Newsletter Items

From the June 14, 2023 issue of Further Over the past few years, the world has become particularly cruel (and not to be kind) thanks to the global pandemic, societal turmoil, and political divisiveness, among other nastiness. It’s no coincidence, then, that popular TV shows like Ted Lasso suggest it’s time to bring human kindness …

From the June 7, 2023 issue of Further Recently I chatted with a friend who had coffee with his ex. A year earlier, she blindsided him when she broke off their long-term relationship. Today he says he’s found “closure.” As I listened, I realized it was a classic case of the lips saying one thing …

From the May 31, 2023 issue of Further Here’s a room-clearing statement: everyone is going to die. (Admittedly, it sounds better when Amy Poehler says it.) And when the inevitable happens, we’re seldom ready. Take my mother, who spent a lifetime accumulating things and refused to throw anything out. After she died, my dad and …

From the May 24, 2023 issue of Further Recently, we completed a backyard renovation, ditching a dying hedge and sad, brown lawn and replacing them with a patio surrounded by a luscious array of flowering shrubs, vines, and trees. It’s not only a peaceful mecca for me, but the birds are enthralled. Nesting house finches, …

From the May 17, 2023 issue of Further As someone who makes her living by writing, you might think I’m petrified that AI will decimate my career. Honestly, machines don’t scare me. It’s the foolish humans who are okay with completely abdicating their ability to think, communicate, and solve problems that I find alarming. Sure, …

From the May 10, 2023 issue of Further As a kid, you probably had a good idea of what you wanted to do when you grew up. Anything seemed possible: doctor, musician, veterinarian, firefighter, novelist, mermaid (my go-to). Unsurprisingly, research shows most of us don’t end up in our childhood dream jobs. Nearly 70% of …

From the May 3, 2023 issue of Further Forgiveness is a virtue that most of us suck at. In our age of outrage, grudge matches have become an art form. (Hi, Chris Rock!) Now there’s new research that shows forgiveness isn’t just a nice moral thing to do; it supports better mental health by reducing …

From the April 26, 2023 issue of Further It’s not like we don’t know we’re supposed to celebrate failure — in our age of relentless positivity and reality-blurring euphemisms, everything bad is good again. As George Carlin once said: People have been bullshitted by the system into believing that if you change the name of …

From the April 13, 2023 issue of Further Living in today’s social media-fueled “compare and despair” culture isn’t just something that plagues the younger generation; we people of a certain age certainly aren’t immune. Research shows that out of the four dominant personality traits — pessimistic, optimistic, trusting, and envious — the scales tip most …

From the April 13, 2023 issue of Further Have you heard about 45-year-old CEO Bryan Johnson, who spends a fortune trying to be 18 again? His “Blueprint Project” involves 100+ daily protocols for eating, exercise, and sleeping. As a human experiment, Johnson is living this question: Is the fountain of youth here right now hiding …

From the April 5, 2023 issue of Further I might be wrong, but chances are you’re terrified of making mistakes. If so, you’re not alone; in the age of cancel culture, there’s even a clinical diagnosis for fear of flaws —  atelophobia. Meanwhile, nobody outgrows making mistakes. And especially not now, as so many of …

From the March 29, 2023 issue of Further Last week, Brian wrote about an aging rewind, reminding us about the holy trinity of nutrition, exercise, and sleep for a long lifespan and healthspan. Meanwhile, this is no longer an abstract concept in my household. As I wrote earlier this year, my husband’s 53-year-old brother had …