There’s So Much More to Summer Than Happy Hour

Want to get a drink after work? You’ve heard the question—and said “duh”—a thousand times. But some people actually do stuff after leaving the office, actual activities that might actually be good for them. In a study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Stanford researchers found that spending time in natural environments (we’ll consider Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles one) reduces negative thoughts. The same goes for other “positive distractions,” such as jumping on a trampoline, getting DJ lessons, and taking a glass blowing class. Alcohol can be a positive distraction—news flash!—but imbibing too much triggers the release of stress hormones (and who hasn’t downed one too many when the drinks were two for one?). Instead of boozing with co-workers, says Ben Waber, president and chief executive officer of behavioral analytics company Humanyze, the better career move is to expand your social circle. “People who have diverse networks tend to be promoted faster and get new jobs more quickly,” he says. Here’s how to best take advantage of that time between turning off your computer and turning out the lights.

Outdoors: Listen to Herbie Hancock, the Lumineers, and others at the Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series. Through Aug. 13. Times and prices vary; bricartsmedia.org