Why you might not know about advanced prosthetic arms, the benefits of mental time travel, and more.

Ben Palmer's reads

How the pandemic is affecting our brains. It's been a year since the official start of the coronavirus pandemic, and for many people in the United States, it's been a year of spending a lot of time at home. Writing for The Atlantic, Ellen Cushing describes how the past year of being at home has affected our brains, our personalities, our mental health, and why we're "all walking around with some mild cognitive impairment," according to one neuroscientist.

One way to cope with the pandemic? Mental time travel. The coronavirus pandemic has been stressful to say the least, but one (unexpected) way to cope with the stress might be to attempt some "mental time travel." Writing for the Washington Post, Anna-Lisa Cohen dives into the research behind mentally transporting yourself to a different place and time and how the practice can help you cope with stress.

José Vasquez's reads

Why advanced prosthetic arms aren't all they're cracked up to be. You've probably seen videos of children unboxing their new high-tech prosthetic arms on TikTok, the local news, or even the websites of prosthetic makers—but what you likely haven't noticed is how "limited" and dissatisfying prosthetic arm technology can be for people with missing limbs, Britt H Young writes for Input. Citing anecdotes, surveys, and studies, Young explains why prosthetics make her and others "become more disabled" when they wear them.

Are introverts thriving during quarantine? Most people would assume introverts are having the time of their lives quarantining during the pandemic, but the thousands of self-identified introverts who responded to a survey from Buzzfeed may tell you otherwise, Buzzfeed's Michael Blackmon reports. According to Blackmon, people tend to believe introverts want to avoid socializing at all costs, but in reality, extroversion falls along a spectrum, which means "no two introverts" are responding to the pandemic in the same way—and some are even having urges to go to the club or bar.