Hello!
One thing I hate is when some stupid thing that I've been avoiding doing actually helps with a problem I have. I mean, it's great! It's great to have a tool that actually helps, but by pretending it wouldn't work, I've wasted so much time. It's a little embarrassing!
I have this problem where sometimes I wake up early in the morning, panicked about something pretty ridiculous. I'm not sure why my four AM brain is like this, but it can take pretty much everything in my life and make it seem like a potential source of danger. I mean, unhelpfully, I have been hit with some surprise dangers, whether that's my body failing to do something important or dealing with the surprise difficulties that can come up as a public figure who wants to do impactful things while never pissing anyone off. (Spoiler: that doesn't work.)
Several people and websites have told me over the years that our bodies are made of cells and not just of brains, and if you want to calm down a bit, there are ways to signal to your body that it is safe. You can get up for a second, have a drink of water, stretch, and all that. But you can also (and this tip is everywhere) just breathe in for four or six heartbeats and then breathe out for six or eight heartbeats. Everyone talks about this as if it is a really powerful trick that can be super effective.
THEY TALK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT IS LIKE THAT!!! Now, I'm not saying it works every time or that it's magic, but the ridiculous thing is, it seems like sending that signal to my body really can convert what might have been 60 minutes of wakefulness into 15 minutes of wakefulness.
It is wild that I both am and am not a body. It’s wild that my brain can be so deeply influenced by my body, but also influence it. I can have no idea that my body is making life hard for my brain, but then I can consciously signal to my body through choices my brain makes to calm down. I can't just /tell/ it to calm down...it doesn't speak brain. My body speaks body. Instead of understanding words and thoughts, my body understands breaths. I have to talk to it in its language.
We’re in a freaking RIDICULOUS situation!
Hope you're all sleeping well,
Hank
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This Week in Stuff
PBS Terra explained why the rarest fish on Earth is only found in Death Valley. (YouTube)
Formula 1 has saved countless lives by teaching doctors how to function like a pit crew. (Instagram)
Doctor Mike discussed some of the online health scams we should learn to recognize. (YouTube)
A mushroom played the keyboard with robotic arms! (YouTube)
Hank is on a mission to reach 1% of people who live in Georgia. (YouTube)
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Most people are fairly optimistic that their lives will improve
Hannah Ritchie, Tuna Acisu, and Bastian Herre
If you ask people about whether the world as a whole is getting better or worse, most people say the latter. People are generally pessimistic about global or societal progress.
But they are typically much more optimistic about improvements in their own lives.
In the chart, you can see what share of people think they would be higher or lower on the “Cantril Ladder” five years in the future. The “Cantril Ladder” asks people to rate their lives on a scale from 0 (the worst possible life) to 10 (the best). Here, respondents were asked to rate where they are now, and where they think they’d be in five years.
As you can see, most people say they will be higher on the ladder across a wide range of countries. They expect their lives to improve.
Of course, this is not true of everyone, everywhere, but these results tend to support the argument that people are generally “individually optimistic, but societally pessimistic”.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here.
This Week at Complexly
After a very successful Kickstarter campaign and months of hard work from Bizarre Beasts' incredible teams, they are finally ready for you all to see Endlings!
The first episode on passenger pigeons is out now! Learn about Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who stole our hearts from captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.
You might know Thomas Lum from his recurring role as social media's Tom Lum, but you can catch him in his latest role as the host of SciShow's Deep Dive on Newton's Biggest Secret, out now wherever you get your SciShow! Learn about Newton's secret passion and what it meant to be an alchemist on the hunt for the philosopher's stone.
Some Games to Play!
SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Angie. Send yours to [email protected]
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Our inconsequential opinions
Last week, we asked for your strong opinions that don’t actually matter very much. Thanks to everyone who sent us an opinion!
I will die on the hill that utensils should be at the end of the buffet line, not the beginning. You don't know which utensils you need until you have your food and it's hard to carry a fork and napkin while filling your plate.
Books with deckle edge paper are incredibly annoying! The art is what you put on the page, not old-timey pages that you can't flip through or turn!
I feel strongly that the names for gloves and mittens should be reversed. Mitten is a word that seems to imply fingers.
My friend and I have had an ongoing argument for 15 or so years (we're 23) over the correct way to draw a smiley face. She draws them with a nose (wrong) and I insist on no nose (objectively correct). :) simply looks better than :-) !!!!
This is important! Silverware must go in the dishwasher head first, leaving the handles out to grab upon unloading. This stops knife stabbings, gets the soiled part closer to the jet at the bottom, and keeps hands from touching anything but the handles. Case closed!
Unless you’re fancy and have a horizontal silverware rack then do what you want I guess.
My inconsequential strong opinion is that Cracklin’ Oat Bran, though it looks like dog kibble, is the best breakfast cereal ever made, and I will die on that hill.
Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. Christmas movies are where Christmas is essential to the plot. What does the plot of Die Hard lose if it’s set during another federal holiday? Absolutely nothing I tell you, there’s the one moment where John writes “HO HO HO I have a machine gun now” and that’s it, you could just as easily set the movie at Easter and change it to “Hippity Hoppity I have a machine gun now.” I rest my case.
Mojito isn't a cocktail. It is, at best, a salad with sugar.
I strongly believe the ice cubes that sit in the ice bucket for a few days have much better texture than those straight out of the ice cube tray. My partner thinks my ideas about “dry aged ice” are insane! I really think there is a texture difference, I just haven’t figured out the experiment to prove him wrong is yet…
I think capes need to make a comeback as part of everyday fashion. There's a certain cool factor to being The Cape Person, but what would be even cooler is EVERYONE in capes! They're practical items and can be so many different lengths, shapes, and designs that they add a huge amount of flair and personality to anyone, always. That's my platform. CAPES FOR ALL!
Good News from Good Store! We just launched our brand-new blog, Connecting the Dots. 🎉 It’s the place to catch all the behind-the-scenes stories, sneak peeks, and little tidbits that make Good Store… well, Good Store. Check out the latest with a special letter from Hank & John. Pop over and start exploring today: we can’t wait to share it with you!
The air is getting crisp here in the US. We want to know your favorite recipe to enjoy on a fall day!
Send your fall recipe to [email protected]
