Fighting health myths on TikTok, why moving to a new city by yourself can be less lonely than you think, and more.

Allie Rudin's reads

Moving to a new city solo can be less lonely than you think. It seems like each month there is a new study warning about the adverse health effects of loneliness—yet besides the recent phenomenon of physical isolation in a pandemic, there is also the timeless experience of moving to a new and unfamiliar city. Is there a science to being alone and single in a new place without falling into lonely despair? Writing for Vox's "Even Better," Siobhan McDonough explores her own experiences and consults with "friendship experts" to present three key lessons for those embarking on their next solo life move.

How to have a good cry—and relieve stress and anxiety. Break out the tissues, psychologists advise. From infancy to adulthood, crying is an innate human function that research shows can aid us when in the proper context. Although not everyone cries the same amount or at the same triggers, it can help us form emotional bonds with others and relieve stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous response. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth Bernstein dives into the research on crying and provides a guide to safely and effectively let the tears flow.

Lex Ashcroft’s reads

Can bionic reading make you a speed reader? The creators of Bionic Reading claim their new app can easily improve reading speed, focus, and comprehension by simply bolding specific words. Highlighting supposedly directs the eyes to focus on the most important parts of the text, allowing for faster and more efficient reading. While some users of the app are giving it rave reviews, experts say its claims are misleading. Writing for The Conversation, Lauren Singer Trakhman explains how speed reading can actually be a hindrance, and offers well studied techniques to try instead. 

Fighting health myths on TikTok. Like other popular social media platforms, TikTok has enacted policies in attempts to curb misinformation being shared by its users. Due to the extremely high volume of posts, this content often goes unflagged, allowing false claims to spread quickly. Pseudoscience creators use various methods to attract views, including fearmongering, provocative personal narratives, and "science-washing." Writing for the New York Times, Rina Raphael speaks with health care professionals who are stepping up as myth-busters, despite various threats to their professional and personal lives.