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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 to Restore Our Dwindling Attention Spans

Six takeaways:

As a Professor of informatics at UC Irvine, Dr. Mark has closely studied behaviors of individuals as they pertain to use of their electronics. She has demonstrable proof that attention spans are declining.

One repeated study used sophisticated computer logging techniques to measure attention spans and heart rate monitors and wearable devices to measure stress. Back in 2004, the study found that people averaged 150 seconds on any screen before switching to another screen. By 2012, it had declined to 75 seconds, and between 2016 and 2021, it diminished to 47 seconds. Studies by others have replicated these results within three seconds.

Declining attention spans are tied to negative health effects. Studies have consistently shown that fast attention shifts lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, these shifts have been linked to higher anxiety and stress, lower productivity, and more errors and delays in finishing tasks due to the cognitive resources that are drained when reorienting to a task.

One practical solution is for individuals to use digital technology in a more intentional way– taking proper breaks, being cognizant of the drift of attention, and planning to focus on important tasks during peak periods of focus.

Ironically, new digital technology offers solutions such as AI programs that promote productivity and well-being. Some workplaces are also beginning to take steps to protect their workers from burnout, encouraging workers not to answer emails after hours and instituting daily quiet times where workers are discouraged from checking email.

Dr. Mark notes that at the end of the day, our attention spans are in our own hands. “We still own our attention, and rather than simply submit to its further attenuation, we can take change into our own hands. Human beings created the internet, and it’s up to us, in the end, to decide how much we want to be absorbed by it.”

From Dr. Gloria Mark at The Wall Street Journal:

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Note: At the time of this posting The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to read this article.

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.

Your 401(k) Isn’t Enough: To Invest for Retirement, Build Friendships and Hobbies

Five takeaways:

This piece is a valuable reminder that retirement planning is far more than 401k contributions. We must consciously cultivate habits, hobbies, and relationships that will make retirement rewarding.

A long running Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has tracked Harvard grads in adulthood since 1938, surprised researchers by showing that the greatest predictor of happiness in retirement is not to be found in health measurements like cholesterol or financial metrics like financial savings. It is in the presence of meaningful lifelong relationships.

There is every reason in the world to neglect friendships during middle age: the demands of raising children or caring for aging parents while navigating careers, and so much more. But it is this period where concerted effort to maintain friendships is the most important.

Tergesen says that making lists of what gives one meaning can unearth hobbies and areas of development to focus on as we approach retirement.

When viewed together, friendships and hobbies give life purpose, especially in retirement’s newfound absence of time spent developing one’s career.

From Anne Tergesen at The Wall Street Journal:

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Note: At the time of this posting The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to read this article.

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.

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