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Rajiv Narayan

I've lost a lot of weight and gained a little insight about obesity and health care. I like to read and write about those things, but my true obsessions are with bad puns, Beyoncé, and the Bay Area. I curate for Upworthy because I believe health care policy can (one day) be understood. If you want to wonk it up, reach out to me on Twitter and Facebook.

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There are two stories of Jo's addiction. Only one is actually helpful.

Jo Harvey used to tell her story of addiction in a dark and messy way.

It started when Jo was 7. On a hiking trip, she was given her first drink. She liked the taste, and by the time she was 12, she had experimented with more alcohol and other drugs. In high school, she was introduced to cocaine. She became a party girl, one who didn't remember most wild nights and spiraled into a deep addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Eventually, she gave up the drugs and went in for treatment. In the years since, Jo not only has been sober, but she's dedicated her life to helping others through similar struggles. Today, Jo is completing a doctorate while working to develop alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs for her university.

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Heroes

Economists assume people are self-interested. He turned that assumption upside down.

He doesn't have time for the economics of selfishness.

Nipun Mehta's work is all about a fundamental question we've all asked at one point. Are humans inherently good to one another, or are we inherently selfish? Whole disciplines, like economics, are built on the latter assumption. Some might say democracy is built on the former assumption. Mehta built a company to prove you can rely on the best of people.

ServiceSpace, Mehta's company that incubates gift-economy projects, runs on the idea of giftivism.

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Rajiv Narayan

Scientists tested a theory of human nature on toddlers. The results are delightful.

You do you.

Well, Dr. Felix Warneken is here to prove that one of the biggest assumptions behind capitalism? Yeah. It's wrong. NBD.

Warneken's research shows that we have innately altruistic tendencies. And not only do we want to help our fellow man — we derive joy from it.

How a tour of a Norwegian jail might make you reconsider how effective the U.S. justice system is

The point here is not so much that one system is obviously better than the other, but that the way we run prisons in the U.S. is not the only way to do it.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "jail?"

A documentary series that follows a tour of a Norwegian prison shows a very different method of imprisonment.

The Norwegian system focuses more on prison as a venue of rehabilitation rather than one of punishment.

Perhaps Norway's way of doing things isn't as bizarre as we think.

Her story of addiction is pretty common, but her recovery depended on how she told that story.

There are two stories of Jo's addiction. Only one is actually helpful.

Jo Harvey used to tell her story of addiction in a dark and messy way.

Now she tells her story as the story of a struggle that saved her.

Why did Jo carry so much guilt and shame around her addiction? Well one factor may have been her gender.

Jo now believes that the key to recovery comes down to the stories we tell.

A doctor's advice for inner happiness is so easy that I wasn't a believer until I tried it.

Honestly, just watching this makes me happier.

A Happy Brain

Three Traits of the Brain

But What Does This All Mean?

Just 2 Reasons Account For Why 80% Of Terrorist Groups Split Up

This video is so different from news reports and political speeches I've heard about terrorism. It's based on research. Go figure.

Economists assume people are self-interested. He turned that assumption upside down.

He doesn't have time for the economics of selfishness.

A Group Of Boys Ask Whether They're Next. What They Mean Makes My Heart Sink.

Have you ever had to ask any of the questions they're asking?

Folks are admitting that Boomers weren’t totally wrong. Here are 19 things they got right.

Weird viral photo of Adele's face exemplifies the phenomenon called the Thatcher effect

Jennifer Garner's 'embarrassing' reveal of items in her bag is delightfully unhinged

Watch this 13-year-old dancer blow away the professional choreographer who danced with her

Heroic sanitation workers save abducted, 10-year-old girl while on their trash route

27-year-old who died of cancer left behind final advice that left the internet in tears