you’ll just need to run

01:05:04

#153 Get Rich or Lie Tryin’ with Symeon Brown

A Need To Read ·

2022/03/10

Symeon Brown is a journalist and reporter for Channel 4, his long-read 'The Wolves Of Instagram' was nominated for an Orwell prize. His new book Get Rich Or Lie Tryin' is an in-depth look at some of the perils of the influencer economy. We discuss who it's hurting, an influencer's nipple falling off, how we're being lied to, some of the pyramid schemes disguised as get-rich-quick schemes, and much more. The book is out now if you want to get a copy from your local book store. Support The

34:59

#152 Human Kind: A hopeful history

A Need To Read ·

2022/03/07

This is a review, and summary of some key ideas, of Rutger Bregman's Human Kind. The bold idea this book tries to convert you to is: Humans are actually pretty decent. I sat on the other side of this debate for a long time and have been convinced to change my mind. This outlook on life seems to have made a really positive change. Hopefully, it'll do the same for some others! Support The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can share it with a not-a-friend, I’m not

55:26

The science of breath with James Nestor

A Need To Read ·

2022/03/03

I spoke with award-winning journalist and best-selling author, James Nestor about his extremely popular book: Breath, The New Science Of A Lost Art. We discuss; freediving, common breathing mistakes, how bad breathing is impacting society as a whole, who breathwork is NOT for, Wim Hoff, breathwork, and various other themes presented in his book. Find more from James at www.mrjamesnestor.com Support The best way to support the show is to share it with a friend. Or you can share it with a

25:17

#150 Who are you, really?

A Need To Read ·

2022/02/24

The psychology of personality is a complicated topic. This book argues that the idea of the authentic self is a lie. There are far more contributing factors to personality than we're led to believe, and in this episode, I chat about; the 3 factors that determine who you are, how you can make changes to the fundamental 'you', and how we can finally cut ourselves some slack when we change as people. You can watch the Ted Talk that inspired the book:

55:56

#149 What you need to know about time, with Oliver...

A Need To Read ·

2022/02/21

I'm joined by one of my favourite authors, Oliver Burkeman. He's the author of the sensational new book: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals. We discuss; what we get wrong about time, a meaningful approach to goals, why we need problems, accepting your limitations, Olivers top 3 Philosophers, not letting Nazi’s get in the way of your intellectual growth, the efficiency trap, the key to effective decision making, and one of my favorite new ideas, cosmic insignificance therapy. I've

36:00

#148 How the West became self-obsessed

A Need To Read ·

2022/02/18

We live in a very me-centric society. In the West, our philosophical influences have been focused on the 'I' for the last few thousand years and now, with the age of social media, we are paying the price. This is a review/summary of Will Storr's Selfie- a book that explores the concept of the 'self' and how we can navigate life without becoming totally self-obsessed. This is one of my favorite books of all time and has completely changed the way I look at my 'self'. Support The best way to

46:45

#147 The Sh*t They Never Taught You with Adam Ashton

A Need To Read ·

2022/02/14

Adam Ashton is one half of the What You Will Learn podcast, Australia's best book podcast. He joined me to chat about their new book 'The Shit They Never Taught You', which covers the best lessons from hundreds of non-fiction books. We discuss; note-taking methods, career mastery, podcasting mistakes, picking your next book, whether or not you need to finish your books, the best books for investing and much more. For the first 8 minutes, one of us (The one whose name rhymes with Shmadam) was

54:46

#146 The Power of Geography with Tim Marshall

A Need To Read ·

2022/02/06

Tim Marshall was Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News. After thirty years of experience in news reporting and presenting, he left full-time news journalism to concentrate on writing and analysis. I spoke to Tim about; his latest best-selling title The Power Of Geography, the geographical reasons behind the rising tension between Russia and Ukraine, Putin’s message to the west, the geography of Palestine, the importance of context, the future of Egypt, China’s interest in African

49:01

#145 Why you can’t pay attention

A Need To Read ·

2022/01/30

In this episode, I review Johann Hari's new book: Stolen Focus. A book that looks at the ways modern life steals our focus and attention. Modern life seems to cater only to speed and efficiency, and this does not bode well for our ability to pay attention to what matters. From that increase in speed and tech that is designed to manipulate us, to cruel optimism and the death of sustained reading Johann Hari takes us on an explorative journey of what's really messing with our ability to

32:05

#144 Letters From A Stoic (Seneca and why you’ve...

A Need To Read ·

2022/01/24

This is my review of Letters From A Stoic by Seneca. Seneca was a devoted Stoic philosopher, and he is one of the most widely referenced names in good non-fiction books. I have fallen in love with philosophy again recently and I have this book to thank. Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst

23:55

#143 The Sweet Spot: suffering, pleasure and the key...

A Need To Read ·

2022/01/17

A review of Paul Bloom's brilliant book The Sweet Spot, an in-depth look at our pleasure-seeking tendencies and how we may be getting it wrong in our pursuit of the good life. Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep stuff going whilst also giving you handy discounts from great companies I know and love. For

01:23:15

#142 How technology and social media use impacts our...

A Need To Read ·

2022/01/11

Dr. Rachael Kent is a lecturer and researcher at Kings College London. Specifically, Dr. Kent’s research focuses on how digital technology influences everyday mental and physical health. Below are some timestamps for this conversation that may prove to be one of the most important I have had so far. I am growing more and more concerned with how technology influences our lives and it was a pleasure to chat about this with an expert. All you need for Rachael is on her website:

26:25

#141 Rethinking Positive Thinking

A Need To Read ·

2022/01/04

This week I review the book ‘Rethinking Positive Thinking’ by Professor of Psychology at NY & Hamburg, Gabrielle Oettingen. I discuss; the cult of positivity, my opinion on positive thinking as a default, the benefits of positive thinking and positive fantasies, the drawbacks of positive fantasies, and using positive and negative thinking to set and achieve your goals. While I wouldn’t rush to recommend reading the book unless you’re interested in reading all the supporting data to the claims

59:21

#140 Existential problems and simple solutions with...

A Need To Read ·

2021/12/20

This week I chat with Alex Holmes; writer, podcaster, existential mental health coach and author. We talk about; transition periods, existentialism, French philosophers, the importance of talking, how philosophy and mental health combine, social media, the lack of connection in society, the limitations of CBT, and much more. You can find all you need for Alex on his blog www.alexholmes.co Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with

27:45

#139 Mindfulness In Plain English

A Need To Read ·

2021/12/16

This is a book review episode of Henepola Gunaratana's 'MIndfulness In Plain English'. This is the second time I've read the book and I got so much more from it this time, if you're interested in meditation then this book will be so good for you. I feel quite inspired by it! I chat about my experiences with mediation, my opinions on it and it's various methods and explain some of the principles from Buddhism that inspire vipassana meditation. HOPE YOU LIKE IT! x To buy your copy of Mindfulness

01:40:28

#138 Leaving the NHS, McMindfulness and Personal...

A Need To Read ·

2021/12/13

Yusef Smith is one-half of Propane Fitness, a former NHS doctor and life hack specialist. We chat about; Leaving his role as a Doctor in the NHS, if you should strive for happiness or satisfaction, my beef with crystals and affirmations, the ethics of online businesses, the ills of social media, meditation, screen time, Jiu-jitsu, personal finance 101, the end of my consumerism, self-awareness and many tangents. Find Yusef on Instagram @propanefitness Propane Fitness website:

52:07

#137 The Women of WW2 with Tessa Dunlop

A Need To Read ·

2021/12/09

Tessa Dunlop is a presenter, best selling author and she has a doctorate in History. She joins me to chat about her new book ‘Army Girls’, a book that tells the stories of 17 women who served in WW2. Throughout the pandemic, Tessa made friends with and interviewed these women to shine a light on the forgotten involvement of women, who were just girls at the time, in the war. We answer the questions of; what the conscription of women actually means, whether or not it ‘offensive’ that women couldn’t

33:53

#136 Prisoners of Geography

A Need To Read ·

2021/12/06

This episode is a review of Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, a book about the map of the world and how what lays within those borders dictates much more than you'd think. I recommend everyone read this book at some point, you can buy it with free delivery here. Support The best way you can support me and help me spread the word is by sharing the podcast with someone. If you like the podcast please share as far and wide as you can. You can also use the links to my sponsors, it helps keep

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