The scientific article “Is Melatonin the ‘Next Vitamin D’?” mentions the growing concern about vitamin D deficiency resulting from “sunlight deficiency” and decreased melatonin secretion resulting from “darkness deficiency”. Several thousand years ago, man tamed fire, which was a breakthrough in his evolution, and today he suffers from an excess of “fire,” that is, excessive exposure to artificial blue light amidst a lack of sunlight. So what does a person do when he discovers a deficiency of the chronobiotic melatonin, which happens to act as an immunoactive agent and a powerful antioxidant? That’s right, he buys a pack of concentrated pills.
Nassim Taleb called such action naive interventionism, here, in the vital functions of the body. Technically, the problem is solved, because the deficit is overridden by the surplus. But the human body is more complex than the oil tank of a car - adding a substance does not close the issue, but easily messes with nature’s subtle initial settings. Trying to hack the system faster, one gets side effects: amnesia or a “melatonin hangover” the next day, finding it harder to fall asleep, or sleeping well for three to four hours and then waking up and not being able to go back to sleep.
The authors of the study provide a chart (see illustration) from which it is clear that in the case of sleep disorders, pills should never be a priority. You need to start with the foundation - restoring the balance of light and darkness in your life. Stanford professor Andrew Huberman explains exactly how in his podcast.
Is it any different in business? How many founders are looking for a magic pill that promises to rid their companies of a bouquet of chronic organizational problems. But after introducing the next “panacea”, the business is not properly cured, but the introduction of an additional variable generates new difficulties, which now also need to be solved. The basic things that determine the health of a business are ignored. And they have always been, are and will always be around, like night and day.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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