Five articles that have had me thinking over the last few weeks:
COVID Science Is Moving Backwards
Benjamin Mazer. The Atlantic
Key quote: “At the outset of the crisis, the world’s scientists used their grit and genius to develop new ideas with unprecedented speed; collectively, the COVID vaccines and treatments they produced saved tens of millions of lives. But their historic push for knowledge has lately slowed and sputtered in its tracks. Society spent billions of dollars to answer a single, urgent question: How do you combat a novel respiratory virus? Now, all of a sudden, we find ourselves a little baffled by the follow-up: How do you handle a respiratory virus that is familiar?” Read the rest here.
The Top 10 Insights from the “Science of a Meaningful Life” in 2022
Kira M. Newman, Jeremy Adam Smith, Jill Suttie, Allira Bellawala, Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas. Greater Good Magazine
Key quote: “This research doesn’t just suggest how we might cope with bad situations. These studies also show us the power of connecting, working together, and being open to other perspectives—and the hope for a less gloomy future. The top insights also give us practical ideas of ways to grow, be kind, and find meaning in our everyday lives.” Read the rest here.
We Drastically Underestimate the Importance of Brain Breaks
Youki Terada. Edutopia
Key quote: “We greatly underestimate the value of breaks when learning, Cohen and his colleagues assert, commonly opting for an approach that views active practice as the only way to advance. But that’s a mistake, because incorporating breaks into learning “plays just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill. It appears to be the period when our brains compress and consolidate memories of what we just practiced.” Read the rest here.
How Will You Measure Your Life?
Clayton Christensen. Harvard Business Review
Key quote: “I think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people. This is my final recommendation: Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success.” Read the rest here.
The best health books experts read in 2022
Aviva Loeb. The Washington Post
Key quote: “The Well+Being desk asked best-selling authors and leading health experts to recommend their favorite nonfiction read of 2022. For this article, we took a broad view of what self-help means, since any book that makes you think differently about health and well-being can be a self-help book.” Read the rest here.
