Vivian Le's reads

Why you should 'romanticize' your life. In the early months of the pandemic, people began to "romanticize" their lives, or find appreciation for even mundane activities, as a way to cope with lockdowns and other difficulties. Now, many have adopted the mindset as a call to action to encourage people to pay attention to their present surroundings and exert control over their daily lives. Writing for the New York Times, Christina Caron explains how the trend of "romanticizing your life" intersects with mindfulness and positive psychology and how it may help people become more in tune with themselves and gain a sense of agency.

How to brainstorm brilliant ideas. Creativity is a highly sought-after skill in the workplace, but it can be difficult to be creative in groups, especially if people aren't always open to new or different ideas. Writing for The Conversation, Sabrina Habib, an associate professor of visual communications at the University of South Carolina, explains three key guidelines that can help teams foster creativity effectively without being overly critical.

Alyssa Nystrom's reads

The 'massive, unregulated source of plastic pollution' most people have never heard of. Each year, roughly 200,000 metric tons of small plastic beads called nurdles pollute marine ecosystems around the world—but federal and local governments usually fail to monitor, prevent, or clean up nurdle spills. Writing for Vox, Neel Dhanesha explains how these unregulated pollutants have accumulated with minimal intervention from industry leaders and government agencies.

Why so many people are experiencing 'decision fatigue.' Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a simple night out with friends required minimal planning, but many people now face the added pressure of weighing the potential benefits and risks associated with every choice they make. Writing for the Washington Post, Elizabeth Tricomi and Wesley Ameden of the Learning & Decision-Making Lab at Rutgers University-Newark, explain why the pandemic has caused so many people to experience the "exhausting" condition some psychologists call "decision fatigue."