Weekend Plans is our exclusive lifestyle feature where we highlight the real off-duty routines of the most exciting people in culture. 
This weekend, evolutionary behavioral scientist and savage satirist <a href="https://www.gadsaad.com/">Gad Saad</a> lends his time to The Daily Wire to discuss his New York Times bestseller “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Suicidal-Empathy-Dying-Be-Kind/dp/0063446537">Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind</a>” and dish the details on the best barbecue, the comic genius behind a happy marriage, setting the tone with &#8217;70s soul, and why this Lebanese Canadian is America&#8217;s “ultimate family man.”
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If the concept of “suicidal empathy” sounds familiar, you can thank Gad Saad. A frequent guest of “<a href="http://jrepodcast.com/guest/gad-saad/">The Joe Rogan Experience</a>,” <a href="https://www.prageru.com/presenters/gad-saad?gc_id=23574368327&amp;h_ga_id=&amp;h_ad_id=&amp;h_keyword_id=&amp;h_keyword=&amp;h_placement=&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23569095981&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADviHxF_xebQoWC3mxpobAmxlsjUQ&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwof_QBhCgARIsADaMzOezao9xFCYHLrrtgv55CMJRkmUCYlSztz6gkETU30u88dRt0gK3yVUaAo98EALw_wcB">PragerU</a> collaborator, and wearer of the occasional purple <a href="https://youtu.be/f39nBhLZEiU?t=296">wig to prove a point</a>, the man known as “<a href="https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/books/388547/the-gadfather-makes-an-offer-he-hopes-you-cant-refuse/">The Gadfather</a>” coined the term to describe compassion gone wild as he skillfully unpacked the personality trait that became society’s greatest threat. 
In tandem with Gad’s dizzyingly intellectual research on thought pathogens, he finds the sweet spot between academia and meme culture. My hard copy is now decorated with roughly 100 colorful page markers and dog-eared corners. I laughed out loud at “Geese for Foie Gras” as a mirror for civilizational seppuku and the mention of an actual university research grant to &#8220;decolonize light.” 
Gad brilliantly translates scholarly theories into phraseology anyone can understand. But you don’t have to be a genius to appreciate the professor’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r06A7A_vfKA&amp;t=155s">profound joy</a>, either. 
His story began in Lebanon. Gad&#8217;s family fled in 1975 at the start of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Lebanese-Civil-War">15-year civil war</a>, finding a new home in Montreal, Canada. Most recently, Gad secured an EB-1A green card, reserved for those of “<a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/gad-saad-joe-rogan-leaving-montreal-united-states/">extraordinary ability</a>,” to relocate his wife and children to the U.S. The idea that the Saad gang might one day become American citizens appears to be running unopposed. 
When I ask Gad what he hopes readers take away from his work, he confirms empathy’s virtue, in moderation. “Adaptive empathy, meaning well-calibrated empathy rooted in an evolutionarily rational calculus, is a noble and laudable virtue,” he says. “We are a social species that has evolved the capacity for empathy. But suicidal empathy, consisting of its hyperactive firing, in the wrong situations and toward the wrong targets, will destroy our civilization if it continues to go unchecked.” 
I quickly flip to my favorite page … there it is: “Be kind as a default value,” Gad writes. But when needed, he says, “Activate your inner honey badger in defending truth.”  
A morning coffee walk-and-talk
“My public life can be intense, hectic, and quite stressful,” Gad confirms. He presently works as a scholar at the University of Mississippi, hosts “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-saad-truth-with-dr-saad/id1516343565">The Saad Truth with Dr. Saad</a>” podcast, and makes regular public appearances. Outspoken about his views, he’s vulnerable to antisemitic attacks and <a href="https://aristotlefoundation.org/book-reviews/the-road-to-hell-is-being-paved-with-suicidal-empathy/">death threats</a>. “My private life is the antithesis of that, namely, it is calm and serene. I need the protective sanctuary of my private life to be able to tackle all the stimuli that I face in the public arena.”
He’s dialed in a routine that makes getting out of bed totally worth it. “I wake up usually between 7:00 to 7:30 a.m.,” he explains. A steward of sunrises, he enjoys his first taste of caffeine with his number one lady. “On a typical day, I head off to the local café with my wife for our morning coffee cup. I then work on my laptop for three to four hours until I return home for lunch.” During outdoorsier seasons, this affords him the opportunity to get his steps, if he were ever in need of counting them. “If the weather is clement, my wife and I will walk to the café, 30 to 35 minutes each way.” 
The family man’s guide to quality time
I’m amazed that Gad ever has any free time. But he assures me he gets the most enjoyment from hanging out with his favorite people.
“I love to spend time with my wife and children,” Gad says. Maybe the fact that they rarely appear on his social media further clarifies how deeply they are cherished. “I am the ultimate family man.” 
As for the Saads’ favorite activities, the only requirement is that everyone get in on the fun. “We are always together as a family unit. We love to go to restaurants together, but our most frequent outing is to head off to a café to chat. We have wonderful conversations spanning countless topics.” When they’re craving connection with a refreshing change of scenery, they set out to explore the world. They&#8217;ve recently traveled to Portugal, Bermuda, and Israel.
On the chance that Gad finds himself with solo downtime, he nurtures a few passions he’s had since he was a kid. “I love to exercise, to play soccer, and to read and collect books,” he says. He’d beat anyone in a juggling contest (I have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YiGqoLilyHE">receipts</a>).  
The secret to wedded bliss
Even casual followers of Gad know he’s totally in love with his wife. I wasn’t going to miss the chance to uncover why they act like flirty friends who can’t wait to share each other’s company. 
“The choice of a spouse is arguably the decision that will impart the greatest amount of happiness or misery in your life,” he says. “The secret to my happy marriage is that my wife is truly my best friend.” It’s obvious in the way they laugh with each other, decades into their relationship. “We love to spend time together. We have open lines of communication. We never go to bed angry at one another. We are respectful of one another.”
They’ve also nailed down who takes the reins in the kitchen. “My wife is an exceptional cook,” Gad says. “As such, she does all the cooking, and I do a lot of eating!” Reporting that he looks forward to anytime she grills up a juicy ribeye, he adds, “I convinced her to start a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYX0etLWQEi-cpyrpgkOWFg">cooking channel</a>, but then she decided that she did not enjoy being in the limelight even though I never filmed her face.” 
The couple’s easy chemistry might also be attributed to Gad’s congenial vibe. “I am always joking around,” he says. “They say that women love funny men; well, I count myself as a very funny guy so presumably this makes my wife happy.”
Mind fuel from a prominent thought leader
I’m curious about which book from Gad’s massive library might currently live on his nightstand. “A biography on Konrad Lorenz, the pioneer of the field of ethology and co-winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize,” he notes of his page-turner du jour.
Gad’s curious nature inspires him to pursue all sorts of interests. “I am a huge fan of the Philly Sound, a genre of soul music from the 1960s and 1970s. On any given day, you are likely to find me listening to The Stylistics and The Delfonics.” He even developed a friendship with Russell Thompkins Jr., the original lead singer of The Stylistics, who then appeared on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aorkR10oP_s&amp;t=7s">Gad’s show</a>. 
Doling out a little out-of-office guidance to the greater wisdom-seeking collective, Gad taps into his 60-something years of experience. “Life is short and every moment is infinitely precious,” he says. “Do not waste time on silly matters and pursuits.”  
One last thing. “Three additional pieces of advice,&#8221; he says. &#8220;Read, read, and read.” 

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Weekend Plans with Gad Saad