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Sunday, 31 December 2023 04:29

In Nigeria and much of Africa, Catholic same-sex couples see no blessings soon

Nigerian Catholic couple Jane and Lucy have little hope their local parish church will bless their same-sex union anytime soon, as conservative priests across Africa choose to ignore a landmark Vatican ruling allowing such blessings. Conservative Catholics have condemned the Vatican's declaration two weeks ago, which was approved by Pope Francis, that will allow blessings for same-sex couples, as long as they are not part of the regular Church rituals or liturgies. The pope has hit back against the criticism and what he called inflexible ideological positions that hinder the Church from moving forward. But in many African countries, such…

Saturday, 30 December 2023 04:24

7 signs you're aging well, according to geriatricians

When it comes to getting older, there are many factors that help you live a fulfilled, healthy life — ones that go beyond working out and eating your vegetables (although that’s part of it, too). “Aging well, in my opinion, consists of three different components,” said Parul Goyal, a geriatrician at Vanderbilt Health in Nashville. These categories are physical health, emotional connection and mental support, Goyal said. These elements come together to help you live a life that’s rewarding, lively and healthful. Doctors say there are lots of behaviors that contribute to your physical, emotional and mental health as you…

Friday, 29 December 2023 04:45

You don’t have to be alone to experience loneliness – and more friends isn’t the answer

Gaynor Parkin and Erika Clarry In the UK 25 million people report they are occasionally, sometimes or often lonely, according to the Campaign to End Loneliness. In the US the surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recently disclosed his own experience of “profound loneliness” as he released his national strategy highlighting just how many people experience loneliness as well as potential solutions to alleviate it. Murthy emphasised that loneliness has escalated into a public health emergency, affecting one in two Americans, with health impacts as serious as addiction and obesity, and warned it was as dangerous to health as smoking 15 cigarettes…

Thursday, 28 December 2023 04:39

No. 1 life regret of dying patients: I see it ‘all the time,’ says psychology expert

For eight years, Bronnie Ware was an in-home caregiver who looked after people who were dying. Her clients knew they were severely ill, and most were in the last three to 12 weeks of their lives. But Ware gradually realized that the most important role she was playing was not physical, but emotional. She was there to listen, and she catalogued those intimate reflections her book, “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.” In their last days, many of her patients shared with her their regrets. The most common answer, according to Ware, was: “I wish I had the courage…

Wednesday, 27 December 2023 04:36

Happiness expert: There are 3 types of friendships—here’s why you need them all

An 85-year Harvard study discovered that the most important thing that brings us happiness in life is positive relationships, and your friendships are a huge component. Maintaining long-term friendships that are stable is one of the seven practices of people who live to be happy and healthy, the study found. Yet, each of our friendships can look different, and it turns out that your friendships shouldn’t all look the same. The renowned Greek philosopher Aristotle narrowed down three types of friendships that we all have. And Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor who teaches a course about how to manage happiness,…

Tuesday, 26 December 2023 04:41

Psychology experts share 7 ways highly successful liars get you to believe them

As psychologists and professors of psychology, we’ve always been interested in how liars mislead others. So while researching for our book, “Big Liars: What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying and How You Can Avoid Being Duped,” we gave more than 200 participants who identified as habitual liars the following prompt: “When people lie, they often use strategies to conceal their deception and make themselves appear truthful to others. Describe the strategies that you use when you are lying to others.” Here are the most common ways liars said they lie: 1. They make eye contact The group said that…

Monday, 25 December 2023 04:46

Following Fatimah’s sandals: What the journey of a pair of shoes reveals about capitalism

In a remote village in Borneo, Fatimah wonders what shoes to wear to her cousin’s wedding. For as long as she can remember, buying footwear meant an hour-long, wooden boat ride to a market. That changed a few years ago, when mobile phones arrived. Now, almost every day, she scrolls through Shopee, a shopping app. It connects her—and the 130m Indonesians who use it every month—with merchants thousands of kilometres away, and causes packages to appear, as if by magic, at her door. Of course, it is not magic. Behind the luminous icon on Fatimah’s phone is a vast network…

Thursday, 21 December 2023 04:32

11 things you’re doing in public that people secretly judge you for

We’ve all had those moments when we wonder if we’re doing something that’s secretly annoying to others. Ever thought about the habits you might have that people judge you for? In this article, I’ve got a list of 11 things that might be causing hidden eye rolls. So, let’s dig into these common public faux pas. 1. Loud Phone Conversations We get it, your call could be important. But when you’re in a public space like a bus or a café, no one around you really wants to hear about your weekend plans or what you’re having for dinner. Having…

Monday, 18 December 2023 04:36

How emotionally intelligent people use the 10-10-10 rule to stop being impulsive and make smarter, better decisions

There are plenty of frameworks you can use to make better decisions. Jeff Bezos uses the two-way door rule to identify reversible decisions and embrace a bias towards action. Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher used the one-question rule to add clarity the decision-making process. Science can also help you make better decisions. You can leverage your circadian rhythm. You can use the power of experience-based intuition. You can even sleep on a decision (as long as you get a good night's sleep.) Problem is, most frameworks won't necessarily help you make good decisions when your willpower reserves run low. When…

Sunday, 17 December 2023 04:44

Under the shadow of war in Gaza, Jesus' traditional birthplace is gearing up for a subdued Christmas

Bethlehem is gearing up for a subdued Christmas, without the festive lights and customary Christmas tree towering over Manger Square, after officials in Jesus’ traditional birthplace decided to forgo celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war. The cancellation of Christmas festivities, which typically draw thousands of visitors, is a severe blow to the town’s tourism-dependent economy. But joyous revelry is untenable at a time of immense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, said Mayor Hana Haniyeh. “The economy is crashing,” Haniyeh told The Associated Press on Friday. “But if we compare it with what’s happening to our people and Gaza, it’s nothing.”…

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Saturday, 16 December 2023 04:41

The No. 1 way to respond when your in-laws are rude to you, says etiquette expert

There are many environments where it would benefit you to check any people-pleasing tendencies at the door: work, romantic relationships, even friendships. Holidays at your in-laws’ house is not one of them, says Sara Jane Ho, a Harvard-trained etiquette expert. Ho is the founder of the finishing school Institute Sarita, host of the Netflix show “Mind Your Manners,” and author of an upcoming book, also called “Mind Your Manners.” If an in-law lobs a passive aggressive comment or a more direct insult your way, “just agree and play along,” she says. “Be very smiley.” Let your partner take care of…

Friday, 15 December 2023 04:41

I stopped looking at my phone every time I was waiting for something – this is what I learnt

Emma Beddington It’s hard not to feel personally attacked by some research (does that make me a raging narcissist? Probably). With crisps and now sitting downrecently ruled empirically bad, it seems science is coming for everything I hold dear. Now, my one true love is being targeted: staring at my phone. A new study, discussed in the excellent Techno Sapiens newsletter, explored how using your phone to avoid stranger awkwardness makes you feel “worse than if you didn’t”. For the research, 395 strangers were split into groups and asked to wait together for a (pretend) test. Half had phones, half…

Thursday, 14 December 2023 04:43

African countries stand firm on fossil fuels

The African Group of Negotiators is calling for an outcome that allows Africa to exploit its fossil fuels including coal, oil and gas to eradicate poverty while also funding renewable energy projects. This comes amid demands to end fossil fuels from climate change activists and other leaders around the world. Even the Global Stocktake text, a fundamental component of the Paris Agreement of 2015 used to monitor its implementation and evaluate the collective progress, released on Monday was heavily criticised for not containing a clear language on the phasing out of fossil fuels. Speaking at a press conference on the…

Sunday, 10 December 2023 04:19

What pigs and squirrels can teach us about managing pain

Over the past several decades, there have been many supporting studies of the health-promoting effects of an optimistic personality. Much research has been done on the connection between a high level of optimism and good health, described well in clinical psychologists Burel R. Goodin and Hailey W. Bulls' 2014 research paper, appropriately titled, “Optimism and the Experience of Pain: Benefits of Seeing the Glass as Half Full.” The authors state that optimism “is linked to both enhanced physiological recovery and psychosocial adjustment to coronary artery bypass surgery, bone marrow transplant, postpartum depression, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, lung cancer, breast…

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