5SR - April 29, 2024
Hitha on junk science, compassion, and why everyone is watching Shōgun
A quick refresher - I’m Hitha Palepu, the founder of
. If you’d like to connect with me elsewhere, I’m most active on Instagram and write a weekly newsletter about smart, random things (check out the most recent issue).Junk science is cited in abortion ban cases. Researchers are fighting the ‘fatally flawed’ work (The Guardian)
Junk science isn’t just plaguing us on social media - it’s also been the basis of the anti-abortion cases filed in American courts, with dangerous consequences.
A meta-analysis published in 2011 cited 22 studies (11 that were conducted by the paper’s author) claimed “women experience dramatic increases in mental health problems after an abortion.” This paper has been widely cited in anti-abortion lawsuits, even though the real-world data proves the opposite:
“Large scientific bodies have found no evidence to suggest abortion causes increases in mental health problems. The best predictor of a woman’s mental health after an abortion is her health before. What’s more, there is substantial evidence that women who are denied a wanted abortion suffer both mental and financial harms.”
Shōgun Won the Attention War (Vulture)
At least 4 people told me I needed to watch Shōgun this weekend. After their recommendations and this post, it’s at the top of my watch list for the summer.
It’s rare to find a show that demands all of your attention and focus, and not simply because of the language barrier. I confess that I skimmed this article to avoid spoilers, but this line had me chuckling and solidified my interest in the show:
“Like so many of its forebears in this space, Shōgun is a violent story about political intrigue in which women quietly influence and enact their own aims while ambitious men stand around outside chopping off heads.”
This is a gentle reminder to drink some water, play some upbeat music (currently loving this playlist), and to go for a walk today.
2020's great undoing (Axios)
I’m both unsurprised and disappointed in the about face of social investment we made in 2020 and 2021 - especially when the data showed that the investments in DEIA, flexible work, and poverty reduction produced tangible, impressive returns.
If anything, I’ve become even more bullish on these investments. Both of my companies are fully remote with asynchronous work (we have recurring meetings for weekly check-ins and active projects), giving my team members control over their schedules and their lives - and we’ve been phenomenally productive.
I hope we can find our footing again, as a society and within our government bodies.
Compassion is making a comeback in America (Vox)
…but if there is some positive news to celebrate, it’s this heartening upward swing of compassion.
“Our biased minds tempt us to see the worst in people. The empathy decline reported 13 years ago fit that narrative and went viral. The comeback of American compassion, I worry, might instead fly under the radar. Konrath tells me that reporters still regularly contact her about her 2011 paper on empathy decline. She tells each one about the more optimistic update on this work, yet articles on this new work appear to be much scarcer than ones about the gloomier, earlier science.
At least some of this is up to us. We can keep paying attention to callousness, cruelty, and immorality. There’s certainly plenty of it to occupy us. But we can also balance that perspective by looking for kindness and care in the people around us. The data is clear: There’s plenty of that, too.”
My friend
has impeccable taste in all things - music, visual style, books, food…Like I said - in all things.
I’m so delighted she’s writing a fantastic Substack
, and I clicked on every since link in this issue. Grab a cup of your favorite drink and tuck into this fantastic curation when you need a break today.
Aww, Hitha! Thank you for the mention and as always, for being such a hype gal :) How great is Substack though, seriously? Love that us OGs are all here now!!