Learning! Roundup: Medications Change You, Who's Got the Power?, Minimum Wage Saves Lives, and More!

A white tray with green gel capsules spilled out of it and a bottle labelled "hemp oil", all on top of a yellow tablecloth
Photo by Tree of Life Seeds.

Medications That Change You


We expect to experience emotional or psychological changes when we take antidepressants or antipsychotic meds, but what if you try a new diabetes medication? It perhaps shouldn't be a surprise, but medications for our body can affect our minds, sometimes dramatically. Here's a story about some of the massive mental shifts that can come from unexpected meds.

Who's Got the Power?


This one's a bummer: from the age of 4, children see men as more powerful than women, although in some situations girls don't have this association. Still, the patriarchal system we live in starts its indoctrinations young!

Minimum Wage Saves Lives


A new study has shown that, in the United States, $1 increases in the minimum wage have lead to 3.5-6% decreases in suicide. This is among people who don't have a high school education. It's almost as if being better able to afford to stay alive makes people feel like it's worth staying alive.

Vegans Are Right


Turns out that most meat-eaters actually agree with the smug vegans in their lives that plant-based diets are more ethical and better for the environment. They don't make the switch because they perceive it to be more expensive, hard, and a sacrifice in terms of taste.

Find Purpose in Evolution


If you are struggling to find purpose in life, apparently you might get it by actively pursuing a basic evolutionary need like avoiding disease, a romantic relationship, or acceptance from others. This is based on five different studies that were both correlational and tried to use an experimental method where people wrote about pursuing different types of goals and then rated their sense of purpose in life. The idea is that maybe we developed a sense of purpose in the first place to motivate us to stay alive and procreate.

On the Baby's Wavelength


Our brains "sync up" in terms of mental activity when we do things like listen to a story together, but it turns out that adults and babies can also sync up! When adults play, face-to-face, with a baby, the adult and the baby's brains synchronize.


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