As the US approaches 250 years, Jill Lepore’s These Truths offers a one-volume overview of those years. Focuses on key themes and figures in a long but enjoyable read. She just launched a new book on the US Constitution in case you need even more history.

Dragon Boat racing today: how it started (rains this morning) and how it ended (finals races cancelled due to winds and waves). We did have two races in between, racing in synch and enjoying a full day. Some 44 boats, and even retirees coming back just to help out. I am sapped.

I recently spent a week in Munich with my oldest daughter, who finished her 3rd year in university. I feel grateful to have such opportunities, and while we enjoyed some amazing sites and experiences. A few highlights, including the all-important pretzel.

Next year the US will celebrate 250 years since independence. Last night I attended a panel on the “Meck Dec”: the claim is that a few folks declared independence in May 1775 in what’s now Charlotte. There’s no smoking gun to support or refute the claim. But an interesting case of public history.

w/ @kristinemaassen.bsky.social, #RutgersAnthropology is hosting a fabulous line-up of panelists for an #alt-ac #career panel tomorrow. Please register and attend. Info attached! @dianamonkey.bsky.social @peterbgray.bsky.social and others not on BS!

I regret to announce that the meme Turing Test has been passed LLMs produce funnier memes than the average human, as judged by humans. Humans working with AI get no boost (a finding that is coming up often in AI-creativity work) The best human memers still beat AI, however. arxiv.org/abs/2501.11433

Time for fatherhood, courtesy of James Rilling and his new book. #fatherhood #testosterone #oxytocin #dad apple.news/ALmCPtGhtTb2...

Morning run near and before work. Feels like anti-spring. Lots of leaves, dried, fallen and all-around.

An update with latest data available for graph of life expectancy vs health care expenditures per capita for 20 countries and one outlier.

What does your future look like? What regrets might your future self have about your current self? Here’s an AI tool intended to enable mental time travel and make the future more salient. It’s Future You. #future #aging test.futureyou.life

Does the culture you grow up in shape the way you see the world? In a new Psych Review paper, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I tackle this centuries-old question using the Müller-Lyer illusion as a case study. Come think through one of history's mysteries with us🧵(1/13):

Read @sbkaufman.bsky.social’s Transcend. Learned lots: Maslow’s pyramid was likely created by a management consultant in the 1960s, and Harlow advised Maslow’s PhD captive monkey dominance behavior. Nice overview of Maslow’s arc and current, related research. New image instead of pyramid:

What makes for an interesting Thursday eve? Having the chance to attend a local financial advisor’s presentation—free dinner too—on retirement planning. It’s a research opportunity to consider how they frame planning and how they offer services. Diversification, taxes & more. #retirement

Life expectancy in the US —by educational attainment, by county www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... @ihmeuw.bsky.social —the growing inequalities abcnews.go.com/Health/growi... @amymaxmen.bsky.social @kffhealthnews.bsky.social

This is the story behind a viral retirement ad: The agency: “It was easy to do the math. We took the average rate of inflation and extrapolated out thirty years. Then we wrote the ad. It was attention-getting. It was informative. It spurred people to act.” #retirement #inflation

22% of Americans aged 65+ are still working, with the highest % in NJ (33.8%) and the lowest in WV (15.7%). Retirement doesn’t look the same everywhere—see where your state stands! #Retirement #WorkforceData

Japan is just a few years ahead of us. An aging workforce causes labor shortages. www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Popcorn and movie theaters are inseparable today. But did you know that a century ago, cinemas actually banned popcorn? A Kansas City saleswoman named Julia Braden became one of the first vendors to talk her way inside the lobby — and built a concession empire in the middle of the Depression.

The wealthiest cities in the U.S. are now almost seven times richer than the poorest regions, a disparity that has almost doubled since 1960.

We've heard this before with oil and coal, but soon, we will find new deposits of kids in Alaska or the deep ocean, and things will be fine.

The Forbidden Push-Up Pop

Coupling and Fertility are Falling. In Finland, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and the US, both are going down. Superb column by @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social A must-read for anyone interested in why fertility is falling, and how to respond. 🧵

What do veterinarian care providers think about direct-to-consumer pet genetic testing? Find out in this new paper from @nikki-bennett.bsky.social #dogs #cats #pets #genetics avmajournals.avma.org/view/journal...

Exploring past episodes of technological disruption in the US labor market, with the goal of learning lessons about the likely future impact of AI, from David J. Deming, Christopher Ong, and Lawrence H. Summers https://www.nber.org/papers/w33323

Changing our behaviour isn't easy–and changing the behaviour of others is even harder. Here is a great analysis of 19 behavioural principles we proposed that are rooted in decades of research. What works and what doesn't when it comes to changing behavior: www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Some recent reading. Benz’s book on retirement is one of the best I’ve read for a US audience, and Li’s shows how fast AI is moving, from recognizing images to generative AI. I seek range, which helps frame day-to-day applied research. #retirement #books

I’m somewhat frightened to think that people might believe this was the kind of money I made as an adjunct. It would explain some of their disbelief about why I left it behind. (I was making 5k a course at OSU, which is actually ahead of the national average).

Excited to share that our BBS target article — "Children as agents of cultural adaptation" — is online & open for commentary! In it, @sheinalew.bsky.social & I argue that children's peer cultures might play an important & understudied role in cultural adaptation. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

I continue to be deeply moved by this statement to the heavens by President Carter.

Beware the perils of the duel, as recorded in a Savannah graveyard. #duel

Southern right whales may live far longer than previously believed—up to 130 years, double earlier estimates. Two researchers share their fascinating findings:

Good morning east coast. Let’s get this Saturday slowly started.

I grew up in Colorado Springs, where NORAD is based. The Santa Tracker is a fun side to the Cold War tracking once so important inside Cheyenne Mountain.

“By almost all measures, human societies are now ‒ in the 21st century ‒ richer, more complex, more interconnected and more technologically advanced than at any other time in history. Yet immense inequality has also returned, both within and between societies.” apple.news/AKX1x4dsCSHe...

A bit chilly but now getting some overtime. Great game.

NPR spoke with 30 small groups of people around the country about what they'd want other people to understand about their community — and what they want to understand about others.

Enjoyed this Planet Money podcast episode on the relevance of institutions to economic trajectories. #institutions #economics podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

“Organizational experts say Amazon is a leading indicator of a new era of flattening in corporate structure, and its slashing of manager roles isn’t just about cost-cutting, but a glimpse into the future of work.” Amazon and the endangered future of the middle manager www.cnbc.com/2024/12/15/a....

Reading @hannahritchie.bsky.social Not The End Of The World. One thing I hadn’t appreciated is that deaths from natural disasters have fallen, even with climate change. Recent Hurricane Helene deaths in mind in NC, and I was at UCLA during Northridge earthquake, but previous disasters were deadlier.

Childhood vaccines have saved around 150 million children over the past 50 years. Estimates from a paper by Shattock and colleagues: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... I wrote about it here: ourworldindata.org/vaccines-chi...

Started today at 33 degrees but quickly warmed up—at the first hill on the Huntersville 10k. Made for a good challenge, and came in at 47:40, so better than I’d hoped. Can put me feet up the rest of today.

So, I've heard jokes about the Senate looking like a retirement home... but um, it's kinda true. The age distribution of Senators is almost identical to The Villages, the largest retirement community in the U.S.

What's the moment of luck that's had the biggest impact for your academic career? For me, it was how I wouldn't have gotten a PhD fellowship if it wasn't for the 1st-ranked person declining, which meant that I was awarded the fellowship as 2nd-ranked applicant. That was my last shot at a PhD.

Fewer US grandparents are taking care of grandchildren, according to new data apnews.com/article/cens...

“The second longevity revolution will also require new institutions, expectations, and attitudes. With millions of people living vigorously into their 80s and beyond, the very idea of “retirement”—…that people will leave the workforce at an arbitrary age—makes no sense.” apple.news/AvEy_nxIpR12...

Lovers share their hopes & dreams. Living together, they share stories about their days, and learn about different perspectives. If 50% of young Americans are single, this may have social implications - potentially less empathy between men & women. Graph by @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social

Contemplating the “Old Age” chapter in Shafik’s (2021) book on the social contract, retirement ages have gotten older but are still outpaced by longer lives. She recognizes that until recently people aged within family & community context. Now: multiple income sources. #retirement #aging

Interventions that enable individuals to circumvent obstacles, offers social support, provides incentives, and highlights healthy social norms are very effective at changing behavior. Changing emotions, attitudes, and beliefs, doesn't help much. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

You like demographics and social science? Here’s a long list of over 70 demographic tidbits to spark your interest.

There’s recognition of declining fertility in much of the world. This connects with changes in how people perceive and invest in pets. “If given the choice, 43% of Americans say they'd opt for pets over children in the future.” #pets #fertility www.accesswire.com/940641/the-p...