A new study has found that people who are obsessed with celebrities are less intelligent than those who aren’t. In news that may not surprise everyone, Hungarian academics concluded that “there is a clear correlation between celebrity worship and poorer performance on cognitive tests” involving reading and numeracy. However, they were unable to determine whether celebrity worship is a cause or effect of lower intelligence.
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Queenagers and Silvfluencers could rule this year
The year ahead could see older people confound stereotypes, as new words set to become popular in 2022 include Queenager (an older woman who is busy and enjoys having fun) and Silvfluencer (a ‘silver influencer’, or an older person who is an influencer). Language-learning platform Babbel also believes that FOGO (meaning fear of going out) could become a widespread term as people struggle with anxiety around socialising after lockdowns.
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Saving for a down payment on a house? Here is how and where to save.the explainer The first step of the homebuying process can be one of the hardest
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Music reviews: Zach Bryan, Dry Cleaning, and Madison BeerFeature “With Heaven on Top,” “Secret Love,” and “Locket”
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Book reviews: ‘The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives and Divides Us’ and ‘Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor’Feature The pursuit of ‘mattering’ and a historic, devastating family secret
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Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
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China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
