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LEVELED READING: You Mind Actually Goes Blank?

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LEVELED READING: You Mind Actually Goes Blank?

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Newsela | Writer's block is our minds going blank. Like now. Scientists can prove it

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Free leveled news, primary sources, and more, with standards-aligned formative assessments.

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This article offers a research study and can be lowered or increased based on your reading level. This is nice if you need assistance with reading, you will need to sign up for a free trial.

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You have probably seen it plastered all over hats, T-shirts and Instagram feeds: "YOLO," short for "You Only Live Once." The rapper Drake made the phrase go mainstream in his song "The Motto."

In other words, "YOLO" means life is short so we had better make the most of it. It's something humans seemingly have tried to remind each other since the dawn of time.

Scientists now say it might be more than just a trendy saying. A team of researchers from several universities, including Cambridge and Cal State, say that adopting a "YOLO" lifestyle is good for our brains.

Two Groups Chart Their "YOLO" Activities

For their experiment, the researchers gathered two groups of undergraduate students at an American university. They assigned them to one of two groups. They asked 70 students to imagine having only 30 days left before moving away. These students were told they should "intentionally engage in activities and spend time with people they will miss after they are gone." The idea was to activate that feeling that time is short, and to get the students to savor and appreciate their surroundings for a period of four weeks.

A second group of 69 students was simply asked to write a detailed journal of their activities over the same time period. This was the control group in the experiment.

At the end of the period, as well as for two weeks afterward, every student filled out the same survey. It was used to measure their satisfaction with life. A person could check a box that said "in most ways my life is close to ideal" or "the conditions of my life are excellent." This study did not measure fleeting, day-to-day happiness; rather, it asked about a deeper level of personal fulfillment.

At the beginning of the study period, the two groups of students rated themselves identically on this measure of fulfillment. But the students asked to imagine only 30 days left in their surroundings became "more motivated to plan, do and enjoy activities." They wanted to spend more time with friends or visiting special places, the researchers found.

The final assessment came six weeks after the start of the experiment. The students who were asked to focus on a scarcity of time rated themselves as significantly more satisfied with their lives than those who simply filled out time diaries.

Savoring Time Versus Just Doing Stuff

College students who were told to savor the next 30 days "showed steeper gains in well-being over time" than the other students, the authors write. The finding supports their prediction that framing time as short helps people get greater happiness from their surroundings.

Why would this be? In the researchers' words, it's unclear whether the experimental condition "prompted people to engage in more pleasant activities or because it prompted the active appreciation and enjoyment of those activities." It could be that thinking of your time in a place as limited makes you go out and do more things to enjoy your time in that place. Research consistently shows that being active and forming close social bonds are keys to enjoying life.

But it could also be true that focusing on the limitations of time makes you more likely to appreciate and savor the things you're already doing.

How Certain Are The Results?

This particular study comes with a few warnings one might expect. The subjects were all college students, and in this case overwhelmingly white and female. It is an open question how much these findings carry over to all people.

The researchers say their findings are "preliminary evidence" and call on others to replicate their work with other groups.

Still, the research adds some data to near-universal beliefs about "making hay while the sun shines." Even before Drake, other artists and musicians came to the same conclusion about the importance of this mentality. Now it appears that science might prove them right.

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Researchers say a "YOLO" attitude is good for our brains

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You have probably seen it plastered all over hats, T-shirts and Instagram feeds: "YOLO," short for "You Only Live Once." The rapper Drake made the phrase go mainstream in his song "The Motto." In other words, "YOLO" means life is short so we had better make the most of it.

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LEVELED READING: Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen's brain

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LEVELED READING: Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen's brain

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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LEVELED READING:  Using their heads: Tiny lab-grown brains

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LEVELED READING:  Using their heads: Tiny lab-grown brains

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Newsela - Using their heads: Tiny lab-grown brains help scientists study diseases

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Does Lack of Sleep Make You Misinterpret Expressions?

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Does Lack of Sleep Make You Misinterpret Expressions?