🌍 Society

• 🌍What Is Cultural Evolution?

  Explore how cultural evolution shapes societies and predicts future changes, from songbirds' trills to the spread of lactose tolerance.

• 👨The Dangerous Myth of the Male Breadwinner

  Explore how the myth of the male breadwinner, backed by historical and academic narratives, shaped societal views on family roles and gender dynamics.

• ⚾️Black Baseball Goes Pro

  On Feb 13, 1920, Rube Foster led the charge against exclusion, gathering owners to forge a professional league exclusively for Black baseball players.

• 🤝‘Together in Our Differences’

  New Pluralists are uniting activists, storytellers and funders to explore the paradox and promise of American diversity

• 🌍Six Continents, 22 Countries, 240,000 Voices - Creating an Unprecedented Window on How Humans Can Flourish and Change

  Discover how a groundbreaking study explores global human well-being through the diverse lenses of 240,000 individuals from 22 countries.

• 👮How ‘Policing for Profit’ Disproportionately Affects Poor and Minority Groups

  Explore the impact of Philadelphia's civil forfeiture program, which targeted Black and low-income residents, revealing systemic injustices in asset seizure practices.

• 📉Social Hostility Towards Religion Declined in 2019, According to Recent Research

  A Decline in Terrorism Led the Reduction, while Government Hostility Remained Steady

• 🧩India’s Patchwork Pluralism

  A groundbreaking nationwide survey explores what Indians believe about their own and their fellow citizens’ religious faiths

• ✊🏿Sitting In for Civil Rights

  Explore the Greensboro sit-ins where four brave freshmen challenged segregation at Woolworth's. Hear the story via the HISTORY podcast I fact-checked.

• 🤝The Development of Forgiveness

  Studies shed light on how preschoolers recognize remorse in others and learn to forgive

• 🌐Creating a Society for the Study of Cultural Evolution

  Forming connections and framing grand questions on the links between evolutionary inheritance and cultural change

• 🌱Human Flourishing and Critical Realism in the Social Sciences

  Building a network of young scholars to reconnect the social sciences with the big questions of human life and happiness

• 📚Portfolio | Reading Royalty

  Celebrating the power of books at a private school dedicated to low-income children. "Books are awesome!"

• 🦠Metaphor as metastasis

  A thought-provoking exploration of the language and metaphors we use to discuss economic growth and regulation.

• 🍽️Dinner with strangers

  Alain de Botton explores how religions foster community and encourage connection with strangers, inspired by rituals like the Catholic mass and Jewish Passover.

• 🐴The right to a horse

  A thought-provoking perspective from Vint Cerf on the distinction between technology and human rights.

• 📖Knowing the end of the story

  From a study on storytelling, it seems that knowing the outcome can enhance the experience of both short stories and mysteries.

• 🧼Washing away your sins

  This piece explores the powerful connection between metaphors and our physical sensations, particularly regarding morality and cleanliness.

• 🍓Thinking too much about strawberry jam

  A fascinating exploration of how overthinking can distort our preferences, as seen in a jam taste test.

• 📚Fasting for the mind

  Reflecting on the balance between exploring new ideas and revisiting the ones we cherish.

• 🏘️The bottom of the urban planning bag

  An exploration of how cul-de-sacs contribute to the depersonalization of suburban life and the challenges they pose for walkability in neighborhoods.

• 🎶Migrant family, photo by Dorthea Lange

  This photo captures not just the struggles of dust bowl refugees but also their rich cultural heritage through music.

• 🎶Fine tuning

  Quoting Philip Ball.

• 🤖The market and the story

  A fascinating exploration of the disconnect between automated trading algorithms and the narrative-driven explanations provided by the financial press.

• 📚Language that does not forget the world of nouns

  Sven Birkerts reflects on the enduring value of novels in a digital age where concentration is a challenge to be fought for.

• ⛽Gas money

  Quoting Tim O'Reilly.

• 🦠An iconography of contagion

  An illustration of the public health efforts against tuberculosis, depicting the balance between awareness and fear in disease prevention. "Discover the Unknown Spreaders!"

• 🎬So bad it’s good

  Exploring the unexpected joy found in bad movies, this piece highlights how audiences can connect with flawed filmmaking through shared experiences and creativity.

• 🌌Perfect boredom

  Exploring the intriguing nature of boredom and its potential beauty in a world of peace and familiarity.

• 🌌Some awe

  A study finds that awe inspires the most-shared articles, highlighting our need to connect over extraordinary experiences.

• 🏷️Significant objects

  An exploration of how invented narratives can transform thrift store finds into valuable treasures.

• 🤝Giving itself is a gift

  A reflection on the dynamics of giving and receiving, exploring the deeper connections formed in times of disaster.

• 💪Valuing what’s easiest to measure

  A reflection on the importance of perseverance and discipline over innate talent in achieving success.

• 🌈The upside of disaster

  Solnit explores the surprising joy that emerges from the rubble of disasters, revealing deep desires for community and connection.

• 🎨Counter-Terrorism … for Kids!

  A lighthearted embrace of Comic Sans in the context of children's content.

• 🆘“Your logo saves lives!”

  In a surprising turn of events, a logo designed for Mercy Corps has proven to be crucial for identifying aid in crisis situations.

• 🚉If you board the wrong train ..

  Quoting Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

• 🌾Wait till evening

  Quoting Henry David Thoreau.

• 📺What a difference a TV makes

  Television's impact on women's roles and fertility is profound, as shown in studies from India and Brazil.

• 🚗Vector portraits, by Andrew Bush

  Andrew Bush's freeway photographs capture the intriguing intersection of private moments and public spaces in our highway culture.

• 📊How jobs stack up

  An exploration of the historical representation of professions in the U.S. Census highlights disparities and trends over time.

• 📚Moby Dick, a book about computers

  Exploring the whimsical errors in Google Books' categorizations reveals unexpected connections in literature.

• 🏏Only a game, but not just a game

  A thoughtful reflection on the complexities of life mirrored in the nuances of test match cricket.

• 📈The not-great, the good, and the awesome

  Sometimes humility can lead to underestimating potential.

• 🌍A tool which will unleash the fullest in someone else

  In a thought-provoking exploration, Kevin Kelly argues for the moral obligation to embrace technology for the sake of expanding possibilities for ourselves and others.

• 🩺Face time

  An exploration of how adding a personal touch to patient diagnostics can enhance the connection and meticulousness in medical practice.

• 🌊One works and works for something, which then happens of its own accord

  Reflecting on the nature of political transformation and the interplay of effort and grace, Weschler captures the essence of spontaneous uprising in his writings.

• 🎧File sharing

  A fascinating glimpse into exclusive listening parties where music meets community in a cozy setting.

• 🚫Too much information

  An exploration of how highlighting negative behaviors can inadvertently reinforce them.

• 🎬Looks like work

  An exploration of the creative challenges filmmakers face in portraying everyday digital interactions dramatically.