“The moment you decide on a goal to work toward, you’re immediately a successful person.” You’re then in that rare category of people who know where they are going. Out of every hundred people, you belong to the top five.”

“The sense that one is living a worthwhile and meaningful life is fundamental to human flourishing and subjective well-being. Here, we investigate the wider implications of feeling that the things one does in life are worthwhile with a sample of 7,304 men and women aged 50 and older (mean 67.2 y). We show that independently of age, sex, educational attainment, and socioeconomic status, higher worthwhile ratings are associated with stronger personal relationships (marriage/partnership, contact with friends), broader social engagement (involvement in civic society, cultural activity, volunteering), less loneliness, greater prosperity (wealth, income), better mental and physical health (self-rated health, depressive symptoms, chronic disease), less chronic pain, less disability, greater upper body strength, faster walking, less obesity and central adiposity, more favorable biomarker profiles (C-reactive protein, plasma fibrinogen, white blood cell count, vitamin D, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), healthier lifestyles (physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, sleep quality, not smoking), more time spent in social activities and exercising, and less time spent alone or watching television.”

“When a student develops self-compassion, the seat of motivation shifts. Since internal value doesn’t depend on external achievement, it frees students up to experiment, take risks and try new paths. “Self-compassion leads to learning goals instead of performance goals — such as trying again after messing up,” said Neff. “It’s a better academic motivator than self-criticism. It’s a motivation of care instead of a motivation of fear.””

Surprised?

“Researchers found children, whose parents dole out screen time as a reward or revoke it as punishment, spend more time on a smartphone, tablet, computer or in front of the television than children whose parents don’t.”

“Researchers found evidence that fasting affects circadian clocks in the liver and skeletal muscle, causing them to rewire their metabolism, which can ultimately lead to improved health and protection against aging-associated diseases.”

“In a new Nature Genetics paper, scientists used an Aetna insurance database of 45 million people, including 56,000 pairs of twins, to study whether genes or the environment matters more for staying healthy. Though the answer isn’t definitive or exact — it varies according to each of the 560 diseases that were studied — the technique holds promise for bringing more insights in the future.”

I read “Why We Sleep” last year - highly recommended!

“Why We Sleep argues a causal link between sleep-deprivation and depression, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Reading the book is akin to seeing a coin erode in a glass of Coke: it brings home the unhealthiness of a routine thing, in this case a restless night. The real terror of it is his definition of inadequate sleep: less than seven hours on a consistent basis.”

“Sparkling water continues to grow in popularity, but many argue these carbonated beverages can harm your health by reducing bone mineral density. While slightly acidic, unsweetened sparkling water can be just as hydrating as water. What is soda or seltzer water?”

Highly recommended to entrepreneurs!

Fantastic insights from Chris Dixon - VC @ a16z and entrepreneur. Highly recommended to any entrepreneur, business owner, or investor. 

“Co-founder Nathaniel Ru draws on his experience scaling Sweetgreen to offer startups a clearer window into how rapidly growing companies can stay connected with customers, partners and employees.”

Great thoughts on VC funding:  “I’ve always hated the assumption that raising VC money was the only way to finance an early stage business. Even more, I’ve hated the idea that the “goal” of a startup was getting to the next funding round at a higher price. These beliefs sell both entrepreneurship and venture capital short.”

“A method for fooling breast cancer cells into fat cells has been discovered by researchers from the University of Basel. The team were able to transform EMT-derived breast cancer cells into fat cells in a mouse model of the disease – preventing the formation of metastases. The proof-of-concept study was published in the journal Cancer Cell. ”

“Technological change happens in much the same way. Small changes accumulate, and suddenly the world is a different place. Throughout my career at O’Reilly Media, we’ve tracked and fostered a lot of “gradually, then suddenly” movements: the World Wide Web, open source software, big data, cloud computing, sensors and ubiquitous computing, and now the pervasive effects of AI and algorithmic systems on society and the economy.

What are some of the things that are in the middle of their “gradually, then suddenly” transition right now?”

Elysium’s Health’s latest list of recommended reads are guaranteed to keep your cortices cozy during blizzard season and beyond.