Grandma’s Dementia Made Her Forget Her Homophobia
After watching how my family treated my lesbian mom, I assumed it would all repeat when I came out. But as my grandma’s memory faded, her disapproval of gay people vanished too. My grandma had lost a lot of her memory, and she’d apparently forgotten her disapproval of same-sex relationships too.
Love In The Time Of Low Expectations
“Never count on a man,” her father had told her. “They will always let you down.” So she didn’t, and they still did.
Studies Shoot Down Tech’s Harmful Effects on Kids—So Now What?
It looks like grownups can disregard the fear-mongering about the ill effects of digital media on kids. A 2017 study in Child Development found “little or no support for harmful links between digital screen use and young people’s psychological well-being.”
Why Babies Can’t Drink Water
While drinking ample amount of water is generally good health practice for adults, it can be deadly for newborn babies. It turns out, just a few ounces of water can be too much for an infant to handle, resulting in water intoxication that can even be fatal.
The Hypersane Are Among Us, If Only We Are Prepared to Look
Hypersane people are calm, contained and constructive. It is not just that the ‘sane’ are irrational but that they lack scope and range, as though they’ve grown into the prisoners of their arbitrary lives, locked up in their own dark and narrow subjectivity.
The Soul-Expanding Value Of Difficulty
You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any agitation, any pain, any melancholy, since you really do not know what these states are working upon you?
What Really Happens When You Donate Your Clothes—And Why It’s Bad
Contrary to popular (naive) belief, less than 20 percent of clothing donations sent to charities are actually resold at those charities. The other 80 percent is sent to textile recyclers who then determine the next cycle of the garment’s life.
How Air Pollution Is Doing More Than Killing Us
Emerging studies show that air pollution is linked to impaired judgement, mental health problems, poorer performance in school and most worryingly perhaps, higher levels of crime. These findings are all the more alarming, given that more than half of the world’s population now live in urban environments.
How To Budget When You’re Broke
First, take an assessment of your income and expenses. This will help you develop a reasonable and realistic budget. Break down your expenses over the past few months. Categorize and separate them into needs and wants. Separating will help you prioritize your finances.
Are You Really The ‘Real’ You?
What rational cogs are turning for people when they change their minds about who they are? Are beliefs about ourselves even the kind of thing we can be rational about, when we’re the ones who make those beliefs true?
Modern Slavery Of Disabled People In South Korea
30 Years A Slave: A moving report from South Korea where the police have rescued hundreds of modern-day slaves tricked into working on salt and seaweed farms on a chain of remote islands. Shockingly, many of those rescued have learning disabilities.
Sunscreen Chemicals Soak All The Way Into Your Bloodstream
You’ve probably been taught to gird your sun-starved skin for battle with cancer-causing cosmic rays every time you go outside. Legions of doctors, parents, and YouTube beauty influencers are unanimous on this point.
How Instagram Killed The It Girl
In a world of constant self-surveillance and curation, we may never see the Parises, the Nicoles, the Taras in the way we once did. The It Girl exists within the moral grey areas of life, but with the existence of social media, such grey areas no longer exist for her to live in – everything is now black and white, good or bad.
How To Get Up To Speed On Any Subject Quickly
When you’re in over your head, how do you quickly figure out what’s important? Is there a way to go from incompetent to in control—really, really fast? There is. Here’s how it works.
Millennials Have Discovered ‘Going Out’ Sucks
This is the first generation ever to admit that going out actually sucks. “More young people are choosing to spend a quiet evening at home.” We’re not even cool enough to get drunk: “A 2016 survey by Heineken found that when millennials do bother to venture outside, 75 percent drink in moderation.”
The Unlisted: How People Without An Address Are Stripped Of Their Basic Rights
Without an address, it’s nearly impossible to get a bank account. And without a bank account, you can’t save money, borrow money or receive a state pension. But large parts of the world’s population still live off the map.
Why Time Spent Near Water Is The Secret Of Happiness
The benefits of “blue space” – the sea and coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains – are less well publicised, yet the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.
I Lost My Life To Airbnb
I had been living in Rome but moved to Chicago five years ago. Obsessively renting out my home was the only way I could make it in the gig economy. When I found myself sleeping on the subway, I realized I’d gone too far.
What Would Happen To Your Body If You Only Ate Fruits And Vegetables
Fruits and veggies are good places to find fiber and carbohydrates, but you don’t want to count on them to provide enough of the fat and protein—macronutrients, two of the primary building blocks of your diet—that you need. Fat is necessary for healthy mental function and energy.
Mommy Can’t Talk Right Now — She’s Dopamine Fasting
In Silicon Valley, there is a newish craze called dopamine fasting. What you must do is disconnect — take stock. Not look at your phone, not drink celery juice in your co-working kitchen, not hike, not touch, and not walk on busy streets. Attempt to prevent the activation of any dopamine at all and do deep thinking instead.
Pay Attention: Practice Can Make Your Brain Better At Focusing
Practicing paying attention can boost performance on a new task, and change the way the brain processes information, a new study says. This might explain why learning a new skill can start out feeling grueling, but eventually becomes more natural.