I think he wears neurosis like a trophy t-shirt. He thought "former NYT journalist" was the magic cloak that would keep him respectable with that universe forever and he cannot bear not being part of the club anymore. So thin-skinned he tears every time he sneezes. Needs to be the smartest guy in the room and has come up against actual scientists and statisticians and can't handle the pain of being only a reporter and not a creator.