Do you really know?

CBD is short for Cannabidiol, which is one of the chemical components found in cannabis. Not being psychoactive, CBD is legal in many countries. But it’s also claimed that CBD has several health benefits. That’s why demand has been growing around the world for a few years now.

Cannabis is illegal in most countries, mainly because it contains the psychoactive chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. But cannabis also contains CBD, which has an almost identical structure to THC, just without causing a high. Furthermore, the greater the quantity of CBD in cannabis, the lower the effect of THC on the brain. That’s because it doesn’t directly trigger the cannabinoid receptors found in our bodies.

So CBD is allowed in a lot of places, and it’s been federally legal in the United States since 2018. However, many states have restrictions on which CBD products are allowed. Because there are almost endless possibilities when it comes to potential derived products. We’re talking vape kits, oils, sweets, creams, toothpastes, shampoos and even pet products.

The enthusiasm for CBD products is such that expected market growth in the US is 700%. In Europe, dedicated stores are popping up across many major cities. And the clientele age ranges anywhere from 30 to 80 years old.

It’s claimed that CBD has a range of medicinal and relaxing benefits. It’s classed as an anti-inflammatory agent, which means it could have a painkilling effect for sufferers of Crohn’s disease. It could also be used to treat psychosis, anxiety or epilepsy. All the same, scientific research is lacking and doctors have a hard time saying what dose of CBD would have positive effects. While that remains blurred, brands and stores are pushing CBD hard, promoting claims about its benefits in all forms, and selling more and more.

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It seems like we hear about narcissistic perverts pretty often these days. They are charming manipulators who often turn their partners’ or families’ lives into hell. So, are we all surrounded by narcissistic perverts?

The term has its origins in psychoanalysis. It was coined in the 1980s and began to get more attention at the start of the 21st century. Narcissus was a mythical figure from ancient Greek times, known for his pride and beauty. He met his demise when gazing into his own reflection in a pool of water. He became so entranced that he ended up drowning without realising what was happening.

Narcissistic perverts are characterised as having a negative self-image. They lie to and belittle others in order to increase their own self-esteem. They act like they are better than others, need to be admired and are conscious of their manipulation skills, all the while feeling no empathy when seeing others suffer.

More often than not, narcissistic perverts are male. They may cause harm to their romantic partner, but it could also be a work colleague, friend or family member. The causes of this behaviour haven’t been identified, but psychologists believe an overprotected childhood, with high expectations, may be a cause. On the other hand, narcissistic perverts could also have been abused or neglected as children.

There’s no need to overreact and fear encountering narcissistic perverts everywhere. The description has become prominent in popular psychology, often discussed in the media. It was also one of the most searched terms on Google in 2019. Nevertheless, they’re not hanging out on every street corner. The term is also not formally recognised in psychiatry, so there are no official figures on how many narcissistic perverts are really out there. But the similar sounding narcissistic personality disorder only affects between 0.5 and 1% of the general population. We might be too quick to label people, when they display one or mor…

Flygskam is a Swedish neologism, which literally translates into English as “flight shame”. Confronted with the high level of pollution generated by this form of transport, more and more people are ashamed of travelling by plane. Some are even going as far as boycotting it as a means of transport, a trend which is of course of concern to airlines and plane manufacturers.

The word originated in Sweden in 2017, but really entered the mainstream in the English-speaking world a couple of years later. That was largely due to the growing fame and speeches of Greta Thunberg. This shame of travelling by air comes from growing awareness of environmental issues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that aviation is responsible for 3.5% of global climate change. They estimate that figure could grow to 5 - 15% by 2050, if action isn’t taken to cut emissions.

It’s the wealthy who contribute the most towards air pollution. According to a study by non profit organization The International Council on Clean Transportation, 12% of the American population account for two-thirds of total flights out of the USA. These frequent flyers average 6 or more return journeys per year. Of course, that means they are also responsible for two thirds of the resulting greenhouse gas emissions.

Some governments have taken action already, by bringing taxes on kerosene, one of the main aviation fuels. In the European Union, kerosene is currently exempt from taxation but activists are campaigning to revoke that agreement. In the meantime, another solution is to not take the plane at all, opting for shorter-distance journeys which can be made by train.

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Asperger Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, characterised by difficulties in social interactions and restricted interests. Asperger’s is often diagnosed late, which is why associations run campaigns to increase awareness. International Asperger’s Day is celebrated every year on the 18th of February, to educate the general public and highlight the challenges faced by those with Asperger’s.

People living with Asperger Syndrome can have a hard time building friendships or romantic relationships, due to the difficulties they have understanding social conventions. They also have repetitive behaviour and very specific interests.

The syndrome was named after Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger. As a child, Asperger himself had trouble finding friends and was talented in language. Years later he observed similar traits among child patients in his clinic and published a paper on the findings.

Asperger Syndrome came into mainstream consciousness in the 1980s and was added to the umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in 2013.

Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism, but autism itself is characterised by some intellectual deficit or language learning impairment. That’s not the case with Asperger’s. In fact, people with the syndrome tend to use a relatively sophisticated level of language. They may however struggle to understand metaphors or irony, usually taking things at face value and being very direct.

The lives of those with Asperger’s are complicated due to physical clumsiness, as well as hypersensitivity to noise, light and odours. More generally, they can have trouble recognising their own emotions and the emotions of others. They can’t always interpret forms of non-verbal communication like gestures and facial expressions.

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The Halo Effect is a form of cognitive bias, whereby we base our overall opinion of a person on a single characteristic. It’s most often a positive characteristic, hence the name - it’s as if we see the person as having a halo.

The Halo Effect was named in 1920 by American psychologist Edward Thorndike. He carried out an experiment among commanding officers in the military. They had to evaluate their soldiers on a number of physical characteristics and personality traits. The officers tended to associate superior physique with superior intellect, loyalty and leadership. On the other hand, when their perception created a negative aura around a soldier, they could only see negative characteristics. This is known as the “reverse halo effect”, or “horns effect”.

Our brains find it hard to accept anything that contradicts our first impression of another person. That rings true even when we are presented with evidence to the contrary. That’s because our minds actively look for information to confirm pre-existing beliefs.
The Halo Effect can lead to forms of appearance discrimination in many domains. In the professional world, a physically attractive job hunter may be seen as more intelligent and competent than other candidates, even if it’s not really the case. If a recruiter notices a positive trait in the candidate, they tend to pay less attention to their flaws.

The candidate would then have a higher chance of being recruited for a skilled job, as well as greater salary expectations. Being tall is also beneficial in terms of earning more money. According to one study, we earn 300$ more per year for every extra centimetre in height.

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A power nap is a short sleep which is long enough to give an energy boost, but not so long that you enter deep sleep. The term was coined by American social psychologist James Maas, a professor at Cornell University. Science shows that power naps could be of benefit to employees in the workplace, where efficiency is key.

Sometimes, a power nap lasts just a few seconds, in which case it’s referred to as a microsleep. Dali would do it in a seated position, holding a spoon between his fingers. When he started to fall asleep, his grip on the spoon would loosen and the sound of the spoon hitting the floor would of course wake him up immediately. Microsleeps can be experienced in front of our computers, or in public transport, when we are woken by our heads nodding. Power naps supplement regular sleep, in order to maximise its benefits for the body. That’s especially true for those who don’t get enough sleep at night time.

The ideal length of a power nap is 15 to 20 minutes. This allows the body enough time to enter a light sleep stage and remain there for at least 2 minutes. It also helps us to feel in good shape for a whole afternoon. Nevertheless, be careful not to go over 30 minutes when napping. Otherwise you may enter a deep sleep phase. That can result in feeling groggy and disoriented when waking up, basically more tired than before starting the nap and wiping out its benefits.

For many years, scientists have been studying the benefits of sleep, in the form of both naps and longer length. Tests have been run on a wide range of cognitive processes, generally showing naps to be as beneficial as a full night’s sleep for some memory-related tasks. Other studies have shown the possible impact of napping on our health, in particular reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

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Deep learning is a machine learning method based on artificial intelligence. With deep learning, machines are able to learn by themselves. That differs from programming, where they simply execute predetermined rules.

Deep learning relies on artificial neural networks inspired by the human brain. These networks are made up of tens or hundreds of layers of neurons, each receiving and interpreting information from the preceding layer. Deep learning is based on these algorithms, as well as image recognition and robotic vision. The higher the number of neurons, the deeper the network. The system learns to recognise letters and words in text, or faces in photos, which it can then identify.

Let’s imagine we want to use a neural network to recognise photos in which at least one cat is present. In order to identify cats in the images, the algorithm needs to be able to distinguish different types of cat, and to recognise the cat no matter what angle the picture is taken from.

To do this, the neural network has to be trained. It has to compile a selection of images to practice deep learning. This would be made up of thousands of examples of different cats, mixed with images of objects which are not cats. These images are then converted into data and transferred onto the network. The artificial neurons assign a weight to each different element. The final layer of neurons reassembles all the information to determine if it is indeed a cat or not.

The neural network then compares this response to correct answers given by humans. If the answers match, the network remembers this success and will reuse it later in order to recognise cats. If wrong, the network also notes the error and adjusts the weight on the various neurons to correct it. The process repeats thousands of times until the network is able to recognise a cat in an image without fail.

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A pension fund is a retirement scheme created by a company or public employer in order to save money for its employees. Belonging to a pension fund may be compulsory or optional. Employees make contributions to the fund, as do employers most of the time.
When an employee retires, they can choose to receive a lump sum right away, or a series of regular payments throughout their retirement, like an annuity. That’s how a funded pension scheme works, because the plan has enough assets to pay retirees for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, with unfunded plans, payments are made directly from contributions and no capital is accumulated.

The pension fund system first developed in Scotland, with the creation of the “Scottish Widows” scheme in 1815. That insured widows of Scottish soldiers killed during the Napoleonic wars with France. Nowadays, pension funds are particularly common in the United States, but the largest pension fund in the world is Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund. It was created in 1954 and now manages assets of $1.4 trillion.

Pension plans rely on asset management companies to look after the contributions they receive. These companies, generally banks, insurers or specialists, aim to maintain the capital held in the fund and make a profit. American global investment management corporation BlackRock is the number one in the world, with over $7 trillion in assets managed as of the end of 2019.
Their activities are strictly regulated. Each country has its own prudential standards. All capital collected must be divided between a number of asset classes. The primary law governing pension plans in the USA is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

Some funds are defined benefit pension plans, whereby the pension payment or lump sum is guaranteed. But these are getting rarer and rarer, giving way to defined contribution schemes. This means only the contributions collected are guaranteed.

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5G is the fifth and newest generation of mobile connectivity. Its commercial rollout has already begun, with the four major US carriers having begun deployment in 2019. The GSMA estimates that 5G will account for 20% of all global connections by 2025. What’s more, this technological advance is at the heart of many economic and geopolitical issues. But associations and researchers have also warned on the potential risks 5G represents to health and the environment.

Supporters of 5G have made big promises. Compared to 4G, the technology should allow for connection speeds which are 10 to 100 times faster, with minimal latency. These connection speeds are perfect for playing the most demanding of online games and streaming series in the highest quality available without any loading.

Above and beyond that, 5G marks a further step in the development of “Smart cities”, in which all kinds of connected objects communicate between one another. One of the main technologies standing to benefit from 5G is the driverless car. It’s anticipated that the reaction time of self-driving cars will improve to 1 millisecond thanks to 5G, making them smarter and safer.

That’s why this new generation is presented by governments as being a major strategic industrial development.

On the other hand, associations have warned about risks of insomnia, infertility and even cancer. The World Health Organisation does indeed class electromagnetic waves as a possible cause of cancers.

Experts have responded by saying that 5G waves have a length of around 3.5 GHZ, thus smaller than 4G waves. Therefore, they couldn’t cause cell damage, but may still be harmful to skin, eyes, eardrums, nerve endings and blood circulation.

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Blue light is a type of high-energy visible light, with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers. It is emitted by many sources of light, from the Sun to LED screens. Scientists have issued warnings about the dangerous nature of blue light. All the same, it’s not certain that the “night mode” on our devices is any better for our eyes.

In recent decades, the general public’s exposure to blue light has massively increased. This is due to LED screens being much more present in society, in artificial lights, as well as smartphone, tablet and computer screens.

According to scientists, blue light can be dangerous. It can lead to impaired version, and is allegedly a risk factor for cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Furthermore, being exposed to blue light in the evening or at night can disturb our circadian rhythm. Past studies have suggested that it suppresses melatonin, a hormone which affects sleep. To sum up, the more we are exposed to blue light, the more our sleep quality is affected.

Since the risks associated with blue light were discovered, smartphone and PC manufacturers have developed “night modes” for their devices. When activated, displays automatically shift to an orange-yellow tint from a certain time in the evening through to sunrise.

But a study published in December 2019 showed that night mode may not actually be better than blue light, and could even be worse. Researchers at the University of Manchester carried out experiments on mice. They found that blue light was less disruptive to their sleep, compared to yellow light of the same brightness.

This may be because “cold” colours, such as blue, are closer to the colour of natural nighttime light. Whereas on the other hand, it’s more natural to look at warmer colours during the day. Our body clocks rely on shades of light to determine whether it’s time to sleep or be awake. Blue light may therefore disturb sleep less than night mode, which uses daytime colours.
…

The Green New Deal is a proposed package of legislation in the United States, designed to tackle climate change. It was introduced by Democrats and could revolutionise the American economy, if it is ever put into practice.

If the name “Green New Deal” sounds familiar, it’s likely because it refers to President Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s. That consisted of a series of public works programs and financial reforms, aiming to revive the economy in response to the Great Depression of 1929.

This important moment in American history is indeed inspiring the left wing, who wish to implement a Green New Deal. They believe that global economic and environmental crises are both caused by a system which is at breaking point. And that if governments do nothing to combat this, we could be on our way to disaster.

The proposals call for a 10-year mobilisation to drastically reduce carbon emissions in the USA. Firstly, fossil fuels (gas, carbon and petrol) would be abandoned and workers would be trained to perform new jobs in a post-ecological transition society.

Massive investments in transport, agriculture and energy would be required to make them cleaner. Meanwhile, polluting energies would no longer be subsidized under the Green New Deal. By 2030, 100% of the USA’s electricity would be sourced from renewable and zero-emissions power. To address social justice, the government would have a duty to provide job training to those who previously worked in fossil fuel industries.

One of the leading figures behind the Green New Deal is Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She first made history by being the youngest ever woman to be elected to Congress in 2018, and has made a name as a real media phenomenon.

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Stendhal’s syndrome is a rare and unusual psychological disorder. It’s a psychosomatic condition whereby certain people suffer from a rapid heartbeat, fainting or even hallucinations, when exposed to objects or works of art of great beauty. The condition takes its name from a famous French writer who experienced a similar state of intense emotion upon visiting Rome, Naples and Florence. Stendhal wrote about his visit to Florence’s Santa Croce Basilica in a book entitled Naples and Florence: A journey from Milan to Reggio.

Here’s how he described the phenomenon: “I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty...I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations ... Everything spoke so vividly to my soul...I had palpitations of the heart...Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling”.

Although there are historical records of others fainting in the presence of Florentine art, the syndrome was only actually named in 1979 by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini. While Stendhal Syndrome is not recognised as a psychiatric disorder, it’s now commonly used to describe a physical reaction to the beauty of the natural world or art masterpieces.

Working at the Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence, Magherini observed more than 100 cases where patients had severe emotional responses to art. These were mainly tourists, including many Americans. In 1989, she released a book named “The Stendhal Syndrome”, in which she told her story. The cases were divided into three types, based on the symptoms of their anxiety or psychotic episodes. The most common profile was a single woman, under the age of 40, travelling alone. Symptoms described in the book included dizzy spells, a loss of sense of identity, rapid heartbeat and hallucinations. Generally speaking, patients recovered after leaving the city of Florence.

S…

Solastalgia is the distress we feel when our local environment is transformed, mainly due to climate change. These transformations can have an effect on people’s mental health. So are we all doomed to suffer from solastalgia as the earth’s temperature rises?

Climate change is so omnipresent in our daily lives, that it can create a certain anxiety. For some people, this gets so intense that they become depressed, like Greta Thunberg after watching a documentary on polar bears. All over the world, climate-related anxiety is increasing.

There are several terms to describe this. We talk about eco-anxiety with regards to the feeling we have that everything makes us think about climate change problems. And eco-paralysis when we feel helpless to do anything to prevent environmental issues.

Meanwhile, the term solastalgia is a portmanteau of the words “solace” and “nostalgia”. It was created in 2003 by philosopher Glenn Albrecht, while he was working at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Albrecht himself describes solastalgia as “a type of homesickness or melancholia that you feel when you’re at home and your home environment is changing around you in ways that you feel are profoundly negative.

Unlike eco-anxiety or eco-paralysis, which are more general and look to the future, solastalgia is about the here and now. It is linked to the hardship of losing one’s environment or habitat. The most obvious victims are those whose landscape has been hit by some kind of natural disaster. One example would be refugees returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

A report from the American psychology Association found that up to 40% of natural disaster victims suffer PTSD, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Of course, solastalgia doesn’t affect everybody equally. Wealthier individuals and families are more easily able to relocate or rebuild their homes, compared to poorer households.

Other examples include Canadian Inuit communities coping with ris…

From our smartphone screens first thing in the morning to an evening spent in front of the TV, electronic visual displays are an inescapable part of our daily routines. In the middle, many have a 9 to 5 job sat in front of a desktop, not to mention checking social media or playing games to speed up the daily commute. Computer vision syndrome refers to eye strain caused by overuse of electronic screens. The whole eye is affected by this strain, leading to symptoms like headaches, back and neck pains, blurred vision and the inability to focus.

Those who spend their whole working day in front of a computer screen are most likely to suffer from computer vision syndrome. Looking into a screen all day long requires a great deal of concentration, which means we blink a lot less than we need to. The eye therefore becomes dry, affecting the conjunctiva and cornea. Our eyes move constantly, which explains how they become tired and vision can be blurred. However, there’s not enough scientific perspective and detailed research to really understand the impact of this screen consumption on our overall health and eyes in particular.

Visual system development in children is long and sensitive. The quality of a child’s visual experience is critical in this process. Neuroplasticity is most active in children under the age of 6. It then gradually decreases until 10 - 12 years old. So parents should limit children’s exposure to electronic screen between those ages, while vision is developing.

One golden rule is the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away. This gives our eyes a well-deserved break to remoisten and helps reduce symptoms. Another tip is to remember to blink, which we are supposed to do 12 times per minute on average. In front of a computer screen, however, we only blink 5 times a minute, which brings on the eye drying effect. You can treat the discomfort with eye drops or simply by fo…

Berberine is a natural alkaloid, which means it’s an active compound of plant origin. It’s found in a lot of dietary supplements due to its supposed benefits against certain diseases. Basically, berberine is often seen as medicinal, without really having the status. Like any medicine, it can have harmful side effects.

Berberine can be found in the roots and bark of berberis plants, like barberry, Chinese coptis or goldenseals. It’s used in Chinese medicine to treat stomach infections like bacterial diarrhea.

Berberine is getting more attention in the USA, partly due to its neuroprotective qualities and even more so its effect on blood sugar levels. It could reduce blood sugar and cholesterol, making it of interest to those suffering from diabetes.

Dpctors aren't yet prescribing berberine, as there’s not enough research out there to justify it being a treatment on its own. But it’s pretty easy to find berberine in dietary supplements. It has a real pharmacological effect on our cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, not to mention metabolism. The standard dose for an adult is 1500mg per day, broken down into three equal doses. Research suggests this amount can be equally as effective as other pharmaceutical drugs in treating type 2 diabetes.

Like any medicine, berberine can have side effects like low blood sugar or fat levels. It can also cause uterine contractions and interfere with other medicines. Taking berberine when undergoing cancer treatment could make the treatment itself less effective.

That’s exactly what certain European countries have done. Slovenia, Sweden, Greece have all banned the sale of dietary supplements containing berberine. Meanwhile, Belgium and Poland recommend a maximum dose of 10mg per day. It’s not recommended for women to consume berberine during pregnancy or lactation. The same goes for children and teenagers, while people with diabetes or heart problems should always get medical advice before taking berber…

Conversion therapy, also known as homotherapy, is a pseudoscientific practice that seeks to convert homosexuals to heterosexuality, or at least encourage them to be abstinent. Largely pushed by religious groups, this kind of therapy is still growing in Europe and America. The practices are not only ineffective, but can also be dangerous.

Conversion therapy first appeared in 1950s North America. Sexologists would treat homosexuality like a neurological disorder. So gay people underwent treatments like lobotomies or electric shocks with the aim of changing their sexual orientation. In the 1970s, it was finally recognised that homosexuality was not a psychiatric problem. And only in 1992 did the World Health Organization take it off its list of mental illnesses!

That said, conversion therapy has continued to exist, and is commonplace in countries like the USA or Poland. Sessions are often run by religious movements, and especially Catholic ones, who consider that being gay is a sexual deviance or the work of the devil.

These groups offer courses with varying degrees of forcefulness. There could be talking groups, some kind of bootcamp filled with rituals, so-called healing prayers, or exorcisms.

All this pseudotherapy does is make gay people feel guilty, causing self-hatred and pushing them towards alcoholism, depression or even suicide.

That’s why some countries are trying to put an end to these practices. It’s already the case in Brazil, China and Malta, where measures have been taken against conversion therapy.

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Digital sobriety is all about reducing the ecological footprint of our daily digital lifestyles. That’s right, using your cell phone, PC or connected refrigerator all contributes to pollution. And it’s on the rise.

The transition to digital technology is often presented as being a positive evolution, especially with regards to reducing household energy consumption. But current practices are contributing to global warming, according to think tank “The Shift Project”. In their 2018 report, researchers highlighted the negative impact of digital technologies, which are consuming 9% more energy every year.

Developed countries are the main culprits. The average American owns 10 connected devices and consumes 140 gigabytes of data per month. Compare that with the average Indian, who owns a single digital device and consumes just 2 gigs of data.

There are several different ways that taking photos or watching Youtube videos can contribute to pollution. A large part of the pollution is due to the manufacturing process of digital devices, especially smartphones. That accelerates the extraction of certain polluting metals and emits greenhouse gases in high quantities. Even if you forget the production process, web browsing requires a large amount of energy.

You’ve got our devices which constantly need charging and you’ve got the servers on which all the data is stored. Digital consumption now contributes more to global warming than the entire aviation industry. Video streaming, one of our favourite pastimes, uses up 80% of the world’s bandwidth.

Without needing to go back to the Stone Age, some experts have talked up the benefits of “digital sobriety”. The term was coined in 2008 by Green IT. We can reduce our video consumption by using a lower definition, or by not sharing our entire weekend in Instagram stories or the family Whatsapp group. Other tips include keeping email inboxes clean, turning off wifi routers at night and opting for a wifi …

Don’t worry, there’s nothing barbaric about this kind of slashing. In fact, the origin comes from the forward slash symbol we all use on our keyboards.

Slashers are those who go from one job or career to another. The term was coined in 2007 by Marci Alboher, author of One Person/Multiple Careers. It is used to describe people who have 2 or 3 jobs at the same time. For example, a school cleaner who babysits in the evening. Or someone who waits tables during the daytime and DJs at a nightclub.

The US Census Bureau found that around 13 million Americans had more than one job in the year 2013. Their report looked at individuals holding up to seven different positions within a 12-month period.

To start with, employees tended to become slashers by necessity. Unsatisfied with their salary, they would look to supplement it with a second income. But nowadays, more and more people are choosing to take on a second or even third job for other reasons. College graduates entering the employment market are free to build their own custom-made careers, filled with slashes.

Younger generations like the millennials or Generation Z are keen to challenge established customs and practices within companies. Check out our episode on Generation Z to find out more!

Where older generations spent the entirety of their career with a single employer, under 35s nowadays prefer to vary their experiences.

Slashing generates mixed feelings among the working population. 64% of 18 - 24 year olds see it as a future standard. Meanwhile, 38% of others see an uncertain future ahead, with 30% expecting their professional stress to increase in the coming years.

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Batch cooking is a technique of preparing meals in large quantities, to be stored for consumption over several days. Generally done during one extended weekend session, batch cookers can then spend less time on food preparation over the course of the week.

There’s nothing ground-breaking in the idea, but it is coming back into fashion. For the unenlightened, batch cooking isn’t just about preparing a massive dish to eat 3 days in a row.

It’s more about blending ingredients. You can cook basic ingredients like cereals, vegetables and meat with a neutral flavor. Then each day, you add spices and condiments, maybe cook the dish for a few minutes and get your final product.

Never having to wonder what you’ll be eating for dinner can be liberating. A Sunday afternoon spent batch cooking also means an opportunity for quality family time. Everyone can come up with seasonal suggestions for the week’s meals and new recipes or variations to try out.

Once the menus have been planned out, it’s off to the store to stock up on ingredients. Batch cooking also helps reduce food waste and make savings by only buying the required quantities.

Depending on your personal situation, a couple of hours spent batch cooking can mean family fun, whereby recipes are passed down to children. It could be a shared activity with your roommate. Or if on your own, you can stick some music on or catch up on the latest podcast episodes. What better way to spend a Sunday?!

Batch cooking doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for improvisation. But you don’t have to stick to the plan religiously if it means depriving yourself of pleasures. You can always take the remaining food to work for lunch the following day.

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OK, from the start I can tell you aquaponics isn’t related to aquabike, aquagym or any other Sunday morning aquatic activities.
So forget about ponies in the swimming pool, please!

Aquaponics is a revolutionary system of production combining aquaculture and hydroponics. Essentially that means fish are raised and plants are cultivated in the same symbiotic environment. It’s a 100% eco-friendly environment where everything is reused and nothing is lost!

In this day and age, one in three fish come from aquaculture which effectively means they are farmed. In aquaponic systems, food is given to the fish being raised, who then produce ammonia through their excretions.

Bacteria have an essential role to play in aquaponics, by breaking down ammonia and urea from the dirty water into nitrates. The water is then pumped into a container acting as a hydroponic subsystem, where the plants can benefit for nourishment.

With all potentially harmful substances having been removed, the purified water is then pumped back into the rearing tanks, without presenting any danger to the fish.

The containers simply play the role of a filter, in a totally virtuous ecosystem. It’s organic, natural and sustainable!

Aquaponic systems are raised to an accessible height, meaning you can do gardening at home without hurting your back. They pretty much manage themselves too!

The only water loss you get in aquaponics is from absorption by plants and evaporation. There’s no waste either as you can use sludge from the filtering process to fertilise your land plants.

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Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is widely associated with feelings of happiness and well-being, although it does have other wide-ranging biological functions. It’s a molecule produced in order to regulate communication among other neurons in our brains.

To feel happy, our brains rely on a wide range of similar hormones, including serotonin. Other examples are endorphins, which are like a natural form of morphine, and oxytocin, which is the hormone linked to affection and security. The interesting thing about serotonin and other wellbeing hormones is that we are able to stimulate their production by controlling our lifestyle, hygiene and food consumption.

Nutrition is one of the keys to achieving serotonin nirvana. Banana-based smoothies, for example, are rich in vitamin B, magnesium and tryptophan, while avocado based ones are rich in stress-reducing tyrosine.

You can also sprinkle pumpkin, chia and sesame seeds on your salad for a boost in zinc and Omega 3. So long live sardines, bluefin tuna and halibut, all rich in essential fatty acids, which the body isn’t able to produce on its own. These help raise serotonin and melatonin levels.

And don’t forget tryptophan, an amino acid which is a precursor to serotonin. It’s present in chicken, fish and legumes like split peas, lentils and dried beans.

Fermented ingredients also do wonders for our intestines, which are like a “second brain” lined with neurotransmitters, as outlined by Dr Michael Gershon in his book of the same name. We’re talking the likes of pickles, fermented cabbage and yoghurt, which can have a positive effect if eaten three times a week.

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Stadia is the name of the cloud gaming service launched by Google in late 2019. The American tech company observed the high levels of pollution generated by video game consoles and computers. That could be due to the production process or regular use by gamers.

They decided to launch Stadia, allowing users to play on their TV, smartphone or computer without the need for any additional hardware. With cloud gaming, you just need to click on a link to set up a game from whatever connected device you’re using. In simple terms, the launch of Stadia aims to provide a viable alternative to PC gaming.

Gamers have become accustomed to obtaining powerful PCs and consoles. The constant evolution of gaming graphics means many feel the need to regularly change equipment in order to keep up.

With Stadia, image processing is handled in real time by Google data centers, so the computer simply receives the video stream. Gamers can therefore play high-quality games on a low-quality device, at least in theory!

Google isn’t really known as a big player in gaming, so the company has to be commercially aggressive in order to make its mark. That’s exactly the aim of the Founders’ Pack, which includes a limited edition blue Stadia controller, a Chromecast Ultra, the game Destiny 2 and a free 3-month subscription to Stadia Pro, all for 130$.

There are two regular subscription options, the first of which is Stadia Pro. For around 10$ a month, you get access to a limited selection of games. The second option, Stadia Base, is totally free. But image resolution is limited to 1080p while Stadia Pro subscribers get to play in 4K. Players also have to pay for every individual game they want to play.

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What if listening to 10 minutes of Mozart could increase your IQ? That’s exactly what Frances Raucher and her Californian research team suggested back in 1993. The theory spread like wildfire around the world, leading to much speculation about the so-called Mozart Effect.

The myth comes from the publication of an experiment in American scientific journal Nature. The study required participants to listen to The Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K 448 by Mozart. After just 10 minutes, they were better able to solve spatial intelligence tasks which are part of IQ testing.

These findings made headlines all over the globe. Soon Mozart was being played to everyone from pregnant women to newborns babies and rats. Some American states made it compulsory for kindergartens and nurseries to play Mozart to children on a daily basis. Needless to say, the market for Mozart audio products exploded.

But controversy followed as a number of subsequent studies contradicted Rauscher’s findings. A team in the University of Vienna’s psychology department looked at around 3,000 cases across 40 studies. The team’s leader, Jakob Pietschnig, stated that “there is no proof of the Mozart effect”, while reminding everyone that the 1993 study was only carried out on a very small sample size of 36 students.

The reality is whether you’re listening to Mozart, Michael Jackson, Beyonce or Eminem, there’s no real difference. Music we enjoy improves our cognitive faculties because it stimulates increases in our mood and arousal.

Rauscher herself actually later disclaimed the idea that listening to Mozart could somehow make a person smarter. She referred to this as a misconception, underlining that the effect was limited to spatial-temporal tasks involving mental imagery and temporal ordering.

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Freeganism is a portmanteau word made up of the words “free” and “veganism”. As you may already know, vegans reject animal abuse. They avoid consuming products which are derived from, or have been tested on, animals.

Meanwhile, freegans choose an alternative lifestyle which limits their participation in the conventional economy. Where possible, they avoid buying things in favour of recovering food from other sources.

The basis for this anticonsumerist ideology is that primary needs such as eating, sleeping or having a place to live should be freely available to all. Freeganism’s ethics also extend to environmental values linked to responsibility and sustainability.

A person may become freegan due to their personal convictions, or by necessity. In any case, the practice opposes overconsumption by recovering food surplus from households and businesses, from trash cans, dumpsters and other waste receptacles.

Freeganism is often associated with “dumpster diving”, a practice which basically means searching through dumpsters, containers and waste storage locations to find food which is still suitable to eat. Those who do it consider the health risk to be low and some even say it boosts the immune system. Depending on the type of food, and the place where it is recovered, the risk is acceptable.

If it’s in a public location, there’s no legal problem at all as waste is considered as not belonging to anyone. Therefore it can in theory belong to anyone and everyone.

However, some food chains take a negative view towards freeganism for fear of getting a bad reputation or on management orders. Some supermarkets destroy their waste on-site or spray bleach on it to combat freeganism. Recovering food can therefore sometimes be problematic.

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A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the energy and raw material consumption of a person, organisation or event. It is measured in the volume of CO2 emitted.

Per capita emissions in the USA are estimated at around 16 tons per year. That includes CO2 produced directly by an individual’s household, and emissions created by products they consume. The rough split is 70/30 between the two.

Carbon footprint is measured based on an index called global warming potential. It’s defined by scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and allows researchers around the world to base their work on the same frame of reference.

Calculating carbon footprint allows us to understand the impact of a product, service or organisation on the planet. The higher the figure, the worse the impact is and the greater the need to reduce it. It’s mainly down to this that the index has become more popular across the world.

Carbon offset schemes allow individuals and companies to invest in environmental projects to counter their own carbon footprint. For example, a household which invests in a reforestation program which reduces carbon emissions by 16 tons, would have offset its entire carbon footprint for a year.

In 2019, the UN announced that over 60 countries have committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. That requires reducing emissions through a range of measures.

The carbon footprint index does however have some limits. It doesn’t take into account waste production, water pollution, land pollution or the depletion of natural resources for example. It’s certainly a useful indicator, but there are other measures for environmental impact which are more far-ranging.

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