The Daily Valet. - 1/18/22, Tuesday

✔️ A Frigid Libido

Tuesday, January 18th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Welcome back. Don’t you love a long weekend?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

A Frigid Libido

Is winter wreaking havoc on your sex life too?

Look, winter is a harsh season. It’s cold and it’s dark and everything seems to suffer—from our cars and our skin to our motivation and, somewhat surprisingly, our sex lives.

If you’ve been feeling less sexually inclined than usual lately, you’re not alone. “There may be biological, practical and/or environmental explanations for fluctuations in sexual desire in winter months, particularly after the new year,” one expert tells InsideHook. “These changes are normal, often subconscious reactions to seasonal shifts.”

Research suggests that a lack of vitamin D thanks to decreased sun exposure during the winter months contributes to an increase in erectile dysfunction and a decline in a healthy libido. We can see these effects illustrated by seasonal shifts in birth rates: conception rates peak in late fall and early winter, but start to decline into January and February as hormone levels begin to dip.

And your loneliness—especially during pandemic winters—may be messing with your mental health and sliding your libido into hibernation. This isn’t news to anyone who has ever dealt with seasonal affective disorder. You don’t want to do anything, but the isolation can cause a person to ruminate—to think negative thoughts repeatedly and obsessively. Hardly the recipe for “feeling in the mood.”

But that doesn’t mean you have to give into winter’s dry spell. After all, the dead of winter is supposed to be cuffing season, right? While many of us may not exactly be in our sexual prime this time of year, the desire for cuddles, warmth and orgasmic release remains.

According to BestLife, these winter blues can actually lead to a heightened sex drive. Researchers found that the turnover of serotonin was lowest during the winter. And since serotonin appears to inhibit sexual activity, your naturally lower levels in the winter might actually make you more interested in hopping into bed.

↦ Need a Jumpstart? Some experts might suggest indulging in a warm sex bath.

About That Package You’re Waiting On

Thieves target another source for goods

Well this isn't great news. Instead of shoplifting from stores, some thieves are zeroing in on another target: Trains and delivery trucks full of packages on the way to customers’ doorsteps.

CNBC reports that an 18-wheeler UPS truck was robbed in Atlanta in the early hours of Friday morning. Apparently thieves hijacked the truck right after the driver left one of the delivery company's largest hubs. Something similar happened to an Amazon driver in Detroit.

And in Los Angeles, thieves raided a train's cargo containers and left behind cardboard boxes that had been carrying purchases from Amazon and REI, including some with UPS labels and tracking numbers. According to a report from NBCLA, the thefts have been an ongoing issue in recent months.

Missing a package? Online order coming up as “shipment delayed”? This might be the reason.

The Ideal American Salary?

Spoiler: It’s far higher than the median U.S. household income

How much money would you need to be truly happy? And can your personal contentment actually be measured by the size of your paycheck? According to most Americans, feeling financially healthy means pulling down a six-figure salary.

A new survey by Personal Capital and Harris Poll found that the average salary American adults said they'd need to earn to feel in good financial shape was $128,000. That's far from the median U.S. household income in 2020 of $67,521, according to the Census Bureau.

Bloomberg reports that Americans currently have “a dwindling sense of financial confidence.” In 2021's final quarter, 34% of respondents said they felt financially healthy, compared with 48% in early 2021. Debt is of increasing concern, as nearly half of all Americans feel that their debt is unmanageable.

Meanwhile, Oxfam International found that the wealth of the 10 richest men in the world doubled during the pandemic as the incomes of approximately 99% of people around the globe fell during that time. The calculations also indicate that the wealth of the world's billionaires has increased more since COVID-19 began than it has in the last 14 years.

↦ Speak up: Maybe it's time to ask for a raise. But before you dive into that conversation, here are a few tips for making it more effective.

Hologram Calls Are Coming This Spring

Sci-fi fantasy? Or serious possibility?

Perhaps one day, disgruntled workers will moan, that this meeting could've been a hologram. We're not quite there yet, but the M by Portl comes pretty close.

The Los Angeles-based startup has just announced a new set-top device that aims to bring holograms into our homes without the use of either an AR or VR set. It's still a couple of months away but the machine has the potential to bring everyday communication into the science fiction future.

We've all come to rely on video calls more than ever during the pandemic. While Zoom and FaceTime will never replace seeing someone in person, being able to actually see the people we care about when we talk to them has made things a little easier over the last three years.

Portl is keeping exactly how the projection system works close to its chest, but the result is pretty impressive. The tabletop “holoportation” machine features an AI-enabled camera in the top bezel of the reinforced fabric-wrapped enclosure and integrated speakers to the sides. And you can flip it to accommodate portrait or landscape orientation.

↦ Dig Deeper: The BBC examines how hologram tech may soon replace requisite video calls.

In Other News

↦ Genetic Risk Factor Found for COVID-19 Smell and Taste Loss

↦ No Vaccine, No French Open for Djokovic As Rules Tighten

↦ Disclosure or Deception? New UFO Pentagon Office Divides Believers.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The stuff on our radar

A ‘Succession’ rom-com

Celebrity bourbons

Stay Curious

Develop your innate need to know more

I was a seriously curious child. The world looked so immense and I was fascinated by the seemingly endless amount of knowledge out there. Some teachers found it inspiring while others found it tiring.

But for me, it felt like uncovering the mysteries of the universe to learn where something came from and why it was important. My quest to understand how things work, the right way to pronounce words or what a new food tasted like probably led to this current career of asking questions and sharing knowledge.

Curiosity is often encouraged in the corporate world, but questioning can also be seen as being difficult or conflicting with the team's vision—to challenge or question, even with good intentions, often results in frustration and disappointment.

Today, in our 31 Days series, we dive into what makes curiosity so important and how there's a power in saying, “I don't understand” or simply asking for an explanation.

↦ Read: Why you should stay curious

Pants Built to Do the Job

Imogene + Willie Hencye 2.0 Canvas Work Pant

Hencye 2.0 canvas work pant,$195 by Imogene + Willie

Workwear's return has been the trend for the past few seasons and doesn't seem like it's going anywhere soon. You may ask, what makes something workwear besides dressing in Carhartt head-to-toe? Workwear derives from utility fabrics such as heavyweight twill, herringbone and waxed cotton, just to name a few. Also, the fit in workwear is opposite of years past with a more relaxed, nonchalant look—the pants are wider but usually taper towards the bottom.

Recycled denim painter pant, $145 by Alex Mill