So 2021 has come and gone — and there was a lot to talk about.
I’ve already written 4 summaries (see links below) and here is Part 5 with another collection of pieces of research that could have dramatic impacts on your and others lives, or are just plain interesting.
So here’s Part 5, from 6, (Part 1 here / Part 2 here / Part 3 here / Part 4 here) of what you almost certainly missed in 2021.
Part 5, September-October 2021
Sleep and your Brain
I mentioned in my earlier summaries the importance of sleep in 2021 and in October to celebrate 100 Quick Hits I published summaries of health themes each day. The one on sleep is here which included the recent research such as how an analysis showed that sleep affects everything (just about every metabolic reaction in your body — including fat metabolism).
A few days after I published my review, I reported on another piece just published showing how broken DNA collects in your brain during waking hours and this contributes to your feelings of tiredness — but importantly getting your sleep helps your cells to regenerate and repair your broken DNA. That is quite a powerful way to think of sleep — as a DNA repair mechanism. If you don’t get your sleep your DNA will be continually degrading!
Business
September and October produced a mix of studies into the workplace. These ranged from one large well-conducted study showing how air quality disrupts productivity and similarly another showed that pollution is damaging to the brain’s of children, to how microbreaks improve productivity.
Other studies focused on how helping others can backfire in the office but also that being rude had multiple negative effects. An interesting one on decision making showed that in forums there are often a lot of followers — those who simply follow the advice of those more knowledgeable. Is this a good thing or bad thing? Interestingly it makes group decisions more random and excessive — either a lot better…or a lot worse!
