Michael Stahl

Somewhere in the northern mountains of the Dominican Republic, I’m keeled over, looking like I’m going to puke. Trying to walk back to the four-wheel-drive crossover I arrived in with my interpreter, my body is betraying me. I tell him I’m gonna…

For a very brief time this past year, I dated someone in the same field as me: a writer whose career was, impartially and deservedly, at least a level or two above mine, as she’d already been in the field for over a decade and a half. A top editor…

You’re hanging out with a friend and suddenly they say something that you’re not sure how to react to — it’s a suicide joke. Maybe your football team’s kicker missed a game-tying field goal, you’re stuck in demoralizing traffic, or the president…

If you’re a writer, a designer, or are in a field traditionally deemed “creative,” it’s likely that you either have a part-time (or full-time) job to help pay the bills, or at least did at some point. Artists drive for Uber, pour cold brew at a…

"Vehicle Collision With Injuries. Attempted Assault. Gas Odor. Nude Woman Breaking Windows. People Fighting With Metal Poles. Sailboat Stuck Under a Bridge. Man Being Assaulted With Belt. Neighbor Performing Voodoo." These (including the last one,…

There’s a reason why politically incorrect language has such an impact on listeners — and it’s often not because it sparks anger or disbelief, as it seems to so often be the case with certain high-ranking American politicians. Researchers at Berkley…

On July 30, just a few days after a shooting at a garlic festival in Gilroy, California resulted in three deaths and several injuries, a San Francisco official introduced a city resolution declaring the National Rifle Association a domestic…

With the U.S. Open underway, tennis fans are once more clamoring to see two of the sport’s all-time greats renew their rivalry on the court. Should Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer clash again, it will mark the 41st time they've faced off on the…

When I was a teenager in New York City, hanging out with skater kids, hard core punks, metalhead dudes, and goth girls, all my friends smoked weed. All of them. Some drank and others dropped acid, but pot was certainly the most accessible drug…

A few weeks ago, I made the executive decision to quit using dating apps. And it’s been wonderful. In psychotherapy — where, for five years, I’ve worked through anxiety and a panic disorder, as well as depression — I’ve learned that you actually…

Some new research on optimism and longevity makes a compelling case for you to take a break from complaining on Twitter. Researchers from Boston University, Harvard, and the VA Boston Healthcare System found that people with greater optimism are…

More often than not, when I tell people I’m meeting for the first time that I’m a freelance writer who works from home, they generally reply with something like, “Whoa. Not having to commute? Working in your pajamas? That's the dream. Can we switch…

When I was a baby, the nap was a concept I had little regard for. There was too much going on in the world during the day that descending into darkness again for an hour or so was something I did only begrudgingly. Since adolescence, the rare…

Ever meet someone in person and, when the question of whether or not there could be a romantic connection came up, you thought to yourself, Meh, they’re not my type? There are, of course, benefits to seeking your type when dating. Particular…

According to new reports from CNN and the Washington Post, Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy revealed “multiple breaks in his neck bones." The financier, who allegedly engaged in wide-ranging forms of sexual misconduct with underage girls, was found dead in…

After matching with Nicole on an app last fall, we met up for beers in a busy Brooklyn dive. A simple, unoriginal concept, sure, but it turned out to be one of those first dates you dream of every time you swipe right on, message, or heart someone.…

Fitness enthusiasts know all too well how our pecs, lats, biceps, triceps, and the rest of the muscles we sculpt while lifting weights are intrinsically linked to the brain — that other, pretty important muscle inside our skulls. Several studies…

Bedlam erupted on the evening of August 6 in Times Square, when a typically congested summer crowd of tourists and sightseers suddenly rushed across streets and sidewalks seeking safety. They ducked into stores, restaurants, and even darkened…

I went to a psychologist for the first time in my early 30s. He seemed to be a nice, generally put-together guy, whom I chose because his office was close to where I lived, and he was in my insurance company’s network. But within three or four…