Newsletter Items

From the October 5, 2022 issue of Further My spouse just returned from nine days on business, plus a golf trip. After 25 years together, we both enjoyed the space. After all, to paraphrase Rilke, protecting each other’s solitude is the counterintuitive key to staying together. Any second now, though, things will go back to …

From the September 28, 2022 issue of Further The concept of “midlife crisis” is back in the news, with new research from behavioral scientists stating that middle-aged folks are more prone to physiological and psychological woes. This isn’t news-news — at Further, we often discuss the U-shaped curve, aka the “happiness curve,” where well-being droops in …

From the September 21, 2022 issue of Further Our generation sucks at asking for help. After all, it’s part of the latchkey kid credo that we take care of ourselves without complaint. But we’re not bitter… just ask Kurt Cobain: If you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to ask someone else first. That sums …

From the September 14, 2022 issue of Further Queen Elizabeth II’s passing is significant for many reasons — not least of all, her impressive longevity. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, 90% of the world’s population has only ever known her as Britain’s monarch. While her mum lived to 101, genetics alone doesn’t explain Elizabeth …

From the September 7, 2022 issue of Further Challenges are hard, amirite? You’ve got to be bold and courageous to accomplish a goal, which takes grit and resilience. Sounds exhausting when it’s put that way. Might as well give up before you even start. And that’s the challenging thing about a challenge: your brain wants …

From the August 31, 2022 issue of Further Earlier this month was the first anniversary of my mom’s death. Ironically, that same day Brian passed along a new book by psychologist Sherry Walling, Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of Loss. I thought I knew everything about mourning. My mom …

From the August 24, 2022 issue of Further As a Further reader, you know that Brian’s signature slogan is: Keep going. After a few years of change and loss, I’ve taken to an adjacent midlife motto: Move on. While the pandemic accelerated some of the shifts, the truth is that this is a poignant time …

From the August 10, 2022 issue of Further Remember the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer? Yeah, me neither. Giving ourselves time to do nothing seems like a distant memory, reserved for childhood or some far-off notion of retirement. Relaxation is good in theory and potentially torturous for many of us in reality. Even when …

From the August 3, 2022 issue of Further There are countless platitudes extolling the virtues of discipline. So why is it so hard to stay on track with achieving your goals? It’s not just a question of willpower, which is more of a moral vs. scientific concept. As our generation knows, “just say no” is …

From the July 27, 2022 issue of Further So many existential crises, so little time. Amirite? It might feel like everything is going up in flames, but we didn’t start the fire. As Billy Joel noted: The world’s a mess. It’s always been a mess, it’s always going to be a mess. That doesn’t let …

From the July 20, 2022 issue of Further Great news from the longevity front: scientists have successfully tested a gene-editing technique that permanently lowers cholesterol, potentially stopping “the biggest killer on earth.” This is one more step towards cures for the diseases of aging, the practical implications of which we often talk about here at …

From the July 13, 2022 issue of Further Recently I did something thrilling that upended my routine and juiced creativity: I spontaneously agreed to take my cousin’s spot on a family vacation a couple of weeks before the trip commenced. Most enticing (and terrifying) was that part of the trip would be off-the-grid. In our …