Issue #266: How You Feel Changes What You See
Good morning. It’s Thursday, November 16th.
Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: How You Feel Changes What You See
Speed Read: Gene Editing to Solve Heart Disease
Thursday Night In: Butternut Squash, Sausage and Tortellini Soup
“Perception is a mirror not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward.”
The percentage of our cortex (surface of our brain) devoted to processing visual information. (University of Rochester)
From the Lab
In our previous issue (#265) we covered how our physical ability affects how we see the world.
Not surprisingly, it’s not just our bodies that change our reality - it’s our minds too.
Let’s go back to the example of that a steep hill in San Francisco - it’s much less daunting to someone who runs sub 8 min miles compared to someone else who rarely walks more than 2,000 steps a day.
The same thing happens based on our mood - sad people see a steeper hill.
Our mood doesn’t just impact our thoughts and feelings - it literally changes how we see the geometry of the world.
Being in a rut, frustrated, or depressed depletes our energy - so maybe that’s why we see a bigger hill. But studies show that people see the hill as being steeper without actually climbing it.
In fact, just listening to sad vs. happy music (both were classical music choices so I’ll take the study’s authors word that Mozart is “happy”) had a significant effect on how people viewed the hill.
While we we might think that the world affects our mood - it might just be the other way around:
“You may think that in everyday life, the things you see and hear influence what you feel, but it’s mostly the other way around: What you feel alters your sight and hearing.”
So boost that optimism and you’ll change your world.
Similarly, things seem less challenging when we have someone right there with us by our side. It’s known that we can better get through pain when we hold someone’s hand (this is why I always ask my wife to come with me when I donate blood - yes, I’m weak when it comes to needles).
But it’s so powerful that just thinking about a friend makes that hill seem less steep.
Our social connections make us stronger.
BONUS: As another example - those of us that are more aware of our body seem to perform better. There’s a study of traders where the one’s who could better sense their body (more accurately know their heart rate), made more successful trades.
Not the traders who THOUGHT they were more successful (we often conflate positivity with performance) - but the ones more in tune with their bodies made better decisions.
One way to increase our own awareness is a body scan meditation. You move from your toes to your head and focus on each part of your body - what sensations do you feel, are you tight, are you in pain, are you tense.
Try this 3-min body scan from Calm:
By slowing down we are more aware of ourselves and then better see the world around us.
What a great lead in to this week’s Partner :).
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
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Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Savory and Salty: Five tastes our tongues can detect, but salty is actually split in two - low-salt and overly salted. In the past 25 years, researchers have been able to explain how our tastes work, except for the high-salt receptor. We need salt to survive, but too much salt and we store too much water to compensate > extra fluid leads to higher blood pressure > extended strain on arteries leads to heart disease or stroke. (Knowable)
I’m Sick, Can I Still Workout?: We’ve hit on this the last two weeks (Issues #259-264), but should you work out when you’re under the weather? First, get plenty of sleep! Then, drink plenty of water - dehydration will be exacerbated if you work out…you can slow down the recovery process. And when you start to feel better, ramp up the intensity - maybe avoid the immediate triathlon. (Outside)
It Worked in Worms: Researchers identified a new drug-like molecule that keeps mitochondria healthy via mitophagy, a process that removes and recycles damaged mitochondria in multicellular organisms. The natural compound, dubbed MIC, extended lifespan in C elegans (worms) and improved mitochondrial function in mouse muscle cells. So you’re saying there’s a chance? (Longevity Technology)
Thursday Night In | Butternut Squash, Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Indulge in a nutritious, family-friendly Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Tortellini Soup. This recipe combines creamy butternut squash rich in vitamins, savory Italian sausage for protein, and cheese-filled tortellini. It's enhanced with health-boosting onions, carrots, garlic, and a tart Granny Smith apple for balanced sweetness. Add kale or spinach for greens, use chicken or vegetable stock as a base, and unsweetened coconut milk for creaminess.
Max’s family had this Sunday and will be including as part of their holiday menu. It’s a bit of a process, but worth it.
Pro Tip: highly recommend the immersion blender. Max couldn’t locate his, so it was a bit of a production moving the soup to and from the traditional blender, but not impossible.
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.