This Sunday, for much of the United States, Daylight Saving Time means the time will shift ahead one hour. I love a good mnemonic, and “Spring forward, fall back” is one of the greatest mnemonics, right up there with “lefty loosey, righty tighty” and holding up my thumb and forefinger to see the “L” for left.

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

 1 

In my daily visits to the Metropolitan Museum, I notice the most random things. I was looking at the beautiful 1913 Cornish Celebration Presentation Plaque and saw that it was presented by Augusta and Augustus Saint-Gaudens (look at the line of text at the bottom). A married couple—with practically the same name? Yes. Like Jack and Jackie Kennedy! That struck me as odd, then I remembered the phenomenon called “implicit egoism”; we’re more likely to trust, like, or partner with people who share our name or initials.

 2 

My husband Jamie sent me the short video If Stayin’ Alive had been written in the 16th century. I laughed out loud—and also realized that I love a madrigal! I need to listen to more of this kind of music.

 3 

Writing Life in Five Senses made me much more aware of the power of touch—plus Jamie has the Love Language of “physical touch.” I was fascinated by the article, “What being ‘touch starved’ means.” “When touch is wanted and consensual, studies have shown that it can regulate our emotions and benefit our overall well-being.” But these days, many of us aren’t getting enough of this kind of physical connection.

 4 

Life in Five Senses also made me more aware of the sense of hearing, and the dangers of noise. Recently I was at a Knicks basketball game, and I was gratified to notice how many babies and toddlers were wearing ear-protection earmuffs—far more than in the past. That’s a great development.

 5 

One of the most satisfying aspects of creating my Four Tendencies personality framework was identifying the mysterious, but quite common, pattern of Obliger-rebellion, when an ordinarily reliable Obliger suddenly “snaps” and refuses to meet an expectation—sometimes, quite spectacularly. So many inexplicable incidences became clear when I identified this phenomenon. If you want to know more about it, read here: What is Obliger-rebellion?​

INTERVIEW

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney