Let them eat junk – Foreign Affairs, July 31, 2019
Since the late 1990s, junk food sales have precipitously declined in the US and Europe, but they’ve burgeoned in emerging markets where soda and snack food companies have now turned their attention, doing everything they can to keep their new markets pliable. In particular, they are building political and social alliances that can help them deflect political opposition, duck public scrutiny, and avoid stiff regulations on the sale of their products.
The sad truth about sleep-tracking devices and apps – The New York Times, July 17, 2019
The New York Times tech columnist tracked his sleep for two weeks with an Apple Watch and some software. Here is why he concluded it was a pointless exercise.
The diet that might cure depression – The Atlantic, March 29, 2018
Several studies reveal that healthy eating is connected with improved mood.
Does your street have a lush tree canopy? It may be making you healthier – Fast Company, August 1, 2019
Australian researchers set out to understand how different types of green space affect people’s psychological outlook. A few fascinating findings: Those with 30 percent or more of their neighborhood covered in tree canopy had 31 percent lower odds of developing psychological distress—and 33 percent lower odds of developing poor/fair health.
The high price of multitasking – The New York Times, July 14, 2019
Multitasking is appealing, but it comes at a price: it entails a trade-off between emotional lift and cognitive cost. However, there are a few principles to better manage the trade-off: (1) hoping for efficiency by combining two pure productivity tasks is folly—all cognitive cost and no emotional benefit; (2) be realistic about what poor task performance might mean, given that you’re not as good at multitasking as you believe; (3) see if you can get the emotional lift without the cognitive cost.
A Striking Stat:
Thirty percent of US millennials (aged 23–38) report that they’re “always” or “often” lonely—with 22 percent saying they have zero friends.
Source: YouGov poll, August 2019
