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Plants aren’t just nice to look at. Study after study has shown that greening up your home and workplace can improve your emotional and psychological well-being. Plants in your environment can increase feelings of comfort and lessen feelings of stress, according to a 2020 article by Healthline, and their presence may be linked to increased productivity. Additionally, a 2021 study published by Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, which polled 4,205 participants about the impact of indoor and outdoor plants on their psychological state, found that having vegetation at home during the COVID-19 lockdown “was correlated with more positive emotions,” whereas […]

COVID-19 sickened or killed more than 375 million people globally by early 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), but its impact goes beyond that striking figure. The effects of the pandemic touch nearly every facet of society in the United States and abroad, including overall health, the economy, and human behavior. Social analysis reveals that the impact of COVID-19 has been especially pronounced for already vulnerable groups — including people living in poverty, older individuals, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities. But the pandemic’s implications for health go beyond COVID-19’s initial symptoms to encompass a longer time period […]

A college degree is as important as ever. An October 2021 New York Times article reported that, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, white-collar workers with degrees, many of whom could work remotely, were not only less affected by job loss than other workers, they were in industries that rebounded faster once lockdown measures began to lift. On the other hand, individuals lacking college degrees, especially those working in jobs that require face-to-face interaction with customers such as those in the retail, hospitality, and restaurant industries, were disproportionately hit by layoffs, furloughs, and underemployment. That point is underscored by […]