Enjoying a Cup of Coffee? You should Thank the Birds and the Bees, Study Finds

Five takeaways:

  1. A University of Vermont study shows that coffee beans are much larger and more plentiful when birds and bees collaborate to protect and pollinate coffee plants.
  2. Study authors estimate that without nature’s helpers, coffee farmers would see a 25 percent decline in crop yields. That represents a loss of about $1,066 per hectare of coffee.
  3. These findings hold major implications for everyone involved in the $26 billion global coffee industry– from farmers to major corporations to latte drinkers across the world.
  4. This is the first research project ever to show, via real-world experiments conducted at 30 coffee farms, that birds and bees are much more beneficial for coffee yields when they work in unison; birds simultaneously perform pest control duty while bees pollinate.
  5. The research showed that in harvesting situations in which birds and bees’ were present, there were greater results in fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity. All of these factors are major indicators of both coffee quality and price.

From John Anderer at Study Finds:
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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.

Gratitude in Abundance

Five takeaways:

  1. The author of this piece argues that the more abundance we live in, the harder it is to be grateful. That abundance makes us passive in our appreciation.
  2. The author reminisces about how much a gift of $200 meant to him when he was struggling financially, and rues the fact that today, when he is more financially secure, an unexpected $200 gift would not elicit the same level of gratitude.
  3. Deprivation can enhance appreciation: He notes that he has recently taken to doing 90 seconds of ice cold water in the shower, and how it has made him directly appreciative of the warmth and steam of a normal shower even more.
  4. Being more appreciative and grateful has positive effects on your mental health and overall happiness– and we can be intentional about our level of gratitude. We can remind ourselves to take a moment to be grateful for all we have.
  5. The article finishes with a stunning appeal: “Maybe we can purposefully build not just more gratitude within our abundance, but even build an abundance of gratitude.”

From Jeremy at Calibrating Capital:
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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.

American Families Spend Just 37 Minutes Of Quality Time Together Per Day, Survey Finds

Five takeaways:

  1. A new study shows that American Families spend only 37 mins of quality time together per day, made more troubling by a recent survey that show that the average American adult spend up to three hours a day on social media.
  2. When asked which factors in their lives were to blame for this lack of family time, two-thirds of the parents surveyed identified their long work hours as the main culprit
  3. The survey showed that quality time did increase to about 2 hours and 40 minutes on weekend days.
  4. The survey also showed that spouses also struggle to enjoy time with one another throughout the year. More than half of the parents (54%) said they get at most 12 date nights to themselves a year, while 31% sometimes go more than a month without a night out.
  5. The holistic health benefits of allocating more time for quality family time is hugely important for personal happiness, child development, and overall family strength

From Ben Renner at Study Finds:
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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.

Why Stress-Baking and Cleaning Make You Less Anxious

Five takeaways:

  1. In the early days of Covid, a baking craze arose. The hashtag #quarantinebaking became so popular that Amazon sold out of popular brands of flour and chocolate chips.
  2. It turns out there is neurological proof that homekeeping and self-care activities such as baking can help stop cycles of anxiety and depression by changing how the human brain self-regulates.
  3. When humans perceive a threat, their amygdala– a region of the brain associated with stress– begins firing. The prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotion, begins working less effectively.
  4. Activities such as baking or bicycling can reset the brain and allow the prefrontal cortex to more effectively regulate emotion. They offer a sense of applied skill and control.
  5. Studies suggest that behavioral activation– as with activities like baking– can be just as effective as meditation in helping to reregulate brain activity. In the anxious early days of lockdown, this was hugely helpful as an escape.

From Sara Harrison at Wired:
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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.