Why did Naval mention 'avoiding noise information'?

Okay, let's discuss Naval's point. You can think of the "noisy information" he mentions as the "junk food" of the information world.

Why Does Naval Stress "Avoiding Noise Information"?

Imagine your brain is a kitchen, and the information you encounter every day is the ingredients you use for cooking.

Naval’s point is simple: If you constantly fill your kitchen with junk food, expired ingredients, and useless seasonings, the "mental feast" you eventually create will be a mess.

>如果说你天天往厨房里塞一堆垃圾食品、过期食材和没用的调味料，那你最终做出来的“思想大餐”也只会是一塌糊涂。

This is the essence of "noise information." It's not only devoid of nutritional value, but it also consumes your precious space, time, and energy.

What is "Noise Information"?

"Noise" here doesn't mean loud sounds; it refers to information that is low in value, short-lived, and prone to provoking your emotions. For example:

Breaking news and trending topics: The vast majority of today's shocking "big news" will be forgotten within a week. Aside from making you momentarily anxious or angry, it provides almost no help for your long-term life or decision-making.
Social media flame wars: Who is fighting with whom again? Which celebrity did what? This information is like mental opium – it gives a quick hit of stimulation but leaves you having wasted a lot of time with nothing substantial retained in your mind.
Short-term market fluctuations: Stocks are up 2% today, down 3% tomorrow. If you're not a professional day trader, constantly obsessing over these fluctuations will only make you irritable, leading to poor buy/sell decisions.
Most opinions and comments: The internet is flooded with all sorts of opinions, but 99% of them are emotionally charged reactions without deep thought.

Why "Avoid" This Noise?

Naval believes your attention and time are your most valuable resources. Spending them on "noise" leads to several serious consequences:

Pollutes Your Decision Making (Garbage In, Garbage Out) This is the core point. Your judgment is based on the information you take in. If what you consume is consistently short-sighted, emotional, and low-quality "noise," then the decisions you make will inevitably be short-sighted and emotional. It's like trying to create a gourmet meal with poor-quality ingredients.
Drains Your Energy and Reduces Productivity Your daily energy is finite. Every time you get distracted by a trending topic or shocked by a push notification, a bit of your energy is drained. When it comes time to focus on learning, working, or deep thinking, you're already "out of battery." A clear, quiet mind is far more efficient than one cluttered and overwhelmed with random information.
Makes You "Reactive" Instead of "Proactive" "Noise information" constantly pushes you around, forcing you to react passively to external stimuli – getting angry about one thing today, anxious about another tomorrow. What truly drives growth and success, however, is proactively choosing what to do, what to learn, instead of being passively dragged along by the information flow.

So What Isn't "Noise"? What is the "Signal"?

The opposite of "noise" is the "signal." The "signal" consists of information that has long-term value, helps you build a deeper understanding, and constructs better mental models.

Foundational knowledge: Mathematics, physics, economics, psychology, evolutionary theory, etc. These represent the underlying logic of how the world works and will still be valuable a hundred years from now.
Classic books and long-form writing: Books that have stood the test of time – whether philosophy, history, or scientific classics – provide deep insights and wisdom.
Learning a hard skill: Like programming, writing, design, or a foreign language. This knowledge becomes part of your capabilities and creates value for you.

An Example:

Noise: Reading news headlines: "XYZ Company Stock Plunges 10% Today! Market Panic!" This might make you anxious, leading to a potentially impulsive decision to sell your shares.
Signal: Reading a classic book on value investing, like Graham's The Intelligent Investor, to learn how to assess a company's long-term value and understand the nature of market fluctuations. This equips you to stay calm amidst "noise" and make wiser decisions.

In Summary

Naval consistently emphasizes "avoiding noise information" because he believes:

A person's ultimate achievements and happiness largely depend on the quality of information they feed their brain.

Just as you build a healthy body by choosing healthy food, you build a clear, calm, and wise mind by choosing a high-quality "information diet."

So, the next time you feel like scrolling through trending topics on your phone, ask yourself a Naval-style question: "Will this information have any value to me 5 years, 10 years from now?"

If the answer is no, it's likely the "noise" you should actively avoid.