Fun has become the thing that keeps getting bumped. A national survey of 5,000 adults — 100 per state, conducted between April 21 and May 1, 2026, found that 48% of Americans say their lives are currently lacking in fun. Not “could use more fun,” not “wish I had a…
Tag: mental health
Culture
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The New Travel Flex: No Signal, No Email, No Apologies
Americans left 768 million vacation days unused in 2023, according to the U.S. Travel Association — and even when we do take time off, 40% of us check work email. The World Health Organization defines workplace burnout as exhaustion, detachment, and declining efficacy. But clocking out at 5 p.m. doesn’t…
Culture
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Forest Bathing Cures Stress — Your Grandma Called It Sunday Afternoon
The first time someone told me about forest bathing, I pictured a guy in a clawfoot tub surrounded by pine trees. Wrong. Turns out forest bathing stress relief is just… walking outside. Slowly. Among trees. Paying attention. Which is what your grandmother called “getting some fresh air” before wellness culture…
News
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Winter Storm Fatigue Meets News Fatigue — And Now We’re All Just Tired
I’m writing this after round one of snow blowing. The kind where the snow’s coming down so hard you can barely see the driveway you just cleared twenty minutes ago. My back hurts. My hands are numb. And somewhere in the back of my mind, there’s a ticker running —…
AI
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Turns Out Your Brain Lives Like a Teenager Decades Longer Than You Think
Every so often a study rolls out that stops me mid-scroll and makes me wonder whether my internal wiring is a comedy writer with a grudge. This new one from BBC News by James Gallagher did exactly that. Scientists mapped nearly four thousand brain scans and came back with a…