Featured Posts
The Forgotten Medieval Habit of ‘Two Sleeps’
It was around 23:00 on 13 April 1699, in a small village in the north of England. Nine-year-old Jane Rowth blinked her eyes open and squinted out into the moody evening shadows. She and her mother had just awoken...
20-Somethings Are in Trouble
What if I told you that one age group is more depressed, more anxious, and lonelier than any other in America? You might assume I’m talking about teens. Mood disorders, self-harm, and suicide have become more common among adolescents...
Murmurations: From Rupture to Repair
This is one of my deepest truths: If we are in relationship, no matter how scared or unskilled I may be, I want to repair with you. Part political commitment, part survival strategy, part just essence of who I...
Living Your Best 5D Life
The new era of 5th dimension (5D) access brings with it the quality of more awareness – our higher nature — generating more respect for Earth and every one of its people, taking us into our galactic citizenship! Being...
Aging hits us in our 40s and 60s. But well-being doesn’t have to fall off a cliff.
This week I came across research that suggests aging hits us in waves. You might feel like you’re on a slow, gradual decline, but, at the molecular level, you’re likely to be hit by two waves of changes...
To Delay Death, Lift Weights
Trust me, I understand—in theory—that I should be stronger. Yes, I’m an aerobic beast (or an aerobic addict, if you prefer), but I’m not oblivious to the benefits of having a reasonable amount of muscle. When I play the...
Why the Flow of Time Is an Illusion
In his book Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality, Max Tegmark writes that “time is not an illusion, but the flow of time is.” In this month’s issue of Nautilus, which looks at the...
Why You Can Smell Rain
When those first fat drops of summer rain fall to the hot, dry ground, have you ever noticed a distinctive odor? I have childhood memories of family members who were farmers describing how they could always “smell rain” right before...
Too much sleep results in cognitive decline, researchers find
We’ve been hearing about the dangers of too little sleep for years. With 70 million Americans suffering from sleeping disorders, risks of depression, obesity, anxiety, and psychological disorders increase when we get less than seven hours a night. Even memory...
Can Humanity Address Climate Change Without Believing It? Medical History Suggests It Is Possible
Strange as it may seem, early germ theorists could tell us a lot about today’s attitudes toward climate change. While researching for a new book about the history of emerging infections, I found many similarities between early debates over the...
The science behind why some of us are shy
Does the idea of mingling at a party send cold fingers of dread creeping up your spine? Or the thought of giving a presentation in front of a room full of people make you feel physically sick? If so, then...
7 common household items that are polluting your air
Never before has it been more important to focus on learning how to improve air quality indoors. Aside from the usual tips and tricks people use, there may be some household items that are polluting the air you are...
6 key signs you’re in a toxic relationship with yourself – and what you can do about it
If you’re anything like me, the think-pieces you’ve read on how to spot red flags or deal with a friend’s trauma dumping will have become imprinted on your brain. However, it’s also true that sometimes we need to look at...
A philosopher’s 350-year-old trick to get people to change their minds is now backed up by psychologists
The 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal is perhaps best known for Pascal’s Wager which, in the first formal use of decision theory, argued that believing in God is the most pragmatic decision. But it seems the French thinker also had a knack for...
Why Am I So Tired All the Time?
Al Herpin of Trenton, New Jersey, died on January 3, 1947. He was 94. Herpin spent a large chunk of his adult life making a peculiar claim: that he never slept. It’s unclear whether Herpin had a sleep disorder...
Everyday Philosophy: Is it better to forget your past or keep revisiting it?
I have conflicting thoughts about letting go of the past and repressing negative feelings. Does documenting our bad experiences in personal writing, a diary, or poetry actually help us in the long run? ~ Dee, US ...
Why Being Near Water Really Does Make Us Happier
Every time my brother crosses the Sagamore Bridge from mainland Massachusetts to Cape Cod, we all know where he’s headed: a sandy spot off an ocean road on the Nantucket Sound, home to the little beach club my family...
If the calling runs through you…
Eight years ago my husband and I gave away pretty much all that we owned and headed off on a year and a half of travel round the world. This was the third time in my life that I...
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