Published in Forge·PinnedMember-onlyWhy You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty for Ignoring the NewsStaying off the anxiety roller coaster of the war isn’t inherently selfish — I was living three blocks away from a hospital in Queens when the pandemic started. …Psychology5 min readPsychology5 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Cumulative Impact of Having the Wrong NameIn another universe, Karl Starr has already given a TED talk — One of the most disheartening conversations of my life happened at a meetup for science writers at a bar in New York about six years ago. I was venting to a friend, “John,” about not getting a response from a Professor after multiple emails; an interview would have been ideal…Psychology7 min readPsychology7 min read
PinnedMember-onlyFlexibility is the Ultimate Survival SkillThe Great Resignation is a Culture Shift: Loyalty only works in times of stability — I’ve been through multiple “once in a lifetime” economic meltdowns, and lost track of how many times I’ve been advised to stay the course, be consistent, and be loyal. …Biology3 min readBiology3 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThe Marshmallow Test Explains Why “Lazy” Millennials Are Actually RationalThe life-changing magic of empathy and zooming out — If you’re one of the few humans who hasn’t heard about the Marshmallow Test, here goes: a researcher at Stanford, Walter Mischel, tested kids’ ability to delay gratification. In his seminal study, he left kids alone in front of a piece of candy. …Psychology5 min readPsychology5 min read
Jul 24, 2022Member-onlyYou’ve Always Needed to Hustle to Make It in AmericaWorkaholism is in our DNA — You’re sick of hustle culture. You’re sick with the American obsession with productivity. You might blame it on a lack of social safety nets, the internet, or rising economic inequality. Bad news, folks: it’s not an artifact of the internet age, the industrial era, or even remotely new. The idea…History5 min readHistory5 min read
Jul 5, 2022Member-onlyThe Dark Side of Measuring EverythingReality is more complicated than numbers — The first book I ever fell in love with was Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield? Swoon. Now there was a protagonist after my heart: a swearing curmudgeon who just did his own thing. But the book has one fundamental flaw: it took J.D. Salinger 10 long years to write. …Psychology4 min readPsychology4 min read
Jun 22, 2022Member-onlyWhy Bosses Don’t Realize How Awful It Is To Work in an OfficeOffices are great for managers and awful for everyone else — You may have noticed something about all of the articles and propaganda discussing the “return to the office.” Guess who wants to return? The managers. According to a recent survey, three out of four executives want to return to the office—compared to only 1 in 3 workers. …Work4 min readWork4 min read
Jun 12, 2022Member-only“Just Do It” Doesn’t Work When You’re DepressedAnd not being able to take that advice can make you feel worse — The well-intentioned Brad Stulberg, a performance coach and author, has recently written some pieces on “Behavioral Activation,” a premise revolving around the idea that motivation and energy follow action. Don’t wait until you feel like doing something, he says — just do it. The old adage “Move a muscle, change…Psychology6 min readPsychology6 min read
Jun 10, 2022Member-onlyThe Current Mental Health Pandemic is InevitableStress is cumulative; depression and anxiety follow — I have a new theory that there are now two kinds of people in the world: Those who have been dealing with significant mental health challenges during the pandemic Liars The answer to the ages-old question “genes or the environment?” is always both: the environment pushes us over the edge…Mental Health5 min readMental Health5 min read
Jun 7, 2022Member-onlyThe Art of Working From Home With ADHD Without Going CrazyIt Can Take a While, But There’s Always a Way — If you’re in the first few years of working from home — congratulations, and welcome to the club! I’ve been working from home and self-employed for as long as I can remember. I love it and wouldn’t trade it for the world, largely because I have ADHD. My brain doesn’t…Work5 min readWork5 min read
