I’ve been doing a lot of puzzles recently. Whenever I’m up at my friend’s place, there’s usually one sitting on the dining table in some stage of completion. We’ll sit down, add a few pieces, and end up talking for hours. For a while, I thought it was just the good company that left me feeling so calm afterward. But after reading this story about art, neuroaesthetics, and collage, I suspect there’s something deeper going on. Check out the full story here.
— J.D., Editor
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Cognitive Health
Your Favorite Snack Could Be Messing With Your Focus
Andrej Lisakov/Unsplash
Food Focused: Ultra-processed foods have racked up quite a reputation for being bad for your heart and waistline. But new research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring suggests they may also be affecting your ability to focus, and the effect shows up even if the rest of your diet is fairly solid.
The Study: Researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 Australian adults aged 40 to 70 and tracked their dietary habits and cognitive performance. People who ate more ultra-processed foods scored lower on attention tests than those who ate less of them. Attention scores dipped for every 10% increase in ultra-processed food calories, while scores estimating future dementia risk increased. Crucially, those links remained even after accounting for the overall eating of the participants.
The Takeaway: The food processing itself appears to matter, not just the absence of better foods. Cutting back on your most processed staples, especially sugary drinks and packaged deli meats, which research has shown is particularly problematic for cognitive health, may be worth considering.
Keep in Mind: This study captured a snapshot in time, so it can't prove that ultra-processed foods directly cause cognitive changes; it only shows that the association is worth paying attention to.
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Mindfulness
The Brain Science of Sensory Toys
Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash
You Should Know:NeeDoh — a gel-filled fidget toy in cartoonish shapes like ice cubes and gumdrops — has gone viral. It's out of stock almost everywhere, which has led to TikTok subgenres dedicated to “NeeDoh hunts.” Slime, kinetic sand, putty, and stress balls have all had similar trendy moments — the interesting question is why these textures keep sucking us in.
Going Deeper:Sensory neuroscientists in The Conversation note that the body has neural circuits for processing pressure and texture, and those circuits loop back to brain regions involved in emotional regulation and planning. Studies of stress-ball squeezing in adults show activation in those areas, which may help explain the calmer, more-focused feeling people get from these objects. The brain also seems to want the hands to be occupied. When fingers have something to do, they're less likely to take up skin-picking or nail-biting.
Takeaway: For adults working through anxiety or trying to focus on a task, squishing is an easy way to redirect restless hands.
Bottom Line: The NeeDoh may be sold out, but any soft, squeezable object can scratch this neurological itch.
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Cognitive Health
Why Are So Many Young Adults Having Strokes?
A.C./Unsplash
The Trend: We tend to think of strokes as an older person’s problem. But now, young people are having them more than most people realize — research showsstroke rates climbed by as much as 15.7% among adults ages 18 to 44 over the past decade. So what’s behind this rise?
What People Are Saying: Researchers point to rising rates of high blood pressure and high cholesterol as major drivers — with obesity and diabetes increasingly appearing in younger adults — while a more sedentary lifestyle may also be adding to these risks. Vaping and ADHD medications may be a contributing factor for some people, though experts don’t believe they're the main driver. Hormonal birth control is also getting a closer look, as a recent study found combined oral contraceptives tripled stroke risk in women ages 18 to 49.
What to Know: Most of these risk factors for stroke are treatable and reversible — getting a routine checkup and learning your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers is the clearest starting point. And if you’re on hormonal birth control and have other vascular risk factors, it’s well worth having a frank discussion with your doctor.
This: Loose-Leaf or Bagged Tea Not That: Bottled Sweet Tea
Bottled teas often contain as much sugar as soda — sometimes 25–40 grams per bottle. Brewing your own tea keeps things simple: water, tea leaves, maybe a squeeze of lemon. If you want sweetness, add a touch of honey or fruit. You get antioxidants and hydration without the sugar overload.
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What We're Cooking
Scandinavian Sandwich
Courtesy: Simply Recipes
Serves: 2 | Cook Time: 15 minutes
This recipe makes four Nordic open-faced sandwiches — enough for two generous servings, with extra toppings left over for snacking on crackers later in the week. Shrimp, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and fresh dill are tossed in a creamy lemon mayo that binds everything together, then piled onto a thick, sturdy slice of rye bread that holds it all up. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients for a filling yet light summer snack.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Walk the First Minute Slowly
At the start of any walk, go slower than you want to. Let your body ease into the movement before picking up pace. It improves comfort and reduces that rushed, tense feeling.
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Final Thought
The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”
