The “psychology of cuteness” might sound made up, but it has roots in research going back to 1943. Here’s what to know about the science of cuteness and why tiny objects—both natural and artificial—have the ability to make us feel happy and comforted. The Origins of Cuteness Psychology Even if you don’t recognize his name, you’re probably familiar with the work of Konrad Lorenz, a German ethnologist who introduced the concept of the baby schema (“Kindchenschema”) in 1943....

Founded by Audrey Gelman in early 2022, The Six Bells is a self-described “New Old Country Store” with a storefront in Brooklyn and a robust online shop. Leaning more country than cottagecore, more sturdy than quaint, The Six Bells stocks antiques, linens and textiles, charming handcrafted tchotchkes, and a huge variety of other home goods with built-in kitsch and a playful, lighthearted energy. The overall approach for the store is an air of escapism, Gelman says....

The stylish bamboo box is an ingenious invention made exactly for people like me who have an abundance of electronics and a complete lack of patience for messiness. It’s wide enough inside to fit two power strips side by side, and tall enough to jam all of those wires and cables into it with the lid closed completely. In a matter of minutes, those dozen glaringly obvious black and white cords went from everywhere to absolutely nowhere, and now I’m eternally grateful for the geniuses at Teyga....

The ″must-have″ moisturizer is enriched with skin-loving ingredients that boost collagen production and restore elasticity to aging skin. The all-organic line-up features hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, green tea, jojoba oil, and lastly, 2.5 percent retinol, which together reduce a plethora of concerns—and users have seen such transformative results, they even included photo evidence alongside their reviews. One person shared a before-and-after to highlight the reversal in sun damage on their sensitive skin, while another wrote that the cream “surpassed [their] expectations” on improving stubborn acne scars alongside their photos....

To buy: $45; amazon.com. Though it is a blanket, the design works like an oversized sweatshirt. The exterior is made from soft microfiber, while the interior features warm teddy-style fleece. Unlike a traditional blanket, however, this one includes a sweatshirt-like front pocket, sleeves with cuffs, and even a hood. You can tuck your legs inside while sitting, and the blanket is also short enough to not touch the ground if you stand or walk around....

In fact, the clams you enjoy raw on the half shell aren’t the same as the ones you toss with your linguine. Whether you’re planning a clambake or hoping to make some clam chowder at home, our clam guide will have you picking a littleneck from a manila in no time. Best served: raw on the half shell; cut up in chowder; or stuffed Helpful tip: Varieties include littlenecks, top necks, cherrystones, and chowders....

While N95 masks should still be reserved for medical workers, you can buy KN95 masks if you’re ready to step up your mask game. Reminder: N95 masks are as good as it gets when it comes to protecting the wearer and others (that’s why medical professionals need them), but authentic KN95 masks come in at a close second, according to experts. Vida, a brand that has been selling face masks since the early days of COVID-19, now offers KN95 masks—the Chinese equivalent of N95s, which filter out 95 percent of airborne particles....

“An eat-in kitchen can be either a kitchen countertop with bar stools or a space that is adequate size for what is typically a smaller table used for breakfast or more intimate settings,” says Andrew Kramer, a principal agent with Redfin. “It’s not a place to entertain multiple guests, typically.” Read on for a closer look at eat-in kitchens, plus how this type of kitchen layout can affect home values....

Though it may not seem like a huge deal, getting less than seven hours of sleep can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health. And there’s one, more visible side-effect of getting too little sleep: premature aging of the skin. Yes, my restless friends, beauty sleep is a real thing and you need a lot of it. So we went to the experts—Jeannel Astarita, an esthetician and founder of Just Ageless Beauty Body Sculpting + Beauty Lab, and Gretchen Frieling, MD, a triple board-certified dermatopathologist and CEO of GFaceMD—to break down why sleep is fundamental to maintaining healthy skin, and what to do if you can’t seem to in enough Zzzs each night....

One of the lesser-known impacts of sleep is how it affects the immune system, which is responsible for fighting off infections, disease, and illness. Getting good, quality sleep can go a long way in keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Poor sleep, on the other hand, can be detrimental to the immune system, making you more prone to getting sick. How much of a risk are we taking by not sleeping?...

Vivian Mo, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Southern California, believes it’s because technology is giving us the ability to track key health metrics easily in the way of wearable devices and apps (think: Whoop, Fitbit, and other smart health and fitness trackers). “When I typed ‘heart rate variability’ into Google, a definition of it came up, and right after the definition was just all the devices that measure HRV,” she adds....

What Is a Food Co-op? A food cooperative (or co-op, for short) is a grocery store where the shoppers have the opportunity to purchase shares in the co-op and become member-owners. These member-owners then have a say in how the cooperative is run, its purchasing practices, and what it stocks. Like other cooperatives, food co-ops are governed by a set of guiding principles that are agreed upon by the owners, and the owners have a say in what activities the organization participates in....

What Is Flower Therapy? Flower therapy is a multidimensional approach to healing that includes exposure to botanicals to improve our emotional state. “Flower therapy can be the use of beautifully arranged bouquets of flowers to achieve healing properties and to improve mental health,” says Allison Chawla, a licensed clinical psychotherapist, spiritual counselor, and certified life coach. “This [healing] can take many forms: the effect [flowers] have on our mental state visually, their aromas, oils they provide, or healing fragrant waters or tinctures that can be created from them....

As someone who grew up on lox (I literally ate it by the pound as a small child), I was baffled to learn during a recent visit to Brooklyn’s Acme Smoked Fish that the product I’ve been referring to as lox my entire life is actually smoked salmon. Yes, I’m a food writer and a proficient cook, but did I know actual lox was so salty, and smoked salmon was so much more palatable to me?...

However, choosing a base makeup product over the years has gotten tricky. While foundation has always been the go-to face makeup product, there are now so many more complexion products out there. From BB creams and CC creams to tinted moisturizers, trying to figure out the difference between each and then figure out which one is best for you can be tricky. To help you figure out which formula works best for you, allow us to break down the differences between these face makeup products, with the help of industry experts....

The pandemic is still ongoing, though. Are restaurants safe to eat in? Some people say yes. Others say no. The issue tends to be polarizing. “You can’t think about this in terms of being safe or not being safe,” says Shauna C. Zorich, MD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at University of Buffalo. “You need to think about this in terms of a spectrum of risk.” Eating out this spring will carry some risk—the question is how much....

What Is Tahini? Tahini is a thick paste made of ground sesame seeds most commonly used in Middle Eastern dishes like tahini sauce or the super-popular dip hummus. Though tahini is a sesame seed paste, if your recipe calls for sesame seed paste, it’s likely referring to an ingredient more commonly used in Chinese cooking, a paste of roasted sesame seeds. Tahini is made from raw (uncooked) seeds. Where to Find Tahini in the Grocery Store With the boom in hummus popularity and global cuisines, tahini paste can now be found in most large supermarkets, Start by heading to the condiments section, looking near gourmet olives....

First, it helps to understand what isometric means. If you consult Webster’s Dictionary, you’ll find this definition: “Of, relating to, involving, or being muscular contraction against resistance, without significant shortening of muscle fibers, and with marked increase in muscle tone.” Here’s a simpler way to explain it. “It’s a muscle contraction where the length of the muscle is relatively unchanged,” says Mike Ranfone, CSCS, certified trainer and founder of Ranfone Training Systems and Ranfone Personal Consulting in Hamden, Conn....

Not only will staying active and adapting your physical activity improve mental health and physical health, but it will also cut down on your risk of developing life-threatening illnesses or having a fall that results in injury. As Dania Valdes, ACE-certified personal trainer and fitness specialist at Mindbody, explains, we should all actively be working to improve posture and flexibility. By doing so, we can develop and maintain good movement patterns and also avoid musculoskeletal injuries....

Below, we’ve covered everything you need to know about retinol body lotions—the benefits, the downsides, what to look for, and much more. Retinol Benefits Retinol is perhaps the most effective ingredient that dermatologists have to treat aging skin. “Retinol helps stimulate collagen to strengthen the foundation of the skin,” explains Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, director of clinical and cosmetic research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, and medical advisor for JORI Skincare....