Adrienne Matei

Wrote about love addiction in the wake of Elizabeth Gilbert’s recent memoir, and explored how our universal needs can become destructive compulsions.

Beans, beans, the magical fruit: how healthy are they really? Research shows beans are good for the body and for the planet. Here’s what to know about getting more in your diet

The make you hot, they make you healthy. Check out my new piece on why we should all be eating more beans: tinyurl.com/3ey4myc9

I tried lab-grown chocolate. Could it be the future of Halloween? It could eventually cut down on the production of traditional chocolate, which degrades soil and requires much fertilizer and pesticides

Manufacturers have been trying to use less cocoa in a voltile market; will they soon amp up their products with lab-grown? www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Herbal supplements were supposed to make them healthier. Instead, they got sick Common compounds like turmeric and ashwagandha can overwhelm the liver and lead to health complications

Herbal supplements may seem harmless, but researchers say taking them is like playing Russian roulette with your liver. www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Are little treats feeling less exciting? Here’s how to harness small joys Joy is crucial for resilience, but living in a stressed-out world can make it difficult to enjoy the little things. Experts tell us how to rebuild our capacity for joy

How to make things feel good again! My latest story: www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Unfazed to hear there’ll be a rapture on a random Tuesday

From Nazi Germany to Trump’s America: why strongmen rely on women at home Fascist regimes pushed narratives of domestic bliss, yet relied on women’s unpaid labor. In the US today, ‘womanosphere’ influencers promote the same fantasies

“There was a whole array of women’s magazines that glorified housewives” in Nazi Germany, says Claudia Koonz, professor emerita of history at Duke University. “It would be the equivalent of social media today.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Fascism may betray women, but it still relies on their support.

As authoritarian regimes often rely on a women’s movement to keep society operational on a household level, framing regressive policies in more alluring terms. Today, that role is being taken up by the digital womanosphere.

National instability only amplifies the message that a woman’s rightful place is home with her children. “If there’s chaos,” Koonz says, “then the women who are keeping the home front stable have even more responsibility: ‘There’s chaos out there, but my family is going to have traditional values.’”

From Nazi Germany to Trump’s America: why strongmen rely on women at home Fascist regimes pushed narratives of domestic bliss, yet relied on women’s unpaid labor. In the US today, ‘womanosphere’ influencers promote the same fantasies

My new essay on how women end up laundering the failures of fascism here! www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

‘The womanosphere trades in individualistic strategies for rebelling against the perceived liberal status quo, reinforcing age-old gender hierarchies.’ Great article by @foxpack.bsky.social My book also explores how the current romanticising of women’s unpaid labour has sinister undertones.

Is anyone going to defend free speech online? Government censorship on social media is already here. But it can get so much worse.

“We are living through fascism and the primary way we connect with and inform and organize w/ each other is under lethal attack.

No one is coming to protect the internet for us, and people won’t even have a clue how catastrophic this can become until it’s over” @kattenbarge.bsky.social

Life Goes On While Systems Fray — How Do We Make Sense of the Dissonance? | KQED We talk about the strange tension of moving through life against a backdrop of catastrophe, and what it does to us. And we hear how you are navigating it.

🎙️ ON AIR:

We're speaking with @katewoodsome.substack.com.web.brid.gy and @theguardian.com's @foxpack.bsky.social about the strange tension of moving through everyday life against a backdrop of unsettling change and what it does to us.

❓How are you navigating this cognitive dissonance?

📻 Listen:

Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real If everything feels broken but strangely normal, the Soviet-era concept of hypernormalization can help

🧠 FRI at 10AM:

Journalist @katewoodsome.substack.com.web.brid.gy and @theguardian.com's @foxpack.bsky.social join to talk about the strange tension of moving through everyday life against a backdrop of unsettling change and what it does to us.

❓How are you navigating this cognitive dissonance?

‘King of the Hill’ Now Looks Like a Fantasy The sitcom returns with a vision of suburban America that’s harder to come by.

Wrote a little something about sacrifice, community, propane and propane accessories. tinyurl.com/mr3e5c3u

Was everything brighter 40 years ago? How color perception changes as we age Do things look duller? As we age, the way we see the world can change – literally

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s possible that our worlds drain of colour over time tinyurl.com/4k6dee58

Hi Dr. Gunter - I’m looking into online harassment of science communicators for the Guardian, would you be willing to chat? I’m at adriennematei@gmail.com :)

‘A vastly superior way to live’: why more seniors should choose cohousing Unlike nursing homes or living alone (and lonely), cohousing emphasizes community and mutual support

Senior cohousing is a way to alleviate both the care crisis and the loneliness epidemic - plus it helps make our later years more fun. My story: www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Calculators are standard tools; why not bots? “I always say that the spirit of etiquette is about putting others at ease,” she says. “If the end result is something that is nice for the other person and that shows consideration or care, then they don’t need to see how the sausage is made.”

But not everyone draws the same line when it comes to how much AI involvement is tolerable or what constitutes deceit by omission.

Disclosing the role of AI could defeat the purpose of these writings, which is to build trust and express care. Nonetheless, one person anonymously told me that he used ChatGPT while writing his father of the bride speech; another wished OpenAI had been around when he had written his vows.

AI is becoming the invisible infrastructure of personal communications, too – punching up text messages, birthday cards and obituaries, even though we associate such compositions with “from the heart” authenticity.

‘Hey man, I’m so sorry for your loss’: should you use AI to text? Artificial intelligence has entered the personal chat. What does that say about human relationships?

Using AI to write to friends?
I consider the implications in this new guardian piece
www.theguardian.com/wellness/ng-...

Don’t rinse raw chicken: nine food safety tips from microbiologists We all have questionable kitchen habits – experts break down how to avoid spreading pathogens at home

Toss your kitchen sponge and avoid bagged lettuce; I spoke to microbiologists for the guardian: www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Navigating Aging and Masculine Identity - Insights from Adrienne Matei Podcast Episode · Peaceful Life Radio · 2025-05-18 · 26m

Pls enjoy the wholesome trio of Don, Drew & I discussing my guardian article about aging men and hegemonic masculinity
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/n...

Thanks for reposting my piece!

"Witnessing large-scale systems slowly unravel in real time can be profoundly surreal and frightening. The hypernormalization framework offers a way to understand what we’re feeling and why."

I published this piece last week and the feedback has been wild - I’m glad it’s a tiny bit comforting that so many of us relate to the cognitive dissonance rn