ICYMI features what HuffPost editors are reading this week.
This week, we teared up while re-reading this year's recipient of the Hillman Prize -- a long-form profile of an abortion doctor who treats women in Mississippi. We were also awed by our infographics editor's illustrations of stress and curious to learn more about why people hate Lilly Pulitzer. We also spent time unpacking the devastating history of an author and actor who suffered psychosis after a car accident damaged his brain.
Read on and tell us in the comments: What did you read and love this week?
Gorgeously illustrated depictions of what stress physically feels like -- and it's different for everyone.
Quote: "It feels like being caught in a tsunami; the rolling of the wave keeps you from figuring out which direction to swim."
The number of adults ages 18 to 34 who take prescription stimulants to be more productive at work has skyrocketed.
Quote: "Elizabeth, a Long Island native in her late 20s, said that to not take Adderall while competitors did would be like playing tennis with a wood racket."
There is only one abortion clinic in Mississippi, and not a single in-state doctor who will provide abortion care. This profile follows a doctor who flies to the state twice a month to provide women with a necessary health service when almost no one else will.
Quote: "'There's more than one way to understand religion and spirituality and God. I do have belief in God. That's why I do this work. My belief in God tells me that the most important thing you can do for another human being is help them in their time of need.'"
While learning to dance might not cure Parkinson's, the combination of music and learning a new skill can be hugely beneficial for individuals living with the disease.
Quote: "'Tango has a reputation for being a difficult dance; it’s true,' another of Charlotte’s students said. 'It’s precisely for this reason that it appeals to me. Leaning such a skillful dance demands a lot of effort and practice, all things that go into a sense of awakening the spirit and body that might slow down, or reduce, the effects of Parkinson’s.'"
A religious studies professor explains why labeling foods as "good" vs. "evil" links food fads more closely to religion than science.
Quote: "Did the optional protein powder she offered count as a chemical additive, I pressed? A tan, gaunt customer, eager to purchase her cleansing smoothie, interrupted us. 'It’s easy,' she said, staring at me intensely. 'Processed food is evil.'"
According to psychologists, we're all "cognitive misers" who hold onto first impressions -- even false ones -- for as long as possible. The first step to undoing a bad first impression: have a friend level with you about your reputation.
Quote: "Realize that you are probably a terrible judge of how other people view you."
If Lilly Pulitzer is a uniform, what does that say about the identity performance of the individuals well off enough to wear the brand?
Quote: "These are clothes worn by people for whom life is, in relative terms, a permanent vacation."
Researchers are split over whether drool-worthy images trigger our desire for actual food, or whether we use the pictures as a substitute for food altogether.
Quote: "People like sugar and people like sex; candy and pornography are both super-concentrated, turbocharged doses of more natural sensory experiences."
Actor and writer Spalding Gray suffered from a brain injury in a car crash that contributed to his slow decline, and may have caused years of psychosis and multiple suicide attempts.
Quote: "I thought that two years of torment was enough. 'You have paid your dues to the powers of darkness.' Spalding half smiled and said, 'I think so, too.'"
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