Hey there —

When was the last time you felt romantic? ❤️‍🔥No, we’re not referencing the romance of a candlelit dinner or of blasting a boombox outside the home of your crush (which would be a bit weird if it happened today).

We’re talking about the romanticization of your life. As described by The New York Times, it’s when we “appreciate what we have right in front of us and live with intention, no matter how mundane our daily rituals might be.”

In other words, it’s creating pockets of luxury through simple, easy, and often free ways that can infuse magic into our day-to-day. And our days are packed with opportunities to do just that:

🕯 Light the candle you’re saving for a “special occasion” (today is special!)

🎧 Put on your headphones, blast your fav soundtrack, and pretend you’re the main character

🥞 Draw a syrup smiley face on your pancakes (your inner child will thank you)

The benefits of romanticizing your life extend past smiling pancakes or a room that smells *amazing*. Since romanticization leads to mindful actions, you’ll also get the benefits of mindfulness, such as decreased anxiety, depression, and irritability.

It can also help us develop agency. While we can’t control certain events (such as the rain), we can control how we frame them (get cozy at home while it pours). This lets us balance the unpredictability of life with the self-assurance that we can handle what might come.

Of course, it can be difficult to stay present and appreciate what we have in a fast-paced society rife with consumerism and comparison (looking at you, Amazon Prime and Instagram).

Luckily, romanticizing your life is a simple (yet powerful) way to fight this status quo. You can transform the dullest of days into unique moments where the world slows down. All you need is self-awareness, intentionality, and a dash of ingenuity.

Whether for you this means basking in the sunshine, hanging eucalyptus in your shower, or putting your phone in another room while you sip tea 🍵 , there are lots of ways you can infuse your life with romance.

So, try to figure out how you can make today special. Chances are, the answer won’t require an expensive vacation or crazy adventure — it’ll actually be simpler than you think. 💌

The rise of fake scientists

by Anne-Laure Le Cunff

“The largest online resource of consciousness-expanding videos.”

Gaia’s slogan caught the attention of neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff and made her curious about the type of content the streaming platform offered.

But when Le Cunff investigated, she discovered a web of pseudoscience.

In this piece, Le Cunff warns us of “fake scientists” — people who inflate their credentials and disguise false information as scientific evidence — and how they can do more harm than good. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to spot (and avoid) them.

Read the article →

Do less

by Hidden Brain

Imagine you’re eating banana bread but it doesn’t taste quite right. More sugar next time? Another banana? 🧑‍🍳

When it comes to solving our problems, our default is to add to what we have. But what if subtraction were an equally powerful path to progress and innovation?

In this podcast, Shankar Vedantam interviews Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract: The Untapped Power of Less. Together, they chat about how subtraction in problem-solving has positively impacted transportation, legislation, medicine, and more.

Listen to podcast →

Terms of Service; Didn’t Read

by Hugo Roy

“I have read and agreed to the terms,” is one of the internet’s biggest lies.

We don’t blame you for not wanting to read a dense wall of text. But it is important to know what you’re signing up for — especially when your personal information is on the line.

ToS;Dr is a tool that gives you a condensed summary of a website’s terms and conditions. It includes information about what sites such as Facebook, Netflix, and Wikipedia do with your data.

But let us warn you...it’s downright alarming. 😥

Check out the website →

“Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can."
― Louisa May Alcott

Written by Alice Lemée

Edited by Matt D'Avella & Kerstin Sheppard