I’ve found that people are often surprised to learn just how deeply our physical environment affects our emotions and wellbeing. The field of psychology has historically focused almost exclusively on the internal factors that shape our emotional experience, in the form of thoughts, behavioral patterns, and neural chemistry. Almost no attention has been paid to environmental factors. So, if we are feeling sad or anxious, we’re conditioned to believe this is due to either our genetics or our learned responses. We never look around us and think that there might be something in our surroundings that is making us uneasy.
Ingrid Fetell Lee
Environment
Singapur
When the island of Singapore became an independent country in 1965, it had few friends and even fewer natural resources. How did it become one of the world’s great trading and financial centres?
The Economist
The last plant
Every native plant on Kauai is an insane stroke of luck and chance.
Zoë Schlanger
Luxury
Last year, the New York Times called sleep the “new status symbol.” I’m not sure I accept the idea of a good night’s rest as a status symbol—although I suppose the resulting glowing skin, high-functioning metabolism, and sharp mind may raise one’s standing. But done right, sleep is certainly the ultimate luxury.
Jenni Avins
Environment
I’ve found that people are often surprised to learn just how deeply our physical environment affects our emotions and wellbeing. The field of psychology has historically focused almost exclusively on the internal factors that shape our emotional experience, in the form of thoughts, behavioral patterns, and neural chemistry. Almost no attention has been paid to environmental factors. So, if we are feeling sad or anxious, we’re conditioned to believe this is due to either our genetics or our learned responses. We never look around us and think that there might be something in our surroundings that is making us uneasy.
Ingrid Fetell Lee
