New York Magazine 6/11-6/24/18

1 Adam Sternbergh sat in on Yale’s most popular course and gave readers his notes on what he learned about how to be happy (“The Cure for New York Face,” May 28–June 10). Beth Comstock, the former vice-chair of General Electric, wrote, “I can’t stop staring at this cover … We buy the fairy tale of perfection, and it makes us miserable. In business and in school, increasingly we think we can’t fail, so we don’t even try something new … Behavior change is the answer.” The author Mary Karr called it “a tractor beam of truth on happiness.” And Tal Ben-Shahar, the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy who pioneered Harvard’s hugely popular course on positive psychology, responded: “Reading about Yale’s most popular class indeed made me happier. My…

ON JUNE 4, the White House announced that President Trump’s planned congratulatory appearance with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles was canceled because, it stated, “They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem.” Reporters quickly noted that no Eagle players knelt during the anthem last season. Characteristically refusing to admit error, Trump instead issued a new justification, referencing a policy he had bullied the NFL into adopting for next season, under which anthem protests can take place only in the locker room, out of sight of cameras. “Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event,” he tweeted. “Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country…

LIFE IN THE TRUMP administration often sounds like senior spring. There are no expectations, popularity is capital, and the uncertain future is terrifying. The stakes, of course, are higher, but it’s the teenage drama that’s addicting. Because all good reality-TV shows are carried by casts of grown-ups reliving the drama of their high-school years, here is Trump World’s cast of characters when they were fresh-faced teens. Steve Bannon FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST Benedictine College Preparatory School, ’72, Goochland, VA Dance Committee, German Club, Monogram Club, Debate Team, Company Efficiency Award. John Bolton NATIONAL-SECURITY ADVISER McDonogh School, ’66 Owings Mills, MD Had leading roles in The Fantasticks, Carousel, and Finian’s Rainbow. Betsy DeVos SECRETARY OF EDUCATION Holland Christian High School, ’75 Holland, MI When her school didn’t have dances, she persuaded her…

NOT LONG AGO, I was contacted by a married woman—I’ll call her Lily—who wanted me to write the story of her seduction, which had occurred, as things tend to these days, mostly online. There was a guy in a Facebook group (handsome, accomplished); there was messaging, which evolved into flirting and soon many texts a day; then sexting, feelings, and declarations of love. I think we all know how this sort of thing can start to consume your life—you feel wanted, exhilarated, alive. You’re thinking about the person all the time, and hearing from him becomes like a drug you’re miserable without. Except that at some point Lily figured out that he had the same thing going on with other women in the group, and she didn’t just feel duped—it…

“WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GAS in the tank for the long term?” asks Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice-president of original content. It’s a Tuesday morning in May, and Holland and a handful of her direct reports are meeting in the 14th-floor San Junipero conference room of the company’s Hollywood headquarters. They’ve come to discuss renewal decisions for two existing shows, the Drew Barrymore–Timothy Olyphant zombie comedy, Santa Clarita Diet, and the recently launched remake of Lost in Space. As Holland goes around the room, she stares at a laptop screen filled with the memos her team has prepared. She notes the mixed reviews for Lost in Space. “Do we care?” Not that much, it turns out. The show is renewed for a second season. As they discuss story lines and other…

Netflix is famously secretive about how many people watch its shows and movies. But it’s let slip a few stats via the company’s official Twitter accounts. “To the 53 people who’ve watched A Christmas Prince every day for the past 18 days: Who hurt you?” —@netflix, 12/10/17 “Black women aren’t just riding the wave—they are creating it. 8-10 Million people have watched ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ on @Netflix so far.” —@strongblacklead, 5/23/18 “Some personal news:—33 Netflix films in 2018 so far—Watched 300 million times—By 80 million accounts.” —@NetflixFilm, 5/23/18…