Life hacking: why self-optimising can be suboptimal

However noble the goal of self-improvement may be, it is not without risks

Perfection is the goal of many 21st-century self-improvers. By treating their lives as systems to be hacked, they believe they can optimise their productivity, happiness, health, and intelligence.

Tech entrepreneur Serge Faguet is reported to have spent $250,000 on such efforts, with the ultimate goal of living for ever. In one of his outsized essays peppered with performance charts and memes, he writes: "We are (complex) robots. Robots can be tuned and improved."