As Covid-19 forces us indoors, people are more and more relying on their social circles, for favors big and small. William Chopik, assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University and Jeewon Oh, an MSU doctoral student, set out to determine whether these obligations were a net positive or a net negative for relationships. What they found was a little more complicated. “We were looking to find whether obligation is all good or all bad,” said Chopik. "When we star

Welcome back to our Sleep Series, a string of blog posts about the role of sleep in our lives, including the benefits of achieving enough slumber and tips to help make it happen. As life grows increasingly stressful and complicated, it becomes more and more important to perform the necessary steps to take care of yourself, sleep being key among them. For a long time, it occupied a place similar to an old wives' tale: if you don't sleep enough, you'll get sick. These days, we

Welcome back to our Sleep Series, a string of blog posts about the role of sleep in our lives, including the benefits of achieving enough slumber and tips to help make it happen. As life grows increasingly stressful and complicated, it becomes more and more important to perform the necessary steps to take care of yourself, sleep being key among them. Sleep: when you get the right amount of it, you feel energized and ready to take on your day. When you don’t get enough, you fe

As adults, we don’t need to be persuaded to seek a good night’s sleep. That well-rested, energetic feeling is reward enough. But what about kids? Research shows that children who sleep enough (9 to 12 hours, depending on age) are more curious, more conscientious, and more likely overall to flourish. They’re less likely to have depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. That’s why it’s such bad news that a recent study finds over half of U.S. kids between ages six