Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too–New Scientist, March 24, 2021
We’re beginning to understand just how vital access to natural space is for our mental wellbeing—and the mounting research (well-presented in this article) has big implications for how we could build greener, nature-rich cities post-pandemic that could boost human health and redress social inequality.
Stanford study into “Zoom Fatigue” explains why video chats are so tiring–New Atlas, February 23, 2021
A new Stanford University study investigates the very modern phenomenon of “Zoom Fatigue.” It suggests there are four key factors that make videoconferencing so uniquely disabling: 1) the stressed hyper-arousal generated by excessive stretches of close-up eye contact, 2) the unique distraction of video, 3) the negative effects of always seeing one’s own image, and 4) a “highway-hypnotic semi-attentive fugue.” The researchers suggest some simple solutions to reduce Zoom exhaustion.
The pandemic has given women a new kind of rage (pushing many families back into the 1950s)–The Atlantic, March 2021
This article explains why the pandemic has been a disaster for feminism and a setback for the gains of the past 50 years, such as the domestic-violence-refuge movement and women’s increased economic independence. The burden of homeschooling caused by COVID has fallen harder on mothers, and when couples were forced to protect one job, they normally picked the man’s, sometimes for sensible reasons but often for unconscious cultural ones. The end result: The pandemic has sent many families back to the 1950s, with a revival of the breadwinner/homemaker divide.
A Striking Stat
A record $3.1 billion was invested in alternative and plant-based protein companies in 2020—three times more than what was raised in 2019.
Source: The Good Food Institute research, March 2021
