study Archives

Your A+ checklist

🔔 School’s almost back in session. I’ve done the homework for you.

✍️ Jot this down: Snag a set of gel pens (20% off, six-pack) for journaling, note-taking or doodling during class.

📑 Get out of a bind: These ring binders (20% off, four-pack) double as cheat sheets. You didn’t hear that from me.

📝 Note to self: One college-ruled notebook (41% off, six-pack) per class = zero confusion.

🛏️ Dorm-approved: Drift off after that 2 a.m. study sesh on silky-soft bedsheets (18% off).

📦 Bin there, done that: Stackable storage bins (25% off, two-pack) tell your roommate, “That’s mine.”

💯 Extra credit: There’s a whole backpack’s worth of back-to-school deals waiting for you on my Amazon page.

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😊 Emojis = happier relationships: A study shows that using emojis in texts can make your partner feel more appreciated. Why? Because apparently, it signals you’re paying more attention. But before you get carried away, remember that different generations don’t always interpret them the same way. Gen Z might see a 🙂 or 👍 as sarcastic.

Over $100

That’s how much more you could be paying for flights compared to people who book as a group. A study found airlines like Delta, United and American were all doing it. So if you’re flying solo on business, you’ll pay more.

🧼 Smartwatches are gross: A study found 95% of watchbands were contaminated with harmful bacteria like E. coli. Plastic and rubber bands were the grubbiest. If your Apple Watch band’s beyond saving, swap it for a new silicone one. You can get a six-pack in different great colors for under $10.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

⏩ 2x speed frying memory: A new study says bingeing podcasts and videos at warp speed might make you dumber or at least worsen memory retention. Turns out 2x pushes the brain past its “working memory” limit, especially for older adults. Teens? Basically brain athletes for TikTok TED Talks. The rest of us? Toast.

🤔 AI’s dumbing us down: A study found that students using ChatGPT to write SAT essays showed lower brain activity and focus compared to those who didn’t. Over four months, they went from asking for some help to copy-pasting entire sections. Maybe the future shown in WALL-E isn’t that far off.

🧠 Brain go brrr: A new MIT study suggests that using ChatGPT to write essays may fry your brain. OK, not literally but close. Participants using it showed the lowest mental activity and creativity, with their essays called “soulless.” Turns out AI isn’t just replacing jobs, it’s replacing neurons.

🚘 Waymo’s not cheap: A study in San Francisco found it costs about $10 more than Lyft or Uber during peak hours. The twist? Some people actually prefer it. The quiet, driverless ride and having the car to yourself is enough to win them over. Introverts stay winning.

🎸 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.”

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.

19

The number of bites of chicken per week that could start shaving years off your life, according to a new study. Congrats to all the vegans, you’ve been training for this moment. Turns out “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” was actually a eulogy.

🤖 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.

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.

🎓 Wharton’s Penn/10: The oldest business school in the country is reworking its curriculum to center around AI. The new classes will cover how AI models work, the ethical impacts of using the tech and more (paywall link). Got someone in college? Be sure they study AI.

🤖 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!

330,000 deaths

May be prevented by combining two cholesterol-lowering drugs. In a study of 108,000 high-risk patients, a combo of statins and ezetimibe lowered the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke by 19%. Talk to your doc!