Let your mind wander — it’s more beneficial than you think: Down time has become synonymous with scrolling through social media or mindlessly streaming a movie or show, but new research suggests that it’s healthy to spend time with your thoughts with no distractions. Alone time, devoid of distractions, can spark joy, serenity, and even make us more creative, science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer writes for the New York Times. “You’re essentially being the actor, director, screenwriter, and audience of this whole mental performance,” one psychologist said.

Sometimes giving your mind a license to go down rabbit holes leaves you more stressed if your thought patterns become dominated by work, life, or other responsibilities and sources of anxiety in your life. In that case, psychologists recommend trying to practice mindfulness, during which you focus on the present moment rather than letting your mind go rogue. So the next time you find yourself with a moment to spare, give your mind a break, let it run amok and see where it takes you.

Graduating to a pay gap: Pay disparity between male and female college graduates in the US appeared as soon as they joined the labor market, a Wall Street Journal analysis of federal data for 2015-2016 graduates showed. The analysis covering 1.7 mn graduates showed average pay for men surpassing that of women three years after graduation in some 75% of 11.3k undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered in 2k universities. Male graduates’ average pay in almost 50% of the programs exceeded those of women by 10% or more. Among examples of early-gender pay disparity were in Georgetown University alumna, where men graduating from undergraduate accounting programs earned an average of USD 155k three years after graduation, approximately a 55% premium over female colleagues. The gap is seen across a range of fields, including those that are classified as male dominant and likewise for fields typically dominated by women. Most degree programs saw higher average earnings for men than those for women.