In a September 9, 2026 opinion column for the Guardian, Arwa Mahdawi pushes back on the trend of joyless self-optimization and makes the case for lazymaxxing, which she describes as finding low-effort ways to improve your life. She points to research that supports a few of her favorite habits.
Key Highlights
Here are some low-effort ways to improve your life, based on Mahdawi’s recommendations:
- Lazymaxxing versus humanmaxxing. Mahdawi writes that the rich world is caught up in tech-enabled self-optimization, which some call humanmaxxing. That approach means tracking biomarkers and optimizing every part of the day, often in complicated ways. She says that’s fine if it works for you, but she prefers the low-effort route.
- The case for a weekend lie-in. Mahdawi cites a study by Dr. Nawon Lee, presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. The study found that sleeping in on weekends may be good for you and can protect against high blood pressure. Lee said people “should not feel lazy or guilty” for sleeping a little longer on weekends. Mahdawi contrasts this with CEOs who get up at 4am to exercise.
- Coffee and swearing. She points to a 2025 study that found morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die early from any cause. She also cites research showing that swearing can reduce physical pain and improve focus.
- Trashy TV, with a caveat. Mahdawi stops short of claiming that bingeing reality TV is good for your health. She does cite research that concludes enjoying trashy films is a sign of being a well-educated cultural omnivore.
Mahdawi closes on a hopeful note. She hasn’t yet found a study showing that lying on the couch, eating crisps, reading thrillers and ignoring your obligations is good for you, but she writes that she lives in hope.
Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my AI exploration process. For more information, check out the original article listed below.