Joel Snape

London

Journalist and Editor at Freelance

Freelance Editor at Men's Fitness (UK)

Writer, video maker, BJJ black belt, piano dabbler. Work in @guardian, @ObserverUK, @thetimes, @sciencefocus, and a bunch of other places.

Articles

Stressed out? You may have cortisol belly. Here's how to lose it

4 weeks ago | sciencefocus.com | Joel Snape

Feeling stressed? That’s not surprising. The modern world, with its relentlessly breaking bad news and always-on communication, is more or less set up to keep us on edge. But there’s a problem: our bodies are built for fight or flight, not fearmongering and Facebook notifications. We’re increasingly finding that constant and continual stress can be very bad for us – and it’s likely one of the biggest causes behind our worldwide weight gain. There is some good news, though.
Just Start: Things I'm Glad I Did When I Did Them

1 month ago | joelsnape.substack.com | Joel Snape

It’s my birthday! I’m 46 today, and I’m still having a pretty great time, thanks for asking. A kind of traditional thing to do on YouTube around these occasions is a video about ‘things I wish I knew when I was [age]’, and since I’m not immune to trends I did one of those last year. But today, I thought I’d do something different: I want to talk about things I’m glad I did when I did them. I think I’ve led quite a charmed life.
Just Start: Mental models I might have invented

2 months ago | joelsnape.substack.com | Joel Snape

I’ve got a confession to make: I’m not entirely sure I know what a mental model is. I know what it’s supposed to be, obviously: it’s a simplified way of representing how things work in the real world that may or may not be useful, depending on what you’re doing. But before you nod and go “Yeah, that sounds right”, consider this: is evolution a mental model? What about strawmanning? Thermodynamics?
Just Start: The Problem With (Deliberate) Practice

2 months ago | joelsnape.substack.com | Joel Snape

If you’ve tried hard to get good at something over the last decade or so, you’ve probably heard of deliberate practice. In case you haven’t, or you’re vaguely aware of it and need a refresher: social scientist K. Anders Ericsson spent a long time studying chess and music students (among other people) and found that, among ‘expert’ performers, deliberate practice was a huge component of future success.
What do I want from a film? An ending, not a surprise cliffhanger | Joel Snape

Jan 23, 2025 | theguardian.com | Joel Snape

I’ll never forget my experience of taking my seven-year-old to see. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the cinema, and I don’t mean that in a good way. The little fellow enjoyed it enormously – we devoured a half bucket of pick’n’mix and cheered at the spidey-dino – and then, right at the climax, decided he needed to go to the loo. We rushed out, did the thing as fast as a seven-year-old can, rushed back – and everyone was leaving.
be nice to customers

Jan 22, 2025 | msn.com | Joel Snape

These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
be nice to customers

Jan 22, 2025 | msn.com | Joel Snape

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
My local bookshop has hit on an incredible business strategy: be nice to customers | Joel Snape

Jan 22, 2025 | theguardian.com | Joel Snape

In today’s hyper-connected world, where I can have anything from a power drill to a little chocolate pudding delivered to my door the same day, shops have it rough. They can’t compete on choice, price or (usually) convenience, and so their single selling point is that little frisson of social interaction that lets a work-from-homebody like me feel like a functioning human for 30 seconds out of my day.
How Athletes Are Using Visualisation To Make Performance Gains

Jan 15, 2025 | menshealth.com.au | Joel Snape

WHEN STRONG MAN MITCHELL HOOPER set up to complete a Flintstone Barbell – a behind-the-neck overhead press using two giant rocks – in the qualifying rounds of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man, he was slightly apprehensive. He’d never attempted the move before, and as the day went on, that feeling came up again and again and again. “I’d never, ever done any of those events before,” he says. “I’d never practised them, never even seen some of them – never pulled a truck or even worn the harness.
Robert F Kennedy Jr claims seed oils are ‘poisoning’ us. Here’s why he’s wrong

Jan 13, 2025 | msn.com | Joel Snape

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.

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Joel Snape @JoelSnape

8 Apr 25

I was told this book was about fighting space invaders https://t.co/ZxebC1XBrC

Joel Snape @JoelSnape

8 Apr 25

RT @JonDenton: Trying it without the link this time so Elon doesn't kill it. Url is in the image innit. https://t.co/nQ3EXaVo9z

Joel Snape @JoelSnape

8 Apr 25

Praying that this is the start of the Five Guys backlash (if I spend 20 pounds on a burger and fries, I want it delivered to me on an actual plate please)