The Atlantic

In the past century, alchemy has gone from quackery to the realm of particle physics. Now one company thinks it could be the key to a clean-energy revolution, Tom Bartlett reports.

Degrowth—the notion that wealthy countries should reduce their consumption and production—is associated with leftists. But Trump’s policies mirror it, Annie Lowrey argues: “What else do you call a strategy designed to raise prices and lower productivity?”

If you’ve observed that people are becoming ruder, especially online, you’re not alone, Arthur C. Brooks argues. But this coarsening, even toward nonhuman entities, is not harmless. https://lnkd.in/eNQdqB-j “None of us wants to be treated rudely, online or in person,” Brooks writes—and studies show that when someone is discourteous toward you, they negatively impact your well-being. “Even witnessing rudeness toward others can lower your happiness,” Brooks explains. “When media content contains sarcasm by the author and the comment sections are uncivil, readers become unhappier—even if they agree with the snarky writer or commenters.” But perhaps more surprising is the effect that your politeness toward others can have on your own mood. In fact, researchers have found that being polite to those around you can actually raise happiness and lower anger. “The effect is so powerful that you benefit from being polite even when your courtesy is extended toward nonhumans,” Brooks continues. Existing research also suggests that “being civil to an AI bot or other nonhuman interface matters; yelling at Siri or being curt with ChatGPT will lead you to behave worse with other people, and lower your well-being.” “In short, be polite for your own sake,” Brooks writes. “And be aware that if tech-mediated interactions are making you less polite, that can still hurt your happiness. Quitting the internet or returning to a world without AI is impractical, so the solution to this challenge of courtesy lies in how you consciously decide to behave.” Read Brooks’s three rules for your conduct—and how, in the end, these behaviors could just make you happier: https://lnkd.in/eNQdqB-j 🎨: Jan Buchczik

“I have had it with these so-called workplace trends,” Alexandra Petri writes. First, there was “quiet quitting,” when an employee works only during work hours and puts in only the precise amount of work required to keep their job. And now we’re at “micro-retirement,” a new trend of not working for a week or two weeks every 18 months, sometimes while employed, sometimes between jobs. “Are you sure these are new workplace trends?” Petri asks. “Are you sure you aren’t just describing a routine phenomenon in an alarmed way?” https://lnkd.in/e2YF5FT6

Until this year, the U.S. remained the largest donor of aid and logistical support to Sudan—but that support has all but disappeared. Anne Applebaum made two trips to the country and spoke with people who are already living with a post-American reality. https://lnkd.in/eb5mcbbb In February, Applebaum asked one USAID official who had been directly responsible for humanitarian aid to Sudanese refugees outside Sudan how much the American contribution mattered. She started to answer, and then began to cry. “We do so much, and it’s all being taken away, without a moment’s notice,” she said. “It’s just a disaster.” Read The Atlantic’s September cover story: https://lnkd.in/eb5mcbbb

Check out The Atlantic Festival’s complete agenda! Join newly announced guests Julianne Moore, Gayle King, Alison Roman, and more in New York City, September 18–20. For the full speakers list, agenda, and on-sale passes, go to theatlanticfestival.com. #TAF25

Trump's plan for the United States to win the global race for AI dominance has some good ideas, Thomas Wright argues. "But over the past few months, Trump has undermined his own goals and ceded much of America’s leverage to foreign powers":

What’s a reality dating show without the dating? An illuminating portrait of Gen Z’s approach to romance, Faith Hill writes: https://lnkd.in/ernXHNNQ

By attempting to abdicate any legal responsibility to provide for a healthy environment, the U.S. is running in the opposite direction as the global legal community, Zoë Schlanger reports:

Arthur C. Brooks joins Jeffrey Goldberg for a discussion about Brooks’s new book, The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life.