The surprising benefits of giving up

Meaning of “Giving Up” vs Flexibility

• Several readers argue the article’s framing is misleading: what’s described is goal adjustment and strategic retreat, not pure giving up.
• A recurring distinction:
  • Bad: abandoning purpose and drifting.
  • Good: dropping a specific path or goal that no longer fits, then reengaging with a better one.

Evidence, Causality, and the Meta‑Study

• Some question whether reduced stress/anxiety comes from giving up, or whether less-driven/less-anxious people just disengage more easily.
• One commenter who looked at the Nature paper says it actually emphasizes dispositional flexibility; simple disengagement correlates with impairment, so conclusions about “benefits of giving up” may overreach.
• Skepticism of meta-analyses appears, and also of Nautilus’s funding ties, seen by some as blending religion and science.
• Others find the article shallow: it restates that hard goals are stressful without offering concrete distinctions about which goals to quit.

Psychological, Philosophical, and Emotional Frames

• Long subthread contrasts biological/evolutionary explanations of mind with Indian philosophical notions of ego and consciousness, arguing over whether philosophy is necessary to address suffering.
• Frustration is described as a built-in signal to reassess goals or strategies; pushback notes that sometimes persistence through frustration is essential (e.g. learning instruments, programming).
• Pain of letting go is acknowledged: even when rationally correct, quitting can feel like danger or failure.

When to Quit vs Persist (Work, Startups, Trading)

• Heuristics offered: continuously reassess costs/benefits against risk appetite; cut losses early (as in trading); beware sunk-cost fallacy.
• Many anecdotes: quitting toxic jobs or unrealistic projects brought major relief and later better outcomes; others warn about quitting without savings and hitting homelessness.
• Startup experiences split: some regret not pushing harder, others say their best decisions were to shut down doomed ventures and avoid survivorship-bias thinking.

Culture, Upbringing, and Structural Constraints

• Hustle/“alpha male” norms and “never give up” parenting are criticized as pathways to burnout and male mental-health crises.
• Economic realities (housing, healthcare, wages) mean many cannot practically “give up,” making quitting a class privilege unless one has savings/FIRE plans.
• Several advocate redefining success: less attachment to career, consumption, or inherited dreams; more focus on sustainable goals that genuinely fit one’s life.