🎸 Be brief, be wrong: A new study shows that telling AI to “be concise” makes it hallucinate more. Yup, your polite little prompt for brevity might be the exact thing making ChatGPT write, “Elvis is still alive, trust me.”
1 hour
The weekly amount of weight training needed to gain muscle. One study found just two 30-minute sessions a week helped participants get noticeably stronger and more jacked (paywall link), no five-day grind or bro science required. One set per exercise. Nine moves. That’s it. I hear you: “Instead of calling my bathroom the John, I call it the Jim. That way I can tell people I go to the Jim every morning.”
🤖 Bots in session: Turn your chatbot into your private tutor. Studying for a test? Just say, “I’m a [grade level + subject] student prepping for a [topic + test type]. Based on my notes below, make a practice test to help me study.” Now you’ve got a custom quiz.
36
The exact age scientists say bad habits really start wrecking your health. A study tracked hundreds of kids born in 1959 to 61 years old. Those who smoked, boozed and skipped workouts ended up sicker and more depressed. Great news if you’re 35, you’ve got 12 months left to be an absolute disaster on purpose.
4
The number of toys your toddler needs to be happy. Yep, no need for a mountain of plushies and plastic cars. A study found that kids given too many playthings got overstimulated and jumped from toy to toy. But with just four? They slowed down, focused and played longer. Oh, and no need to toss everything. Just rotate them.
🧠 ChatGPT passed the Turing test: Yep, the big one where a machine tries to convince you it’s human. In a study, people chatted with the new GPT-4.5 for five minutes, and 73% thought it was a real person. The bot was told to act like a slightly awkward, internet-savvy introvert with dry humor. Without that personality prompt, it only fooled 36%.
🧓 Tech helps older brains: Screens rotting brains is an old wive’s tale apparently. A huge new study of 400,000+ adults found using digital tech is linked to a 58% lower risk of cognitive decline in older adults. Why? Learning to use new tech keeps your brain challenged. You or your grandma yelling at an iPad might secretly be gaining IQ points.
🤖 AI just passed the Turing test: Yep, the one where a human has to guess if they’re talking to a machine or a real person. In a study, people chatted for five minutes with both a human and a chatbot without knowing which was which. Their job? Pick the human. GPT-4.5 fooled them 73% of the time, and LLaMA 3.1 got 56%. Yikes.
🌲 This is tree-mendous: Nearsightedness in kids is exploding because of screens. Get this. In a study, children were placed in a classroom with tree imagery and a sky-like ceiling. After a year, they showed less vision decline than those in a regular room. Time to go outside, kids!
Over 60% of the time
AI search engines get their sources wrong (paywall link). In a study, chatbots were asked to match news to the correct headline, publisher, date and URL. They almost never admit they’re unsure and just blurt out wrong answers like they’re completely right.
17%
Lower risk of dying early by swapping butter for plant oils. A big Harvard study tracked over 220,000 Americans for 33 years. Swapping just two tablespoons on your bread makes a difference. The kicker? Baking with butter doesn’t have the same risk. No margarine for error here.
Dessert? Yes, please: It’s not about willpower. The reason you want dessert even when you’re stuffed is called “dessert brain.” When you eat something sweet, your brain releases beta-endorphin, a naturally occurring opiate that makes you want more. Hannibal Lecter’s favorite dessert? A Danish. (Oh, that was bad.)
Is AI making us dumber? Maybe. A Microsoft study found AI tools hurt our critical thinking skills. Some people are so dependent on AI responses, they stop questioning things. When faced with a real challenge (and no AI), they have a hard time analyzing and solving problems. I use AI as a starting place, not a common-sense replacement.
21
How many years it took to debunk this study. Ever heard sparkling water helps you lose weight? That came from a 2004 study that wasn’t even about sparkling water. Sorry, carbonation in your blood won’t boost your metabolism. If your sparkling water loses its bubbles, that’s all right. It’s still water. (I heard that groan all the way here in Phoenix!)
20 minutes
Of life gone for every cigarette smoked. Yikes! I still cannot believe there were ads in the 1940s that said, basically, cigarettes were good for you. A new study out of University College London found a pack of 20 cigarettes knocks 7 hours off a person’s life. Say you smoke 10 a day and quit on Jan. 1. By the end of the year, you’ve “earned back” 50 extra days. Now, that’s incredible motivation.
YGTR (You Got That Right!): A Stanford study says abbreviations in texts make you come across as insincere. Sure, you might think you’re being laid-back, but others see it as being lazy. Bonus cringe: People who use abbreviations are less likely to get replies. So, if you’re being ghosted, maybe ditch the “IDK” and try a full sentence, just sayin’.
It kills your brain cells: Glyphosate, the most used weed killer in the world, has been linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s. It’s in Roundup and so many other brands. A new study from Arizona State University (my alma mater!) says the chemical leads to long-term damage, even with brief exposures. The EPA’s stance? Low levels are safe.