January 30, 2023

On optimisation rejection

Everyone should do yoga, say Instafluencers. Eat organic, non-GMO, plant-based. Reject antidepressants! No caffeine! Grow your side hustle!

Sometimes I want some of these things.

But how does improvement distract us? Is it yet another way to dissociate from experience?

Constant surveillance and optimization promise to bring us closer to a sense of well-being. But instead, it only makes us more aware of our failings, writes Tara McMullin.

Living is more enjoyable when my body feels strong. But I reject the idea (and the possibility, and the accessibility) of optimising myself into the perfect being.