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Quote of the day
If the passions are the mind’s great dramas, the emotions are its actors. Throughout our lives they rush through our minds like an unruly river, determining countless states of happiness and unhappiness. Should we try to tame this river? Is it even possible?
The easiest way to distinguish between our emotions is to examine their motivation and their results. If an emotion strengthens our inner peace and seeks the good of others, it is positive or constructive; if it shatters our serenity, deeply disturbs our mind, and is intended to harm others, it is negative or afflictive.
~MATTHIEU RICARD, author of Happiness: A guide to developing life’s most important skill.
CREATIVITY
Focus on brainexploring, not brainstorming, to have ideas, Creative Something | Tweet
You can stumble on more creative ideas by replacing brainstorming with an equal amount of time dedicated to simply asking questions.
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HAPPINESS
If You’re Happy and You Know It, Raise Your Head, The Atlantic | Tweet
New research studies how head movements convey emotion.
For many of us, happiness is the ultimate goal in life, worth pursuing above all else. If you’d asked me a few months ago, I would have agreed. But recently, I’ve been thinking about the kinds of mistakes we make when pursuing happiness. I’ve been wondering whether the biggest mistake might be seeing happiness as something we should be aiming for at all.
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PSYCHOLOGY
- The lure of luxury, Boston Review | Tweet
Most people own things that they don’t really need. It is worth thinking about why.
HOW is it that people can believe something that they know is not true?
Why Screams Are So Upsetting, Scientific American | Tweet
If there is one sound that bettered our ancestors’ chances of survival, it might be the scream. When a baby needs food, it hollers; if a ravenous lion prowls a little too close, a blood-curdling shriek alerts the tribe.
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HEALTH
Normally I’m a positive, productive member of society. But I do have episodes of depression that make even getting out of bed difficult. There’s a stigma associated with even saying that much, but I’m open to writing about it. Maybe some of the tools that I’ve found to help me manage my depression can help someone else. Like, for example, my Spreadsheet of Happiness.
- Why men should also worry about waiting too long to have kids, The Washington Post | Tweet
Research has shown that age affects a man’s ability to have a child in a similar way to a woman’s, though the timeline isn’t the same. It’s harder for older men to father children, and their offspring are more likely to have health problems, too. In fact, new research suggests that many problematic genetic conditions may be more closely linked to the age of the father than the mother.
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FOOD
- Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes, The Guardian | Tweet
UN health body says bacon, sausages and ham among most carcinogenic substances along with cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos and arsenic.
According to a study from the University of Michigan, cheesy foods can actually have addictive properties.
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- Mastering cheese: Lessons for connoisseurship from a Maitre Formage.
- Meat: Everything you need to know.
EXERCISE
Almost any amount and type of physical activity may slow aging deep within our cells, a new study finds. And middle age may be a critical time to get the process rolling, at least by one common measure of cell aging.
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MINDFULNESS
On the first day of the new school year, the schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, stood in an elementary school classroom in Queens beaming at a hushed room full of fourth-grade children sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Please let your eyes close,” said a small boy named Davinder, from his spot on the linoleum. Davinder gently struck a shallow bronze bowl. Gong! “Take three mindful breaths,” he said, and the room fell silent.
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AMAZON
TIME MANAGEMENT
Age, platform, gender among factors that influence response times. Tip: Don’t wait for your tech-averse elderly mom to reply.
- This Is The Lazy Way To Stop Procrastinating, Backed By Research, Barking Up the Wrong Tree | Tweet
You want to stop procrastinating? What if I told there was a solution that involved fun. In fact, it lets you do the thing you love most in the world. No willpower or discipline necessary. It’s backed by scientific research and even has a cool name: “temptation bundling.”
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- Procrastination: Why you do it, what to do about it now.
- Email etiquette: Netiquette for the information age
PRODUCTIVITY
Three Tactics From Getting Things Done That Transformed My Productivity, Accidental Creative | Tweet
David Allen’s book Getting Things Done is one of the most successful productivity books in history. (If you’re not familiar, I’ve interviewed David a few times – on – the – podcast, and also did an interview with him for his own community about how I use the system.)
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MOVIES
When Amy Pascal allowed “Steve Jobs” to leave Sony for Universal, the studio chief fretted that she had let a modern day “Citizen Kane” slip through her fingers.
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