michael_nielsen

I used to wonder whether recognition from others is relative (such that we can only reallocate it) or absolute (we can make more!). Am now convinced it’s the latter, and that there’s a broad-based deficit in the world — a kind of Vitamin D deficiency for validation.

TL;DR: if you think someone’s work is good, and important, tell them! It really can make a surprisingly large difference and it took me quite a while to appreciate extent.

It is a deep and interesting question why this sub-optimal allocation of (cheap?) praise persists...