The Critical Commentator

  Has the optimisation rebellion begun? Something seemed to shift in the collective psyche recently when the world discovered the entrepreneur and podcaster Steven Bartlett's reaction to having had "a couple of glasses of wine" on a school night... Bartlett explained what happened when he decided to test the effects of drinking after a year of sobriety - a sombre catalogue of catastrophes recorded by his Whoop tracker. He slept less, ate poorly, skipped the gym and - prepare yourself - "podcasted worse". "It ruined three days of my life," he said, seemingly in earnest Boors Carousing Dutch School Photo Credit: York Museum Trust [Public Domain]  Last month the internet finally erupted in long overdue mockery. Bartlett made such a meal of it, which I think offended British sensibilities...   But behind the "Chill out, bruh" teasing was something deeper; thoughtful or sincerely pissed-off critiques of optimisation culture... BBC Radio 1 host Gre...

  My malnourished, anaemic patient can ill afford to ditch important nutrients or lose weight, but they have just told me that they've stopped eating red meat. Our worried nurse has exhorted me to "please educate" and I am trying, The next patient has forsaken all dairy and the one after that wonders why his sugars are uncontrolled on a "hand-squeezed juice only" regimen. Restrictive diets are concerning enough but life-threatening issues can arise when patients heed influencers over qualified professionals. It's one thing to be taught by an influencer how to apply eyeliner, do a proper push-up or prepare a healthy lunch but quite another to trust an unlicensed, unqualified person on matters of giving birth, treating depression, curbing addiction or curing cancer. Quacks on Stage Netherlandish School Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection [Public Domain] When I entered medicine, the term "wellness influencer" did not exist. If it did, I would have innoc...

 Nine in 10 millionaires are proud to live in Britain and three-quarters would be willing to pay more tax to ensure public assets get the funding they need, according to a poll. Despite widely reported concern that the wealthy are emigrating to avoid higher taxes, the survey found millionaires were more concerned about medical workers moving away. The research was carried out by Survation on behalf of Patriotic Millionaires UK, a nonpartisan network that campaigns for higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy. Members include the musician Brian Eno and the You-Tuber and former financial trader Gary Stevenson. Patriotism Charles Samuel Keene (1823-1891) Photo Credit: Ashmolean Museum Oxford [CC BY-NC-ND] Its survey of 501 millionaires found 88% agreed with the statement "I am proud to live in the UK", while 43% said the group they were most concerned about leaving Britain was doctors and other health staff. Just 9% were most worried about millionaires moving abroad, while 19% put busi...

  Do you want to know what the hottest accessory for summer 2026 is?  (Yes please, I really want to know.) If the group of fashion editors I was travelling with last week are anything to go by, it's what are known in the industry as opticals, or glasses to you and me. (Glasses are a bit common - opticals is a much, much better word.) Still Life with an open Book and Spectacles William T. Howell Allchin (1844-1883) Photo Credit: Ashmolean Museum Oxford [CC BY-NC-ND]  They were sporting them almost to a woman, ubiquitously outsize, some a variation on the theme of aviators, either the classic metal frames or tortoiseshell, others a chunky squared-off style, like an NHS pair of yore that had been subject to the, um, Engorgement Charm in Harry Potter. (How delightful. Pilot opticals in many different styles. Fabulous.) Those women were mostly a lot younger than me. I couldn't quite pluck up the courage to ask how many actually needed glasses and how many were wearing them bec...

  For the past few years, I've been writing a book, This Book May Cause Side Effects , about how our thoughts influence ill health. You may have heard of the placebo effect, when positive expectations lead to positive health outcomes. But my interest is in its evil twin. The nocebo effect occurs when dismal expectations lead to negative health outcomes. The phenomenon can create, exacerbate and prolong symptoms. When these symptoms coalesce, people become ill - not from disease, but from the intimate relationship that exists between mind and body. Sometimes, all it takes to make someone feel genuinely unwell is a few carefully chosen words.   The Doctor Luke Fildes (1843-1927) Photo Credit:Tate Britain [CC BY-NC-ND]  You don't just have to take my word for it. There is a plethora of peer-reviewed studies confirming this idea. In one, patients fresh from minor keyhole surgery received a harmless saline infusion that they were told would temporarily increase their pain. It ...

  Make America Great Again Ashley Rawson Photo Credit: Gordon Baird  I'm shouting at you tonight so you can hear me over the cheers for the All-Florida Ultimate Cage Fighting Championships being held next door in the Carmen Miranda Chica Chica Boom Ballroom. Beautiful, beautiful ballroom. Come visit! All the surf 'n'turf you can eat Thursdays. And MORE good news. There's a ceasefire. Which means you have to stop firing. Unless you don't want to, like my pal Bibi, who's enjoying a PEACEFIRE! Firing for PEACE. But me, I'm done with firing. I fired Kirsti Noem. I fired Pam Bondi. One by one they're all disappearing off the hit list. Who's next? JD Vance after the peace talks. Maybe the Iranians don't like bearded fanatics!? So maybe the firing will start once again. Who knows? Not me! Or maybe I do. 'Cos the Iranian people, they love me bombing. They miss my bombing. They want it SO BAD! Fact! But maybe they can't have my bombing. Maybe my b...