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"Dopamine dressing" isn't just fashion media jargon. It's a psychological coping mechanism. Moda Operandi reported a 37% increase during 2024 in sales of bright, heavily patterned, or maximalist pieces (from brands inc. Chopova Lowena and Marine Serre). Valentino's pink PP collection drove a major sales spike for the brand during the Pierpaolo year... See more

The late Harvard cultural theorist Svetlana Boym called nostalgia "a rebellion against the modern idea of time." And it's a dangerous emotion , says historian Agnes Arnold-Forster. In her recent book she talks about how nostalgia used to be considered an illness that could literally kill you.

The scientific fight over whether aging is a disease: WSJ looks at how a group of scientists, doctors, and entrepreneurs are advocating to classify aging as a disease, arguing that doing so could help speed up drug approvals for treatments targeting aging, rather than just age-related diseases, which could save millions on chronic disease spending ... See more

Meet the Gen Zers who launched their side hustles before even starting high school—now they’re making a fortune as their own bosses. According to LinkedIn, the second-fastest growing job title for Gen Z grads is Founder. Nearly two-thirds of people aged 18-35 have either started or plan to start a side gig, with almost half saying they want to be t... See more

Life Actually, a No Bullshit Study is the latest Gen Z research released by Day One agency and USC Center for Public Relations. From their survey of 1,022 18- to 25-year-olds, they discovered that most young people fell into three categories. Neo Traditionalists (29%) value homeownership, long-term relationships, full-time employment, and making mo... See more

More Americans take on a second job or side hustle. They come at a cost. By late 2024, 5.3% of U.S. workers held more than one job, the highest level since 2019. (This number might even be underestimated since self-employed people with more than one gig weren’t counted.) Multiple-job holders say they regularly sacrifice sleep, their mental health, ... See more

Working Americans turn to food banks as the Fed inflation battle drags on. The rise of food insecurity isn’t due to unemployment, but rather the persistent cost-of-living crunch faced by low-income and middle-class workers. Prices for groceries have soared nearly 28% over the past five years (that’s about how much food costs increased in the 15 yea... See more

What gets us really excited about this stage is AI’s unique potential to fuel a new level of personal agency and self-optimization for consumers — across health, finances, personal safety, and careers. Our new framework, Proactive Measures, outlines this opportunity. Consumers are increasingly stepping into the role of “CEO of their own life” — and... See more

Conservatives have been proudly posting with their guns since time immemorial. But now, the United States’ firearm obsession has transcended party lines, infiltrating the social media posts of (mostly white) “girls” (women) and the seemingly left-leaning. In an online world where sincerity is dead, posting with a gun—flouncy, frilly dress and all—i... See more