The Cluster Effect: How Social Gatherings Were Rocket Fuel for Coronavirus – Guardian, April 9, 2020
This article explains how social gatherings of different sorts (religious, social, cultural, etc.) helped spread the virus. This is the so-called “cluster-effect” that turbo-charged the spread of the pandemic. It begs the fundamental question of whether governments, when they start relaxing social distancing measures, will allow large social, cultural or religious gatherings to go ahead. As one mathematician observes, the best way to think about the pandemic is not as a curve but as a loop: “As soon as restrictions are loosened, there could be new clusters that allow the spread to accelerate again.”
Telehealth Startups Rake in Money During the Pandemic – Inc., April 17, 2020
Digital healthcare companies are finding new riches during Coronavirus and have racked up nearly $200 million in funding in recent weeks. Experts think the healthcare industry will never be the same, and we’ll continue to see a dramatic shift toward a virtual-first delivery model in health and wellness.
The Strange Pleasure of Planning a Post-Pandemic Vacation – Atlantic, April 14, 2020
People are pinning their post-pandemic, fantasy travel destinations on Pinterest, helping them envision a future that feels impossible to imagine now. Even the act of drumming up excitement for a post-virus trip can be therapeutic because it gives our brains something concrete to focus on.
The Three Equations for a Happy Life, Even During a Pandemic – Atlantic, April 9, 2020
Brooks teaches a class at the Harvard Business School on happiness, a field whose science has exploded over the past three decades. He shares three equations for wellbeing: (1) Subjective wellbeing (the scientific word for happiness) = genes + circumstances + habits; (2) Habits = faith + friends + work; (3) Satisfaction = what you have divided by what you want. A great introduction to the “science” of happiness in a short read!
Trump Calls For Reopening America’s Gyms Day After Call With SoulCycle’s Owner – Daily Beast, April 17, 2020
US President Trump just unveiled a proposal to reopen America’s gyms in spite of the Coronavirus outbreak after a call that included the head of the company (and high-profile Trump supporter) that owns luxury fitness brands Equinox and SoulCycle. In a memo, the White House included gyms among the businesses that would reopen to the public during “phase one” of “Opening up America”—an idea that struck public health experts as bizarre, as gyms can be such a petri dish.
A Striking Stat:
Yale University’s free online course on “The Science of Well Being” has seen an extraordinary increase in sign-ups under Coronavirus: More than half a million enrolled in just a few weeks in March, with 1.3 million total sign-ups to date.
Source: Yale University
