Silence Heals Being hospitalized is stressful enough, but the constant beeping, buzzing, ringing of hospital monitors—an average of one every 11 minutes, according to a study—makes the experience downright nerve-wracking. And the effect extends to hospital staff: “Alarm fatigue” is so commonplace that doctors and nurses often stop noticing the sounds, diminishing their effectiveness. After her own hospitalization, ambient musician Yoko K. Sen was determined to make hospitals more peaceful. Working with Johns Hopkins Sibley Innovation Hub, she’s experimenting with adding music, aromatherapy, and moving projections to patient rooms and “tranquility” areas for hospital staff....

While most of the psychological literature has painted such mind wandering as a detrimental “failure of executive control” or a “dysfunctional cognitive state,” a new study led by Paul Seli, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow working in the lab of Dan Schacter, suggests that in some cases there’s no harm in allowing the mind to wander. The first-of-its-kind study showed that, when performing a task that didn’t demand constant attention, people were able to strategically allow their minds to wander without an impact on task performance....

Not to mention, it’s tough when you’re looking for inexpensive meals for large groups that also taste good. That’s why we’ve rounded up a list of over 100 of the best foods for a crowd. They’re tasty, affordable, and will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy your guests! Are you ready to look at all the deliciousness this list has to offer? Let’s dive in. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links....

The six finalists were chosen from a list of 20 semi-finalists. Each semi-finalist will receive a ticket to the Wisdom 2.0 Conference in February. On August 30, the finalists will present their ideas in front of a panel of judges at 1440 headquarters. Judges will evaluate projects based on their alignment with the foundation’s objectives. Three winners will then be announced September 1—and each will receive $25,000. For more information, visit the 1440 Foundation website and read James Gimian’s latest blog post about this program and what such projects can do for our society....

** Ready to revive your fade or get in on this haircut style? Read on for fresh and new ways to totally upgrade your high fade haircut: 1. Grown Out, Wavy Pomp Guys with wavy or curly hair should take the new year as an opportunity to grow out that mop. The wavy pomp automatically looks much cooler than its perfected beginnings. And, as an added bonus, if you already have wavy or curly hair, that means so much less styling effort....