Is all of this self-monitoring through wearables making us paranoid?–The New York Times
As wearable tech, like the Oura Ring, becomes more ubiquitous, some users say having so much data about their bodies is making them far more anxious. Collecting piles of data about our bodies seems to hold the promise of bringing about a happier, healthier life, but according to this article it often does the opposite: rather than helping us feel more in control of our wellness, the data only makes us fixate on potential, and often nonexistent, problems.
What a scientist who studies ‘super agers’ learned and how he now exercises for a longer life–The Washington Post
Cardiologist Eric Topol, 70, spent six years sequencing the genomes of 1,400 people in their 80s or older who had no major chronic diseases. These “super agers,” it turned out, shared few, if any, genetic similarities—meaning their DNA wasn’t necessarily the reason they were faring so well. There was one lifestyle change that seemed to influence aging far more than any other. Topol changed his own lifestyle accordingly and shared the workout that he now does based on his research.
You might live to be 100. Are you ready?–The Guardian
A dramatic demographic change is unfolding, and many of us can expect a long life. For most of human history, only a minority of the young and middle-aged became old. As a result, we have long underinvested in our later years and failed to provide the required support for a long, healthy life. Given how many of us can expect to live to 80, have a shot at 90, and even make it to 100, this is a problem that demands change. It’s time to provide the support needed and SO much needs to be done.
This is your priest on drugs (a university study reveals interesting things that happened when clergy members experienced psilocybin)–The New Yorker
It’s not every day that a group of clergy members recounts a high-dose psilocybin trip. But that’s what happened when dozens of them (including a Catholic priest, a Baptist Biblical scholar, several rabbis, an Islamic leader, and a Zen Buddhist roshi) took part in a university study. The researchers wanted to answer questions like, would psychedelic experiences renew their faith, or make them question it? Would they encounter imagery/symbolism from their specific faiths—or would they point to something more universal? The small study, which admittedly had serious flaws (no placebo control, etc.), tells a provocative story, and now many of the religious leaders are evangelists for psychedelics. A striking number of them (79%) reported that the experience enriched their prayer and their sense of the sacred in daily life, and 96% rated their first encounters with psilocybin among the top five most spiritually significant experiences of their lives. At a time when organized religion has been struggling with declining membership, especially among the young, could carefully-guided psychedelic experiences have the potential to spark a revival of interest in religion? It’s a controversial idea.
A Striking Stat:
Almost half of young people (46%) would prefer to live in a world without the internet. Nearly 70% feel worse about themselves after spending time on social media.
Source: New British Standards Institution survey of 16 to 21-year-olds in the UK
Read more findings and their implications.
