There’s a lot to be worried about these days. But you don’t have to psychoanalyze all that fear and negativity to feel better. A quick study of the biological basis of anxiety can help you feel better fast. Two parts of the brain are critical to the production of anxiety: the cortex and the amygdala. The […]
The Worst Pandemic in Modern History
Piles of bodies. Coffin shortages. Mass graves. The great influenza pandemic infected roughly one in three people—and killed tens of millions of victims around the world. The virus was, in many ways, something that nobody in the medical field had seen before. Victims experienced symptoms so suddenly, and so violently, that many could pinpoint the […]
The Secret Force that Shapes Our Lives
Liars use math to trick people all the time. Knowing how to spot the potential for deception is half the battle. In The Math of Life and Death, mathematician Kit Yates demonstrates how math underpins everything from medical screening to newspaper articles. In articles and advertisements, for example, statistics might be used to inform or mislead readers. How […]
A New Threat Against Kids
Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician, was running a free clinic in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco when she made a horrible discovery. It had already been widely documented that poor communities have suboptimal health outcomes. But Harris’s realization went a step farther: she realized there was a harrowing connection between childhood trauma and medical […]
Is Aging a Disease?
The biology of aging is one of the most exciting frontiers in science. But since aging is not widely considered a disease, medical research funds are rarely dedicated to aging-related projects. Longevity specialist Dr. David Sinclair sees things differently. In his opinion, aging is a disease that will eventually be treatable. What can we do […]
Why the Pandemic Didn’t Change Anything
COVID-19 didn’t really change anything, according to Scott Galloway. It just accelerated existing trends. Tech companies like Amazon and Netflix that dominated their industries pre-pandemic are even more popular (and profitable) now. As you may have heard, Jeff Bezos increased his fortune by more than $35 billion in a single month. That’s all well and […]
Want to Be More Productive? Try This Trick.
Your brain is always active. But different brain regions are activated when you work and when you rest. Resting activates a brain system known as “default mode network,” which is critical to your health, productivity, and development. After resting, your creative energy is at its peak. You can then work optimally for shorter periods, rather than […]
Go Ahead, Eat that Steak
In the Western world, 87.8 percent of people have some degree of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. According to The Carnivore Code, that number is a good indication of how unhealthy we are—and why we need to eat more animal foods. Think of it this way: from an evolutionary perspective, a carnivorous diet was an integral part of […]
Does Group Therapy Work?
Christie Tate just wanted to cease existing. She had no good reasons for it, and didn’t know whether she wanted to act on the thoughts or not. On the advice of a friend, she joined a therapy group—and the experience changed her life. Tate found a therapist, Dr. Jonathan Rosen. He pushed her to be […]
Blueprint for a Better Life
While Siri (and Google, and Alexa) can instantly answer almost any question, they don’t know anything about our emotional lives. We all ask each other “How are you?” seemingly countless times a day. It’s become such a reflex that we rarely notice when we say it, and almost never give an accurate answer. We don’t expect, […]
