For teenage entrepreneurs, running a summer business can teach a lot of lessons. Students, of course, are taking a chance when they launch ventures of their own instead of hunting for jobs, whether for the summer or the whole year. And in doing so, they’re in for a crash course in entrepreneurship. They must learn about dealing with customer complaints, adjusting a flawed business model … Continue reading
This Is Your Brain on Silence
May 13th, 2019 - By jen in UncategorizedAs it turned out, even though all the sounds had short-term neurological effects, not one of them had a lasting impact. Yet to her great surprise, Kirste found that two hours of silence per day prompted cell development in the hippocampus, the brain region related to the formation of memory, involving the senses. This was deeply puzzling: The total absence of input was having a … Continue reading
Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain
March 5th, 2019 - By jen in UncategorizedThe point isn’t to get you off the internet, or even off social media — you’re still allowed to use Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms on a desktop or laptop, and there’s no hard-and-fast time limit. It’s simply about unhooking your brain from the harmful routines it has adopted around this particular device, and hooking it to better things. Read full article, The New … Continue reading
Let Children Get Bored Again
February 22nd, 2019 - By jen in UncategorizedBoredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency. Read full article: The New York Times, “Let Children Get Bored Again”
Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They’re Saying.
February 15th, 2019 - By jen in UncategorizedThe body’s microbial community may influence the brain and behavior, perhaps even playing a role in dementia, autism and other disorders. Read full article: The New York Times, “Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They’re Saying.”
The Single Most Important Thinking Skill Nobody Taught You
February 11th, 2019 - By jen in Uncategorized“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw said that. And Einstein also said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Life is neither static nor unchanging, it’s fluid. Nothing stays the same. Elastic thinking (experts may call it cognitive flexibility) allows us to shift gears and think about something in more than one way. Flexible thinkers consider a range … Continue reading
Falling for Sleep
February 6th, 2019 - By jen in Sleep, UncategorizedIn Evelyn De Morgan’s numinous painting, Night and Sleep (1878), Nyx, the mighty Greek goddess of night, hovers across a dusky sky with her beloved son Hypnos, the sweet-natured god of sleep. The painting and the Greek gods it captures depict a radically different way of understanding and relating to sleep. In antiquity sleep was personified, transcendent, even romantic. Read full article: aeon — Pocket, “Falling for Sleep.”
Sleepless No More In Seattle — Later School Start Time Pays Off For Teens
December 16th, 2018 - By jen in TeensMany American teenagers try to put in a full day of school, homework, after-school activities, sports and college prep on too little sleep. As evidence grows that chronic sleep deprivation puts teens at risk for physical and mental health problems, there is increasing pressure on school districts around the country to consider a later start time. Read full article, npr.org, “Sleepless No More In Seattle … Continue reading
Kids Can Eat Free if Parents Don’t Use Their Phones at This Restaurant
December 10th, 2018 - By jen in UncategorizedParents who give up their phones during dinner will be rewarded with free meals for their kids at one U.K.-based restaurant chain. For the first week of December, Frankie & Benny’s is running its “no-phone zone” campaign in an attempt to improve family interactions at the dinner table. Read full article: Fatherly, “Kids Can Eat Free if Parents Don’t Use Their Phones at This Restaurant”
How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep
November 9th, 2018 - By jen in SleepMost people know they need to eat right and exercise to be healthy. But what about sleep? We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, and sleep is essential to better health. But many of us are struggling with sleep. Four out of five people say that they suffer from sleep problems at least once a week and wake up feeling exhausted. So how do … Continue reading