Have you heard of the Iceman? Wim Hof is a Dutch athlete who has set records for enduring freezing temperatures, swimming under ice, and running barefoot on ice and snow. Hof has been enduring extreme conditions since birth, living dangerously from his very first moments. Hof was a twin, but doctors didn’t know that his […]
Kill Your Anxiety
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 Trick to More Meaningful Relationships
Every conversation matters in an intimate relationship. Each exchange builds on another, and there are no shortcuts. Think of every feeling, story, secret, and emotion that friends and loved ones share with you as a gift that brings you closer together. Communicating is the only way that we can see into one another’s hearts and […]
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 […]
10 Predictions from Fareed Zakaria
Wondering what the world is going to be like post-COVID? Fareed Zakaria has two words for you: Buckle up. One thing that the pandemic has made clear is that as much as we are globally connected, each country is very much on its own. No one nation can shape the trajectory of the planet. Today, […]
5 Steps to Conquer Any Fear
You can conquer any fear in just five steps. Think of it as a workout: you must keep pushing yourself harder and harder by introducing obstacles and overcoming them. One day you will reach your goal. Step 1: Identify one or two stressors related to the fear that you can introduce into your life. You should feel […]
Happiness Isn’t a Goal. It’s a Process.
Great thinkers have wondered about the meaning of life for thousands of years. What if someone has finally figured it out? According to social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the “happiness hypothesis” requires us to think of contentment as a journey, not a destination. Process is important. As you work towards a goal, you enjoy the feeling […]
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 […]
