Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Why do we celebrate Halloween? Everyone loves Halloween, right? But it's also kind of ... random. Why do we dress up in costumes? And hand out candy? Why October 31? And what makes clowns so scary? In this special edition of the newsletter, science has some answers. When your kid says they want to be a smoke detector, they get to be a smoke detector. Why does this holiday exist anyway? Halloween traces back to the ancient Celtic festival of...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more How Can I Learn More About Sports? Fall is here! Which means homecoming games, the World Series, basketball and eventually the Super Bowl (not to mention next summer's World Cup). How can you get up to speed? If you want to start playing (or watching) a sport, do it with friends (and a coach). When one researcher decided to learn four new sports in a year (table tennis, swimming, badminton and cricket) he found it was critical to have a 'sports...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Right now feels like ... a lot. But, you can make a difference in people's lives and national events — and science has tips on how. One of my favorite social scientists — Hahrie Han of Johns Hopkins — just won a MacArthur Genius Grant for her work studying how regular people create real social change. So, how do we actually change the world? What works? (And how do you become a U.S. Senator?) Some things are worth fighting for. Groups of regular people can make a huge difference. There are...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Creativity isn’t a mystical gift. It's a capacity we cultivate. Science has suggestions on how to build the creative muscle. Jean-Michel is king. Researchers have found three ingredients for triggering creativity: 1. Exposure to novel stimuli (like learning something new, looking at art or taking an unfamiliar stroll); 2. Deliberate rest (letting yourself think about something else, or stretching, or having a relaxing meal); 3. And brief creativity rituals (like cleaning your desk or...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
And a new version of the audiobook of The Power of Habit I hope you’ll pardon this brief interruption. I just wanted to let you know that Supercommunicators, which came out last year, is now available in paperback. Supercommunicators has sold over 1 million copies globally, and was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 40 weeks. And I have many of you to thank for that. In addition, I’ve recorded a new, updated audio version of The Power of Habit. If you are looking for something to...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
What's the best way to learn about artificial intelligence? Which apps should I be using? (And will the robots really kill us all?) I live near Silicon Valley, where conventional wisdom holds there are three ways to become a billionaire: Be born to a billionaire and then wait. Hope your father is elected President and then #crypto4ever. Do something in artificial intelligence. For me, the first two options are already out of reach (and who needs a billion dollars, anyway?) So how do we become...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Science has suggestions on how to heal our divides. I thought, given recent events, this is a moment to explore what research tells us about having hard conversations, connecting even when we disagree, and crossing the gaps that separate us. The good news: We can connect, even when we disagree, even with the the people we disagree with most. That’s what has always made this nation — and this world — strongest. If you and a friend have very different opinions, you can talk about them — and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
What should I eat, how should I exercise, and who should I spend time with if I want to feel physically great? Science has suggestions! At the China Chili Pepper Festival in Hunan province, whoever eats the most gets a 24 karat gold coin, which does not seem like a great deal. What’s the best diet for maximizing health and longevity? A study that followed over 25,000 people for 25 years found a Mediterranean diet — rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and healthy...
2 months ago • 2 min read
A few recommendations for something to read, listen to, or play with to finish the summer in style. Books! I’m particularly excited for 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation, journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin’s narrative of the stock market crash, and why it has eerie echos of today, as well as Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by one of my favorite writers, David Epstein, the author of Range and The Sports Gene. I’m also looking...
3 months ago • 1 min read