The Know Daily - Monday 17 April 2023

_{Read in 5m 12s ∙ Listening to Jorga Smith}

The winners of the Sony World Photographer Awards 2023 have been announced - and we seriously recommend checking out all the incredible shortlisted images. Our hearts were warmed by this photo of mischief-causing racoons in Cities Gone Wild by Corey Arnold, who came first place in the Wildlife and Nature category.

🧮 Does No. 10’s maths plan add up?

An expert panel is being created to advise the government on how to ensure that all pupils in England study maths up to the age of 18.

What will the panel look at?
In January, PM Rishi Sunak announced plans to get all pupils to study some form of maths until they leave school, arguing that the subject is key to better equip them for the modern workplace.

Now, the government is establishing an advisory group of teachers, mathematicians and business experts to decide the elements of maths which should be taught and how the subject should be assessed.

Why is the PM so obsessed with maths?
Sunak, who is set to announce the review at a speech in London later today, will say that an “anti-maths mindset” is damaging the economy. He is expected to criticise the “cultural sense that it’s OK to be bad at maths” and point to statistics which show that the UK is below average for numeracy among industrialised countries, according to The Guardian.

What has the response been?
Union leaders have questioned whether the plans should be a priority, arguing that teaching staff are already overworked and underpaid. “It seems like an attempt to divert attention away from the most pressing matter in education in England which is the industrial dispute,” said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Labour has said that the pledge cannot be delivered without more teachers, with shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson accusing the government of “repeatedly missing” its target for new maths teachers. Last December, figures showed that just 29,000 graduates had signed up for teacher training in England - a 20% fall on the year before.

💆‍♀️ How to stop feeling so “meh”

Do you feel like the things you used to love are no longer bringing you the same joy - for no apparent reason? There’s a scientific name for this “meh” feeling: anhedonia.

Wait - there’s a name for it?
Yep - and it comes from a Greek word meaning “without pleasure”. While not enjoying the things you once loved is a common symptom of depression or anxiety, you don’t have to be diagnosed with a mental health condition to experience anhedonia. In fact, it’s pretty common.

Can you tell me more about how it feels?
Sure! Your senses might be dulled - maybe ice cream doesn’t taste as good as it used to, for example - or you might lack the enthusiasm to attend events you once looked forward to. The journalist Tanith Carey, who recently wrote about her experience of anhedonia for the i newspaper, described it as “the no-man’s-land” between depression and “the unicorn state of happiness”.

So what causes anhedonia?
In the simplest terms, it’s all to do with dopamine, one of the brain’s feel-good chemicals. Hormonal changes, diet, immune illnesses (including Covid) and burn-out can all play a role in preventing our brain’s reward system from working as it should.

Carey also points out that the constant dopamine hits of our modern world - think: binge-watching TV, online shopping and even porn - overload and throw off our brain’s reward system. “Now everything feels good, nothing does,” she writes.

So how can I break through the bleakness?
If you’re feeling a bit “meh” without any underlying cause, there are steps you can take. “A lot of the things that help balance dopamine are modifiable,” says neuroscientist Tiffany Ho. This could mean getting enough sleep, exercising more, eating balanced meals and having fun with friends.

After consulting with neuroscientists, Carey started making sure she always had something to look forward to in her diary. She also made a deliberate effort to notice and savour positive experiences. “After a few months, hearing myself laugh, really laugh, no longer took me by surprise, and it felt natural to sing in the shower or have a quick kitchen disco,” she wrote.

Can you relate to this feeling of anhedonia - and what have you tried to counteract it? Hit reply to let us know.

🇦🇺 Melbourne’s moment: Sydney is no longer Australia’s biggest city; Melbourne has swooped into first place after the Australian Bureau of Statistics updated its geographical boundary to include an extra district.

🪧 Industrial action: Nurses could strike until Christmas if the government does not back down on pay demands, the Royal College of Nursing’s union leader has said. A 48 hour nurses’ strike at the end of April has already been confirmed.

🇸🇩 Sudan fighting: Fierce clashes between rival armed factions in Sudan have continued into their third day. The BBC described the fighting as “part of a vicious power struggle within the country’s military leadership”.

💉 Covid boosters: Millions of people, including those aged 75+ and anyone with a weakened immune system, are now eligible for the spring Covid-19 booster, with thousands of vaccination appointments available to book through the NHS.

⛰️ Welsh name change: From today, the Brecon Beacons National Park in central Wales will be known by its Welsh name only: Bannau Brycheiniog. The change has been made to mark the park’s 66th anniversary and “better reflect… the world we live in today”.

Trivia answer: B) It wasn’t actually a pothole - city officials told NBC News that Schwarzenegger had actually filled in a service trench being used by a gas company.

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