A few days ago, amid a moment of sugar-laden remorse (and a stomachache), I vowed not to buy candy or chocolate for a while. Easy to say – by the looks of all the sweets that somehow accumulated in my kitchen over the holiday period, the supply shouldn’t run out till about March.
Little wonder then that so many people’s New Year’s resolutions revolve around health and fitness. But increasingly, Americans’ exercise routines aren’t just about staying in shape. They’re looking for ritual community, fulfillment, personal growth: things we often associate with spirituality or religion. And fitness entrepreneurs are only too happy to provide them.
Cody Musselman, a religion scholar at Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, gives the “fitness is the new religion” cliché a thorough workout. She explains that while companies like SoulCycle may be new, the idea that sweat can save your soul isn’t – religion and exercise have shared common ground for centuries.
And lastly, a heartfelt thank you to all who supported our end-of-year fundraising campaign. We raised more than $200,000 from over 3,500 readers like you – funds that will both sustain our work this year and help us launch some exciting new initiatives. We couldn’t bring you fascinating articles like these without your partnership:
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Molly Jackson
Religion and Ethics Editor
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A SoulCycle event held in New York City.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Cody Musselman, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Fitness and religion make a potent combination, one people have explored for centuries.
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Education
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Katja Kolcio, Wesleyan University
Schools are a key battleground in the Ukrainian resistance against Russian invasion.
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Politics + Society
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Deion Scott Hawkins, Emerson College
The events of Jan. 6, 2021, have been called an insurrection. The same word has often been used to describe the mostly forgotten rebellions against plantation owners by enslaved people.
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Dominik Stecuła, Colorado State University; Matthew Levendusky, University of Pennsylvania
In-person conversations between Republicans and Democrats lasting just 15 minutes were found to lessen political animus, research shows.
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Health + Medicine
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Sarah Wulf Hanson, University of Washington; Theo Vos, University of Washington
While there are still far more questions than answers about long COVID-19, researchers are beginning to get a clearer picture of the health and economic consequences of the condition.
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Arts + Culture
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Nicole Kraft, The Ohio State University
ESPN commentators avoided speculation and struck a compassionate tone as player received treatment.
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Environment + Energy
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Christopher Boone, Arizona State University; Karen C. Seto, Yale University
Green jobs go beyond solar panel installation and wind turbine maintenance. They’re found in fields from design to economics and in many types of management.
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Colleen E. Reid, University of Colorado Boulder; Joost de Gouw, University of Colorado Boulder; Michael Hannigan, University of Colorado Boulder
Noxious smells and blowing ash initially made the homes unlivable. But even after their homes were cleaned, some residents still reported health effects months later.
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Science + Technology
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Morteza Mahmoudi, Michigan State University
The proteins that cover nanoparticles are essential to understanding how they work in the body. Across 17 proteomics facilities in the US, less than 2% of the identified proteins were identical.
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Economy + Business
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Adia Harvey Wingfield, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Employers need good strategies to hire and retain more workers of color and older workers. The mandatory diversity training and requisite skills tests many of them now rely on don’t measure up.
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Marick Masters, Wayne State University
Workers have filed the most union petitions since 2015 and the number of strikes have surged, but whether this turns into a sustained increase in membership rates is still unclear.
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