1 . Emotional energy is a relatively new term to describe our vitality (活力).     1     If we feel that some situations drain (耗尽) us, then it’s because they take away all our vitality in matters that are insignificant, but ones that do require effort. They’re situations that only distract us from what’s truly important, and from the things that enrich us. Let’s learn to identify them and avoid them.

A debate is a great opportunity to present your own points of view and learn from other’s opinions. However, something very different happens when two people get into a pointless argument.     2    

    3    . This sort of curiosity is no more than a sign of a lack of identity. Whoever gossips about others looks for themselves in other people. The thing is, they just can’t find themselves.

One of the situations that drain our emotional energy is unstoppable doubt. This is when we think and think but only come up with “ifs” and “buts”. We try to find the right answer or make the right decision just by reflection.     4    

We’re constantly trying to get other people’s approval.     5     Instead of investing time to explore who we are, whether others like us or not, we just spend our time doing things that other people want us to do. Generally, people either accept you or they don’t, and sometimes for reasons that are completely beyond your control.

2 . A recent study has discovered that gentle sound stimulation, referred to as pink noise, could enhance deep sleep among older adults and strengthen their word recall abilities.

Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation. But beginning in middle age, it decreases considerably, contributing to memory loss in aging. The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test. This innovative approach offers a simple and safe means to potentially enhance memory among older individuals and mitigate the natural age-related memory decline.

A team of researchers from the Northwestern University in the US gathered 13 adults aged 60 and above, monitoring their sleep in a lab for two nights. On both nights, the participants underwent a memory test, went to bed while wearing headphones and a special cap, and took the memory test again in the morning. But without the participants’ awareness, researchers only played pink noise into the headphones on one night. More specifically, they timed the sounds to match the participants’ slow-wave oscillations. During deep sleep, brain waves slow to approximately one oscillation per second, compared to about ten oscillations per second during wakefulness. The system they employed in the study allowed the team to deliver a low burst of pink noise at the “precise moment” when the participants’ slow waves rose — a pattern that is unique to each person.

The study found that participants’ slow waves increased after the night of sound stimulation, suggesting a potential enhancement in their deep sleep quality. And in the morning after hearing pink noise, they performed three times better on memory tests than they did after sleeping without any sound stimulation.

The study was a relatively small one and Northwestern has taken steps to confirm its findings and to study how longer-term use of pink noise affects sleep. The team aims to develop an affordable device that people can use at home, from the comfort of their beds.

I’m writing to share my decisions about my course selection for nest semester.

All the best!

Yours,

Li Hum

6 . Blue-light-blocking glasses are supposed to protet eyes from the effects of short-wavelength light from our smartphones, computer screens and LED lights. Considering how much time we spend on our phones, we may think such glasses are smart choices, right? After all, eye strain is a real issue and can lead to poor sleep and even macular degeneration. The glasses can cost SIS all the way up to several hundred dollars. But do they work?

Elizabeth Esparaz, an ophthalmologist based in Cleveland, Ohio, says the information that companies share as they recommend these glasses can be confusing. For starters, blue light is not just about tech devices, and it’s not always bad. “The sun produces a much higher intensity of blue light than human-made devices, of course, and it’s actually beneficial,” says Dr. Esparaz. It helps our mood and sleep-wake cycle. However, the problem is blue light at night:it affects the release of melatonin. “Melatonin helps adjust our living paces and makes us sleepy,” says Dr. Esparaz.

So, in theory, wearing blue-light-blocking glasses should help people who watch movies in bed or read from an iPad at night to avoid sleeplessness. A 2021 review study found that people affected by sleep disorders fell asleep faster after using these glasses.

As for eye strain, a 2021 Australian study showed that those wearing the glasses experience similar eye strain to those using clear glasses. And a 2018 review study, also by Australian researchers, found that wearing blue-light-blocking glasses failed to prevent macular degeneration.

But Dr. Esparaz says, “These glasses aren’t going to be harmful. ”

7 . As a boy, John Kerr wanted to be a fireman or a park ranger (公园管理员). Looking back on that childhood dream, he says, “This is exactly what I was longing for.”

Instead, after graduation, he spent four decades at WGBH in Boston, one of the public broadcasting stations. He retired in 2005 at the age of 65 without any particular post-career goal in mind. After several aimless weeks, he decided to drive his camper to visit family in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

During the trip, he stopped at the Yellowstone Park Foundation, which raises funds for Yellowstone, America’s first national park. As it happened, the foundation was hiring people to educate park guests on wolves. Later, Kerr signed up for the position as an intern (实习生) .

Kerr stood out in the intern crowd — most of them were college and even high school students. But, in a sense, he had been prepared for this since his youth. His outdoor adventures with his grandfather had given him a love to nature, and as an adult, he had helped out at the local fire department on medical calls.

From his internship, he moved up to ranger, educating park visitors, ensuring safe encounters between guests and animals, and responding to medical emergencies (紧急情况). He values his stewardship (管理工作) of what he describes as one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and appreciates the moments when he treats a visitor to an up-close look at one of the park’s wolves or bears through his telescope.

“These are rich and all-too-rare moments,” recalls Kerr. “I never forget them.”