Ep32 – More About Mental Models With Myron Weber of the Mental Supermodels Podcast

In this episode of Mentally Unscripted, Paul and Scott welcome Myron Weber of the Mental Supermodels podcast. 

In his day job, Myron Weber is the founder of Northwood Advisors, helping clients solve interesting data problems at the core of their business. He is also the cohost of Mental Supermodels, a podcast exploring the theory and practice, the art and science of mental modeling for problem-solving and decision making.

Note: The first episode of Mental Supermodels season 2 is now available. You can find it at Mental Supermodels and on your favorite podcast player.

Myron’s Links:

• Mental Supermodels

• Northwoods Advisors

• Myron on LinkedIn

Other Resources:

• Mentally Unscripted with George Silverman

• Mentally Unscripted with Brandon Wark

• Mentally Unscripted with Wisdom & Strategy

Top Takeaways

1. Mental modeling is simply the discipline of seeking to understand systems in a structured way so that when you act with intention, you increase the likelihood of achieving your desired outcome.

2. People don’t all think the same way. Mental models are a natural way to think for some but not others. We can still use them to bridge the gap with people who don’t think like us or who disagree on important topics.

3. We all benefit from thinking in mental models. We all use them in our professional and personal lives, but we may not know it.

4. We can use mental models to manage our anxiety so we can think clearly.

5. Decentralizing your information sources and avoiding other people’s algorithms (OPA) can help manage information overload.

Timestamps
[2:30] Myron talks about Mental Supermodels season 1.
[5:21] Myron’s mental models aha moment.
[7:54] What is a mental model?
[13:31] Mental models can help you manage your anxiety so you can think clearly.
[16:05] Are mental models flawed because they lack an action component?
[19:56] People can benefit from thinking in mental models more.
[22:29] How we can use mental models to manage information overload – decentralization and OPA.
[32:48] How Myron’s restricted information intake affects his interactions with others.
[34:30] Your engagement level should depend on whether your information is global, national, or local.
[37:28] Using mental models to improve your communication with others.
[39:57] Going meta.
[40:49] What you say vs. how you say it.
[42:26] Question everything.

Engage with Scott and Paul on the Twitter thought control machine.

Follow Scott at Strength and Reason.