Love.

by Mary Lee Dereske

Karnak Temple, in Luxor, Egypt, 1965.

Egyptian gold wire bracelet dating to the First Intermediate Period, 2130-1980 BCE. From the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

A pair of Egyptian glass eye inlays, Late Period, Circa 664-332 BC Each eye rim of opaque blue glass, with extended cosmetic line, the white glass sclera fused with cloudy iridescent black oval irises, probably from a sarcophagus.

Inside the Karnak temple in Luxor.

During the trials, you still got to show up…

…

You’ve come too far to give up

49 Quirky Black-Owned Fashion Companies

Quirky Brown Love writes:

My favorite Black fashion designers have been busy this year crafting up amazing pieces for their latest collections. As a quirky, Black woman, I know that I love to have unique style that still allows me to embrace my carefree spirit.

Here is a curated list of 49 quirky black-owned fashion companies.

Why We Need Loneliness

The emotion may be as harmful as cigarettes. But it’s also essential for our survival.

Vox writes:

Loneliness is epidemic, and in the coming years it could explode.

Forty percent of people age 65 and older report being lonely at times. And the percentage of people living alone has been rising steadily since the 1960s.

Humans are social creatures; our entire psychology is built on coexisting with each other. Social relationships guide our decisions to join groups, go to war, gain status, empathize, punish, marry, and mate. Having evolved this way means we suffer without the companionship of others.

“What studies also show is that [loneliness] has real physiological consequences,” says Maike Luhmann, a psychologist at the University of Cologne in Germany. “Blood pressure goes up, and it can go up permanently. You can see these mechanisms then lead to more general health problems in people. And in the end, it makes them die earlier.”

A  2015 meta-review of 70 studies found loneliness increases the risk of mortality by 26 percent. “The risk associated with social isolation and loneliness is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality,” like obesity,   substance abuse, and mental health, the study reported. “Some say loneliness has the same effect on longevity as smoking,” Luhmann says.

Though loneliness is most acute in old age, Luhmann is finding new evidence that it doesn’t spare the young. The feeling might naturally peak and dive over the course of our lives in a predictable way.

“Around 30, there’s elevated levels of loneliness, and then again at age 50,” Luhmann says.

Keep Reading.