Something You Should Know

If you ever feel a wave of anxiety or that vague sense of dread, your first instinct probably isn’t to reach for a pain reliever. But there’s evidence that something you already have in your medicine cabinet may affect more than just physical pain—and the reason why is surprisingly unexpected. https://www.livescience.com/28770-tylenol-eases-existential-dread.html

Plants don’t have brains—so how could they possibly be intelligent? Yet research suggests plants can sense threats, communicate with each other, and even change their behavior in ways that seem surprisingly strategic. Zoë Schlanger, award-winning writer for The Atlantic and author of The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth (https://amzn.to/4deE12f), explores this hidden world and explains how plants may be far more responsive and complex than we ever imagined.

Dining out often comes with sticker shock. Between rising menu prices, service charges, and tipping, a simple meal can add up quickly. But what’s actually driving those costs? And why do some insiders argue that restaurants may still be underpriced? Andrew Friedman takes us behind the scenes of the restaurant industry and reveals the complex economics, labor, and logistics that shape the price of what ends up on your plate. He is author of the book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (https://amzn.to/3xWJjiE).

Let out a good sigh—it might do more than you think. People all over the world sigh, often without realizing it, and it plays a role in both how we communicate and how our bodies function. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-babble/201304/why-do-we-sigh

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What makes someone—or something—attractive? It may have less to do with beauty and more to do with how easily your brain can process what you’re seeing. There’s a hidden pattern behind what we find appealing, and it shows up in more places than you might expect. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3130383/?utm

Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly, and it’s easy to feel like you’re either falling behind—or overestimating what it can actually do. So what is AI truly good at right now? Where does it fall short? And how can you use it effectively without getting lost in the hype? Christopher Mims, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal and author of How to AI: Cut Through the Hype. Master the Basics. Transform Your Work (https://amzn.to/3Qtnd0n), breaks down what today’s AI tools can realistically do, how they differ, and how to get real value from them in your everyday work and decision-making.

Have you ever been in a room where you felt like you didn’t quite belong? Maybe you held back from speaking, worried about saying the wrong thing, or felt subtly out of place. That feeling has a name: “churn.” Claude Steele, social psychologist at Stanford University and a leading researcher on identity and perception, explains how this tension arises and how it shapes behavior in powerful ways. In his book Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It (https://amzn.to/4tZoQl9), he offers insight into why we feel this way—and what we can do to move through it with more confidence and connection.

Should you shut your computer down when you’re done with it—or just let it go to sleep? It seems like a small choice, but the answer may not be what you think—especially given how much technology has changed. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/shut-down-sleep-or-hibernate-your-pc-2941d165-7d0a-a5e8-c5ad-8c972e8e6eff

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Being a little skeptical can feel smart. After all, cynics pride themselves on “seeing things as they really are”—not getting fooled, not trusting too easily. But is that actually true? Or does cynicism quietly distort the way you see other people and the world?

Research suggests that cynicism may come with a significant cost. People who assume the worst in others often miss opportunities for connection, collaboration, and even personal success. In fact, believing that others are selfish or untrustworthy can become a self-fulfilling cycle—one that shapes how you behave and how others respond to you.

Dr. Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, studies empathy, trust, and human connection. In his book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness (https://amzn.to/3XeRfpL), he explores what science actually says about human nature—and why many of us are far more trustworthy and cooperative than cynics assume.

In our conversation, he explains why cynicism feels protective, why it spreads so easily, and what you can do to challenge it without becoming naïve. If you—or someone you know—tends to expect the worst, this perspective may change the way you think about people and your place among them.

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What if you followed people for 80 years—tracking their health, happiness, and relationships over a lifetime? That’s exactly what one of the longest-running studies ever has done, and what it reveals about how to live a good life may not be what you expect. https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/

We all think we know what “now” means—until we try to define it. The present moment feels obvious, yet science struggles to explain it. Your brain doesn’t have a clear way to register “now,” and your experience of time can stretch, compress, and shift depending on what you’re doing and how you feel. Jo Marchant, science writer and author of In Search of Now: The Science of the Present Moment (https://amzn.to/4tKBvbs), explores how we experience time, why it feels different from moment to moment, and how we can become more aware participants in the way we perceive our lives unfolding.

Most people have encountered someone who drains their energy, creates conflict, or leaves them feeling worse after every interaction. These “poisonous” individuals often display traits like manipulation, lack of empathy, or extreme self-centeredness. The real challenge isn’t just recognizing them—it’s knowing how to deal with them without letting them take a toll on your well-being. Dr. Leanne ten Brinke, psychologist at the University of British Columbia and author of Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life (https://amzn.to/4dT7e5w), explains how to identify these patterns, why they’re so impactful, and what you can do to protect yourself.

Getting too little sleep can do more than make you tired—it can change what your body craves. Interestingly, it has something in common with another behavior that also increases hunger in a very specific way—and not for the healthiest foods. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763921/

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When you buy fruits and vegetables, how much pesticide residue is actually on them? Is it something you should worry about—or not? And does buying organic really make a meaningful difference? Recent findings offer some answers that may surprise you. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/produce-without-pesticides-a5260230325/

We tend to believe that hard work and good decisions determine how life turns out. But luck and random chance play a much bigger role than most people realize. From career paths to relationships to financial success, unexpected events often shape outcomes in powerful ways. Mark Robert Rank, professor at Washington University in St. Louis and author of The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us (https://amzn.to/3W1mDb4), explains how luck operates in everyday life—and how understanding it can help you better navigate uncertainty and make smarter choices.

Every living thing ages—but not at the same rate. Some organisms live for just days, while others survive for centuries. What determines how quickly we age? And is it possible to slow the process in humans? Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and author of Why We Die (https://amzn.to/49KII0z), explains what science has uncovered about aging, why it happens, and what current research suggests about extending healthy lifespan.

You’ve heard the advice to stop and smell the roses—but there may be something else just as powerful you’re overlooking. Paying attention to certain everyday sounds could have a surprisingly positive effect on how you feel. https://www.treehugger.com/why-do-birds-sing-5179422

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