January 22, 2018

From The Guardian (Kamila Shamsie on "My comfort read"):

I dip in and out of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient and In the Skin of a Lion whenever in need of comfort or solace. They’re old, known friends now, and like the best friends they can still surprise you in lovely ways.

From The Economist:

One analysis of 11 rich countries estimates that the average mother spent 54 minutes a day caring for children in 1965 but 104 minutes in 2012. Men do less than women, but far more than men in the past: their child-caring time has jumped from 16 minutes a day to 59.

From The Economist:

Married couples engage in a demanding four-handed juggling act that prepares their offspring for success at school, university and the most demanding jobs. Their children marry well, and the cycle begins again.

From Harper's:

The kea became the first nonmammalian to demonstrate infectious laughter.

From The New York Times:

It turns out that empathetic physical contact is essential for life. Intimate touch engages the emotions and wires the fibers of the brain together.