Cell Phones, Dogs and Barbie Dolls: What I Learned From Magazines This Week

Reading magazines this week, I learned that:

Elton John doesn't get along with his mother, so she spent her 90th birthday with an Elton John impersonator.
(Rolling Stone, 2/25/16)

Eighty-five percent of kids say they have fun with their parents.
(Time, 3/14/16)

Being able to see your cell phone, even if you aren't using it, hinders your ability to focus on tough tasks.
(Time, 3/14/16)

People who take breaks in the morning feel more restored and less emotionally exhausted than people who take breaks in the afternoon.
(Time, 3/14/16)

The first known traffic accident caused by a self-driving car took place on February 14, when a Lexus SUV hit a bus in Mountain View, California.
(Time, 3/15/16)

Nine of out ten people in the world recognize Barbie.
(Time, 2/8/16)

People who drink two glasses of water before every meal will lose twice as much weight as people who don't.
(Prevention, 1/16)

Children who have dogs are less anxious than children who don't.
(Real Simple, 2/16)

The worst first-date mistake you can make? Constantly checking your phone.
(Real Simple, 2/16)

Women are twice as likely as men to be depressed at some point in their lifetimes, especially during menopause.
(Prevention, 1/16)

Famous people who may have been "on the spectrum" include Newton, Mozart, Beethoven, Jane Austen, Kant, Jefferson, Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson and Wittgenstein.
(The New Yorker, 1/25/16)

Twenty-eight percent of smokers polled said knowing cigarette smoke is harmful to their pet's health made them more motivated to quit.
(Real Simple, 2/16)

Elton John no longer wants to die at the piano. (Rolling Stone, 2/25/16)

Roz Warren is the author of
OUR BODIES, OUR SHELVES: A COLLECTION OF LIBRARY HUMOR.