Synced: Manscraping

At the age of 24, New York Post reporter Susannah Cahalan is stricken with a terrible disease. In a matter of weeks, it morphs from paranoia into hallucinations, seizures, and psychosis. It resists diagnosis even by the most prestigious doctors in the US. Only when Susannah becomes catatonic, staring death in the face, do two brilliant neurologists discover the problem: Susannah is suffering from an autoimmune disease that’s causing her antibodies to attack her own brain.

Cahalan’s harrowing portrait shows how frail disease makes us, ready to accept any diagnosis, even when we know it’s wrong; how the US healthcare system serves some patients better than others; and how maintaining a positive attitude is critical to recovery.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a memoir by psychotherapist and author Lori Gottlieb. She discusses a difficult time in her life following a sudden breakup with her long-term boyfriend. The incident upset her so badly that it drove her to seek therapy herself.

This book is the story of Lori’s time in therapy, interwoven with stories about Lori’s own patients. Though each of their situations is different, their shared struggles and how they overcome them reflect common experiences that all people share—in fact, Lori says that the reason therapists can be effective is precisely because they have those same struggles. As Lori and her patients work together toward health and understanding, they reflect on their pasts—how they got to be where they are now—and the futures they’d like to have.

Talking to Strangers is a book about the impossibility of truly understanding a stranger. By breaking down some of the most famous events in recent human history, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell shows us the strategies we often use when dealing with people we don’t know—and how deeply flawed those strategies are.

In this book, you’ll learn:

• How Hitler fooled so many prominent world leaders
• Why the financial industry failed to stop Bernie Madoff for so long
• What really happened to Sandra Bland

Many women feel barred from advancing their careers but can’t identify the barriers holding them back. In How Women Rise, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith argue that these barriers seem invisible because they’re the result of women’s overly self-critical mindset—the product of their desire to meet the rigid gender expectations placed on them by society and to avoid the backlash that occurs when they don’t. This mindset causes most women to develop at least one of 12 common habits that limit their professional success. To break free of these self-inflicted limitations, women must recognize and deconstruct their detrimental thoughts and behaviors.

In this guide, we’ve reorganized Helgesen and Goldsmith’s 12 limiting habits into four main thought patterns. The guide will explain these patterns, the detrimental behaviors they cause, and how to overcome them. In our commentary, we’ll share advice and perspectives from other sources on women’s success, such as Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman.

Dive into a critical seasonal health conversation with Andrew Huberman of the "Huberman Lab" podcast, as he breaks down the reasons behind the surge in sickness during the winter months. With the onset of colder weather and shorter days, Huberman explores how environmental changes and human behavior contribute to the increased incidence of colds and flu. From indoor heating's effect on virus transmission to the importance of hand hygiene and social etiquette, this episode is a must-hear for anyone looking to fend off winter illnesses.

Andrew Huberman doesn't just diagnose the problem; he offers tactical solutions to keep your immune defenses strong. Learn why he champions nasal breathing and humidifiers to combat the dry air's challenge to our respiratory health and discover the importance of maintaining your core body temperature. Tackling popular health trends, Huberman also evaluates techniques like Wim Hof's method for cold exposure and breathing to ensure listeners have a holistic understanding of illness prevention as the chill sets in. For those eagerly anticipating future episodes and more insights, Huberman extends the opportunity to support research through the podcast's premium subscription, offering exclusive content and the chance to bolster one's health knowledge.

Lean In, by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, explores the professional, personal and societal hurdles holding women back from leadership positions in the workforce. The hurdles include discrimination, family-unfriendly policies, and a lack of help at home. To get more women into leadership positions and make true changes, Sandberg urges women to “lean in” to their careers, taking risks and being ambitious in their professional goals, while demanding more help at home. To do this, women must fight a lack of self-confidence and internalized gender stereotypes to forge fulfilling and rewarding personal and professional lives.

You’re probably getting less sleep than you should be. Many people are more chronically sleep-deprived than they realize, and the punishments for this are severe—reduced productivity and happiness, and an increased risk of a panel of diseases. In Why We Sleep, “sleep diplomat” Matthew Walker, Ph.D. unlocks some of the mysteries of sleep based on research from both in and outside his Center for Human Sleep Science.

In this guide, we’ll explore how sleep happens, its major benefits, and the best ways to get better sleep. We’ll also discuss sleep research from other experts as well as new findings that emerged after the book was published.

Are spicy foods bad for you? Can sleep deprivation be fatal? In The Body, bestselling author Bill Bryson takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the human body’s various systems. He examines how they work, how they can fail, and what can be done to fix them when that happens.

In this guide, we’ll focus on the practical takeaways from Bryson’s discussion and compare his advice to perspectives from other bestsellers, such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The 4-Hour Body, Why We Sleep, and How Not to Die. Along the way, you’ll learn why your sense of smell is probably as good as your dog’s, how hot peppers increase your life expectancy, and why you should let your teenager sleep in.

Dive deep into the essential world of slumber with Mel Robbins and esteemed sleep expert Dr. Gina Poe in "The Mel Robbins Podcast." Discover the integral role that sleep plays in your health, learning, and emotional stability as Dr. Poe unravels the science behind sleep's power to bolster immunity, drive cognitive function, and promote the brain's self-maintenance during specific sleep stages. Explore the dynamics of the sleep cycle and learn why the deep and REM sleep stages are vital for memory consolidation and creativity, akin to organizing thoughts like themed Lego blocks.

In this revelatory episode, Robbins and Dr. Poe discuss how to structure a night's sleep to achieve optimal brain performance, emphasizing the significance of completing around five 90-minute cycles each night. The conversation delves into the workings of circadian rhythms, the impact of light exposure on our sleep patterns, and practical strategies for syncing our internal clocks, including managing screen time effectively. Robbins, drawing on Poe's extensive research, offers a set of tangible routines and nocturnal rituals that prime the body for rest, underscoring the importance of consistent bedtime practices for adults. Embrace a life-transforming journey toward restful nights and energized days by integrating these expert-backed tips into your evening regimen.

Ideas regarding sex in traditional mainstream culture are centered around male anatomy and satisfaction—penetration is the pinnacle of sex, and sex is over when the man ejaculates. However, Ian Kerner explains that these beliefs often leave women unsatisfied. In She Comes First, Kerner explains that for sex to adequately satisfy both partners, we must change the narrative—men should ensure their female partner orgasms first. And the best way to accomplish this, Kerner argues, is through cunnilingus.

She Comes First is an instruction manual on how to perform cunnilingus that will satisfy women and produce the best sex possible. This guide will explain female sexual anatomy, Kerner’s proven techniques to satisfy women, and how to integrate these techniques into your next intimate session to make your female partner orgasm. Throughout the guide, we’ll contextualize Kerner’s claims by providing input from sex experts like Emily Nagoski, supplement his advice with recommendations from other cunnilingus guides, and elaborate on the science behind some of his claims.

Author Tim Ferriss has spent years studying how to improve the human body—he interviewed and trained with experts, studied scientific literature, and tried out what he learned on himself. In The 4-Hour Body, he distills the most effective 2.5% of what he discovered into programs you can use to improve six aspects of your body: losing fat and gaining muscle, enhancing sex, improving sleep, managing injuries, improving sports performance, and living longer.

Whether you're a man seeking to understand your partner better or a woman wanting to provide your partner with a resource for understanding you, The Man's Guide to Women is a practical guide to navigate the complexities of female psychology. Renowned relationship experts John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman, together with Doug Abrams and Rachel Carlton Abrams, employ scientific research, real-life examples, and years of clinical experience to demystify the intricacies of women's inner world.

From dating to sex to marriage, this guide equips men with the tools to initiate, build, and sustain a successful and mutually fulfilling relationship. We’ll supplement the authors’ advice with a range of perspectives on psychology, gender, love, and marriage from authors like Esther Perel (Mating in Captivity), Ian Kerner (She Comes First), and Rollo Tomassi (The Rational Male).