// generational shifts

Source: NYT > Business (paywall)

GLP-1 adoption is creating a structural demand shock that no amount of marketing can reverse—consumers on these medications physically consume less, period. Food companies face a choice between reformulating for smaller portions, smaller packages, and new product categories, or watching category volume decline as penetration increases. This is a durable shift in consumption, not a temporary fad that will reverse when the drug cycle ends.

Source: Theupandup

College social life is fragmenting along wellness lines. Gen Z students are treating partying as another domain for optimization—swapping alcohol for cold plunges, infrared saunas, and structured fitness activities. The shift reflects internalized self-improvement as the default mode of leisure rather than rebellion against it. What was historically a space resistant to adult-approved productivity metrics is now subject to the same optimization logic as the rest of their lives.

Source: Marginal REVOLUTION

Blaming smartphones and TVs for declining cognitive performance across developed nations misses the structural culprit: education systems themselves are deteriorating in how they teach foundational skills. PISA data shows the decline predates mass smartphone adoption and varies by country in ways screen time cannot explain. The divergence points to curriculum changes, teacher training gaps, and shifted pedagogical priorities that privileged other skills over the basics. The distinction matters because it moves the problem from consumer panic into institutional accountability—one that requires rethinking what schools actually teach and measure, not restricting access to devices.