Bob Merberg

Can Psychedelic Experiences Really Improve Your Mental Health? While drug-induced mystical experiences can have benefits, research suggests they may not be enough to create lasting change.

Psychedelics are compelling, but I agree caution should be exercised regarding the extent to which they’re hyped as a mental health remedy.

Chart explaining why its so difficult living in the US today

Spent the night digesting this chart.

And...in the US case...this is what you get when you embrace unchecked individualism above all else, and always put it ahead of community concerns.

It is interesting. Thx for sharing. The US position doesn’t surprise me. But Canada’s does. It can’t all be about individualism, right? I love Canada (heading back to Toronto this weekend), but it’s not like it’s the least individualistic place in the world.

Comparisons to Mark Twain’s apocryphal #quote, “Quitting smoking is easy; I’ve done it 100 times,” are… imminent.

Job listings with wide pay ranges may deter female applicants | Cornell Chronicle Research finds women have a stronger preference for jobs with narrower salary ranges compared to men, and that this preference is associated with less assertive negotiation behaviors.

Research co-authored by @alicejlee.bsky.social, assistant professor of organizational behavior at #CornellILR, found that pay range transparency laws, intended to promote pay equity, can inadvertently deter women from applying for those positions, thus perpetuating gender gaps in the workforce.

Wow. I should get off my… um… s̶o̶a̶p̶b̶o̶x̶ podium.

Now I need(ed) to look this up. I thought the difference had to do with functionality, not geometry. I thought a podium was more like a pedestal.

Hmm. Seems like a podium is like a pedestal for orators. And a lectern is a slanty thing orators hide behind. 🤔

Loudon was one of my teenage heroes. Saw him at the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village in the late 1970s. Great show! He’s still a wonderful performer; I’d see him again if he came my way.

“Words like ’skills‘ train our focus on what workers can or cannot do on their own, but being able to talk about the connections forged between and among people allows us to see what else is at risk when we start replacing people with machines.”

Adding this to my reading list.

Insightful application of self-determination theory.

And in the long run can you suppress wages (because they are, essentially, supplemented by no-tax on tips policy)? I’m not an economist, but it occurs to me that the policy ultimately becomes an employer supplement.

And in the long run can you suppress wages (because they are, essentially, supplemented by no-tax on tips policy)? I’m not an economist, but it occurs to me that the policy ultimately becomes an employer supplement.

Thank you. “Retribution” seems like a key word there.

Agreed. I’ve been hit in the face with a snowball at point-blank range — bullying occurs in the snow, as you said — and it’s no joke.

Snowball Fight in New York Turns Chaotic After Police Arrive

@profjohndrury.bsky.social Curious if you (or other crowd-behavior researchers) have insights into this snowball fight run amok. Blueskiers will rush to trivialize this. But when I watch the videos, I get the impression something serious Is taking place.

Do we conflate “happiness coming” with “finding happiness”? It’s nitpicky, but to me a compelling question as I’ve always been taken by Viktor Frankl‘s insistence that “happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue...”

I’ll have to get this Cicero book. 🧑🏻‍🏫

Building pro-worker AI - The Hamilton Project Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, and Simon Johnson ask: What is pro-worker AI, and how can we build it?

What is pro-worker AI, and how do we build it? Read a new essay from @davidautor.bsky.social, @dacemoglumit.bsky.social, and @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social, and join us for a virtual event this Wednesday to learn more:
www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
www.hamiltonproject.org/event/buildi...

Happy New Year! It is the Year of the Fire Horse.

I want to use this turn of the year to share that as of today, I have stepped down from my position as Associate Professor at @durhampsych.bsky.social and will now serve full time as director of my non-profit, @thesolitudelab.bsky.social,...

In 1987, Jesse Jackson visited striking workers at Maine's Androscoggin paper mill. He gave a rousing speech on solidarity and "scabbism" that changed the way many white workers there viewed their politics and their struggle.

From Julius Getman's excellent labor book 'The Betrayal of Local 14':

I’ve never understood survey respondents identifying social media as their primary news source. I wonder if they’d answer the same way if asked where they engage with journalism. Maybe the word “news”’ has become too ill-defined.

Michigan Climate Jobs Blueprint for an Equitable Clean Energy Future

Earlier this week, #CornellILR's Climate Jobs Institute (CJI) released its Michigan report, identifying 17 recommendations across five sectors to build a worker- and climate-friendly economy.

Check out the full report dashboard on our website for insights and recommendations!

I haven’t spent a lot of time in the UK, but, yes, I’d expect that houses in upstate NY are heated and insulated more efficiently. But I’ll guess a lot depends on the individual house and how the owner has maintained it. In any case… Welcome back. I hope you have a nice visit. ☃️

This has been the snowiest winter we’ve had in some time. In Roc, it’s the first winter-long snow pack in 8-10 yrs. Amazingly tho, outside of snow belts we haven’t had more than a couple inches on any 1 day this year, except for 1 minor storm. OTOH, if you’re someplace like Oswego, fuhgeddabout it.

Thank you!

I'm rude for not responding sooner. Life happened. I loved this clip. I need to get back to listening to more jazz and this clip inspires me. I was unclear about which one was your son. I'm thinking Shawn Myers? I'm listening to "The Silent Life" right now. Amazing stuff.

I understand the frustration. But, either way, congratulations!

No Company Has Admitted to Replacing Workers With AI in New York New York state has required companies to disclose if “technological innovation or automation” was the cause of job loss for nearly a year. So far, none has.

#CornellILR's @ericagroshen.bsky.social says New York's effort to track AI-related layoffs is a start, but argues employers should be required to share more detailed data on changing skills and occupations so workers can navigate transitions, rather than simply labeling job losses as caused by AI.

New on our bookshelf:

Work at Sea: The Evolution of Shipboard Technology
By Iver P. Cooper

mcfarlandbooks.com/product/Work...

Bad Bunny is a controversial pick for the Super Bowl – and that’s the point Bad Bunny’s rise is inseparable from his activism, which is woven into his artistic choices, television appearances and live performances.

My latest article on #BadBunny 🐰 and his #anticolonial #activism and why this is precisely what makes him a compelling choice for the #SuperBowl (with Flavia Cardoso and Jannsen Santana).

theconversation.com/bad-bunny-is...

Dr. Peter Attia, longevity expert, apologizes for "indefensible" emails to Jeffrey Epstein Peter Attia, a doctor and author well known for his research on longevity, is apologizing for what he calls "embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible" emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein.

Hear me out. Maybe elevating physicians to celebrity status isn’t a great idea?

www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/dr-...