Gaslighting can mar holiday gatherings. Here’s how to identify, avoid it

Gaslighting in your family can be disguised with loving and caring messages that seem to demonstrate warmth and interest. Your aunt may ask: “Did you find that special someone yet? You know, you could talk to a professional about how to date,” leaving you feeling insecure and second-guessing yourself. Gaslighting can also be overtly aggressive […]

Feeling betrayed by a family member? Here’s how to cope

From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense: As social animals, we benefit from avoiding rejection. “To the extent that social rejection or exclusion is a threat to survival, feeling ‘hurt’ by these experiences may be an adaptive way to prevent them,” Eisenberger wrote. Perhaps your father-in-law had a reason that made sense to him, but […]

Here’s How to Check if You’re Owed Money in New York

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, […]

Naps can help improve your cognition. Here’s how to take a better nap

Taking an afternoon nap can boost mental acuity, according to a 2022 meta-analysis of 54 studies conducted by Chee, also a professor of medicine, and Ruth Leong, a postdoctoral researcher at the sleep centre. The researchers reported the greatest benefits for vigilance and memory, but the results also showed improved mental processing speed following a […]