1/ Q: This pandemic winter is dragging on … and on. I need a safe #happiness boost. Right now.

A: We feel you! Here are four research-based tips to plant the seeds of change🌱even as many of us are still buried under the (literal and figurative) snow. ❄️ ⛄️
2/ 😊 Say no more often 😊

You might call it the “yes, sure… oh, dang” problem. Academics call it hyperbolic discounting. It’s the challenge we all have where we agree to things that are in the future because we discount it – we think it’s less valuable than the present.
3/ Our to-do list for today is in front of us & we know we don’t have time to add an extra, unimportant thing, but April? Yes, sure, my April is wide open rn. And then April comes &… oh dang, I’m overwhelmed. Give your future self the gift of saying no. bit.ly/3py5Wjs
4/ 😊 Spend money on experiences rather than things 😊

Research shows that experiences provide more happiness than things because we anticipate experiences – & tend to see them through rose-colored glasses after the fact.
5/ Consider experiences that can be done safely, & that have a positive benefit on small businesses in your community. As financial expert @JeanChatzky writes, “Things get broken & go out of style. Experiences get better every time you talk about them.”
6/ 😊Spend prosocially 😊

Prosocial behavior is activity that benefits other people, or society as a whole. And prosocial spending has been correlated with greater physical and emotional well-being, even when controlling for income. ted.com/talks/michael_…
7/ Create a prosocial experience: Maybe it’s fancy hot cocoa with your family by the fire on a cold day. Maybe it’s buying some snowshoes & heading to a nearby park with friends. Maybe it’s donating to a food bank, coordinating & volunteering to pick up food from others as well.
8/ 😊Stop wishing for it, WOOP for it 😊

WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. Research suggests that positive thinking can actually derail us from our goals because we gloss over the obstacles. woopmylife.org/?fbclid=IwAR38…
9/ The last year has been full of obstacles, and a lot of happy plans have been derailed. As we look toward the future, by thinking about what stands in our way – & making a plan to overcome it to get to the outcome we want – we can boost our #happiness.
10/ None of this is rocket science, but it’s the kind of research-based advice that can, over time, make a difference in your overall #wellbeing.
11/ No, not all of them will work for everyone. And yes, these are individual cures for what is a larger structural challenge. Still, we needed a little #happy this week, and we figured you did, too. ❤️

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More from @DearPandemic

17 Feb
1/ Q: Is COVID-19 99% survivable?

A: Yes- BUT those odds are not as good as they sound. 🎲

Ask yourself- would you let your family board a plane if 1 out of 100 passengers were going to be thrown out of the plane mid-flight? ✈️ Image
2/ The Nerdy Girls are in the business of statistics & public health, so we *totally get* & *applaud* 👏 the desire to put risks in context. In 2019 there were roughly 36,000 automobile deaths in the U.S., each one a tragedy for a family....
3/ And yet, we do not generally recommend not driving to reduce this risk.

We DO create rules of the road & invest in new technologies to make driving as safe as possible, which has more than halved the automobile fatality rate from 1970s to today. 🚗
Read 16 tweets
15 Feb
1/ Q: What can I do to support a #caregiver?

A: Caregivers need a back-up plan, a much deserved #recharge, and financial support.
2/ Caregiving during the #COVID pandemic has been further strained by disrupted child care, social isolation, unemployment, and a contagious & debilitating virus. If the caregivers fall, so does everything else.
3/ Caregivers come in many forms & are the backbone of daily life for millions of Americans. To anyone in a #caregiving role: WE. SEE. YOU. ❤️

The days are long, the worries are real, & the options in the era of #COVID19 are limited.
Read 14 tweets
11 Feb
1/ Q: What’s up with the new @CDCgov #mask study?

A: Good news, #doublemasking or tightening up ear loops works!
2/ Remember the key features of effective masking: #FILTERING & #FIT.

The @CDCgov released a new experimental study testing ways to improve mask fit for cloth & medical masks to reduce leakage around the edges. cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7…
3/ Using mannequin “headforms” & simulated #coughing they tested:

1️⃣ #Cloth #mask over a medical mask (double masking)
2️⃣ #Medical #mask with knotted ear loops & tucked in sides
Read 9 tweets
9 Feb
1/ Kevin from Texas asks: I just received the first Pfizer vaccination dose today & am scheduled to donate double red blood cells in one week. Should I reschedule? Will donating blood impact the success of the #vaccination? Image
2/ According to the @RedCross, if you received the Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, Novavax, or AstraZeneca vaccine & you're feeling well, you can donate blood--with no wait period. There is also no reason to expect that donating blood will impact your body’s response to the vaccine.
3/ It is safe for the donation recipient because getting these vaccines cannot cause #COVID19 infection-in fact, there is no SARS-CoV-2 virus in these vaccines at all!

Fun fact: this is the same reason that getting #vaccinated cannot cause a positive COVID-19 #infection test.
Read 10 tweets
21 Dec 20
1/ Q: Does someone who has been #vaccinated still need to wear a mask & take other precautions?

A: Yes. We don’t yet know whether the vaccines prevent someone from being infectious.
nytimes.com/.../health/cov…
2/ The existing #Covid_19 #vaccine trials focused on a specific endpoint – symptomatic COVID-19 disease. We know that both the @pfizer & @moderna_tx vaccines were close to 95% efficacious in preventing disease (YAY!!).
3/ But wouldn’t we expect the vaccine to also stop #transmission? Most experts think it’s highly likely that the vaccine will at least *reduce* infectiousness in vaccinated people who happen to encounter the infection, but we don’t know for sure or by how much.
Read 16 tweets
19 Dec 20
1/ Is there any research/guidance regarding the #vaccines for those of us who already had it?

A: Those who have had #COVID19 are recommended to receive the vaccine.
2/ Data from the #Pfizer & #Moderna vaccine trials demonstrated safety in participants that have had #Covid_19 previously. Scientists are hopeful that the vaccine will offer a higher level of protection than immunity to natural infection.
3/ Although the Pfizer & Moderna #vaccine excluded participants with a known history of #COVID19, a number of participants on both trials were found to have baseline antibodies against SARS-CoV2- indicating a prior infection.
Read 9 tweets

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