#self study in hindi

[aadhinagony]

Satyavachan- "Insaan ka kartavya hota hai koshish karna, kaamyabi nakamyabi sab uske haath mein hai" ~Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

[yvaineswonderland]

✎ᝰ 2/5/2024 (Thursday) ˎˊ˗

Today was truly a day of productivity as I completed 1 full chapter of Physics, and I was finally able to start Maths, still having troubles on the Chemistry part but it's getting better!!!

.

From now on, I'll also be writing down what I have completed on each subject for the day, particularly Chemistry, Physics and Maths (+ English and Computer Science later on as school starts) and maybe even Spanish and Hindi too!

.

Chemistry: Completed 1 topic (+ 5 sub-topics) along with 6 example problems (which I spent a long time understanding)

Physics: Chapter-2 (All)

Mathematics: Intro to Chapter-1, and I solved about half of the 1st exercise

Overall Time Studied: 2hrs 56mins

Self-rating: 4/5 (Pretty proud with myself as i managed my time quite well, both for my studies and leisure time)

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

[demigod-of-the-agni]

PLEASSEEE TELL US ABOUT YOUR MYTHIC MUMBATTAN AU PLEASE PLEASEE

>:) very well, my people (currently screaming because i wrote a response but i accidentally CTRL+Zd everything out of existence lmao)

The Mythic Mumbattan AU is me pouring the following ingredients into an explosive mess:

Hindu mythology and Indian culture overload

college!Spider-Man shenanigans

revamping the original Spider-Man: India plotlines and expanding the lore

character studies!!! my favourite :)

a potential and self-indulgent crossover with another indian superhero (if we ever get there)

the horrors.

Pavitr and his personal cast!!! just!!!! THEY!!!!!!

(keep reading if you want more goodies >:D)

So the CoffeeBean is a coffeeshop that existed in the mainstream Marvel universe and in real life but that's another thing; the cast below frequently drop by to hang out with one another. The Mumbattan-equivalent of the CoffeeBean is actually the TeaHouse which is another real life thing but shh and so in-universe they're called the TeaHouse gang, but in my heart they'll always be the CBG 😌

Everyone goes to Brihanmumbai State University (BSU). Lots of crazy things happen here. Pavitr's relationship with the others is always in flux but ultimately they're super close with one another (fuck it, they might as well be poly). Their personalities I try to keep as close as I can to the mainstream universe E616 comics, but I'm being creative and letting a few things from the SMI comics and ATSV influence them:

Pavitr Prabhakar — Tamilar (Tamil); he has the charm and skills from his ATSV counterpart and the smarts from his SMI counterpart; he can be a bit of a jerk and a flake, but he tries to be a good friend, and is much more open than he was in high school.

Meera Jain — Kannadiga (Kannada); basically how I've written her in tibim: everyone's first impression of her is that she's carefree and seems to not worry too much about life. She secretly deals with a lot of self-doubt and personal fears, but the gang's presence is enough for her to push them aside.

Gayatri Singh — Gujarati (Gujarati); she's probably the most quiet of the gang, but undeniably the kindest. She's more similar to Pavitr, in that she's stubborn and quick to judge. She's the glue of the gang and always willing to extend a hand to others

Hari Oberoi — Maharashtrian (Gujarati/Marathi/Hindi); the son of the man who tried to bring literal hell to earth, but other than that he's okay. He's a people-pleaser despite having everything, and struggles with his own self-image and who he should become

Ekansh "Flash" Travasso — Goan (Marathi); the high school jock who's grown more understanding and compassionate. He knew Pavitr the longest, so they have quite an interesting collection of interactions. (ALSO I'M SO SORRY I WROTE THOMPSON IN THE ART POST INSTEAD OF TRAVASSO 😭 maybe i should go back and edit that)

Spider-Man is Spider-Man'ing. Mumbattan loves him (sort of. Inspector Singh has mixed feelings). But another question: why is that every where Spider-Man goes the demons of yore all start showing up and begin wrecking havoc? Why is that? I am taking the magic in Spider-Man: India and dialing it up to five million — horrors and magic of every kind! I can get my hands real dirty and /really/ push Pavitr to his limit >:)

That is all for now. There will be more characters, but they'll show up in time. Lots of stories too, all old and new and revamped and crazy, but they'll be told when they're ready. Perhaps this is enough to satiate everyone's hunger? (unless you want to know something else, then by all means go ahead and ask!!!)

[kaya-being-an-academic]

Kaya's Studyblr

After alot of thoughts , I came to the conclusion of being a part of studyblr....

I want to track my academic progress , and even have the necessary dopamine and motivation to study consistently....

If you landed at this blog , just know I am a sixteen year old girl who's chasing the moon , stars , her dreams and the infinity....

I am a medical aspirant

My subjects include Physics , Chemistry , Zoology and Botany....

I am also an aspiring writer with writing poetry being an escape from this cruel world....

I have a keen love for writing , reading , and listening music....

Few of my favourite writers include Rumi , Kafka , Amish , Yuval Noah Harari , Rhonda Byrne , Rupi Kaur , and Paulo Coelho

I read all kinds books from historical fictions to contemporary romances.... According to me reading books should not be narrowed down to a peculiar genre instead I am a diverse reader....

I incline towards reading autobiographies and self help books....

My target is to read a total of 200+ books this year with 50 being already completed

I want to maintain a proper study routine and track my progress....

My aesthetics include Dark Academia

I am also a classical dancer and singer so in a nutshell art is my solace

Listening to music is also one of my favourite things to do although I mostly listen to it alongside studying....

A hard-core coffee addict and a selenophile

I am open to study tips and finding great people all along the way....

I believe when we help each other out things become more easy

There's already enough hate in the world so let's altogether spread love , happiness and kindness

Vivamus Moriendum Est

I know how to speak 2 Major languages both of them being English and Hindi , I can also speak German and Sanskrit in bits

I want to learn how to speak and write - Greek and Latin

My goal is to learn how to speak 7 language in my entire life....

The goal is to be disgustingly Over educated

Pic credits to respective owners

[ik-kudi-da-khwab]

Who is me?

I originally wasn't going to make an intro post but since Im a yapper I have a lot to say about myself so let me present myself in the most raw form.

Name - I cannot reveal my real name but my friends call me Neko(the special ones) or Spirit too.

Age- 16 (mentally 6)

Gender- Female (she/her)

Sexuality - Bisexual

Hobbies- Writing, shitposting, yapping, reading,studying,Singing, listening to music, daydreaming, swimming.

I am a Hindu sindhi but can understand Punjabi, Sindhi, Hindi, English and Odia. Im also tryna learn Italian.

Music Taste- I have a pretty diverse taste when it comes to which genres I listen to. It ranges from DHH to Sufi bollywood, Drake to Taylor Swift, Mohit Chauhan to Diljit Dosanjh etc.

Follow on Spotify - Spirit's Vinyl

Books- My personal favourites are Historical Romance but I like self help, philosophical fiction, Modern Day romance, classics etc (Colleen Hoover padhne wale bhosde dur rahe🙏🏻)

Something more: I'm a chill person overall. I live in a small town. Im a hopeless romantic (also kinky)and get butterflies in my heart kind of person. A thing I value the most in my life is Freedom. I love my dad and he and my dreams are my only reason to live, I believe.In future I want to work in Marketing.I love studying and chasing my goals and i believe study dates to be the best dates everrr. Im so single I'm gonna die. Frangipani is my favourite flower.Anyways, you can always hmu if u ever want someone to listen or talk to.

:D

[srbachchan]

DAY 5605

Jalsa, Mumbai                   June 22,  2023                   Thu 11:25 PM    

🪔 .. June 23 .. birthday greetings to Ef Anish Morarji Tataria .. yo from your Ef Family 😁✌🏽 .. 

And .. to dear Ef Moses Sapir .. your wedding anniversary on June 23 .. our good wishes always ..

Birthday - EF - Anish Morarji Tataria Friday, 23 June .. and our wishes for this special day of yours .. love from the Ef family ..

Does it dawn .. dawn in the recognised morn of the day .. the day doth announce its presence .. or about its presence .. and the World of writing and writers hurriedly adopts the ‘dawn’ to their world .. 

‘ it be the dawn of a new world’ ..  they say .. or words to that effect .. effective , poetic and composite .. whether the dawn turns to the sun lit day or not irrespective .. or sets into another quiet unknown night for another dawn to re appear .. 

amusingly , when the film ‘DON’ was announced with me .. many in the world of Hindi cinema were quite unaware of the word don .. 

what they were familiar with was a product known as DAWN .. the  DAWN banyaan .. vests .. 

And the market was very skeptical and annoyed with the makers as to why a film title should be about undergarments .. !!

many still are .. 🤣

... but on another note .. Ef remembers Babuji and his translated auto biography and puts it all down .. I feel it deserves mention here :

And .. before Music Day ends .. I feel having the honor of sharing few words from Babuji about his journey with music from his autobiography .. but , then , indeed , every day is music day .. love .. ❤️🙏🏻

Quoting babuji : 🙏🏻

“ [...] ..

Pratap Narayan [my Father] was duly betrothed to the daughter of Munshi Ishwari Prasad, a resident of Katra Mohalla in Allahabad. Her name was Sursati, and she was to become my Mother. The name 'Sursati' is clearly derived from 'Saraswati', and when I felt the first stirrings of a desire to be a poet or writer, I derived much self-confidence from the fact that I was the son of the goddess of learning and of art and music.

[And in mentioning music] ..

Professor Khushhalkar, was our music teacher, he was a Maharashtrian and a pupil of Pandit V.D. Pulaskar. His Hindi was of the Bombay variety, but when he taught us devotional songs, his pronunciation of every syllable was crystal-clear; he would make us do voice practice to the harmonium, then teach us bhajans such as Tulsi's Gaiye Ganapati Jagabandara, which I can still sing from memory today. He also showed us how to sing while picking out the notes on the harmonium: he would pump the bellows with one hand while the fingers of the other would run lightly over the keys, his own voice blending with that of the instrument in such a way as to achieve a sublime harmony of the inanimate with the animate: evoking a tingling emotional response. Professor Khushhalkar sowed the seeds of music in me, but regrettably I was never able to grow the plant that should have sprung from them. Still, my slight study of music was helpful in the reciting of poetry, and a little knowledge of tala helped me compose songs in the folk genre. I can also tap out a rhythm on a drum, but that was learnt from my mother and sisters. ” ~

Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Autobiography: In The Afternoon Of Time .. Chapter: Things to Forget, Things to Remember .. Pages: 56, 112 ..

.. and in time .. hopefully there shall an introduction to the music that this untrained novice who has had no musical training at all .. just been in the company of listening and present to the sounds of music that has remained with me .. and the legacy of Babuji , if nothing else shall prevail .. yet again .. 

In quiet love and affection to the Ef ..

Amitabh Bachchan

[sleepershell]

Some General Marauders Era Headcanons

NOT canon compliant (I don’t care about jk shitface’s canon lol)

Regulus Black (the main character as far as I’m concerned)

~ French, I mean cmon the Black family motto is toujours pur for gods sake. He absolutely speaks French. Other than that, they can be traced to German (Walburga’s side) and English heritage.

~cis bi boy (sapiosexual?)

~ c-ptsd, depression

~ messy curly medium-length hair, long nimble fingers, one of those people with a few lovely moles in choice locations, slutty waist, angular jaw, kind of set in eyes, not tall but a bit taller than Sirius

~ most dogs freak him out (lol oof)

Sirius Black

~ french (& English, German) ofc.

~ amab queer, omnisexual mlm

~c-ptsd, adhd

~ wavy long black hair, also a slutty waist, not very tall, squinty eyes, latently a little muscular

~ big believer in a leather jacket

James Potter

~ I stan desi Potter. But also love the idea of Euphemia being Greek per her name so Jamie boy is part Greek and part Pakistani on Fleamont’s side. He only speaks English but has some terms and things from both Greek and Hindi.

~ cis bi guy

~adhd

~ needs glasses ofc, I imagine he’s super nearsighted.

~ super messy hair, lean and muscular, medium tall

~ red converse wearer

Remus Lupin

~ Welsh, English, and Portuguese. He speaks only English.

~ amab, queer, demisexual?

~ anxiety

~ chronic pain from wolf injuries

~ scarred all over, light brown hair, tan, he’s the tallest, skinny but not lacking muscle, limps sometimes and often needs to stretch his sore muscles, hairy!!

~ always wearing a sweater

Peter Pettigrew

~ English & German. Speaks English.

~ cis, bi

~ anxiety, definitely does self-soothing movements

~ fat !! no skinny wormtail in this house, wavy blonde hair, the cutest cheeks known to man, callouses on his hands and no one can figure out why

~ asthma

~ loves naps

Pandora Rosier

~ Another family who absolutely must be fluent French speakers. So I think they have some Afro-Caribbean on one side and the other is very much originally French. Speaks English and French.

~ cis fem, pansexual, demiromantic

~ autistic

~ hair is super light blonde and looooong in dreads, light blue eyes, brown skin, quite tall and thin, all her features are super delicate and lithe, she’s kind of otherworldly tbh but she certainly doesn’t act so she’s got quite the mad scientist competitive streak

~ amazing at charms

Evan Rosier

~ Afro-Caribbean, French, English. Speaks English and French.

~ he/they, omnisexual (and by that I mean he fucks everyone ha-hey)

~ super light blonde hair either cropped or in a protective style, brown skin, light brown eyes, braces, dead average build, but still suave af don’t be mistaken everyone wants this kid, not hairy

Lily Evans

~ English and Scottish, speaks English.

~ cis gal, questioning but likely demisexual

~ fat!!, straight-ish red hair ofc, freckles, green eyes, cute small chubby hands, radiant smile

Barty Crouch Jr.

~ English, speaks English and all curse words in every language he could get people to teach them in.

~ queer amab bisexual

~ I won’t begin to try to dissect the workings of Barry’s brain but depression could be a start

~ eidetic memory

~ needs reading glasses? but like most of the time they’re not on him or they’re broken. so he just like uses his crazy big brain to just remember stuff or else he mostly never reads outside of studying times

~ brown hair but whenever he gets the chance he buzzes or dyes it green for fun, stick and pokes and self done piercings, tall but not Remus tall, lean muscular, hairy ass legs

Dorcas Meadowes

~ Ethiopian and English. Speaks English.

~ cis girl, sapphic

~ dark skin, black hair often in long braids, dark eyes, athletic curvy build, long fingers

~ literally prodigy herbologist, also amazing at potions and divination

Marlene McKinnon

~ Filipino!!!!!!!!!!!! speaks English and Filipino (maybe some of another regional language of the Philippines).

~ cis girl, sapphic

~ adhd, depression

~ lactose intolerant

~ short queen, freckles, dyed blonde but def experiments with color and cut, usually straight or a little wavy, muscular but it doesn’t really show she just seems kinda thin, some stick and pokes, several ear piercings

~ wears red cowboy boots, studded belts, low rise, cut up t shirts, hats

Mary Macdonald

~ Brazilian on one side and South African & English on the other. Speaks English and Portuguese.

~ cis girl, bisexual

~ ehler’s danlos syndrome

~ wears her dark hair natural curly, curvy, average height, belly button pierced, huge gorgeous smile, adorable button nose

lol

Severus Snape

~English and Polish. Speaks English.

~ cis, hetero

~ depression, anxiety

~ straight long black hair, pale, Remus tall, fairly average weight, dark eyes, strong nose

~wears mostly black

~ amazing at potions

[pickypomegranates]

Schedule

4:45 to 5:00 am- Wake up(yes I need 15 minutes to wake up)

5:00 to 5:15 am- Work out/Yoga

5:15 to 6:15 am- Study (quick revision of whatever learnt the previous day)

6:15 to 8:00 am- Chores+breakfast

8:00 am to 4:00 pm- College classes

4:00 pm to 7:15 pm- Study(library)

7:15 to 8:00 pm- chores+dinner

8:00 to 8:30 pm- Music practice

8:30 to 9:00 pm- Journaling

9:00 to 10:00 pm- studying

10:00 pm- Sleep

This is a very ideal and effective schedule. I've already incorporated a lot of its elements in my daily life but I will require some more time to perfect it. It allows me 7 hrs of sleep(which may fluctuate due to some impending assignment or during exam season). The morning and evening study period is for high intensity studying, especially the library period. At night I can study comfortably then sleep. It's all about working on myself consistently in bits and pieces and in rituals so I can be my ideal self eventually. And it's all about savoring and enjoying the journey as well!

'Safar khoobsurat hai manzil se bhi'

- Amitabh Bhattacharya

'The journey is more beautiful than the destination', a lyric of the hindi song ae dil hai mushkil.

[ivy-diaries]

( 🍂 ) . . . — IVY JENNIFER JAMES , better known as IVY, is a korean-australian artist under BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT. she's the only female soloist of HYBE Labels.

( 🪷 ) . . . — BASICS !

BIRTH NAME : Ivy Jennifer James

KOREAN NAME : Kang Jihye ( hangul: 강지혜 )

NICKNAMES : i ( pronounced eye ), marie, vy ( pronounced like the letter v ), Jen, jenjen, jenny, angel, nation's sweetheart

BIRTHDAY : 3 march, 2000

BIRTH PLACE : newcastle, australia

ZODIAC SIGN : pisces

NATIONALITY : australian

ETHNICITY : korean

FAMILY : parents ( 1980 ), one older brother ( 1999 ), twin sister, younger twin siblings ( 2015 )

LANGUAGES : Korean, English (fluent) ; Japanese, mandarin (conversational) ; French, Greek (beginner) ; hindi, filipino, thai (learning)

( 🌠 ) . . . — BODY !

HEIGHT : 174 cm (5’7″)

BLOOD TYPE : B+

BODY MODIFICATION : seven piercings on both ears, nine tattoos on her body.

FACE CLAIM : huh yunjin ( le sserafim )

( 🪼 ) . . . — PERSONALITY !

STRENGTHS : kind, empathetic, funny, considering, dedication

FLAWS : overthinking, short temper, anxiety, self doubt, perfectionist

( 🪸 ) . . . — MEMBER'S INFO. !

STAGE NAME : IVY

AGENCIES : bighit Entertainment ( 2011 - 2023 ) ; enca labels ( 2023 - present )

TRAINING PERIOD : 2 years and 8 months

DEBUT DATE : 20 August 2014

OCCUPATION(S) : singer, dancer, model, actress, composer, lyricist, producer

FANDOM : soleil(s)

REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI : 🫧

( 🪐 ) . . . — MISC. INFO !

dramas : the bride of haebak, hotel del'luna, welcome to waikiki 2, 18 again, true beauty, vincenzo, so not worth it, hometown cha cha cha, business proposal, sh**ting star, dr romantic 2&3, king the land.

twitter : ivy_official / poison_ivy

private twitter : prodby.jen

instagram : ivy.official / poison.ivy

youtube : ivy official / poisonivy

( 🪻 ) . . . — MISC. TRIVIA !

ivy has always been interested in studies and has been a straight a student her whole life and when asked what she'd do when she'll retire from the industry, she said she'll like to get back to school!

in 2020, it was announced that ivy and txt member yeonjun were dating and the news shook the whole industry. because the couple made it seem like they were just friends!

ivy's bffs in the industry who always have her back include inka from skz, lua from ateez, haewon from mask, eris and many more idols who she absolutely loves and would give them the world for them.

she is thick as thiefs with the rest of txt and absolutely vibes with beomgyu. her, taehyun and ruby are gym buddies and often have competitions to see who has the bigger muscles and stuff.

she has a twin sister and an older brother whom she absolutel loves and would die for. and a few years ago, the james family welcomed their new addition to the family! twin siblings lily and nathen!! the twins are about seven years now and are adored by everyone.

while her korean name used to be the same as her stage name, she officially changed it summer of 2021 to kang jihye to honor her late grandmother who always wanted her to have that name.

the death of her grandma had taken a toll on her physical and mental health and she had to be on medical attention for a few months because of her depression and anorexia problems.

eversince that incident and her hiatus, she has been pretty vocal about her struggles with body image issues and her ed. she has been a spokesperson for the said reasons ever since!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

For those who are not aware, I have decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s Queer Cinema Syllabus and have officially started Unit 2: Race, Disability, and Class. The films in Unit 2 are: The Way He Looks (2014), Being 17 (2016), Naz and Maalik (2015), The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2019), Margarita With a Straw (2014), My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Brother to Brother (2004), and Beautiful Thing (1996)

Today I will be writing about

Margarita With a Straw (2014) dir. Shonali Bose

[Available on Amazon, Run Time- 1:40, Language: Hindi and English]

Summary: A rebellious young woman with cerebral palsy leaves her home in India to study in New York, unexpectedly falls in love, and embarks on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery.

Cast: Kalki Koechlin as Laila Kapoor Revathi as Shubhangini Kapoor Sayani Gupta as Khanum

___

I would like everyone to know that at the time of writing this, I was still crying about this movie. It is perfection. I literally…I have so much, too much, and yet nothing to say about this film. If you had asked me before tonight if there would ever be a reality where I was nearly in tears over watching a character on screen masturbate, I would not have really believed it, yet here we are. THIS FILM IS PERFECT BECAUSE THEY MADE THEIR DISABLED CHARACTERS ACTUAL FUCKING PEOPLE WHO ARE HORNY, INDEPENDENT (within the scope of their own physical abilities), AND FLAWED HUMAN BEINGS. Like???????? That in my lifetime of watching films the existence of characters with disabilities is rare enough already, and if you get in to the more stigmatized/infantilized disabilities, say for example, having a main character and romantic interest with cerebral palsy, the acknowledgement that they are people with sexual attraction and desire is almost non-existent.

Like, how many power wheelchair users have I seen being a subject of romantic interest? This film does not shy away from any aspect of being disabled, while simultaneously eliminating any and all possible feelings of the film itself being some type of inspiration porn for The Struggles Of Existing As A Disabled Person. This is not a “aww look the able bodied girl falls in love with the quadraplegic man isn’t that lovely?” types of stories. This is a film where disability really just happens to be included and life and the conflicts in the film have absolutely nothing to do with their actual disability or overcoming some aspect of their disability. 

The closest we get to Laila and Kahnum’s disabilities even mattering to the central conflicts in the story in my mind, is the implication of the way society has viewed them that has fed in to their own insecurities. A huge part of Laila’s journey is self-love and self-acceptance. Laila is obviously feeling dejected after a round or two of rejections from boys she has been interested in. And then she meets a girl, Kanhum who is blind, and hot, and wonderful, and they start a relationship. At some point, Laila cheats on Kanhum, having sex with a boy from her college, Jared, who she has been crushing on since her first day of classes. 

One of the heaviest moments in the film for me was when Laila finally admits to cheating on Kanhum by having sex with Jared one time while Laila and Kanhum were dating. For an explanation as to part of what caused Laila to have sex with Jared, Laila says, to her blind girlfriend “Jared could see me, that’s why” and Kanhum walks away. But here is the thing, this movie trusts its audience, this movie lets the full weight of that admission hang in the air, but doesn’t beat you over the head with what that line is actually saying. 

gif by @celluloidrainbow

To me it is clear as day that Laila wanted to have sex with someone that could see her so she could feel desirable in the body that she is in. Kanhum has her own way of seeing, in a beautiful hands hands hands moment Kanhum sees Laila by feeling her body, her face, her lips, and she tells Laila “you’re so beautiful” and she is fucking right. But I can see how Laila, after multiple rejections, may have a hard time believing that someone that does not have the ability to physically see her body  [In a similar way to Frankenstein’s creature finally finding kindness and acceptance from a blind man, and being chased away from that warmth by his children when they physically saw what Adam looked like]. 

And for Kanhum, it is clear how much that line devastates her, because she can see, she can see in the way she has learned how to see, and she sees well enough by feel to know that Laila is beautiful. You can tell how much she is hurt by the implication that Laila needs to have her beauty validated by a “normal” (as the movie names them) in order to believe she is desirable, even after Laila has been in a months long relationship with Kanhum, and they’ve caressed each other, and made out, and fucked. Kanhum’s reaction makes me believe that Kanhum is worried Lalia doesn’t trust her opinions on beauty because she can’t see the way everyone else can. But neither of these insecurities are voiced aloud, they just hang in the air between them instead. 

 I love how much this movie demonstrates the balance in a family’s relationship to disability. That the film understands that Laila cannot bathe herself, or go to the bathroom unassisted, but on the flip side, Laila is able to help her mother bathe, or warm her mother’s feet. Kanhum needs to have her swim suit handed to her, but she can also help Laila change in to her own swim suit. Laila’s mother cooks for her, because she’s her mother and that’s what she would do anyway, but once her mom flies back to India, Laila is shown cooking meals for herself. And they take the time in an hour and forty minute film to show Laila’s multiple attempts at frying an egg, and all the ways she ends up adapting and improvising in order to make it work. I love that they show the wasteland of broken eggs, that Laila shoves in to a trashcan with a spatula because she doesn’t have the grip strength or range of motion to just sweep those off the counter and in to the trash with her hand. 

I love the way that sexuality and disability intersect in this film. When Laila comes out to her mother as bisexual, her mom is pissed and does not speak to her for a day or two, and Laila calls her own mother a hypocrite: “Abnormal. That’s what the world said about [my disability] too. What’s your problem now?” And it’s such a great point, because we are at a time in this story where every aspect of these characters lives are part of their normal, or added accessibility tools are just swiftly adopted in to their lives. Laila is never infantilized, she is trusted to be independent, to live abroad without her parents there, and her mother is about as anxious as any parent seeing their kid spread their wings for the first time would be. Laila has a caretaker in New York that we literally never see, because it isn’t relevant, and every time we see someone taking care of Laila or on the flip, Laila taking care of someone else, there is a level of intimacy to it. Familial, platonic, sexual, romantic, you name it. 

gif by @celluloidrainbow

I love the complexity this film is able to build between its characters, especially in the way that Kanhum was deeply wounded and betrayed by Laila, but Laila is still the one that comforts her when she is crying about the information late at night. And Kanhum is the one to hold Laila and comfort her while she cries over the death of her mother. 

My only criticism is that they did not hire an actor with cerebral palsy or an actor who was blind for the roles, though Shonali Bose did initially set out to hire an actor with cerebral palsy. But according to the Wiki on this, there were no actresses with cerebral palsy in India, and the woman Bose wanted to play Kanhum initially, is blind, but was uncomfortable with the sexual elements of the film and opted to act as an advisor to the actress who ended up playing Kanhum. Kalki, who plays Laila, spent a lot of time working with Bose’s cousin to learn the physicality and speech patterns of people with CP. 

By/For/About

I would say for me with this one, it is not For the queers, but it is CERTAINLY FOR DISABLED PEOPLE. Like you can tell the writer has some very personal experience with disability from the depiction of disability itself in the film. But, Shonali Bose wrote and directed this film as a result of a conversation with her cousin, who is disabled, where she talked about her desire to have a normal sex life. 

Favorite Moment

gif by @celluloidrainbow

Literally every single one, every time Laila had sex, every time she flirted with a hot boy, every time she made music, every time she smiled, every moment of sexual tension between Laila and Khanum.  

Up until the very last scene I would have said that my favorite moment was when Laila is dancing with her family the night she leaves for NYU. It’s just so full of warmth, and love, and joy it made me so happy. But then. 

BUT THEN I GOT TO THE LAST SCENE, WHERE LAILA TAKES HERSELF OUT ON A DATE AND I BURST IN TO TEARS!

Hands down that is my favorite moment. Laila looks absolutely stunning with a new hairdo, and a fancy dress, and she’s sitting in front of a mirror, cheersing her reflection with her margarita with a straw. It made me so happy, this understanding that Laila loves herself, and is committing to loving herself. GOD IT’S SO GOOD AND KALKI WHO PLAYS LAILA HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SMILE AND HER EYE SHINE IS OFF THE CHARTS AMD GAH IT’S UTTER PERFECTION. 

Favorite Quote

Again, I have a couple. Laila, upon having her professor say he found someone to type for her: “Actually, I can ty-” *sees the hot boy that would be typing for her* “That would be wonderful”. Yeah girl, get it. 

Laila, trying to come out to her mother: “Mom, I’m bi,” // Her mother: “Am I any less of a bai (maid)?” Ah good old multilingual problems used for comedic effect. 

But, ultimately, I had to settle on: 

“This is scary for me. It’s wonderful, but so scary,” 

Because, I love me a good, candid conversation around how it feels to be queer, to embrace that queerness, and to know that eventually you will have to share that queerness with others (aka potentially come out to your parents). I also love it because I didn’t really see a struggle for self-acceptance around Laila’s sexuality. She is having a good time, being cute with her girlfriend all the while she is trying to figure out what her sexuality is. I just love when I don’t have to see a character struggle with realizing they are queer, and being scared feels like a natural part of being queer, and having to acknowledge that queerness to others, especially if you don’t know how they are going to react is, can confirm, terrifying. 

Score

10/10

this is my favorite film in the syllabus thus far.

[omniseurs-blog]

Saw a post asking about how many languages you know at least a little bit of, and the criteria for "knowing a little bit of" was 30 words and can form at least 1 sentence

I want you to keep that in mind when I write this list, more than likely it's just 30 words and 1 sentence.

1. (American) English - fluent, self explanatory.

2. German - ich kann sprecht Deutsche nicht so Ganz gut. Meine Deutsche ist arse. Ich have studien Deutsche in schule fur ein jahr. Meine family(?) macht min hasst Deutsche. Min (uncle) ist ein (racist) (who) har Nazi euros. Ich nicht studier Deutsche in fund jahren.

3. Swedish - jå, min svensk är sö inte bra, mitt svensk, därför studien Deutsche för jahren, jag (mix) vorden tillsomman och spelar vorden "deutshenized", . Jag studier därför min favorite twitch streammen, vargskelethor.

4. Japanese - こんにちは、私わオムニです。I know more Japanese than that, BUT I can't properly use it. Japanese was the very first language I ever studied, when I was 10 and got my first computer. I gave up when I was 12 and never quite picked it up again outside of occasionally learning a few words. おちんちんがだいすき。

5. Arabic

إنا من امريكا و إنا يذاكر عربي. إنا يذاكر لانها تعجبني

The one and only language I am currently studying. I've only been studying it for just about 2 weeks and I can't even tell what or how I might've spelled things wrong. Think Arabic calligraphy looks beautiful, and want to learn more about the arabic cultures without the demonization from the media

6. Russian - иди нафй, сука влат. Привет, как дела? Извините за мой русский. Я ие хорошо.

Started studying it in hopes I'd be able to go to the famous classical art school, and to help with the zlib project, but.... I'm afraid studying it gives off the wrong political impression

And then we have languages that I studied, definitely knew more than 30 words and at one point coult say a sentence, but forgot them all.

Hindi, Hebrew, Greek, Italian, and Norwegian.

So 6 languages currently, would be 11 if I didn't forget the others.

[mangotalkies]

Hey, your first anon here. I studied sanskrit in school but then i just left it after my high-school. Do you have any idea about how you'll start learning it because even i want to utilize the next few months I'll get after mid june to pick it up again.

I have no idea where to start except gathering the confidence to contact my sanskrit teacher from school whom i haven't talked to for years :'

hey there special anon, apologies for the late reply.

i don’t have a concrete plan yet. i scoured through a bunch of online resources and narrowed down on three resources:

https://www.learnsanskrit.org/ - it has a pretty comprehensive approach to learning sanskrit, and it’s free. i found some other courses/websites too but they’re not free, so i’m not super keen on them, and i found them less extensive compared to this free website. this one is for beginners as well as for those who want to skip the basics.

apart from this, i found this other website that kinda helps with conversational sanskrit, if that’s of interest to you, also free - http://www.acharya.gen.in:8080/sanskrit/new-lessons.php

lastly, i’m reading this book - sanskrit swayam shikshak by shripad d. satwalekar. i only found the hindi edition, not sure if there’s an english translation. personally, it would help me familiarise myself with the devanagari script. i also feel like the hindi version would emphasise some nuances better, which could get missed out in english - just my assumption though, i could be wrong.

so i’m gonna focus on the first and third one majorly, at least for now. i'm a complete beginner (didn't study it in school) so i've chosen these. if i’m consistent enough, i’ll look into more books and courses.

it would be a great idea to contact your teacher though, personal attention and recommendations can be really helpful when it comes to self studying a language. it might be a little awkward to establish contact again (😅), so it's upto you. if you do, please let me know the advice you get.

hope this helps!

if anyone else reading this has better recommendations, please comment.

[gretheresa]

Hey could share some tips abt learning new Lang you seem to have good grasp by now and I m willing to start Korean so maybe some advice would really help I g.

Have a grt day :))

I would love to! My advice won't be too structured so please bear with me 😭💕

New Script

First things first your target language has a different script. Since you've written your ask in English I understand that you're familiar with the Roman script. Please understand this, when you're learning a language and it has a script you're not familiar with, drop everything and familiarise yourself with the script first. A lot of students tend to develop a tendency of relying upon the script they already know to be able to read the text of their target language(hereinafter mentioned as TL). I'm in my third year of studying Japanese. Japanese has 3 scripts. Students who didn't familiarise themselves with the Japanese scripts still rely on writing the pronunciations of words in English. The learning of the Korean script is not just limited to memorising the letters, but as far as I can remember, the positions of the letters also matter. Essentially, you need to know the script like the back of your hand. Since the Korean language has gained a lot of traction in the past few years, there are now a number of apps for you to practice writing the script and provides flashcards for you to retain the script.

Gather Study Material/Make a Study Plan

If you're planning on self studying, do extensive research, on YouTube, Tumblr, find other people who are learning the same TL as you are, ask them what resources they use. As far as a beginner is concerned, most platforms provide basic learning material for free. If you need to get a basic framework or a goal to work towards, look for the proficiency test of your language and if it is conducted in your country. For Korean it would be the TOPIK test if I'm not wrong. The lowest level is 1, highest 5. Jot down the syllabus or print it. And start researching on gathering the material to cover that syllabus. This way you won't feel like you're arbitrarily studying whatever you can get your hands on. It'll give you a goal to work towards. For TOPIK level 1, I believe you'll easily find free resources online.

Understanding Sentence Structure

Grammar structure that is whether your TL is a Subject+Object+Verb(eg. Japanese, Hindi, Korean) or a Subject+Verb+Object(eg. English, Chinese). If you already happen to know a language that has the same sentence structure as your TL, take that language as your base language to learn the TL.

Input vs Output

When you're learning a new language, there's two things happening. One is Input, the other is your Output. Input would include reading and listening and output would be writing and speaking. Please understand that it might be a while before you can fluently create output. When you're starting out, a great amount of input is needed to "create" output in your TL. And by create I mean being able to create sentences in your TL as opposed to creating a sentence in your native language and then translating it to your TL. Being able to intuitively, effortlessly create sentences, or think in a new language takes a LOT of input. Think of how long it takes babies to speak because they don't have a base language from which they can translate. They gather input for such a long time before they can string two words together. So don't feel disheartened when you sit down to write something in your TL but words just won't come to you. It's fine. Put your focus into gathering a lot of input.

Kind of Input to Look For

An important thing to consider when you're in your quest for gathering input, is to gather such input as would be useful to your level of understanding of the TL. Imagine if a lawyer started talking to a baby to increase the vocab capacity of the baby. it won't work. Find materials suited to your level. If you're a beginner read children's books, watch children's cartoons. The good thing about being an adult is that we can learn faster than a baby, so naturally we might progress on to intermediate level more easily than a kid but that doesn't mean we can skip the part where we have to read kid's books.

Overcoming the Intermediate Level Boredom/Lack of Motivation

The true problem arises when we're at a lower intermediate level. So now we know more than just the basics, but not enough to be able to understand our favourite shows or read the novels or comics we'd like to read. The solution is to remind yourself again, that lower intermediate level requires reading and listening to content of that very level. This is the one place I've seen so many students give up because language does get progressively harder from here. And most people who are relying purely on studying grammar and cramming vocab from a boring list tend to feel super burnt out. The solution is to read and especially read fiction. Fiction will naturally create interest in finding out what a particular word means. I've never managed to learn vocab from a list. It's tedious, boring and I always run the risk of ending up hating my TL. So read, and always read the stories suited to your level of understanding.

Same goes for listening. Immerse yourself in podcasts, youtube channels of your TL. Again at the level that suits you. Being able to understand something in your TL gives a confidence boost and motivates you to study more to be able to understand even more complex grammar, which is why I'm focusing so much on gathering input that is suited to your level of understanding of the TL.

This got a bit too long than I had planned😅 I hope this helps. I might add something later on. I'd love it if other langblrs would like to add to this.

Learning a new language is soooo exciting but you must MUST know that it requires a tremendous amount of patience. When you're starting out and feel frustrated that you're still not able to understand movies or books in your target language, remind yourself that you're the equivalent of a 6-7 year old student when you're studying the language and be kind to yourself as you would be to a kid. I hope I was able to help you out, sending all the love for your language learning journey💕

[stars-studies]

Introduction

Hey studyblr people!!

About me:

Stars (She/they - please use both)

27, Desi, neurodivergent

Speak - Bengali, Hindi, English + Currently learning German (beginner)

Trying to apply for a PhD/second Masters in 2025/2026

Interests

whatever i hyperfixate on lol

books

fantasy/historical tv shows

plants

trying to learn to draw and write fics

Goals

I will be completely self-studying so I'm planning my own syllabus and doing my own courses from books and previous notes. The goal is to stay consistent and disciplined and try to minimise procrastination. Find out how and where to apply in the future and what requirements they have.

[magfilipino]

Talking about one's self [Part 2]

In this series of posts, I'll be posting about some declarative statements that can be used when talking about one's self in a conversations or during self-introductions.

2) Expressing Likes and Desires

Expressing something that you already like as a declarative sentence and expressing something that you like or want to do as an intention (not yet done) is often expressed as "gusto" in Tagalog. It can both mean like and want.

Gusto ko / ko(ng)

Usually followed by a pronoun or an action word, to express desire to do something or express fondness/liking for a certain hobby. If the action word is in contemplative aspect, then it might be expressing desire to do something. If the action word is in imperfect aspect that implies it is regularly being done, then it might be expressing fondness or liking for a hobby or an activity.

Examples:

Hanga ako sa pamumuno ni Lea. Gusto ko siya maging kaibigan. (Trans: I admire Lea's leadership. I want her to be my friend.) "siya" is a pronoun referring to Lea

Gusto kong kumain ng Jollibee Chickenjoy. (Trans: I want to eat Jollibee Chickenjoy.)

Gusto kong makita mag-perform nang live ang Blackpink. (Literal: I want to see Blackpink perform live.) Both the action words "kumain" (to eat) and "makita" (to see/watch) are in contemplative aspect, therefore the speakers express desire to do those activities.

Gusto kong namamasyal sa probinsya tuwing bakasyon. (Trans: I like visiting and going around the province every time I stay for a vacation.) The action word "namamasyal" (to visit and stroll -- visiting and strolling) is in imperfect aspect, meaning that it is still being done, in the process of being completed, or is regularly happening ("tuwing" (every time...)). When translated to english, it becomes a noun in function.

Gusto kong maging...

This phrase literally means, "I want to become..." and it can be followed by a noun with or without a modifier.

Examples:

Gusto kong maging matagumpay na negosyante. (Trans: I want to become a successful entrepreneur.) "negosyante" means entrepreneur, which is a noun and modified by the adjective "matagumpay" which means successful

Gusto kong maging oncologist, 'pag nakatapos na ko ng pag-aaral. (Literal: I want to become an oncologist when I finish my studies.) oncologist is a noun that is specific to people

Gusto kong magkaroon ng...

This is the combination of has/have and expressing like statements. It translates to "I want to have..."

Examples:

Gusto kong magkaroon ng bag na Chanel. (Trans: I want to have a Chanel bag.)

Gusto kong magkaroon ng maraming pera! (Trans: I want to have lots of money!)

Note: In actual conversations, sometimes "magkaroon" is dropped and simply use the "Gusto kong..." or "Gusto ko ng..." since both phrases expresses for things or events that are still yet to happen or will happen in the future, which is also being implied in "Gusto kong magkaroon..." sentences. Example: both sentences above can also be stated as "Gusto ko ng bag na Chanel," and "Gusto ko ng maraming pera!" Although the desire to possess both things are not explicitly stated, the speaker's meaning is left to be interpreted based on the context of conversation.

Gusto ko si ____ / ng ____

Usually followed by nouns. "Si" is followed by proper pronouns especially if a name of a person, while "ng" is usually followed by common or abstract nouns.

Examples:

Gusto ko si Ben dahil hindi siya nagsasabi ng mga birong sexist. (Literal: I like Ben because he doesn't tell sexist jokes.) "Ben" is a name of a person. "Si" becomes a marker for a proper noun.

Gusto ko ng sariling bahay para magkaroon na ko ng privacy. (Literal: I want my own house for me to have privacy.) "Bahay" is a common noun or object meaning house, while the word "sarili" is a modifer that means my own or mine.

Additional notes:

Most of the ko pronouns used can be substituted by other pronouns like mo, ninyo, niya, nila, natin, and namin.

Pay attention to how si and ng are used to be familiarized with these

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Jon Haidt and Zach Rausch

Published: May 15, 2023

When parents are asked to identify their top fears about the safety of their children, what do you think tops the list? According to a survey last year by Safehome.org, it’s not cars, strangers, or any other physical threat; it’s “internet/social media.” That’s not just for parents of teenagers and pre-teens, whose lives seem to revolve around their phones. It’s even true for parents of younger kids, ages 7-9 because every parent sees it coming and few know what to do about it. Parents don’t want their children to disappear into phones, as so many of their friends' children have; some resolve to wait until 8th grade, or later. Then their child hits them with the main argument that makes parents buckle: “But everyone else has a phone, so I’m being left out.”

For parents who resisted, or who plan to resist, a new report may encourage many more parents to join you: Sapien Labs, which runs an ongoing global survey of mental health with nearly a million participants so far, released a “Rapid Report” today on a question they added in January asking young adults (those between ages 18 and 24): “At what age did you get your own smartphone or tablet (e.g. iPad) with Internet access that you could carry with you?”  When they plot the age of first smartphone on the X axis against their extensive set of questions about mental health on the Y axis, they find a consistent pattern: the younger the age of getting the first smartphone, the worse the mental health that the young adult reports today. This is true in all the regions studied (the survey is offered in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, and Swahili), and the relationships are consistently stronger for women.

We believe these findings have important implications for parents, heads of K-12 schools, and legislators currently considering bills to raise minimum ages or require age verification for some kinds of sites (especially social media and pornography). We’ll address those implications at the end of this post. But first: what did Sapien Labs do, and what did they find?

1. The Sapien Labs Study

Sapien Labs is a non-profit research foundation with the goal of understanding how the rapidly changing social and technological environment is changing human brains and minds. Their main research project has been the Global Mind Project, an ongoing program that tracks mental well-being around the world using a comprehensive assessment of mental health along with questions about demographics and various cultural, technological, and lifestyle factors. They have issued a variety of reports on the state of mental health around the world. Among their most important findings is that in all the regions they’ve studied, mental health is worst for the youngest generations.

It didn’t used to be this way. There is a well-known finding in happiness research that, across nearly all nations, happiness or well-being forms a U-shaped curve across the lifespan (See Rauch, 2018). Young adults and people in their 60s and 70s are happier than those in middle age. But that may be changing, especially for women, as Gen Z (born in and after 1996) enters young adulthood. You can see the sudden collapse of young adult mental health in some of our previous posts on this Substack. For example, Figure 1 shows that up until 2011, young Canadian women were the most likely to report having excellent or very good mental health. By 2015 they were the least likely, and the decline in their self-reported mental health accelerated after that, while it changed very little for older women. (The same pattern holds for Canadian men, but to a lesser degree.)

[ Figure 1. Percent of Canadian women reporting excellent or very good mental health, by age group. Canadian Community Health Survey (2003-2019). Graphed by Zach Rausch. ]

Why would this be? What changed in the early 2010s that could have rapidly reduced the mental health of teens around the world, with a bigger impact on girls? At the After Babel Substack, we have argued that the sudden switch of teen social life from flip phones (which are designed for communication) to smartphones (which enabled continuous access to social media and much higher levels of phone addiction), is the major cause, though not the only one. There are unique factors at work in each country, but we know of no alternative that can explain the synchronized, gendered, and global decline in teen mental health. 

At Sapien Labs, they decided to test the smartphone hypothesis by adding a question about the age at which people got their first smartphone (or tablet). Is it just a coincidence that the first global generation to grow up on smartphones became the first global generation to have lower well-being than the one before them? 

Sapien Labs uses a comprehensive assessment of mental well-being that asks participants about 47 elements of mental, social, and emotional functioning on a life impact scale. These 47 elements are aggregated into a single score called the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), which gives extra weight to patterns that indicate severe problems. It also uses subsets of these 47 elements to create scores along six domains: Mood & Outlook, Social Self, Adaptability & Resilience, Drive & Motivation, Cognition, and Mind-Body Connection. 

(You can take the MHQ yourself and you can request access to the full dataset. For scoring and validation of the MHQ, see Newson, Pastukh, & Thiagarajan, 2022, and see this blog post that offers a clear explanation of how the MHQ is scored, and why.) 

Figure 2 shows the most basic result in the report: they simply plotted the responses from the nearly 28,000 participants who answered the “first phone” question, from all countries combined. 

[ Figure 2. As age of first smartphone goes up, so does the mental health reported by young adults, assessed by the MHQ. Data from SapienLabs.org. ]

MHQ scores are calculated from responses to the 47 questions and converted to a scale that runs from -100 to 200, as shown here: 

As you can see, the respondents who got their first smartphone before they were 10 years old are doing worse, on average, than those who didn’t get one until they were in their teens. The most mentally healthy respondents are those who did not get a phone until their late teens.1 You can also see that the slope is steeper for young women than for young men. The Gen Z women who got their first smartphone before they were 9 years old are in negative territory, on average.

The power and unique contribution of the Sapien Labs dataset come from two features of their work: First, they use a far more detailed measure of mental health than is used in most other large surveys. The second important feature is their international coverage. So, let’s zoom in and explore the six domain scores that make up the MHQ, first for the global sample, and then for the region and culture we know best: the Anglosphere.

2. Domains of Functioning

As you’ll see if you read the full report, the next step after examining the overall MHQ scores is to examine scores on the six domains of mental functioning:

Mood & Outlook: Includes items about optimism, calmness, anxiety, mood swings, sadness, and anger. 

Social Self: Includes items about self-worth, relationships with others, empathy, cooperation, aggression toward others 

Adaptability & Resilience: includes items about adaptability to change, ability to learn, and emotional resilience.  

Drive & Motivation: Includes items about motivation, curiosity, enthusiasm, and addictions.

Cognition: Includes items about memory, decision-making and risk-taking, focus, and concentration, unwanted thoughts, hallucinations

Mind-Body Connection: Includes items about sleep quality, energy level, appetite, and physical health issues. 

Figure 3 shows that for young women, all six domain scores show the same basic pattern as the MHQ: a consistent rise. You can also see that a few of the domains seem to rise more slowly or level off somewhat after the age of 13 or 14: Drive and motivation, Mind-body connection, and Cognition. However, the other three dimensions continue to rise all the way to age 18. The domain that rises fastest, meaning that it is most highly correlated with age of first smartphone, is the “social self” domain. 

[ Figure 3: The 6 domains of well-being, for young women, as a function of when they got their first smartphone. From SapienLabs.org. ]

Figure 4 shows the same analysis for young men. The pattern is similar, with two important exceptions. First, the slopes are substantially lower, meaning that the mental health and well-being of young men are not as strongly related to the age at which they got their first smartphone as it is for their sisters, although it is still related. (All of the significance tests and effect sizes can be found in supplementary materials posted in this Google Drive link.2) The second difference is that all of the lines are higher for boys, meaning that boys are doing better than girls at all ages (at least, according to their self-reports). The one exception is that the line for Adaptability & Resilience reaches the same level for both sexes by age 18. Given the steeper slopes of all six lines for girls, this means that sex differences in adult mental health are larger among those who got a smartphone earlier.

[ Figure 4: The 6 domains of well-being, for young men, as a function of when they got their first smartphone. From SapienLabs.org. ]

One major issue in analyzing an international dataset is that there are just so many differences between countries, regions, and religions that there are many opportunities for confounding variables to lead us astray. For example, in the Sapien Labs dataset, in the less wealthy countries such as India, few young adults had received a smartphone before the age of 10, which means that the data points on the left sides of the graphs contain almost no Indians, whereas the data points on the right side (no phone until 17 or 18) contain many Indians and fewer from the USA. If Indians are mentally healthier than Americans (for other reasons), this could cause the lines to slope even if smartphones had no effect on mental health. It is important, therefore, to look at individual countries and regions. (The Sapien Labs report does this in its appendix, where you can see that the trends hold for each of the world regions). 

The region that we (Jon and Zach) know best and have written on extensively is the Anglosphere (the English-speaking countries of The United States, Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and sometimes Ireland). We, therefore, decided to examine what Sapien Labs had found about those countries and compare it to what we have found. 

3. Zooming in on the Anglosphere

At the After Babel Substack, we have been documenting the patterns of rising mental illness among teens around the world, and, like Sapien Labs, we have found that the sudden decline of teenage mental health is an international phenomenon. Our research so far indicates that the increases in mental illness in the 2010s were slightly larger in the Anglosphere than in any other region we’ve examined. Figure 4 shows the large and sudden rise in self-harm rates among teens, particularly girls, in four of these nations (you can see much more in Zach’s initial report on the Anglosphere).

[ Figure 5. Since 2010, rates of self-harm episodes have increased for teens in the  Anglosphere countries. For data on Australia and for all sources, see Rausch and Haidt (2023). ]

In every Anglosphere country, the mental health of teens declined sharply around the same time (~2012) and in the same way (depression, anxiety, and self-harm, with bigger increases for girls). We have also found that the five Nordic nations show similar trends, particularly when examining changing rates of depression and anxiety (though not always for self harm). 

The Sapien Labs study began in 2019 so it cannot show us trends since 2010, but it can show us how young adults are doing today, and it can link variations in mental health today to variations in age of first smartphone. We wanted to get more familiar with the data and examine these links for ourselves, so we downloaded the full dataset as it was available on their Brainbase site on May 13, 2023, which was just about 2 weeks later than the dataset used in the Sapien Lab report. Our dataset contains 1,798 more participants, for a total of 29,767. The number of participants from the six anglosphere countries was much smaller: 1,465 (823 females, 584 males). By country: 682 in the USA, 297 in the UK, 224 in Canada, 239 in Australia, 10 in New Zealand, and 13 in Ireland.

We cleaned and organized our dataset in the same way as the team at Sapien Labs, with a small modification to account for our much smaller sample size. To reduce the jerkiness of the graph lines when we drop down to lower numbers of respondents for each point, we grouped participants into 2-year buckets (or three years, for our youngest bucket, 5-83). Figure 5 shows that the MHQ scores of Anglosphere boys and girls show patterns very similar to those reported in Figure 1 by Sapien Labs for the full 28,000-person international sample: The later the age of smartphone acquisition, the better the mental health. At least, that is true for the girls, all the way up to 18. For Anglosphere boys, there is a leveling off after the 11-12 mark. Delays beyond age 12 do not seem to be related to further increases in MHQ scores.4 

[ Figure 6. Anglosphere countries only: As age of first smartphone goes up, so does the mental health reported by young adults, especially for women. Data from SapienLabs.org, graphed by Zach Rausch. ]

We also plotted the six MHQ domain scores and found similar results. For females, all six dimensions of mental well-being improve as the age of smartphone acquisition increases.5 The effects are particularly strong for the “social self” and “mood and outlook”, which correspond well to the rise of internalizing disorders (depression and anxiety), which Zach has shown is rising within every Anglosphere nation. 

[ Figure 7. Anglosphere countries only: female MHQ dimension scores. Well-being on all 6 dimensions increases as age of smartphone acquisition increases.  ]

The trends for boys are similar to girls, though the effects are smaller and there is more fluctuation.6 Figure 8 shows that at the youngest ages, increasing age corresponds with improvements in each of the six dimensions. However, for boys, improvements tend to level off after age 12.

[ Figure 8. Anglosphere countries only: male MHQ dimension scores. Changes are smaller and more varied compared to females.  ]

4. Limitations

It’s important to note that the report from Sapien Labs is one of their “rapid reports” made possible by their fast-growing number of participants and the easy access they offer to their data. They added the question about age of first smartphone in January and they are publishing a report, with data from nearly 28,000 participants, in May. We believe that this ability to move quickly is a public service during a global pandemic of teen mental illness. While their rapid report is not a standard academic publication and has not been through peer review (which often takes a year or more), the open access to the data has allowed us to investigate and confirm the trends they are reporting. We hope and expect that other researchers will download the dataset and offer critiques of the data, the analyses, and the conclusions drawn. This sort of “post-publication peer review” is becoming increasingly common as the problems with the existing peer review system become more widely known.

One issue to keep in mind with the Sapien Labs dataset is that the participants in each country are not a random or representative sample of the people in that country. Such studies would be extremely expensive to run, and now that so few people agree to phone solicitations or even answer their phones, it is unclear how representative such surveys can be. Those who agree to be interviewed, or who are motivated by money to participate, are not representative of the broader population. For this Sapien Labs report, participants came to the site on their own, or from online advertisements paid for by Sapien Labs, for the purpose of getting a detailed report on their wellbeing. So, the means reported for any country should not be treated like direct measures of the true means. However, samples such as these are still very useful for examining differences within the sample, such as those between men and women, or between those who got a smartphone early and those who got one late. And the much larger size of the Sapien Labs dataset, compared to Gallup and other survey organizations, allows for many additional analyses. 

A second factor to keep in mind is that like all surveys, what we get is correlational data that is open to alternative interpretations. The graphs in the report are likely to suggest to most readers that getting a smartphone early causes later mental health problems. But with correlational data we must always consider the possibility that the causal arrow could run in reverse. In this case: having low well-being as a young adult could cause people to believe that they got a smartphone earlier than they did, but this seems unlikely. We must also always consider that there could be “third variables” that cause both of the first two variables to rise. In this case, one plausible confounding third variable is permissive parenting. Perhaps permissive parents (in each country) simultaneously do two things: they give their kids smartphones at very young ages, and they also give them few boundaries and little structure, which then interferes with development and produces struggling young adults. While this hypothesis is plausible and should be investigated, it is not clear how it would explain the fact that, in all the regions studied, it is the girls who show a tighter connection between early phone acquisition and later mental health problems, just as it is the girls who show a tighter connection between heavy social media use and concurrent mental health problems. Nor would it explain why mental health dropped so rapidly in the early 2010s (especially for girls) if permissive parenting (or some other variable about family life) was the real culprit.

And finally, we note that no one study is definitive, and more research is needed. We have been able to find a few other studies that examined the age at which children got their first smartphones (We have created a new appendix [8.14] in our collaborative review doc on Social Media and Mental Health). So far they are mostly smaller studies that have produced mixed results. If you know of any others, please add them to the doc or put a link to them in the comments below. We want to get this right.

5. Implications

We cannot be certain that the correlations shown in the data are evidence of causality, but we think it is appropriate for those who care for children to act on the preponderance of the evidence (which is the standard in a civil trial) rather than waiting for evidence beyond a reasonable doubt (which is the standard used in a criminal trial. See proposition 2 in this post.) There is increasing evidence that smartphones have a variety of detrimental effects on child development including reductions of sleep, focus, and time with friends in person, along with increases in addictive behaviors, so it makes sense that the cumulative effect of getting one’s first phone in elementary school would be larger than for those who don’t get a phone until high school. This is an important point made in the Sapien Labs report: The relationships they find suggest that there is a cumulative effect of having had a smartphone (and its many apps) over many years of childhood; they do not represent the effects of having used a phone a lot in recent days or weeks (which is the focus of most of the published research).

We think the implications for action are strongest for policies related to children and younger teens––those still in elementary and middle school (that is, age 14 and below) In most of the graphs in this post, including those for the Anglosphere, the slopes of the lines are steepest for those ages, and the links are visible for boys as well as girls (though smaller for boys). This concern to protect children before and during early puberty is consistent with a study published last year which found that in a large longitudinal study of British adolescents, the peak years for evidence of links between social media use and lower satisfaction with life were 11-13 for girls (which corresponds to the early part of puberty), while for boys (who begin puberty a bit later) it was 14-15.

On the other hand, the implications for action related to older teens and especially boys are less clear, at least within the United States and other Anglosphere nations. The lines for boys are somewhat flat in those ages, and the increases for girls generally slow down too. Furthermore, the arguments for why high school students need a smartphone (rather than an alternative, such as a flip-phone) are stronger than the arguments for why elementary and middle school students need one. 

We, therefore, believe that the Sapien Labs findings should motivate us to think carefully about whether and when to give children their own smart devices, especially before high school. It is not the Internet per se that is harmful; so much of the internet is fantastically educational, useful, and entertaining. The most relevant questions, we think, are: 1) At what age do you want to give a child continuous access to the internet and social media, even when away from home, even when sitting in class? 2) At what age do you want to give social media companies, and other companies, continuous access to a child’s attention? And 3) does a child really need a smartphone when other kinds of phones (such as “flip phones” or Light Phones) work just as well for general communication (phone calls and texting)?

Implications for Parents

The group Wait Until 8th was founded to solve the collective action problem that parents and teens are in: Even if most parents wanted to wait until high school to give their children smartphones and social media, as long as most kids have those things by 6th grade, there will be enormous pressure on their children, and hence on the parents, to relent. Unless the parents can coordinate. So Wait Until 8th asks parents to sign a pledge, when their children are in elementary school, that they will wait until 8th grade to give them a smartphone. The pledge only takes effect once ten families in that child’s grade have signed the pledge so that the child will have a community of peers and will not feel so isolated before 8th grade.

We think this is a great idea, we just suggest that the pledge should be: Wait Until 9th. Or Wait Until High School. Children are usually 12 or 13 at the start of 8th grade; that is still within the period of early puberty. Plus, if 8th graders have smartphones, that means that smartphones will be everywhere in middle schools, increasing the desire of 7th graders to get them. To solve collective action problems, we think it’s best to focus on setting good norms within collectives (such as schools): make elementary schools and middle schools be smartphone free. 

Parents understandably want to be able to reach their children when they are away from home, and a flip phone or other “dumbphone” is a very reasonable first phone that allows parents and children to reach each other. We suggest that parents not give smartphones as first phones. Let children learn to master a simpler kind of phone, one that cannot be loaded with addictive apps. Wait Until 8th offers an excellent list of the many smartphone alternatives.

Implications for Schools

Many of the teachers and heads of schools that Jon talks to are bitter about the effects of smartphones on their students and their school culture. They complain about the constant drama unfolding on social media during the school day. They complain about the distraction and the increased difficulty of getting students’ attention during class, since many students sneak looks at their frequently-buzzing phones, especially those sitting in the back rows. Many schools say that they ban phones, but what they often seem to mean is “the rule is that you can’t take out your phone during class.” That means that some students (the ones most suffering from phone addiction) will learn to do it stealthily, and many of the rest will just pull out their phones as soon as class is over, thereby missing out on face-to-face interactions with the students right next to them. 

We suggest that schools consider going phone free, meaning that students can use their phones to arrive and depart from school, but once they enter, their phones (smart or dumb) would be placed in a phone locker, or in a lockable pouch. We think the case for doing this in elementary schools and middle schools is strongest. In a few weeks, Jon will write a substack post laying out the empirical evidence that smartphones distract students and disrupt education, even when they are kept in students’ pockets.

We also suggest that school districts collaborate with social scientists to do experiments on entire schools, rather than on individual students. What if a state or district identified 20 middle schools that were willing to cooperate, and then randomly assigned half of them to go phone free?  There is no research of this kind that we can find, yet such a simple study would give us results within a single year that could potentially yield findings that improve both mental health and educational outcomes. 

Implications for Legislatures

If there is a cumulative effect of smartphone ownership in childhood, and if the effect is due in part to heavy use of certain kinds of apps (such as social media) rather than other kinds of apps (such as watching movies, or using Wikipedia), then it becomes even more vital that we develop ways of age-gating certain apps and content. At present, US law sets a minimum age of 13 at which children can sign contracts with companies to give away their data (when they check a box on the terms of service). But the law was written such that the companies are not required to verify ages. As long as a child says that she is 13 or older, she’s in and can create a social media account. 

This must change. If the minimum age were enforced, it would help parents solve their collective action problem, at least with regard to Instagram, Tiktok, and other social media sites for underage users. It is precisely Congress’s failure to enforce the age 13 rule that puts parents in the trap. Many states are now introducing legislation to remedy this omission. And there is one federal bill that does a particularly good job of focusing on age limits and age verification: The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, introduced by Senators Schatz (D-HI), Cotton (R-AR), Murphy (D-CT), and Britt (R-AL). The act would “set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps and would require parental consent for 13 through 17 year-olds.  The bill would also prevent social media companies from feeding content using algorithms to users under the age of 18.” The bill also requires social media companies to develop rigorous age verification methods. (There are already many in existence, and many more would appear if the bill gets passed.) We also think the Kids Online Safety Act of 2022, introduced by senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Blackburn (R-TN) would do a lot to make social media less damaging to children, and easier for parents to control. The fact that so many bills are bipartisan, at both the state and federal level, is a very encouraging sign in our polarized time. Legislators often report seeing the problems in their own children.

In conclusion: there is a great deal that can be done, individually and collectively, to address one of the top fears that parents express, about the safety and health of their children. The Sapien Labs data offers us new insight into the nature of the problem, and it alerts us that the problem may be global. It also guides us to the ages at which reform efforts are most likely to work.

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POSTSCRIPTS (added on May 18, 2023)

1—We welcome additional and deeper analyses of the Sapien Labs data, and will post links here to such reports whether they support or contradict our analyses in this post.

2—One issue we should have discussed in the text is the inclusion of tablets, along with smartphones, in the Sapien Labs’ questionnaire. If their findings differ from those of other labs which asked only about age of first smartphone, then we won’t know whether part of the difference is the inclusion of tablets. We hope that future studies will ask about the two devices separately to figure out which devices are associated with harm at which ages (if any).

3—Some commentary online has made the important point that it’s not the phone itself which is harmful; it is the particular apps that the child uses, a child with a particular personality, in the context of a particular family that does (or does not) exercise oversight and apply restrictions. We agree. The original iPhone introduced by Steve Jobs was three devices: a phone, an iPod, and a web browser. Great! Three tools. Probably not harmful. It’s the addition of the app store that turned the smartphone into a portal to everything. If early acquisition of a smartphone is shown to be reliably associated with developmental problems, it would likely be because it enables continuous 18-hour-per-day access to hundreds of activities.