The Cognitive Contradictions That Shape Who Runs the Household
There’s a puzzling inconsistency in the way couples deploy their skills at work and at home.
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What It’s Like to Be…a Baseball Player
Scaling outfield walls to pick off home runs, bouncing between La Quinta hotels and sleeper buses, and chasing the dream of the majors with Trayvon Robinson, a professional baseball player.
What It’s Like to Be…a Seismologist
Monitoring global networks of seismometers, evangelizing for stronger buildings instead of better predictions, and measuring LA’s slow crawl toward Alaska with Lucy Jones, a seismologist in Southern California.
What We're Reading
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You’re Getting ‘Screen Time’ Wrong
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The Atlantic -
‘You’re Going to Lose Your Mind’: My Three-Day Retreat in Total Darkness
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The New York Times -
Brains Remember Stories Differently Based on How They Were Told
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Scientific American -
The Great Friendship Flattening
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The Atlantic -
The Explosion of Choice
By
Aeon
Featured
The Volunteer’s Dilemma
Learning about something in public, even if everyone already knows it, can change everything—especially when and how we decide to help.
How ‘Proportion Dominance’ Gets in the Way of Effective Giving
When it comes to helping others, it’s important to remember that it’s the size of the drop that matters, not the size of the bucket.
What It’s Like to Be…an Executive Chef
Butchering whole alligators, costing out every plate down to the garnish, and perfecting grilled sweetbreads with Cindy Wolf, an executive chef.
Solitude Is a Skill
We all need different amounts of social time and alone time. If the solitary life comes less natural to you, what should you do?
The Power of Asking ‘How?’
Humans love to ask, “Why?” But when it comes to our behavior, it can often be more productive and compelling to ask, “How?”
What It’s Like to Be…a Speechwriter
Writing for the ear rather than the eye, racing to meet teleprompter deadlines, and recasting lost memories as timeless advice with Stephen Krupin, a speechwriter.
How to Rescue an Overloaded Organization
Many leaders mistakenly believe that their organizations thrive under constant pressure. But overloaded systems are broken systems—to fix them, we must learn our way to the right amount of work.
The Art of Balancing Solitude and Connection
Without enough alone time, I feel disconnected from myself. But too much alone time makes me feel like I’m losing part of myself, too—the part of me that comes alive when I’m with other people.
