Flo’s Week, 2-7 November: Six Stories About Talking, Starting Again and Staying Curious

This week we went through six different stories: a conversation with children, a debut at eighteen, eight Olympics, a rebuilt theatre, a return to the skis and a curious scientist. The thread that ties them together is simple: starting again, at any age, one step at a time and with someone beside you.

2 November · Talking With Children, Not Just To Them: The Power of Back-and-Forth

In 2018 Rachel Romeo and colleagues studied 36 children aged 4 to 6: more conversational turns with adults were associated with higher language test scores and greater activation of Broca’s area, even after accounting for parents’ income and education. The sample is small and the study shows an association, not a cause. Our suggestion: one open question and a few seconds of waiting.

3 November · The First Step Is Not a Masterpiece: Rossini and the Fresh Start Effect

On 3 November 1810 “La cambiale di matrimonio” is staged in Venice, Rossini’s first opera in a professional theatre. In 2014 Dai, Milkman and Riis showed, with archival data, that after certain landmarks in the calendar (a new week, a month, a birthday) people tend to become more active. These are archival data, not a guarantee: the invitation is to start small.

4 November · Eight Olympics and a Reason to Keep Going: Chusovitina and Purpose in Life

Oksana Chusovitina, team gold in Barcelona 1992, steps onto the floor in Tokyo 2021 for her eighth Olympics. In 2014 Hill and Turiano found, in the American MIDUS data, that people with a purpose in life lived longer over the following 14 years. It is an observational study, and it is not about athletes: the parallel is ours.

5 November · Rebuilding Is Not Going Back: The Vienna State Opera and Resilience

On 5 November 1955 the Vienna State Opera reopens, ten years after the bombing. In 2004 George Bonanno reviewed the research on loss: many people keep having positive emotional experiences and show only minor, temporary disruptions. It is a review, not an experiment, and “common” does not mean “easy”.

6 November · After an Injury, the Mind Matters: Stefania Belmondo and the Return to Sport

Stefania Belmondo wins Olympic gold in 1992, goes through a foot injury and is back on top of the podium in Salt Lake City 2002. In 2013 Ardern and colleagues, following 187 athletes operated on the anterior cruciate ligament, found that psychological factors such as readiness to return and fear of reinjury were associated with returning to the preinjury level. Returning to activity should always be agreed with your doctor or physiotherapist.

7 November · Marie Curie and the Power of Curiosity

On 7 November 1867 Maria Skłodowska, the future Marie Curie, two-time Nobel laureate, is born. In 2015 Kidd and Hayden offered in Neuron an overview of curiosity: a motivator for learning, influential in decisions and important for development, even though its mechanisms remain poorly understood. It is a review, not an experiment.

The thread of the week: starting again does not require a heroic gesture. One extra question, one small step, one reopened door and someone to talk to can be enough. And you, which of these six stories spoke to you the most? Tell us in the comments: your choice may inspire someone else.

Sources

The articles of the week, listed above. The full scientific sources (with DOI) are given in each article.