![A birthday party in a park on a sunny day, with people relaxing in the background an urban skyline in the distance](https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20210417174707im_/https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/ggD3tHq7DkHM35MF9K9xRHOPynA=/8x148:3291x2200/640x400/media/img/mt/2021/02/h_15375347/original.jpg)
The Most Likely Timeline for Life to Return to Normal
An uncertain spring, an amazing summer, a cautious fall and winter, and then, finally, relief.
An uncertain spring, an amazing summer, a cautious fall and winter, and then, finally, relief.
“Kristi’s been a constant in my life. I couldn’t even imagine not having her involved in the girls’ lives.”
The assumption that we are the sole authors of our texts and emails is a collective fiction—but a useful one.
The joys of money are nothing without other people.
If your social life is leaving you unfulfilled, you might have too many deal friends, and not enough real friends.
The school-funding program recently switched from offering rebates for physical labels to an app, frustrating many users and highlighting some of the program’s long-standing contradictions and inequalities.
In some cases, “Dear Therapist” columns help us understand a situation from another person’s point of view; in others, they give us the language we need to name a situation.
“When I see people from Peretz school, it’s as if nothing has changed. The comfort, the ease, the knowing of each other is the same.”
Switching to Zoom forever might be convenient, but it’s a recipe for loneliness.
Joe Biden wants the country to heal from its political divisions. But some people say they aren’t ready to reconnect with their estranged friends and family members.
Social ostracism has been a common punishment for millennia. But freezing someone out harms both the victim and the perpetrator.
Lifelong, hard-to-achieve goals might not make you happier. Small steps will.
Dementia patients have deteriorated in social isolation. They’ve been robbed of both their health and some of their last clear memories with family members.
“I was by myself in a country that felt huge and overwhelming. I felt tiny, and Abhi was my anchor.”
A certain notion of politeness requires pretending the ideal interaction would go on forever. That’s ridiculous.
Evidence shows that hyper-specialization is not the best strategy for happiness.
The pandemic made our worlds smaller, and as a result many came to know the people they live with more deeply.
Humans are programmed to think we’re right at all costs. Fighting that instinct will set you free.
This completely different person I’ve become since I gave birth is someone virtually no one knows.
Why people dwell on their final pre-pandemic memories
The availability of virtual learning means schools don’t necessarily need to shut down for the weather. But the loss of snow days is the loss of a source of joy for kids.
“We’re able to be our fully human, vulnerable, type-A selves with a group of people who get us in a way that your partner or your kids may not.”