1 . Lonely? You’re hardly alone. That’s the finding of a new study. And that appears throughout industrial nations across the globe. The study linked rising loneliness to a greater use of smartphones and the internet over the same years.

Jean Twenge, a psychologist, took part in the study. Her team has found that since 2012, US teens have been spending less time together face-to-face.

“Smartphones can help keep us connected with friends,” says Twenge. “But they can also make people feel excluded (隔离).” Girls, especially, may feel this way. One reason may be that they like to post more photos and selfies (自拍) than boys. Studies have shown that if those images don’t get a lot of “likes”, it can affect a teen’s mental health.

And there’s “phubbing” a mixture of “phone” and “snubbing (冷落)”. It’s that moment in which a friend or family member takes out a phone and keeps looking at it, paying no attention to everybody else, including you. Phubbing is one way technology can affect you, even when you’re not the one using it.

The new study pulled its data from a survey. Some 1 million 15- and 16-year-old students from 37 countries took this survey in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Its questions mostly dealt with education. But they also included six statements about loneliness, such as “I feel awkward and out of place in my school”. Students could strongly disagree, disagree, agree or strongly agree with each statement.

If technology causes loneliness, should we stop using it? “No, not at all,” argues Twenge. “Everybody of all ages is trying to figure out how we can best use these technologies and stay mentally healthy.” Her advice is to “use your smartphone for what it’s good for. Then put it away.” That includes putting it away overnight—ideally in another room.

2 . Everybody wants it, everybody works for it, and nobody can live without it. What is it? Money, of course! How often people ask us, “Will you go on holiday this summer? Will you buy this? Will you do that? ” And very often the answer is , “It all depends…” It all depends what? “It all depends” always means, “If I have enough money, I shall…”. Not only your simplest needs, but our wildest dreams are often connected with money . “If I win the national lottery(彩票), I shall…” Some people think it is the root of all evil, others think it will solve all the world’s problems. Both sides agree there is never enough of it. Of course money isn’t an answer to everything. You can’t buy love or happiness, for example. But as someone said. “If you are going to be unhappy, it is easier to be unhappy in comfort.”