Infotrak

Many Americans would like to downsize or simply get rid of the clutter that surrounds them and in some cases limits their progress in life. If you're ready to bust the clutter, Matt Paxton, decluttering and downsizing expert, host of the Emmy-nominated PBS series "Legacy List with Matt Paxton," author of "Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life," has smart advice for you.

We'll look at the effectiveness of a US National Parks program called "Every Kid Outdoors," which gives families with fourth graders free access to national parks for one year. Camilla Hodge, PhD, Professor in the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business, explains the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

Then, personal finance blogger Nick Maggiulli, the author of "Just Keep Buying: Proven Ways to Save Money and Build Your Wealth," shares tips that can perk up your financial outlook. His advice? Just buy now!

A recent medical study had disturbing findings: life expectancy for Americans is dropping, and our nation had the worst results among over 20 high income countries. What are the the reasons? Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor in the Center on Society and Health, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, discusses his alarming research.

A recent Veterans Administration study found that rural veterans with mental-health issues were likelier to get online treatment after receiving iPads. Kritee Gujral, PhD, Research Health Economist in the Health Economics Resource Center of the Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System, says the results are promising.

Only 10% of today's teens get enough sleep, thanks to omnipresent screens, academic overload, night owl biology and early school start times. Heather Turgeon, MFT, co-author of "Generation Sleepless: Why Tweens And Teens Aren't Sleeping Enough And How We Can Help Them," offers advice for parents.

Many prison inmates can get vocational training and other forms of education behind bars. But after serving their sentence, those prison credentials can limit their chances with employers. Sadé Lindsay, PhD, sociologist in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University shares her fascinating findings.

Is it okay to be negative once in a while? We'll explore what psychotherapist Whitney Goodman, author of "Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed With Being Happy," outlines ways to work through difficult emotions.

Home construction and repair prices are soaring. That's reflected in the rising cost of homeowners insurance premiums. Loretta Worters from the Insurance Information Institute explains how you can determine if you have the right amount of insurance.

Minda Harts, author of "You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls' Guide to Finding Your Voice," has helpful advice for young women of color looking to find their voice, as they prepare for high school college and the job market.

You accept a job offer based on promises made by the recruiter, only to find out the job is nothing like you expected. Rebecca Knight, senior correspondent for Insider, offers tips to help you avoid this dilemma.

Some of the most common drugs we take to relieve pain or fever have an effect one way or another on our immune systems. Christina Abdel-Shaheed, PhD, Early Career Development Fellow at the School of Public Health at University of Sydney, Australia, will explain what you need to know.

In recent months, prices for new and used cars have skyrocketed to historic levels, with no end in sight. Car buying expert Tom McParland, from the car buying service Auto Match Consulting, explains the reasons behind the sticker shock and has advice to help you get the car you need.

New research has found that a person's credit score can predict when they will die. Matthew Harding, PhD, Professor of Economics and Statistics, University of California, Irvine, UCI Faculty Innovation Fellow is thee study's author, and he will explain the two major connections between mortality and credit scores.

Invasive insects such as the emerald ash borer are killing a shocking number of trees nationwide. We'll talk with Emma J. Hudgins, PhD, FRQNT Postdoctoral fellow, Bennett Lab in the Department of Biology at Carleton University, who predicts over 1.4 million street trees will be killed in the next few decades, plus another 87 million on private property.

A recent poll of found that a quarter of American parents said their adolescent-age child had recently seen a mental health specialist. Most said those visits were within the past year, reportedly due to the emotional trauma and isolation surrounding the pandemic. We'll get details from the poll's co-director, Gary L. Freed, MD, MPH, from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Andrew Gray, PhD, Assistant Professor of Watershed Hydrology in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, led a recent study that found that most items in roadside litter typically originate less than two miles from where they’re found, and unless humans remove them, most of these items will never leave the environment. He hopes the research will help cities to develop strategies to prevent plastic litter that eventually taints water and air.

Americans are living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, tweeting and more. Anna Lembke, MD, psychiatrist, Medical Director of Stanford University Addiction Medicine, Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, author of “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in The Age of Indulgence” outlines new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain, and what to do about it.

A surprising new study found that the vast majority of carbon stored in trees before large wildfires was still there after the fires. Mark Harmon, PhD, Professor Emeritus in the Oregon State University College of Forestry says the research has profound implications for future policies relating to forest management and climate change.

A shocking percentage of Americans who used alcohol and cannabis in the past year drove under the influence of one or both of the intoxicants. We'll learn the details from Priscila Dib Gonçalves, PhD, post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health