Locally Optimal

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Addictions are anesthesia
Many people I respect misunderstand addictions: they believe they’re addicted “to” scrolling, vaping, overworking, etc.—instead of recognizing…
 • Chris Lakin
Hits & Misses: What I learned in the first 2 years of research
Updated 2026 Sep 26
 • Chris Lakin
everyone I've watched drop their addictions did not try
doomscrolling, vaping, porn, overworking, dating — they were surprised when their addictions stopped happening.
 • Chris Lakin
What becoming an intuitive person was like for Daniel
Daniel, coauthor of Emergent Misalignment (Nature), was trying to continue his alignment research and enjoy his life, but kept losing weeks and months…
 • Chris Lakin
What’s possible in ~1–2 afternoons? | Unlearning | 18mo follow-ups
What’s possible in ~1–2 afternoons of unlearning with the right people?
 • Chris Lakin
Lab researcher started asking people out, sharing disagreements with colleagues, texting friends “I miss you.”
Update: In a happy relationship now
 • Chris Lakin
11:12
Antoine is no longer incapacitated by corn
11-month follow-up
 • Chris Lakin
4:51
Engineer started taking on harder projects, dancing weekly, doing things he used to avoid
6-month follow-up
 • Chris Lakin
4:59
I became a bounty hunter!
I began a bounty-based unlearning experiment. Payment forbidden until lasting satisfaction with results.
 • Chris Lakin
Finding & removing bottlenecks for people helping ASI go well
Updated 2026 Sep 27
 • Chris Lakin
© 2026 Chris Lakin · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
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