The News Not Noise Letter: News That Doesn’t Suck
Finnish scientists and your mother agree that going outside is good for you. Plus: How do you vaccinate a honeybee–and why does it matter? And a delightful funeral surprise.
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Here’s some news that doesn’t suck:
Nature Heals: If your mother ever told you to stop staring at a screen and get outdoors, it turns out — that really was good medicine. Scientists in Finland decided to test the idea that being outdoors improves your mood and overall health. Researchers found that city-dwellers who regularly visit green spaces are less likely to use certain prescription medications including those used to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and asthma. A survey of thousands of Helsinki residents found that people who visited green spaces three to four times a week were 33% less likely to use mental health medications, 36% less likely to use blood pressure medications, and 26% less likely to use asthma medications. Similar effects were not documented in participants who had good views of natural spaces, suggesting that a garden view apartment doesn’t do the trick. You have to actually go outside, not just look outside. But before you lace up your hiking boots, we do have to clarify that this was an observational study and not an experimental trial, meaning that researchers can not directly establish cause and effect. And they are extrapolating wellbeing and good mood from lower use of medications. Still, the results are promising — and a good excuse to go outside then call your mother and tell her she was right.
None of Your Bee’s Vaxx: These days, I’m hearing a lot about the health benefits of bees – from the advantages of Manuka honey and bee pollen, to the crucial role bees play in food security and protecting biodiversity. According to the USDA, 35% of food crops rely on animal pollinators – like bees – to reproduce. Honeybees are vulnerable to something called American foulbrood, an incurable bacterial infection that can destroy entire broods of new larvae and wreak havoc on existing hives. Now the USDA has approved a vaccine for bees that would protect against the bacteria. Before you ask: no, there are no tiny needles involved. Instead, the vaccine developed by Dalan Animal Health is mixed in with the “royal jelly” that queen bees eat. Once the queen bee eats the vaccine and develops immunity, scientists say, her offspring will inherit that immunity; it’s passed onto them when she lays her eggs. As the vaccine comes into use, the scientists at Dalan are hopeful that it will usher in a generation of new, similar prevention methods that could revolutionize beekeeping and the whole world of agriculture along with it.
The Happiest Jobs: This is good news from the world of work. The agriculture, logging, and forestry industries have employees with the highest levels of self-reported happiness and lowest levels of self-reported stress according to surveys by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These workers also reported finding the most meaning in their work — even more than healthcare workers and teachers. Other high-happiness/low-stress career categories include the real estate industry and construction. The highest reported stress levels came from those in the finance and insurance industries, followed by education services (note the news business?). A lot of these findings make sense, but why are the lumberjacks so happy? The study showed that most of the happiest non-work activities involved being outdoors, which might be connected to lumberjack-wellbeing. To find out more, we think the Bureau of Labor Statistics might want to have a chat with the scientists in Helsinki — and preferably do it somewhere green.
Small Kindnesses: 80-year-old Hody Childress died on January 1 this year, and after his death a secret came out. For ten years, Childress had donated $100 a month to his local pharmacy in Geraldine, Alabama to help others who could not afford the full cost of their medications. Childress asked local pharmacist Brooke Walker not to tell anyone that the money came from him but instead to call it a “blessing from God.” Over the years the fund ballooned to thousands of dollars, and Walker drew on the money to ease prices for in-need residents of Geraldine, a town with a population of about 900. Childress told his daughter about his deed shortly before his death, but not because he wanted recognition. He wanted her to take the $100 down to the pharmacy for him because he was no longer physically able. At his funeral, she shared the story with friends and family, and now the community is coming together to keep the Childress pharmaceutical fund going. Walker, the pharmacist, said that Childress “was a man of modest means. Giving $100 a month was quite a gesture. I knew that helping people was in his heart.”
The Power of Connection: “Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.” That’s according to the researchers running the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The landmark study, conducted over 85 years, followed 2000 people across 3 generations. Researchers found that strong and satisfying relationships were the single most important predictor for healthy, happy aging. They found that relationships play a bigger role than exercise, achievement, or eating right. The participants who were most satisfied with the core relationships in their lives at age 50 had fewer health problems and experienced greater joy in their 80s. The study’s current directors say their findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that loneliness is physically damaging and connection is physically healing. Our existing relationships, they say, are “a gold mine of vitality” if we invest more time and energy into maintaining them and connecting with our loved ones. I know this can be hard to read if you’re experiencing loneliness. Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, has compiled a list of activities and actions you can take to combat loneliness and build more supportive social connections. Check it out here, scroll down for his tips. So go ahead and reconnect with an old friend. If you need an excuse, tell them science sent you.
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