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Naked Mole Rat Self-Esteem

January is weird. We make resolutions (or at least are told we should be doing so) with the aim of bettering ourselves, and we’re marketed a slew of diets, fitness club memberships, and exercise equipment to lose our holiday weight, so it all takes on a negative tone pretty fast.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



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January is weird. We make resolutions (or at least are told we should be doing so) with the aim of bettering ourselves, and we're marketed a slew of diets, fitness club memberships, and exercise equipment to lose our holiday weight, so it all takes on a negative tone pretty fast. You're not good enough, so you should be resolved to improve.

While I was thinking about silly hypothetical resolutions from around the tree of life (like a sea turtle trying to reunite with its offspring), I switched gears. I rarely hear from people whose new year's resolution is self-acceptance. And what animal--if it knew what we said about it--would need to practice self-acceptance more than the naked mole rat, or Heterocephalus glaber. This East African rodent needs a break!