With the Delta variant of Covid-19, far more Americans are worried about getting infected. A survey from the National Opinion Research Center and the Associated Press finds that 41 percent of Americans are “extremely” or “very worried” about getting Covid… compared to a low point of 21 percent in June. That could be why more than half of Americans now favor vaccine mandates for workers in restaurants and healthcare, government workers, and those attending concerts or flying on an airplane. Half of people support vaccine mandates to get into a bar or restaurant as a customer.
American children and adolescents now get two-thirds of their calories from ultra processed foods. That’s up from 61 percent 20 years ago. Those foods include things like packaged snacks, sugary breakfast cereals, and fast food. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that takeout foods and frozen pizza and burgers saw the biggest jump… rising from two percent of kids’ daily calories to more than 11 percent today. Doctors say ultra processed foods are linked to diabetes, obesity, and some cancers.
And finally…it’s good to be productive… but if you think leisure is a waste of time, you’re likely to be unhappy overall. A study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology finds that people who enjoy hanging out with friends and just relaxing are psychologically more well adjusted than those who think it’s wasteful. They’re more depressed, anxious, and stressed.
Leave a Reply