Experience Archives - Page 22 of 28 - MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

How to Remember Everything

Five takeaways:

As this piece’s title might suggest, it argues that memory is a buildable skill. It starts with the story of an Atlantic reporter who covered a memory competition for his job, became inspired by speaking to the competitors, and went back to the competition a year later after practicing their memory-honing skills everyday.. and won the whole thing.

The technique is called ““elaborative encoding”— the act of “relating disconnected numbers, words, or facts to networks of existing memories and knowledge.” This involves giving the hard-to-remember things (like names or phone numbers) hooks that rely on our visual or spatial memory, which is much stronger.

For instance, competitive “memory athlete” remembers the milk and eggs on his grocery list by placing items in a “memory palace,” picturing himself pouring a gallon of milk over his head just outside his front door, then walking inside to see a chicken juggling some eggs.

In 2017, researchers found that learning to employ mnemonic devices when trying to build memory actually reorganized the connections in subjects’ brains. It showed that the act of memory actually lit up the brain’s nerve centers.

Importantly, memory training forces us to collect a bank of images to use as memory devices. It hones our attention, and our imaginations. This makes it a hugely valuable pastime in a chaotic world that tends to pull our attention in far too many directions.

From Annika Neklason at The Atlantic:
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Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Electric Vehicles are Bringing out the Worst in Us

Five takeaways:

This article argues that while it is crucial to address climate change by transitioning the automotive industry away from fossil fuels and towards electricity, the current emphasis on large, battery-powered SUVs and trucks by car manufacturers perpetuates a harmful American culture of wanting to drive bigger, faster, and heavier vehicles.

The increasing trend towards bigger cars makes for less space on the road, increasing the possibility of accidents. It also disproportionately endangers pedestrians– pedestrian fatalities reached a 40-year-high in 2021.

Electric version of SUVs and Trucks tend to be even heavier than their gas-guzzling counterparts, due to the addition of huge batteries. For example, the new electric Chevrolet Silverado EV will weigh 8000 pounds– 3000 more than the gas-powered version.

As car manufacturers focus on creating faster and larger vehicles, they are missing an opportunity to make electric vehicles safer than their gasoline-powered counterparts- eschewing potential safety-minded design changes the EV technology might allow.

To truly maximize the overall benefit of the advance of electric vehicles into the mainstream, we must push manufacturers and lawmakers to ensure the development of smaller, cleaner vehicles are needed to address the emissions problem– without creating a new class of dangerous cars that rule the road.

From David Zipper at The Atlantic:
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Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

How We Learned to Be Lonely

Five takeaways:

Brooks argues that the pandemic has resulted in a major collective trauma: one of loneliness. He worries that relationships severed during lockdown are not being reestablished, and that we must fight to overcome this.

A March 2022 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 59 percent of respondents said they had not fully returned to their pre-pandemic activities.

The rise of remote work has been socially devastating, Brooks argues. Work was once a source of social interaction, but as a large swath of the workforce continues to work from home, those connections are not being made or strengthened. 60% of workers said they feel less connected to their coworkers than we were before the pandemic.

People are prioritizing socializing for fun, as well direct extended family interaction, way less than they did before the pandemic. There is data that suggests that when people “get out of the habit,” of prioritizing this time, it is difficult to resume.

Growing habitual loneliness is a public-health crisis. Research has consistently shown that isolation is linked to depression and anxiety, and has been shown to lead to premature mortality, worsen cardiovascular health, increase inflammation, and more.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
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Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Setting Your New Year’s Resolutions

Takeaways:

While the idea of a New Year’s Resolution is based on a healthy impulse– the need for self-improvement– setting them irresponsibly can also set you up for deflating failure. This article details seven common mistakes people make when setting their resolutions. These mistakes are:

Setting a non-specific goal: To increase the likelihood of success in a new year’s resolution, it is important to define specific and achievable goals. Start with small steps rather than trying to make huge leaps.

Failing to consider why you’re making a resolution: It is important to have a clear and concrete reason for making a New Year’s resolution, so that it is easier to stay motivated and avoid making resolutions just for the sake of it. Writing down the goal will make it more concrete– and achievable.

Making goals too restrictive: Attempts at self-restriction are difficult to maintain because people often see them as a loss of freedom, which can be overcome by indulging in the behavior that is being prohibited. Using positive language when setting resolutions, such as specifying actions to take rather than actions to avoid, may be more successful in achieving the desired goal.

Not changing your environment: Success can be increased by making changes to one’s environment that support the desired behavior. For example, replacing unhealthy food with healthy options and surrounding oneself with people who engage in healthy behaviors can make it easier to adopt healthy habits.

Setting a HUGE goal: While it may be thrilling to say, “On Jan 1, I’m never eating fast food AGAIN!” It is not realistic. It is more effective to focus on making small, incremental changes towards a single goal rather than trying to overhaul one’s entire life. It is better to make progress towards a goal, even if it is a small amount, than to set ambitious goals that are difficult to achieve and potentially lead to feelings of failure.

Not using your support network: It can be especially beneficial to let trusted people know about one’s goals and plans and to enlist their help in staying accountable. Having accountability partners or friends working towards similar goals can also make it easier to stay motivated and achieve success.

Feeling Guilty for Failing: Setbacks and challenges are a normal part of the process of working towards a goal and should not be seen as a reason to give up entirely. It is important to be kind to oneself and recognize that achieving a goal can be difficult!

From Stephen Johnson for Lifehacker:
Read the whole story.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.