Humanity Archives - Page 13 of 13

Young Hispanic girl and her grandad whisking cake mixture together at the kitchen table, close up

Taking Care of Grandkids May Give the Brain a Boost, Study Says

Having a grandparent around to babysit can give parents much-needed time off to catch up on self-care — but grandparents themselves may reap some health benefits from this arrangement, too. A new study published by the American Psychological Association suggests that looking after grandkids can boost cognitive abilities and, in some cases, slow cognitive decline. […]

Incarcerated at 16, This Poet Now Changes Lives Through a Prison Book Program: “Joy Is Our North Star”

Reginald Dwayne Betts has always been into books. As a kid, he was once caught reading Sherlock Holmes stories in the back of class, and at home he’d watch an oft-played speed reading infomercial with fascination. Determined to become a speed reader himself but unable to afford the advertised course, he found an instructional guide […]

Author Erin Port on How “Tiny Tweaks” Help Us Shift Toward Happiness

Baking delicious banana bread requires trial and error. Your first attempt might need more salt; your second might need more nutmeg. If it still doesn’t taste the way you want it to, you continue making tiny tweaks until you’re happy with your loaf. The same idea can be applied to our lives, says Erin Port. […]

After Healing From a Broken Leg, 90-Year-Old Artist Painted 18 Portraits to Thank Her Caregivers

Caregivers at a Pennsylvania retirement community walked into work this past fall to a sweet surprise: Resident Eva Lu Damianos had been secretly painting their portraits for months, and each of their likenesses was on display in the wellness center. The 90-year-old was inspired to paint the 18 health care workers following a particularly difficult […]

Composite image made of photographic textures and drawn elements

Do You Have Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome? Expert Advice on How to Avoid Saying Things You’ll Regret

An estimated 100% of adults will experience a dreaded episode of “foot-in-mouth syndrome” at some point in their lives. Symptoms include blurting out opinions before thinking them through, cracking one-liners that later make you cringe, and losing sleep over off-the-cuff comments. We kid, of course, but the pain of saying something embarrassing or unintentionally offensive […]

This Trait Could Be Key to a Lasting Romance

Passion and commitment are widely believed to be the foundation of strong romantic relationships. But a relationship is made of two unique individuals, and personality traits these individuals possess or lack can often make a relationship more likely to endure. In a 2019 study, we found that one trait in particular — humility — is an important indicator of successful relationships.

Mary Ball Washington, George’s Single Mother, Often Gets Overlooked — But She’s Well Worth Saluting

It is important and poignant to recall the hard life of Mary Ball Washington, who struggled — mostly alone — to raise our Founding Father. Historians have left us with inaccurate and mostly unpleasant accounts of her long and laborious years.