The Ozempic theory of societal change

Ozempic is the moment society stops pretending that discipline alone should govern the body.

If you take steroids you’re a loser — that’s the mood, and it’s almost similar with Ozempic today¹. The mood, however, is shifting.

From what we know, Ozempic is safe², and people love it because of the upsides: improved health, looks. Downstream from that, confidence. Healthier, happier people lead to a healthier, happier society.

It follows that Ozempic won’t just make us healthier, it will change how we as a society think about external interventions into our bodies. I argue this shift will also lead to us becoming spiritually healthier, with the help of external devices.

There’s a growing literature on transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation, a noninvasive way to reach deep equanimity. You point ultrasound at specific brain regions, modulating neural activity toward equanimity, all without surgery. It’s a hot topic, soon you’ll hear all about these devices in societal discourse.

If you react with puritan disgust (why would anyone want help to meditate, this is backwards from its purpose), start observing how the mood around Ozempic changes in your society. Being overweight has huge effects on people’s lives, and by extension, society. Not being equanimous does too. You can almost run down the list of seven deadly sins: anger, envy, greed, pride — all failures of equanimity.

Within ten years, the idea that mental states must only be achieved through discipline will look as outdated as the idea that bodily weight loss should only come from discipline. Ozempic is just the first domino. The interventions that follow will be bigger, I just don’t know which ones yet. All I know is that Ozempic’s success makes society change its mind.