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Why eating spicy food helps you stay cool and 10 other ways to beat the heat.

Summer is officially here, and one thing's for certain:

GIF via "Scrubs."

And while summer and warm weather typically go hand in metaphorical hand, this heat is unprecedented.

For days, the southwest U.S. has seen record-setting temperatures with highs reminiscent of a pre-heating oven.

Tucson, Arizona, hit 115 degrees on June 19, 2016, breaking a more than 20-year-old heat record. And Southern California is facing wildfires, too, as rising temperatures fan the flames.

A plane drops fire retardant in the Angeles National Forest in Southern California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.

Heatwaves are more than a sweaty struggle, though — they can be really dangerous.

When it comes to extreme temperatures, it can be difficult to know how our bodies will react, and situations can go from "just fine" to "catastrophic" in a matter of minutes. In mid-June, intense temperatures claimed the lives of hikers on four different trails in Arizona.

"It really shows how critical this heat can be and how it can really sneak up on you," Capt. Larry Subervi, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department told The Arizona Republic.

Whether you're in the Southwest or waging your own battle with the sun, here are 11 easy (and affordable) ways to beat the heat and stay safe.

1. Ice cream. The answer is always ice cream.

This may seem like a pretty vanilla solution, but when it comes to the rocky roads of summer heat, don't drive yourself bananas. Just dish up some ice cream (or sorbet or ice pops) and wait this whole thing out.

GIF via Pusheen.

2. Dress for sun success — sun-cess, if you will.

As the temperature rises, think light: Swap heavy, dark colored clothes for lighter alternatives like linen, jute, or even cotton. Thinner, lighter fabrics will keep you cool and absorb less heat. And don't forget your hat!

3. Visit a community cooling station.

In periods of blistering heat, local communities, churches, and nonprofit organizations will often organize temporary cooling and hydration stations. These shelters offer bottled water and a safe place to cool off. Some even provide sunscreen, hats, and bandannas, anything to protect people from the heat.

A young girl takes a break at a Chicago cooling station. Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images.

4. Eat something spicy.

This may sound silly, but eating spicy food can actually keep you cool. It's a peculiar phenomenon called gustatory sweating. The condensed version: You eat spicy foods, your start to sweat, and as that sweat evaporates, you cool off. One the one hand, it can be time consuming, but on the other hand, tacos.

5. Or drink something mild.

The menthol found in mint can trick our brains into thinking we're cold, so a cup of iced peppermint tea can be the perfect refreshment on a hot day. And drinking plenty of water is absolutely vital. Staying hydrated is key to preventing heat illnesses.

Photo (cropped) by Esad Hajderevic/Flickr.

6. Go ahead, take a day off ... from strenuous exercise that is.

Are you one of those people who runs everyday or is just a mess without your daily bicycle commute? Physical fitness is great, but when heat strikes, exercising outside can be dangerous. Skip the outdoor workout, or if you can, move it to the gym. If you simply have to get outdoors, go before sunrise or at dusk.

GIF via "Harvey Beaks."

7. Be a fan's biggest fan.

Fans are an affordable, mobile, way to deliver cool air just where you want it, which is often more cost-effective than cooling down your entire home.

GIF via "The Simpsons."

8. Freeze your way to a good night's sleep.

Fold your pillowcase and slip it into a plastic bag. Place it in the freezer, and put it back on your pillow just before bed. The cooling sensation won't last all night, but the burst of cold may be just enough to help you get some rest.

GIF via "Monsters Inc."

9. Go ahead and be shady.

Keep your home cool by drawing blinds and shades when the sun is out. When you're ready for new ones, pick lights colors that reflect heat.

Photo (cropped) by Shayak Sen/Flickr.

10. Get your fill of free AC and entertainment at the movies.

OK, so you have to pay to get in, but once you do, you've got hours of uninterrupted, conditioned air in a big, dark room watching (hopefully) an entertaining, (or at the very least) loud story. Trying to save some dough? See a matinee, and check your local theater for weekday specials.

See also your local bowling alley or museum. GIF via Cartoon Network.

11. When all else fails, get more ice cream.

It's hot out there, and you've earned it.

GIF via "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

However you cool off this summer, stay safe, look out for your friends and neighbors, and have fun.

Because all the sweating aside, that's what this season is all about.

Science

Sustainably good news: Recycling is getting better and this family is showing us how

What if instead of focusing on what isn’t working, we looked at these stories as an invitation to do better?

Via Ridwell

Ryan Metzger and son Owen

There is no shortage of dire news about the state of modern recycling. Most recently, this NPR article shared the jaw-dropping statistic that about 5% of all plastics produced get recycled, meaning the rest of it ends up in landfills. While the underlying concerns here are sound, I worry that the public narrative around recycling has gotten so pessimistic that it will make people give up on it entirely instead of seeing the opportunities to improve it. What if instead of focusing on what isn’t working, we looked at these news stories as an invitation to do better?

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Brendan Fraser showed up at a screening of 'The Mummy' completely decked out in costume

The audience went wild.

The Prince Charles Cinema/Youtube

Brendan Fraser dressed as Rick O'Connell.

Brendan Fraser might be making the greatest career comeback ever, racking up accolades and award nominations for his dramatic, transformative role in “The Whale." But the OG Fraser fans (the ones who watch “Doom Patrol” solely to hear his voice and proudly pronounce his last name as Fray-zure, for this is the proper pronunciation) have known of his remarkable talent since the 90s, when he embodied the ultimate charming, dashing—and slightly goofball—Hollywood action lead.

Let us not forget his arguably most well known and beloved 90s character—Rick O’Connell from the “Mummy” franchise. Between his quippy one-liners, Indiana Jones-like adventuring skills and fabulous hair, what’s not to like?

During a double feature of “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” in London, moviegoers got the ultimate surprise when who should walk in but Brendan Fraser himself, completely decked out in Rick O’Connell attire. The brown leather jacket. The scarf. Everything.

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Little boy and his mom get the surprise of a lifetime: tickets to the Eagles game

"I hate telling people no, especially when I can help."

ESPN Facebook

Little boy and his mom get surprised with tickets to Eagles game.

In today's world, it's easy to get caught up in all the negative news we're exposed to, but in reality, most good deeds are done away from a camera—just one person helping another without desire for fanfare. And for mom Bryanne McBride and her young son, Mason, that's exactly what they were doing when they got the surprise of a lifetime.

Bryanne was approached by a man in a parking lot asking for a dollar to catch the bus. The entire time, the mom scrounged around in her purse looking for spare change and revealed she felt bad because she thought she had some. Bryanne's desire to help was a simple act of kindness to another human in need without the expectation of something in return.

During the time it took for the unsuspecting mother to dig for loose change, the "stranded" stranger, Zach, introduced himself and asked if the duo were from Philly. Once they said they were from the area, he then inquired if they were Eagles fans...the football team, not the birds. "You ever been to an Eagles game?" Zach asked.

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A guy may have met his 'dream girl' at a bar but she only gave him part of her phone number

Talk about playing hard to get.

via Tod Perry

An artist's recreation of Jackie's napkin note.

A woman named Jackie pulled a move straight out of a romantic comedy recently, and it has the internet rallying around her potential love interest. Jackie met a guy at a bar and liked him so much that she gave him her phone number. Well, 80% of her number, that is.

The world heard about it on January 17 when Twitter user Henpecked Hal shared a picture of the napkin with her partial phone number written on it. "My 22-year-old cousin met his dream girl at a bar and it's going pretty well,” Hal wrote in the tweet.

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Two couples move in together with their kids to create one big, loving 'polyfamory'

They are using their unique family arrangement to help people better understand polyamory.

Instagram/Polyfamory

The Hartless and Rodgers families post together


Polyamory, a lifestyle where people have multiple romantic or sexual partners, is more prevalent in America than most people think. According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, one in nine Americans have been in a polyamorous relationship, and one in six say they would like to try one.

However popular the idea is, polyamory is misunderstood by a large swath of the public and is often seen as deviant. However, those who practice it view polyamory as a healthy lifestyle with several benefits.

Taya Hartless, 28, and Alysia Rogers, 34, along with their husbands Sean, 46, and Tyler, 35, are in a polyamorous relationship and have no problem sharing their lifestyle with the public on social media. Even though they risk stigmatization for being open about their non-traditional relationships, they are sharing it with the world to make it a safer place for “poly” folks like themselves.

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Woman without an internal monologue explains what it's like inside her head

“She's broken my mind. I don't even understand what I'm not understanding."

PA Struggles/Youtube

An estimated 50-70% of the population doesn't have an internal monologue.

The notion of living without an internal monologue is a fairly new one. Until psychologist Russell Hurlburt’s studies started coming out in the late 90s, it was widely accepted that everyone had a little voice narrating in their head. Now Hurlburt, who has been studying people's "inner experience" for 40 years, estimates that only 30-50% of the population frequently think this way.

So what about the other 50-70%? What exactly goes on inside their heads from day to day?

In a video interview originally posted in 2020, a woman named Kirsten Carlson gave some insight into this question, sharing how not having an inner dialogue affected her reading and writing, her interactions with others and how she navigates mental challenges like anxiety and depression. It was eye-opening and mind-blowing.
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Native Siberian shares what daily life entails in the coldest village on Earth

See how the people of Yakutia, Siberia take showers, do laundry, go to school and more in minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kiun B./YouTube

A man in the Yakutia region of Siberia takes an ice bath in minus 50 degrees Celsius.

For most of us, waking up to a temperature of minus 50 degrees would spell catastrophe. Normal life would come to a screeching halt, we'd be scrambling to deal with frozen pipes and power outages, school and work would be canceled and weather warnings would tell us not to venture outside due to frostbite risk.

But in the Yakutia region of Siberia, that's just an average winter day where life goes on as usual.

When you live in the coldest inhabited area on Earth, your entire life is arranged around dealing with ridiculously cold temperatures. Villages don't have running water because freezing pipes wouldn't allow for water treatment. Kids go to school unless the temp drops below minus 55 degrees Celsius (which is then considered dangerous). Showering involves spending hours stoking a fire in the bathhouse to create a steamy, warm room.

Native Siberian Kiun B. has created a series of documentary short films detailing what daily life is like in Yakutia's frigid winters. She was born and raised in Yakutsk, Siberia, widely recognized as the coldest city on Earth, where average winter temperatures hover around minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. As seen in her videos, smaller villages in the Yakutia region regularly dip down into the negative 50s, with the lowest recorded temp in the Yakut village of Oymayakon reaching a mindblowing minus 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

The popularity of Kiun's YouTube channel demonstrates how curious people are about life in such harsh conditions, as her videos have been viewed by tens of millions of people in the past year alone.

Check out this video detailing a day in the life of a family in a Yakutia village.

Can you imagine going out to use an outhouse in minus 40 degrees? Oof.

Another of Kiun's videos goes into more detail about how people shower and do laundry in the region. You might assume they wouldn't line-dry their laundry outdoors, but they do.

Watch:

What do people wear to protect themselves from the negative temperatures? Frostbite is a real risk, so it's important to have the right kinds of clothing and outdoor gear to stay safe and relatively comfortable.

Kiun shared some frigid fashion norms from Yakutsk, which include traditional fur hats and boots as well as lots of layers and down jackets.

However, there are some Yakut folks who see the cold as something to embrace. For instance, this man takes an ice bath out in the elements as a morning ritual. It's something he has worked up to—definitely not something to try on your own during a cold snap—but it still has to be painful.

(Seriously, please don't try this at home.)

The way humans have learned to adapt to drastically different environments, from the sweltering tropics to the Arctic tundra, is incredible, and it's fascinating to get a close-up look at how people make life work in those extremes. Thank you, Kiun B., for giving us a glimpse of what it's like to experience life in the dead of winter in the world's coldest inhabited places.

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