Newsletter Issue #485

                                 

Entrepreneur & Author
JeffCorbett.com

              

The Return of the Real World

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
— Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
 
——- 

The digital world has made life faster, easier and more connected than we could have imagined a generation ago. I wouldn’t want to give up most of it. But the more time we spend behind screens, the more I find myself appreciating the things technology can’t quite reproduce: a face-to-face conversation, the energy of a crowded restaurant, the feel of a baseball in your hand, a spectacular view that no photograph fully captures, or simply being somewhere new and taking it all in. That is the idea behind this week’s edition of Global Common Cents. The Return of the Real World isn’t about rejecting technology; it’s about remembering that some of life’s best experiences still require us to physically show up. And in an increasingly digital world, perhaps being fully present in the real one is becoming a luxury of its own.

I hope you enjoy this issue.  As always, thank you for being part of the Global Common Cents community. And if you think of it, please hit one of the share buttons to send this edition to a friend.

Jeff Corbett

Publisher | Global Common Cents

• To review other editions of our newsletter please see our website: GlobalCommonCents.com
• For more about my personal wonderings please see my blog: JeffCorbett.com

Jeff’s Favorites:

One of the benefits of publishing Global Common Cents is the opportunity to discover companies developing practical solutions to everyday problems. This week I’d like to introduce Medjet.

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Put Down the Keyboard

“The value of doing something by hand.” 

——- 

Technology has removed friction from almost everything. We type instead of write, tap instead of turn pages, and store thousands of photographs we may never look at again. Convenience is wonderful, but there may be a cognitive price when every interaction with the world becomes a swipe or keystroke. A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology used high-density EEG recordings to compare handwriting and typing in university students. Researchers found substantially more elaborate patterns of brain connectivity when participants wrote by hand. The authors were careful not to claim that handwriting automatically makes someone smarter, but they noted that these connectivity patterns involve brain regions associated with memory formation and encoding new information.

That is a useful reminder that efficiency isn’t always the same thing as effectiveness. There is something different about writing an idea on a legal pad, underlining a sentence in a book or sketching a plan on a piece of paper. The physical act forces us to slow down just enough to engage differently. Technology has improved countless parts of daily life, but perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so eager to digitize every remaining analog experience. Sometimes the old-fashioned method survives because it still works.

The Takeaway: Sometimes slowing down and doing something by hand may be
exactly what our minds need.

Some Meetings are Worth the Trip

“Why being there matters.”   

——-

Zoom and Teams have permanently changed business, mostly for the better. A meeting that once required an airline ticket can now happen instantly from opposite sides of the world. But there are moments when being in the same room still matters. In research published in Nature, Melanie Brucks of Columbia University and Jonathan Levav of Stanford compared pairs collaborating by videoconference with pairs working face-to-face. Across laboratory experiments and a field study involving employees in five countries, the researchers found that virtual pairs generated fewer creative ideas. Interestingly, virtual communication did not appear to hurt the groups’ ability to select which ideas to pursue. Their conclusion wasn’t that video meetings are bad; it was that different forms of communication may be better suited to different kinds of work.

I’ve spent much of my career building businesses through relationships, and some of the most important conversations I’ve had didn’t happen during the formal meeting. They happened over lunch, walking down a hallway, sitting at a bar after dinner or during the ten minutes when everyone was supposedly finished talking business. You can’t schedule those moments on a calendar because you don’t know they’re coming. Technology is excellent at making communication efficient. What it has a harder time reproducing is spontaneity. For entrepreneurs, that distinction matters. Use technology to eliminate unnecessary meetings—but when the objective is imagination, trust or a breakthrough idea, sometimes it is worth getting on the airplane.

The Takeaway: Technology makes it easier than ever to stay connected, but sometimes the most valuable business conversations still happen face-to-face.

You Can’t Live Inside a Stock Certificate

“The enduring appeal of owning something tangible.”

——-

Investing has become almost frictionless. With a phone, we can buy stocks, bonds, funds, and other financial assets in seconds. There is enormous value in that liquidity and accessibility. But physical assets—particularly a home—occupy a different place in our financial and emotional lives. Recent research examining survey data from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States found an association between homeownership and higher reported life satisfaction, even after accounting for measures of social capital and other factors. Earlier research has also found relationships between homeownership and certain forms of neighborhood social capital. These findings don’t prove that buying a house causes happiness, nor do they mean real estate is automatically a superior investment. They do suggest that ownership can have dimensions that don’t appear on a brokerage statement.

I’ve owned financial assets, and I’ve owned real estate, and I’ve never viewed them in quite the same way. A stock may be a wonderful investment, but I can’t sit on its patio in the evening, invite friends over for dinner, or look out the window at a view I love. That doesn’t make a house a better investment—it makes it a different kind of asset. In a world increasingly filled with digital ownership and numbers on screens, I think tangible assets will retain a particular appeal precisely because they are tangible. The lesson for investors isn’t to abandon financial markets for real estate. It is to recognize that the return on some assets can include more than the number calculated when you sell them.

The Takeaway: The best investment isn’t always the one with the highest theoretical return; sometimes an asset can produce both financial and personal dividends.

Please keep in mind this information should not be considered as financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on individual research and consultation with a qualified financial professional. The value of investments can fluctuate, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Always consider your risk tolerance and financial goals before making investment decisions.

When Someone is Defensive

by Candace Smith
The Etiquette Blog
Candace Smith Etiquette

Biography:  Candace Smith, wife of Nobel Prize-Winner Professor Dr. Vernon Smith and owner of the extraordinary blog, “Etiquette for the Business of Life” as featured by BBC, Chicago Tribune and USA Today offers her insights.

“The unspoken rules that drive outcomes.” 

——-

Being caught off guard when someone becomes defensive and makes surprising or shocking remarks is a thought stopper and your automatic emotional trigger is ready to pull.  The mindful pause is the first protection to employ when this happens.  Let what’s happened sink in so that a context and understanding can form before you draw the proverbial sword of your own defense reaction.

Using Curiosity Instead of Emotion

Reacting with emotion will not serve to alleviate the situation, but curiosity can help you find out what is really going on.
Etiquette-ful response scenario:

• “Beth, I’m taken aback a little here.  Do you mind if I ask how you come to that conclusion?”
• Listen carefully then clarify.  “Beth, if I’m hearing you correctly, from your point of view, I was being totally insensitive.  Am I close to understanding what you’re saying?”
• No doubt Beth will begin sharing more.  Your calmness will most likely give Beth assurance that she is being heard.
• Add apology into the equation.  “Please accept my apology.  I did not realize that we were not in a good place and am grateful that you’ve cleared some of this up.  I would never mean to be careless in my speech, and I realize now that you were hurt.”

In the scenarios above, the speaker is responding to the person on the defensive by using “I” statements to frame the effects of the situation in their own experience, substituting curiosity for fueling the flames of accusation.

It may be that settlement of the conflict is far more important than coming out on topic with further disagreement.  You might not get what you want—an understanding of your point of view or maybe a compromise, but if you are trying to learn about the other person and their triggers, what might be considered a loss now may be a win in the long run.

When Someone Becomes Defensive to Take a Stand

There are some scenarios when someone becomes defensive because they think they are taking a stand and are putting their beliefs about the situation out in front of you.  It may feel like parading to you, but no one should be asked to abandon their beliefs.

By practicing diplomacy, you can be clear on your beliefs in the midst of others standing up for theirs.  Kindness and firmness are not enemies, but being tactful can help smooth the path.

• “Beth, do you have time to meet-up for coffee?  I would love catching up.  Good idea?”
• “I know we don’t always agree on what the facts are, but I want you to know how much I care for you and value our friendship.  You have had my back so many times and I want to have yours, too.”
• “I want to move back into our happy zone, and I hope both of us can give up taking what’s happened personally.  After all, we are wonderful people and have a beautiful friendship!”

The bottom line is that when someone becomes defensive or passive aggressive, they see the need to protect themselves from what feels like a personal attack.  When they tend to take things personally, they are fearful and beneath it all don’t want to be rejected or feel incompetent or judged.

The first rule of etiquette is to be respectful and courteous, so when someone we know, like, and love shocks us, being as calm and as kind as possible is the first step in handling the situation with compassion.

The Takeaway: When emotions rise, pause before reacting—curiosity, calmness, and kindness can turn defensiveness into understanding.

Bring the Outdoors In

by Morayma MaKay
Writer / Blogger & Content Creator
Adulthood Rewired

Biography:  Morayma Makay is a fashion model, mother, and writer.  She has
dedicated the last 20 years to working in the fashion and health fields as
both a researcher and content creator.

“Small plants, big impact.”     

——-

In today’s fast-paced world, we often overlook one of the simplest ways to make our surroundings more enjoyable—bringing live plants into our homes and workspaces. Beyond their beauty, plants can make a room feel warmer, calmer, and simply nicer to spend time in.

A Little Green Goes a Long Way

Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis, and research has also linked indoor greenery with feelings of well-being and reduced stress. While NASA’s well-known Clean Air Study demonstrated that certain plants can remove some airborne chemicals under controlled laboratory conditions, later research suggests you would need a very large number of plants to significantly purify the air in a typical home or office.

That doesn’t mean plants aren’t worthwhile! They can still contribute to a more pleasant environment, add some humidity to dry indoor air, and provide a welcome connection to nature—something many of us could probably use a little more of.

Some Great Choices

If you don’t have a green thumb, the snake plant is hardy, attractive, and notoriously difficult to kill. Spider plants are another easy-care choice and work particularly well in hanging baskets. Boston ferns provide beautiful, lush greenery and enjoy humid conditions, while aloe vera is easy to grow in a sunny location and has gel traditionally used topically for minor burns. Peace lilies are another attractive indoor option, although pet owners should be aware that they can be toxic if chewed or eaten.

Incorporating live plants into your home or office is an inexpensive and easy way to make a space feel more welcoming. Whether it’s one small plant on your desk or a collection throughout your home, a little greenery can make the places where we spend our time feel considerably more alive.

The Takeaway: You don’t need to turn your home or office into a greenhouse—a few well-placed plants can make your everyday surroundings feel calmer, warmer, and more inviting.

Connection is Healthy Habit

“The people around us matter.” 

——-

We tend to think about longevity in terms of measurable things: blood pressure, cholesterol, exercise, nutrition, sleep and, increasingly, a collection of data generated by watches, rings and apps. Those things matter. But social connection belongs in the longevity conversation as well. In its 2023 advisory on social connection, the U.S. Surgeon General’s office reviewed a large body of evidence linking social connection with health and well-being and social isolation and loneliness with poorer health outcomes. That doesn’t mean having dinner with friends is a medical treatment. It does mean that relationships shouldn’t be dismissed as something separate from taking care of ourselves.

And there is an important distinction between being connected digitally and actually spending time with people. Technology can help maintain relationships across distance, and that is enormously valuable. But it shouldn’t automatically replace the neighborhood walk, the golf foursome, the family dinner, the volunteer group or the weekly gathering with friends. Longevity has become a sophisticated business filled with impressive science and technology. Yet one of the most sensible things we can do remains remarkably low-tech: get out of the house and spend time with people we enjoy.

The Takeaway: A longer, healthier life may have as much to do with the people we share it with as some of the things we measure.

The Room Matters

“A great restaurant serves more than food.” 

——- 

We have never had more ways to get good food without actually going anywhere. Delivery apps can bring dinner to the front door, meal services can eliminate the grocery store, and almost any recipe imaginable is a few clicks away. Yet restaurants continue to offer something that can’t arrive in a paper bag: atmosphere. Research led by Oxford evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar found that people who ate socially more often reported greater happiness, life satisfaction, trust and stronger social networks. The study was observational, so it doesn’t prove that dining together causes those benefits, but it reinforces something humans have understood for centuries: sharing a meal is about considerably more than consuming calories. Restaurants give us a physical place to gather, talk, celebrate, and simply enjoy being around other people.

I’ve always found it difficult to get excited about going to a restaurant that lacks atmosphere, no matter how good the food might be. For me, the room is part of the meal—the lighting, the bar, the music, the people, the energy, and even that background hum of conversation. Give me a restaurant with character and I’ll probably remember the evening long after I’ve forgotten exactly what I ordered. That’s something the digital world can’t deliver. We aren’t simply paying a restaurant to prepare dinner; we’re paying for an experience. As more of life moves toward screens, apps, and convenience, I suspect places that make us want to physically be there will become increasingly valuable.

The Takeaway: Great food may bring you through the door, but atmosphere can turn dinner into an experience worth remembering.

Get Your Hands Dirty

“A hobby shouldn’t always require Wi-Fi.”

——-

Somewhere along the way, leisure became increasingly passive. We scroll, stream, watch, and consume. There is nothing wrong with any of those things—I can binge-watch television with the best of them—but there is a different satisfaction that comes from actually doing something. Gardening, woodworking, cooking, painting, restoring a car, playing an instrument or throwing a baseball all require participation. A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Public Health, using data from more than 7,000 adults in England, found that participation in arts and crafts was associated with higher reported life satisfaction, happiness, and a stronger sense that life was worthwhile after researchers accounted for several demographic factors. The study was correlational, so it cannot establish that crafting caused those outcomes, but it adds to the case for active rather than exclusively passive leisure.

Baseball does that for me. There is absolutely nothing efficient about putting on a uniform, driving to a ballpark, standing in the Texas heat and trying to hit a baseball thrown by another grown man. I could watch a major-league game from an air-conditioned room and see considerably better baseball. But that’s precisely the point. Watching isn’t playing. When you’re standing in the batter’s box, trying to field a ground ball or attempting to throw a strike, you’re completely in the physical world. For a few hours, there are no emails to answer and no screen capable of duplicating the experience. As our entertainment becomes increasingly digital, hobbies that require us to physically participate may become more valuable precisely because they demand something from us.

The Takeaway: Find at least one form of leisure that makes you a participant rather than a spectator.

The World was Meant to be Experienced

“Somethings can’t be downloaded.” 

——-

Technology has made it possible to see almost anywhere in the world without leaving home. We can virtually walk through Rome, watch a drone fly over the Grand Canyon, tour a Caribbean resort on YouTube, and have artificial intelligence build an itinerary before we finish our morning coffee. But seeing a place on a screen and experiencing it are fundamentally different things. Research by Cornell psychologist Thomas Gilovich and colleagues has found that people generally derive more enduring satisfaction from experiential purchases than from material purchases, in part because experiences become more closely connected to our identities and relationships. Travel may be one of the purest examples. Long after we forget what we paid for the hotel, we often remember how a place made us feel.

Those memories are intensely physical. You remember feeling your boots on an uneven Grand Canyon trail as you watch the shadows change across the canyon during an amazing sunset. You remember the first time you actually saw that almost unbelievable turquoise-colored ocean rolling onto a Caribbean beach. I still remember the joy of getting lost in the narrow streets of Venice, where taking a wrong turn can lead to a tiny square, an unexpected café, or something you never would have found on an itinerary. None of those experiences can be duplicated by a photograph, video or virtual tour because you weren’t merely looking at the world—you were standing in it. Technology is wonderful for helping us get there. But once we arrive, perhaps the best thing we can do is occasionally put the phone away and experience the place with our own eyes.

The Takeaway: Use technology to discover the world, but remember that the best parts of travel still require you to actually be there.