EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY Why We Crave Fear? The Science Of The Scare Key Takeaway: The fascination with fear is deeply rooted in human evolution, with emotions playing a critical role in survival. Controlled fear experiences, such as watching horror movies or navigating a haunted house, offer a safe way to engage with this powerful emotion. Exposure to intense fear reduces anxiety levels afterward, leaving people feeling more […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE Can Music Be Bad For Us? Key Takeaway: Music can be a powerful tool for boosting focus and productivity, but its effectiveness depends on factors such as the person, task, and music type. Instrumental music is less distracting, while familiar tunes can help with memorization or problem-solving. However, high volumes can lead to hearing damage, as the hair-like cells inside the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY The Dark Side Of Digital Drama Key Takeaway: The subreddit “Am I the Asshole?” has become a cultural phenomenon, with 20 million members and a focus on dissecting digital disputes. The platform encourages users to share stories about their non-violent conflicts, transforming them into moral judgments with quick votes and comments. AITA’s success lies in its structured approach to storytelling, which […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SCIENCE How To Tell If Conspiracy Theory Is False Key Takeaway: Conspiracy theories are prevalent and can involve various factors. People believe false conspiracy theories for various reasons, such as the existence of real conspiracies. However, unfounded conspiracy theories often lack evidence and substitute elements that should be red flags for skeptics. To vet a claim, one should seek out evidence, test the allegation, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Being Thoughtful In The Age Of A.I. Key Takeaway: Concerns about AI’s potential roguehood and potential harm to privacy and dignity are a significant concern. AI’s algorithms, programmed by humans, are also biased and discriminatory. However, a psychologist’s research suggests that AI is a threat to making people less disciplined and skilled in making thoughtful decisions. Making thoughtful decisions involves understanding the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN EDITOR'S PICK POLITICS The Problem With Fashion Key Takeaway: The fashion industry relies on storytelling to create fashionable garments and spread positive messages about issues. However, it can also drive overconsumption and perpetuate unrealistic beauty expectations. The industry’s global reach allows for easy sharing of visual cues and messaging, especially during times of social and political unease. The UN’s report urges storytellers, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK STRATEGY The Hidden Costs Of Lay-Offs Key Takeaway: Businesses are facing rising borrowing costs and wage growth, affecting industries like advertising and retail. Redundancies can impact all employees, including those at risk, survivors, and management and HR teams. Decreased trust can lead to a toxic work environment, causing employees to question loyalty and commitment. Psychological stress can lead to increased absenteeism, […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS EDITOR'S PICK STRATEGY The Real Magic Of Disney Is Its Business Acumen Key Takeaway: Disney’s greatest legacy is not its animated stories or characters, but the business acumen of its founders. The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, who initially focused on animation. They adopted merchandising and technologies like Technicolor and sound to cut costs and promote their products. After […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ART & DESIGN CULTURE EDITOR'S PICK How Video Games Are Reviving Classical Music Key Takeaways: Starfield, a highly anticipated video game, allows players to build their own character and spacecraft, travel to multiple planets, and follow multiple story arcs. The game’s interactive music uses a palette of musical language that cultivates a contemplative soundscape, launching the listener into the vastness of space while remaining curious, innocent, and restrained. […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
EDITOR'S PICK PSYCHOLOGY TECHNOLOGY How Netflix Is Actually Mind Controlling You Key Takeaway The study by van Esler and colleagues analyzed the influence of streaming platforms on TV programmes’ success. They found that streaming services can make their content more likely to be watched. The study found that the strongest predictor of a programme’s viewing was the number of days the programme was available on the […] Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Future Tech Of Music Is Space-Bending Key Takeaway: Researchers have developed a technology that creates “audible enclaves” in open air, creating highly focused, localized zones of sound. These isolated audio pockets allow sound to materialize only at a precise point in space, unheard by others nearby. This breakthrough could revolutionize public communication, entertainment, military applications, and office design. The process, known […] Written by Empirics Asia April 9, 2025April 9, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Promise And Peril Of A.I. Therapy Key Takeaway: AI-powered mental health tools, such as chatbots and self-help apps, offer immediate emotional support to those in need. However, these tools cannot replace the complexity, depth, and ethical safeguards of human therapy, especially when dealing with serious mental health issues. AI lacks emotional understanding, cultural context, and real-time adaptability, which can be dangerous […] Written by Empirics Asia April 8, 2025April 8, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How Hidden Friendships Redefine Animal Intelligence Key Takeaway: Research shows that some animals form surprising partnerships, challenging traditional views on how intelligence evolves in the animal kingdom. For example, Octavia and Finn, a day octopus and coral trout, work as a team, each bringing unique skills to the hunt. Other species have also developed remarkable partnerships, such as the greater honeyguide […] Written by Empirics Asia March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Can A Book Be Dangerous? Key Takeaway: Books have long been a subject of debate, with some being praised for sparking imagination and empathy, while others are feared for warping minds or seducing readers into fantasy. The fear of fiction altering our sense of the world dates back to the early days of the novel, with women often being portrayed […] Written by Empirics Asia March 24, 2025March 24, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Hidden Cost Of Space Key Takeaway: Satellite re-entry, a process where defunct satellites are disposed of, is causing a significant environmental impact on Earth’s atmosphere. As satellite usage increases, researchers are focusing on the re-entry process itself, which releases metal particles into the Earth’s atmosphere. These particles, such as aluminum oxide and lithium, can influence the planet’s energy balance, […] Written by Empirics Asia March 21, 2025March 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Science Of Impatience Key Takeaway: Impatience is a common trait in humans, often influenced by our evolutionary past and perception of time and risk in the modern world. Early humans preferred immediate rewards, such as food and resources, as they were more likely to survive in unpredictable conditions. However, modern financial decisions often favor delayed rewards, as our […] Written by Empirics Asia March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
A Cosmic Mystery Unraveled Key Takeaway: Astronomers have discovered strange, pulsing radio signals in space, known as long-period transients, that appear far too slow to be attributed to neutron stars. The LOFAR radio telescope has identified the origin of one of these enigmatic signals, revealing a surprising culprit: a white dwarf. The red star, identified as ILTJ1101+5521, emitted bright, […] Written by Empirics Asia March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Rethinking Education Key Takeaways: The Industrial model of education that fueled the modern era and its dizzying reach did its job incredibly well. In his writing, Flynn illustrates study after study, spanning nations and decades, in which modern educational gift of abstraction — a transcendent sign of intelligence, as we saw in Raven’s Matrices — has been […] Written by Anthony Fieldman March 2, 2022October 19, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
How China Is Transforming Its Economy Through Learning I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […] Written by Enrique Dans February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Why You’re Not Seeing Success With Influencer Marketing With the new year around the corner, now is a good time to re-evaluate your past marketing strategies and gear up for the year ahead. For some businesses, influencer marketing has simply not seemed to live up to its lofty promises of genuine engagement, credibility, and transparency. Some have claimed that it has been failing […] Written by Michael Tan January 14, 2021January 15, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
A New Philosophy of Business I’m about to ask you to take a mental leap. For the next 8 minutes, suspend your notions of what a business is, and I’ll propose a new lens for you to look through. There are a lot of questions asked around what “community” means for business. “Where should community fit in my organization?” and […] Written by Empirics Asia September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked