That's quite a palette

When it came to fashion in the ’80s, you might’ve had a few choice words and one of them would have to be colourful. Benetton played a big part in that. With their iconic United Colours campaign, they lit up wardrobes all around the world.

Did the ’80s overdo it with colours? Hell no! Ok, maybe a little. But you know what’s definitely been overdone? Certain paint colours. Here’s a list of the most overused ones, along with suggestions for what to try instead.

They’re all good if they’re true ;)

(Love nostalgia? Play today’s trivia below for a chance to win a $25 eGift Card!)

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Optimism is a physical state of mind

A new study found those who tend to look at the world from a glass-half-full perspective share similar brain patterns, suggesting a state of optimism can be physically observed in brain waves.

“Optimists seem to use a shared neural framework for organizing thoughts about the future, which likely reflects a similar style of mental processing rather than identical ideas,” said Kuniaki Yanagisawa, first author of the research from Kobe University in Japan.

“What this [new study] tells us is that the foundation of their social success might be this shared reality,” he added. “It’s not just about having a positive attitude; it’s that their brains are literally on the same wavelength, which may allow for a deeper, more intuitive kind of connection.”

Yanagisawa and team asked 87 study participants to imagine several scenarios related to their future, which were either typically negative, neutral, or positive. MRIs were conducted to observe the brain activity of each participant, and the researchers found those who managed to see positivity in each scenario had similar brain wave patterns, whereas the more pessimistic participants mostly had different brain wave patterns.

In their write-up, the researchers alluded to Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, in which he wrote, “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

“On the basis of this principle, we propose that optimistic individuals are all alike, but each less optimistic individual imagines the future in their own way,” the team wrote.

WORKING

Study finds new benefits in four-day work week

Wen Fan, an associate professor of sociology at Boston College, and Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College, conducted a study on the employee benefits of a four-day work week. They found new evidence contributing to the growing body of research that the shortened work week can have a long-term positive impact on employee wellbeing.

Fan and Schor spoke with Gizmodo to discuss their findings, describing the impact working just four days a week had on the trial group, compared to a control group that maintained five-day work schedules.

“We found that employees in the trial companies experienced significant reductions in burnout, along with notable improvements in job satisfaction, mental health, and physical health,” said Fan. “In contrast, none of these changes were observed among workers in the control companies.”

Fan and Schor said the effects were observed across a wide range of companies, both in size and industry. Though this particular study didn’t include companies of 5,000 or more employees, Fan noted they have seen data showing the effects can be scaled at that level.

They noted there are certainly barriers to switching to four days for plenty of companies, and a permanent shift would require cooperation among what are normally rivals and competitors.

MEDICINE

Hidden health powers of venom

Plenty of health experts say the next calamitous health crisis will be the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, which is already responsible for one million deaths per year.

A comprehensive analysis of over 40 million venom encrypted peptides (VEPs) was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania using a deep-learning AI model called APEX. VEPs are microscopic proteins evolved to incapacitate the prey of venomous animals, and the researchers wanted to determine if any of them could be used as a defensive weapon against antibiotic viruses and bacteria.

It took mere hours for APEX to identify 386 compounds that could potentially be used to just that end.

“Venoms are evolutionary masterpieces, yet their antimicrobial potential has barely been explored,” said senior study author Professor César de la Fuente. “APEX lets us scan an immense chemical space in just hours and identify peptides with exceptional potential to fight the world’s most stubborn pathogens.”

Of the 386, the team found 53 could be used to kill drug-resistant bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus in doses small enough to not harm red blood cells in humans.

MUSIC

Off you go, Ozzy

They say the greatest trick the devil ever pulled off was convincing the world he didn’t exist. That wasn’t the case with Ozzy, though; his greatest trick was attending his own funeral.

Whether it was from the most hardened, biker-styled, heavy metal lifers, or the sweet faces of their granddaughters accompanying them, tears were flowing at Villa Park in Birmingham as the world said goodbye to Ozzy a couple weeks ago.

Maybe they didn’t realize just how much of a goodbye they were saying, but in hindsight, one wonders if the Prince of Darkness knew he wasn’t just wrapping up his trailblazing musical career, but laying down his burden for good.

And what better way to go out than in front of the legions of fans of a genre he’s often credited with inventing.

For Ozzy though, it was always about going crazy, and even though that train never stops, he was ready to get off. For decades he laughed at critics who wanted to label him the leader of a satanic death cult, when really it was all about the music and the fans, for the self-described Rock ‘N Roll Rebel.

In fact, if you ever went to an Ozzy or Sabbath concert, you know the show almost always ended with Ozzy exclaiming the same nine words:

“Thank you, I love you, God bless you all!”

And with that, Oz, we’ll see you on the other side. 🤘❤️

STAKE TRIVIA

July Box Office

There’s nothing like spending time outside on a warm July day, but every once and while, it’s nice to catch some relief from the heat by going to the movies 😎 📽️ 

There’s also never been a shortage of movies to go see in July. Don’t believe us? Take a look at today’s July movies trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow afternoon—keep an eye on your inbox!*

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.