There’s a Good Reason You Can’t Concentrate–The New York Times
Ten years ago, the book Deep Work by Cal Newport, a professor of computer science, posited that individuals or organizations that decided to prioritize concentration as a prime skill would reap a disproportionate reward in a world of hyperactive communication and constant business, with a decisive impact on the bottom line. Today, Newport examines how the argument has held up. In a nutshell: the relentless onslaught of the digital world on our lives makes concentration and deep thinking far harder than in 2016. In the office, interruptions have skyrocketed: according to a recent Microsoft report, the average knowledge worker is interrupted once every two minutes. In our personal lives, things are possibly even worse. As a result, “we’re losing our ability to apply our minds to sustained cognition.” Fighting back by reclaiming cognitive fitness is the only solution.
A Two-Week ‘Dumb Phone’ Detox Erased 10 Years of Social Media Brain Damage, Researchers Say–The Washington Post
Digital detoxes can sound like a fad. But in one of the largest studies to date (in PNAS Nexus), even a short time away from the internet produced striking results on attention and mental health. The study participants used an app to block internet access on their phones for 14 days, essentially making it a dumb phone. By the end, the improvement in sustained attention was about the same magnitude as erasing 10 years of age-related decline, and the impact on depression symptoms was larger than antidepressants and similar to cognitive behavioral therapy. But even more surprising to the researchers, people who cheated and broke the rules after a few days still seemed to benefit from the break, and those benefits lasted. A partial digital detox, even for a few days, has a big effect.
Why climate action matters for healthy longevity–World Economic Forum
Global life expectancy has more than doubled over the past century amid the growing impacts of climate change. Climate change interacts with existing pressures—from disease to food insecurity and unsafe housing—and could slow or even reverse recent gains in longevity. Addressing these disparities requires rethinking how economies, cities and health systems support longer, healthier lives for all.
These are the countries moving to ban social media for children–TechCrunch
Over the past several months, many countries have announced plans to restrict social media access for children and teens. Australia became the first to implement very strict measures at the end of last year. The goal: fight cyberbullying, addiction, mental health issues and exposure to predators for young users. Here are the countries that are considering or have already implemented bans and what they are doing.
A Striking Stat:
Gen Z, stressed by modern technology, wants to live in the past. Nearly half (47%) of US adults ages 18-29 said they’d choose to live in the past if they could. A third of them said less than 50 years in the past; 14% more than 50 years.
Source: NBC News poll, April 2026
