Reading Roundup | June 4, 2021

Posted June 4, 2021

The pressures of sports stardom, robots, and the ongoing uncertainty of our lives.

• “Four Lessons From Your Anxious Brain” — Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times (6/1/2021) [article]

  Anxiety can be a result of our brains seeking out information and not finding satisfactory details. Uncertainty can overwhelm us, making us feel panicked. This article looks at how we can instead use uncertainty to build our resilience and create positive outcomes.

• “Something Bothering You? Tell It to Woebot.” — Jenna Romaine, New York Times (6/1/2021) [article]

  This article looks at a therapy “bot”—a software application that interacts with people in a way that aims to mimic human interaction. The question posed is: Can a therapy bot help people in the same way that a human therapist does? Unsurprisingly, the answer is: No. However, therapy bots can supplement work being done with an actual therapist and there are beneficial aspects in terms of access (both financial access and, due to the pandemic, even basic access to services).

• “Naomi Osaka Reveals Mental Health Struggles — And Other Athletes Rally Around Her” — Laurel Wamsley, NPR (6/1/2021) [article]

  Naomi Osaka has been all over the news this week for speaking out about her mental health struggles. While this article is about the support she received from fellow athletes for her brave actions, one line in particular stood out that really highlights our current societal stance on people expression a desire to take care of their mental health: “When the four-time Grand Slam champion said she wouldn't take part in required press conferences due to concerns over her mental health, officials responded by fining her $15,000 and threatening to expel her from the tournament.” Not only did the officials threaten to kick her out of the tournament, they added a second layer of punishment in the form of a large fine. It’s an astounding choice of actions against someone simply trying to take care of herself, so she can perform to the best of her athletic abilities. Like so many others, we applaud Naomi Osaka’s bravery in putting her health first and sharing about her struggles publicly.