A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest–a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
~ALBERT EINSTEIN, Dear Professor Einstein * Albert Einstein’s Letters To/From Children
HAPPINESS
Does sport make us happy?, BBC Sport | Tweet
Does watching sport make us happy? That seems an easy one: when our lot win it does, when they lose it doesn’t.
→Flow in Sports: The keys to optimal experiences and performances
HEALTH
A hug a day keeps the doctor away, Scientific American | Tweet
Research demonstrates cold fighting power of hugging.
PSYCHOLOGY
Writing about your emotional pain could make you feel worse, unless you do it with ‘self-compassion’, The British Psychological Society | Tweet
Some of us tend to brood over painful experiences. Others distract themselves, taking on more work, for example, or watching videos.
→Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS
Diner beware, The Atlantic | Tweet
How restaurants trick you into eating less and spending more.
TECHNOLOGY
Estimating the impact of robots on productivity and employment, VOX | Tweet
Robots may be dangerous not only to the action heroes of cinema, but also to the average manufacturing worker. This column analyses the effect robots have had in 14 industries across 17 developed countries from 1993 to 2007.
→The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies
SCIENCE
The troubling psychology behind how we decide who’s a scientific ‘expert’–and who isn’t, The Washington Post | Tweet
In the past few days, the climate change debate has reverted to a familiar mode: Follow the money.
STARTUPS
Revenue is the only funding your startup should seek, Entrepreneur | Tweet
Founding a company can be both incredibly exhilarating but also incredibly costly. Among the bevy of risks associated with becoming an entrepreneur, funding is one of the largest.
BUSINESS
Sneaker wars: How basketball shoes became a billion-dollar business, The Washington Post | Tweet
A huge new battlefield just opened up in the war for America’s feet.
WRITING
A sure-fire shortcut to create unique characters, Helping Writers Become Authors | Tweet
The quest for unique characters is one all writers share. And granted, it’s a tricky one, because, as we all know,there’s nothing new under the sun.
→Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
Should you quit writing?, Terrible Minds 
| Tweet
Ahhhh. Uhhh. Whhh… ennnh whhh… well. *whistles* That’s a hot humdinger of a question, isn’t it?