• A large percentage of Americans are pet owners.
• Having a pet comes with some surprising mental and physical benefits, especially if you own a dog.
• According to most studies, being a pet owner can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, help you recover from trauma, and reduce stress levels.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Americans love their pets.

In fact, most of them have at least one furry friend. Surveys disagree on the exact number, but an estimated 49% to 68% of Americans are pet owners.

In the last few decades, scientists have tried to determine whether the "pet effect" — being healthier just by virtue of being a pet owner, or by interacting with an animal — is real. For the most part, they've found that pet owners are healthier, both physically and mentally, than people without pets.

Although not every study finds that being a pet owner is overwhelmingly good for your health, most studies do. The discrepancy may come down to the type of pet — not only the species, but the temperament of that pet.

Here are all the ways pets are good for you, backed by science.

SEE ALSO: 12 habits that can make you seem instantly less attractive, according to science

Pets are good for your heart.

Pets, especially dogs, are good for your heart in two ways: they give you social support and they motivate you to exercise. If you have a dog that needs walking, you're more likely to go outside than if you were sitting at home alone.

According to a 2017 study, owning a dog was associated with lower rates of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. The scientists who conducted the study said that this may be because dogs might make owners feel less lonely and stressed, and because they get their owners moving.

The American Heart Association (AHA) agrees that having a dog is good for your heart. According to them, some studies conclude that pets help reduce high blood pressure.

Dogs reduce stress levels.

A 2012 meta-analysis looked at 69 studies on how pets affect their owners, and most of them had one thing in common: stress reduction.

In addition to having lower rates of high blood pressure, pet owners showed a reduction of cortisol, the body's stress hormone. In one experiment, children were put in a socially stressful environment — one group had a friendly adult with them, and another had a friendly dog. The children with the friendly dog had lower cortisol levels. The more they played with the dog, the less stressed they were.

Pet owners visit the doctor less often.

That same meta-analysis looked at dog and cat owners and the frequency of their visits to the doctor. It found that, on average, dog and cat owners visited the doctor's office less often. They also slept better and took fewer days off from work annually. 

If doctor's visits are taken as a sign of poorer health, the study concludes, dog and cat owners are the healthier group.

Pets are good for old age.

For the elderly, owning a pet might make life a lot better, especially if they're living alone.

According to an April 2019 survey by the University of Michigan, 73% of older pet owners said their pet provided them with a sense of purpose. On top of that, 79% said their pets reduced their stress, and 65% said their pets helped them connect with other people.

All of these factors contribute to healthy aging. A 2017 study found that pet ownership was good for overall health in older people. In the study, pets were described as a "psychological deterrent to loneliness."

Horses may be able to help you recover from trauma.

It's not just dogs and cats that can help you live a healthier life. One 2008 study looked at horses and their relationship with people, and found that they can help us cope with trauma.

The study examined a handful of patients who spent time riding horses as a therapy exercise, and found that those patients were able to cope with trauma better than patients who spent no time with horses.

Having a dog might benefit children with autism.

Every child with autism with autism is different, which means that having a pet affects every child differently.

A study from 2016 examined dog ownership in families with autistic children, and found that, in general, having a dog helped children with communication, cooperation, and attention span. In many cases, having a dog calmed the child. 

According to Autism Speaks, parents should carefully consider getting a pet if their child has autism. A hyperactive dog can have the opposite effect on the child, who may become agitated or stressed.

Animal therapy might be able to replace pain medication.

While pain medication serves a very real purpose — to help people cope with intense pain for any number of reasons — pain tolerance can vary from person to person.

In this 2014 study, patients recovering from total joint replacement surgery were treated using animal-assisted therapy (AAT), in addition to taking traditional pain medication. Other patients were given nothing but the pain medication. The patients with AAT recovered more quickly than those without.

"The animal-human connection is powerful in reducing stress and in generating a sense of well-being," Julia Havey, the lead author and researcher at Loyola University Health System, said in a press release for the study.

• At age 24, Raven Beria was working as an intern at a wealth management firm.
• When he realized he could be contributing much more than he was able to as an intern, Beria drafted a proposal for how he'd help the company grow and emailed it to the head of the firm. 
• He was promoted, and within six months became the COO. 
• Beria shared his journey — along with the exact text of the email that changed his life — with Adrian Granzella Larssen, a content strategist, editorial director, and founder of Sweet Spot Content. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Two years ago, 24-year-old Raven Beria was an intern at Inpac Wealth Solutions, a wealth management firm in Hawaii. 

He liked the job, and he was good at it. Perhaps a bit too good, he recalls, because his boss only saw him for the work he did, not the work he was capable of doing. He was spending time on task-related work like event planning and concierge services, but he knew he could contribute in a more strategic capacity on company-wide initiatives like human resources and client experience. 

What would most interns in his position do? Probably put in their time until they could find a new gig, or perhaps meet with their manager to understand what a path to promotion might look like. 

But Raven took a bolder approach. 

Rather than thinking like an intern — or even an employee — he tried to think like a consultant: How could he be an essential partner to his boss, rather than someone who was merely assigned tasks to complete? 

"It finally occurred to me: 'How do consultants improve other businesses?'" he explains. He picked up "The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom," by David Fields, the book he considers game-changing. "I learned about the process of communicating the vision back to the CEO, using indicators of success, uncovering challenges, and creating a plan of action."

Inspired by the exercises in the book, Raven drafted a proposal on how he'd help the company grow, added an executive summary, and sent it to the head of the firm.

The result?

Well, it was the email that changed his life. 

Read more: Here's exactly what it takes to get accepted into Harvard Business School, according to 5 grads and the managing director of admissions

That proposal led to a meeting with his boss to discuss the future of the company. "He asked me a lot of questions on how I would go about accomplishing some of those ideas," he recalls. "This was well beyond our normal conversations before, which was, 'Here's what we're going to do next.' Instead, it was more collaborative, and he seemed so genuinely curious to know my thoughts." 

Ultimately, Raven was promoted from intern to Operations Manager, then six months later COO. Best of all, the move gave him a new perspective on how he'll approach work for the rest of his life. "Instead of seeing myself as an employee or even as an executive, I now view the company I work for as if it's my client, and I'm the consultant," he says. He's also used this experience to launch his own branding firm, Brandalaxy. 

We'll get to the email in a minute, but first: why did it work so well? Here are my thoughts:

Ask not what your boss can do for you, but what you can do for your boss

Raven focused not on what he wanted, but what his manager needed. Instead of asking for a promotion or new job right away, he talked about his boss' vision and how he could help accomplish it. "He felt relieved to know that someone can analyze the little details of his big picture, so we can focus on being more effective," Raven recalls.

Show, don't tell

Rather than describing how he could think strategically about the company, he showed his capabilities by attaching the proposal he had put together. With that, his boss had tangible proof of what he could accomplish in the future — and was much more comfortable moving him into the new role.

Read more: This tactic brings in 100% of new clients for many freelancers and entrepreneurs

Get to the "how"

Most people, when asking for a promotion, describe the "what" and the "why" of the job they want, but Raven went one step further and talked through the "how." He outlined what would happen to the tasks that were currently on his plate, and how he and his manager would work together moving forward, making it easy for his boss to envision their new working relationship and say "yes" to the arrangement.  

So what was that language that got him to a "yes"? Here's the exact email Raven sent:

Troy,

You've got a large vision for Inpac. The question is, how are we gonna accomplish it?

In today's meeting, I'd like to:

• Clarify your crazy vision
• List some obstacles we'll need to overcome
• Provide a detailed plan and list of actions to get us where you want

Since you were gone last week, I've been staying up past midnight on several occasions thinking of executing what you want. I was reminded how I can be stubborn in looking for the problems in things before trying to see just how feasible your goals are.

And I think I found my reasoning. It's because of my resource allocation, and how I'm being leveraged.

At the end of the day, I want to think less like an employee and more like a partner working in your best interest to execute your vision. This means less task-oriented work and more project-focused jobs that involve business development and human resources. I must emphasize also that not only do I think this is where my strengths lie, but where I am most happy in doing my job. Most importantly, while you can hire someone else to do things like event planning, marketing, and concierge (which I've been having to spend a lot of my time on recently), I firmly believe you won't be able to get someone else as devoted into putting the time and effort into the overall strategic direction and execution of Inpac's future.

But of course, "What can't be measured can't be managed."

Moving forward, I'd like to report to you differently. Considering these are high-level projects, we'll collaborate using a single physical binder. 

At the end of every Friday, I'll provide a one-page exec summary on the major things I've done and things I'll need from you to execute your vision, and we'll keep on attaching that to the binder for you to hold onto. You can review this over the weekend, and we can discuss on our Monday Strategic meetings. 

This will involve four major projects on:

• Practice Management
• Client Experience
• Talent Management
• Human Resources

By doing this, we can make sure we're on the same page and hold each other accountable for focusing our efforts on the longevity of Inpac.

Good? Great. Let's get to work.

If you're feeling similarly underutilized in your role, here's Raven's final piece of advice: "You know, they say you should dress for the job you want, but I've learned actions far outweigh both words and looks. Instead, we should replicate the actions of those who've accomplished what we want to accomplish. That was the game-changer for me."

Raven Beria is still in his COO post today. He's also in the process of launching a branding firm, Brandalaxy. 

Adrian Granzella Larssen is the founder of Sweet Spot Content, which helps world-class marketers, thought leaders, and publishers create authentic, engaging content. Previously, she was the first employee and editor-in-chief of TheMuse.com, a content-first career destination. She's also the author of Your Year Off, a digital guide to traveling the world inspired by her experience traveling to 30 countries in 12 months. (Say hi and follow her travels on Instagram.)

SEE ALSO: There are 7 types of emails you need to master to land your dream job. But they're easy to mess up. Here's a copy-paste template for each that will make you look great to employers.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• There are several items in Europe that are much cheaper than they are in the United States.
• I'm an American who's been living and traveling through Europe since January 2017, and I've noticed several big price differences between European and American products.
• Groceries, housing, and even Uber rides are cheaper in Europe, as well as several other things.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I've been living abroad since January 2017, and my friends back in the United States constantly ask how I can afford it.

Simple: It's cheaper to live abroad than in the US if you're doing things right.

As a digital nomad who works as a remote journalist throughout Europe, I tend to change countries every one to three months. I'll be living near the aqua blue Adriatic Sea in Dubrovnik, Croatia, one moment and riding picturesque Lisbon trams to my coworking space the next.

Not everything is cheaper overseas, of course. I've had to pay $8 for a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer in Switzerland versus the $0.99 I could have paid at Target, and doing a load of laundry in Madrid costs $7  (and $7 more to dry).

But the fact remains that several products are much cheaper in Europe than their equivalent in America.

Here are nine items I've personally found to be less expensive abroad than in the US.

SEE ALSO: Travel guru Rick Steves shares 10 tips to save you money, time, and stress when you're on vacation

DON'T MISS: I moved to the US from China — here are the biggest cultural differences I've noticed between the 2 countries

Coffee

Whether I'm in Lisbon and order an espresso for under $1, or an Americano for just over $1, many European café prices seem far less to me than grabbing the equivalent at an American coffee shop.

I've also noticed that if you go to an American chain overseas, it's more expensive and closer to US prices, so I tend to avoid them.

Eating out

For breakfast in Sarajevo and Zagreb, I'd grab aburek(a pastry made from flaky dough filled with meat or cheese) from a bakery for about $1 and it would fill me up for hours.

Since they're very popular among locals, they're usually piping hot, coming straight out of the oven.

When you compare the cost with a pastry from an American bakery or coffee chain — which doesn't necessarily come right out of the oven either — Europe wins.

Restaurant meals, too, are often less expensive in Europe, particularly the eastern countries. For instance, in Krakow, there's a 24-hour pierogi restaurant,Przypiecek, where you can get 10 pierogi for around $4. And for lunch in Madrid, you can get a four-course meal for approximately $11.

Groceries

Overall, buying groceries abroad seems cheaper abroad — though this may vary depending on what you purchase. Some weeks, I spend about $20 on groceries, while other weeks, I spend more.  

For instance, in Warsaw, I'd spend $1 for a loaf of bread from the bakery, $1 for a multi-pack of butter, and $1 or $2 for a pack of cheese with 10 slices.

Farmers' markets also seem to cost less overseas and many people barter with the vendors to get even lower prices, such as a bag of oranges for $2 in Split, Croatia.

Alcohol

Although I don't drink often, I have noticed how inexpensive alcohol is abroad. For instance, at a trendy bar in Madrid, a glass of wine is easily under $3 — and not at happy hour. 

Tinto de verano— made from red wine and a soft drink — is also a popular drink in Spain and can be bought by the glass, under $3, or pitcher, under $7. Of course, this varies depending on the restaurant, too. 

Or, you can buy a 1.5-liter bottle of it at a local grocery store for about $1.50.

Rideshares

Although there are various rideshare apps available abroad, I tend to useUber, which is far less expensive than it is in the US. In Croatia, for instance, it seems as though all my 10-minute rides, a few miles apiece, would cost around $2. 

There's also a long-distance rideshare option,BlaBlaCar, that's available in several European countries. For instance, if you want to get from Madrid to Barcelona, about 373 miles, it's about $33 for the seven-hour journey.

Similarly, if you want to compare prices of various modes of transportation,Rome2rio will do it for you. Just type in where you'd like to go and it'll show you the cost of getting there by plane, train, bus, ferry, or car.

Housing

My last apartment in LA was $1,100 per month — which was on the "cheap" side — with two roommates and without utilities.

Abroad, particularly in Eastern Europe, my monthly rent is a lot less. In Bucharest, for example, I rented a studio apartment in the heart of the city for $650 a month. Plus, in many parts of the region it's possible to negotiate housing costs — like by having one Airbnb host price-match another listing or by offering to pay landlords in cash.   

Read more:I've been traveling around the world for over 2 years — here are the 13 best budget hacks that will make your next vacation cheaper

Of course, hostels are even less expensive: In Madrid, some are as low as $12 a night, while in Krakow, they're as low as $6 a night.

Phone plans

When I left America, I got rid of my American phone number. Now, I get a fresh SIM card whenever I arrive in a new country. Most have 5 to 10 GB of data included for an average of $10 to 15 per month in countries such as Croatia and Spain.

To make international calls, I use Skype, which costs $2.99 per month — or Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, which are free.

Medical care

Unfortunately, you can't live abroad without having to go to the doctor or hospital at some point.

In Zagreb, Croatia, I thought I cut a finger off when slicing frozen butter — and the ER visit, complete with stitches, cost me around $40. 

Conversely, thecost of an ER visit in America can cost as high as $20,000 for patients without insurance, according to The Balance.

Flights

There's no place like Europe to find a cheap last-minute flight andSkyscanner is my go-to — althoughWizz Air andRyanair are great resources, too.

For instance, I recently decided to escape the extreme heat of Madrid — 100+ degrees — and fly to Berlin. With five days' notice, I found a nonstop one-way flight on Iberia, through Skyscanner, for $49.

Plus, when booking a bit more in advance, Ryanair often has $10 sales within Europe, which no American airline can beat.

• Billionaires like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Larry Page can afford to drive any car they want.
• While some of them have splurged on Teslas and Paganis, other high-end rides, others have chosen to stick to Ford pickup trucks and Honda Accords.

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you had all the money in the world, what type of car would you buy? Would it be a $3 million Rolls-Royce, a $574,000 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, or a more subtle Honda Accord? While some multibillionaires have chosen to spend some of their wealth on expensive cars, others have taken a more modest route.

From million-dollar handbuilt cars to common roadsters, these are the cars nine of some of the wealthiest people in the world drive.

Jeff Bezos

Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos owns a 12% stake in Amazon worth about $114.8 billion following his divorce from his ex-wife, MacKenzie. But despite his wealth, a younger Bezos in 1999 still drove a 1996 Honda Accord, two years after the retailer went public.

When asked about his vehicle of choice in a 1999 episode of "60 Minutes," Bezos said, "This is a perfectly good car."

The MSRP in 1996 was $17,890.

Source: Markets Insider, Bloomberg, NADA Guides

Dustin Moskovitz

Facebook and Asana cofounder Dustin Moskovitz has a net worth of $13.4 billion, according to Forbes. Despite his 3% stake in Facebook, Moskovitz stayed frugal. A 2011 profile of Moskovitz in The Seattle Times noted that he drove a Volkswagen R32 at the time.

The MSRP for the R32 in 2008 was $32,000.

Source: Forbes, The Seattle Times

Jack Ma

Jack Ma is the cofounder of the e-commerce and tech conglomerate, The Alibaba Group. The China-based group's 2014 IPO was the world's biggest public stock offering at the time, raising $25 billion.

With a net worth of $37.3 billion, Jack Ma is the second-richest man in China. However, he hs been seen in a Roewe RX5 SUV as recently as October 2018. The RX5's infotainment system is powered by Alibaba's YunOS operating system.

Source: Business Insider, CNBC, Architectural Digest

Larry Page

CEO of Alphabet and cofounder of Google Larry Page earned his spot as the 8th richest person in the world. Although he has an annual salary of just one dollar, his net worth is about $53.5 billion as of October 2018.

Larry Page drives a Toyota Prius, according to Reuters. 2019 base price: $23,770

Source: Reuters

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha" is well-known for his frugal ways. The billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has pledged to donate 99% of his net worth of $84.2 billion in his lifetime.

Buffet drives a 2014 Cadillac XTS. The MSRP for a new one was $23,500. Before his 2014 Caddy, he owned a 2006 Cadillac DTS.

Source: CNN, Forbes

Elon Musk

The intrepid billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is known to drive and ride in his own company's cars. Musk famously swapped places with the first person to place an order on the Model 3, and launched his own first-generation Tesla Roadster into space.

Source: Business Insider

Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft and current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has a net worth of $50.9 billion. 

Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally personally delivered Ballmer's Ford Fusion Hybrid in 2009. Ballmer is a loyal Ford customer because his father was a longtime Ford employee in Detroit. The MSRP of the Fusion Hybrid was $19,500.

Source: The Seattle Times, Forbes

Alice Walton

Alice Walton is one of the heirs to the Walmart fortune and is the second-wealthiest woman in the world. Instead of working for Walmart like her two brothers, Walton decided to curate art, and reportedly has an art collection worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Walton spent part of her $51.6 billion net worth on her 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch pickup truck, according to a 2008 Forbes article. The MSRP for the truck that year was $40,930.

Source: Forbes, CNBC

Bill Gates

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has a net worth of $103.8 billion, allowing him to own several cars such as the 1988 Porsche 959. He supported the passage of the "Show and Display" law that allowed him to take possession of the 959 after it was imported to the United States.

The 959 debuted in 1988 at $300,000 and was once the fastest car in the world. 

Source: Sotheby's, Forbes, NHTSA

Mark Zuckerberg

The Facebook founder reportedly purchased a Pagani Huayra in 2014, although he has also owned an Acura TSX, Honda Fit, and Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The MSRP for the 2014 Pagani was $1,400,000. Not a huge outlay for a man worth $74.4 billion. 

Source: The Car Guide, Motor1, Forbes

• Research has shown that one personality trait: introversion or extroversion, can vastly impact how teams operate.
• Much of business culture, at least in the U.S., lends itself to extroverts.
• There are a lot of cultural changes a company can deploy to level the playing field. But introverts working on extrovert-heavy teams have to rely on the extroverts to implement such changes.
• Here's a tactic that puts power in the introvert's hands.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I just went through an interesting training on unconscious bias and one of the most surprising sections had nothing to do with things like race or gender.

It had to do with the fundamental way people process information and share their thoughts.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you speak your thoughts aloud as you have them, energized by the feedback of your coworkers? Then you are almost certainly an extrovert. Or, do you think before you open your mouth, exhausted by the stream-of-consciousness chatter of your coworkers? Then you are most likely an introvert.

Left on their own, business culture is often built to favor extroversion — especially in meetings. 

Research has shown that this single differentiating trait, which has nothing to do with capabilities, creativity, intelligence, or job performance, can have profound impacts on how teams communicate and operate.

If an introvert's organization tends to lean toward extroversion, than even well-meaning extrovert managers may unconsciously reward the talk-it-out-ers while inadvertently sidelining the think-before-you-speak-ers. (That was the take-away from the unconscious bias training.) Indeed, the amount that people talk is often taken as a proxy of expertise— rather than actual subject-matter knowledge or experience. 

There's a ton of research and strategies aimed at making a work environment that's fair to both types, and levels the playing field for introverts who may not always shine at a meeting-heavy, brainstorm-y company.

For instance, managers can distribute meeting agendas in advance. They can swap brainstorming sessions for shared documents, chat forums, or, to take things analog, sticky notes. These allow for people to respond to things in their own time, not extemporaneously.

Those are all worthwhile strategies, but reshaping the corporate culture may also be out the introvert's control, especially if they're an individual contributor.

Hence the need for magic words.

Well-meaning managers may even do one of the most terrifying things to introverts: ask a question in the meeting and then make everyone sit, look and wait for the introvert to answer. Managers may think they are being inclusive, giving space for the quieter types to have their say (and there may be introverts who are fine with this).

But that tactic also has the potential to embarrass the employee, making participation in the company that much harder for the person.

Unless the introvert is armed with two magic words: "I'm thinking."

Extroverts aren't really looking for an astounding, fully planned idea to fly out of someone's mouth. They are often simply looking for acknowledgement that the other person has heard them, understands and will respond.

"I'm thinking," gives introverts the space they need to think, while giving extroverts the immediate feedback they need.

Read: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told a cute joke about what it's really like to work with Bill Gates 

I learned this lesson from my daughter.

She grew up an introvert in a house full of extroverts. The extroverts would grow frustrated with my daughter all day long: What did she want for dinner? Silence. Where did she put that thing? Silence. Do you want to see this movie or that one? Silence. 

She actually was responding to our questions, just not out loud. We didn't realize it because her thoughtful gaze wasn't our form of communication: words. 

After many blow-ups and hurt feelings all around, we all finally realized what was going on. But it didn't stop us from wanting her to respond immediately to our words and questions.

So we taught her to tell us, "I'm thinking."

The extroverts were acknowledged and would calm down and chill. The introvert got the space she needed to think and reply. It made communication so much easier and it put control in the introvert's hands.

So, if you are an introvert who has to deal with extroverts, give these two magic words a try. If you are an extrovert who is managing, working with, or raising introvert kids, ask them to use the magic words. They could be the difference between frustration and teamwork.

Julie Bort is Business Insider's Chief Tech Correspondent. She's also the co-author of a once-upon-a-time best selling parenting book: Mommy Guilt: Learn to Worry Less, Focus on What Matters Most, and Raise Happier Kids 

Join the conversation about this story »

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• As people get older, the way they think about age changes dramatically. 
• Research points to the fact that we're naturally biased against age, but as we get older, that bias starts going away.
• "People also often feel younger than their actual age," UCLA psychologist Alan Castel told Business Insider. "At certain 'landmark' birthdays (30, 40, 50) research has shown that people will re-evaluate their age and take on/change habits."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Aging is, of course, a constant in life, but as of late, it's also been a trending topic.

Earlier this month, FaceApp's old age filter went viral with snaps from celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Drake. The controversial photo editing app has since been criticized for collecting and storing users' data, but apart from privacy concerns, the app has the uncanny ability to show how you'll look decades from now using artificial intelligence — throwing a surreal new light on old age. 

The reporter writing this, for example, tried FaceApp's old age filter, and found it frightening, uncanny, and probably accurate. And, clearly, he's not the only one. 

"People tend not to think about old age until they notice physical changes," says Alan Castel, psychology professor at UCLA and author of "Better With Age." Or, as the app's virality has attested, they see simulated changes.

"People also often feel younger than their actual age," he tells Business Insider. "At certain 'landmark' birthdays (30, 40, 50) research has shown that people will re-evaluate their age and take on/change habits." Their ideal age, or how old they wish they could be again, also tends to go up. 

"Landmark" birthdays shift age perceptions.

For example, a 2018 study (with over 500,000 respondents!) found that landmark birthdays lead to all sorts of shifts, as in: 

• By age 30, people's ideal age was their mid-20s. 30-year-olds felt their own age, and hoped to live to 89, on average.
• By age 40, the ideal age rose to 30. The age they felt like hovered around their late 30s, and they hoped to live to 88.
• By age 50, people's ideal age had gone up to their late 30s. 50-year-olds felt like they were 40. The age people hoped to live to dramatically increased after age 40, so 50-year-olds hoped to live to 89, just like the 30-year-olds.

The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, noted that when adults were asked about their ideal age, older adults chose older ideal ages. For example, 30-year-olds, on average, chose their mid-20s as their ideal age range, while 60-year-olds chose their early 40s. 90-year-olds went further still by choosing 60 as their age of choice.

The way the U.S. prizes youth shifts these perceptions.

"Especially in American culture, there is a fascination with being and being perceived as young." William Chopik, a social-personality psychologist and Michigan State professor who worked on the study, told Business Insider. "We associate youth with good things." (So did the Ancient Greeks.)

Other research points to the negatives attitudes associated with aging.  According to one 2016 study, people who are frowning looker older than people who aren't. "This only gets worse as people age — when you ask people how old they feel, they say they are younger and younger than they are in an effort to appear younger," Chopik said.

While it's unclear whether people actually feel younger than their age, or just say they do, Chopik thinks we're naturally biased to favor youth. In his study, the one with half a million respondents, Chopik asked participants when older age starts. The older the participant, the older the supposed start of old age usually was. 

Chopik says people delay old age in an effort to appear younger. "It's possible that their attitudes become more negative (because they are confronted by their own aging), but at least we know that people push off older age into the future when this realization (that they're getting old) starts to creep in," he says. 

SEE ALSO: A psychologist explains why everyone is obsessed with a new viral app that shows what you'll look like when you're old

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Holloway, an online publishing startup, announced on Thursday it raised $4.6 million in seed funding from NEA, The New York Times, and South Park Commons.
• The company focuses on publishing book-length "how to" content exclusively online that is authored and vetted by industry experts like Aditya Agarwal, former CTO of Dropbox, and Jennifer Kim, an advisor with accelerator Y Combinator.
• CEO Andy Sparks says that investors were originally hesitant to back a content publishing startup, but were intrigued by recent funding news from online Q&A site Quora, which is now said to be worth $2 billion.
• See the pitch deck Sparks and team used to win over its seed investors.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

The internet promised quick and reliable access to all kinds of information, but in 2019, finding high-quality, well-vetted educational information is harder than ever.

For people that process information better from reading than they do from watching a YouTube tutorial or listening to a podcast, the options are few and far between for quality "how-to" material that is also searchable. There's where Holloway comes in.

Holloway is an online publishing startup that focuses primarily on "non-fiction reference material," according to cofounder and CEO Andy Sparks. Think the famed "For Dummies" series, but on the internet. And on Thursday the startup announced it raised $4.6 million in seed funding to get its materials in front of the internet masses.

"We came to VCs and said look, all the different types of knowledge you find in a library, most of them had a big innovation for the internet," Sparks told Business Insider. "Encyclopedias had Wikipedia and the dictionary obviously had Dictionary.com. Non-fiction pop business books and fiction are dominated by Kindle. But there's this whole category of non-fiction reference, things you spend hours studying, and no one has brought that content to the internet."

Read More: See the pitch deck that nabbed Clearbanc, a startup that provides funding to other startups, $300 million in Series B financing less than a year after its first venture round

Sparks explained that part of the new funding will go towards helping Holloway bring on even more experts to write and edit the guides. Holloway has been working with industry experts like Aditya Agarwal, former CTO of Dropbox, and Jennifer Kim, an advisor with accelerator Y Combinator, with the goal to add more depth and niche areas over time to meet reader demand.

"Knowledge workers don't get degrees and just have the same job for 10, 20, or 30 years any more. Even four years later, your job is totally different than what you studied in college," Sparks said. "Millions of people are searching for that kind of stuff so there's a ton of opportunity for a company to come in and start reliable, well-researched content for those queries."

Convincing investors to back a content-publishing startup wasn't an easy feat, Sparks said. Although NEA, The New York Times, and South Park Commons ultimately signed on, Sparks had to lean on reports of recent fundraising success at online Q&A site Quora, now said to be worth $2 billion, to make his case with VCs.

"There was a lot of skepticism around book publishing, but this was also around the time Quora started raising," Sparks said. "Subscriptions were starting to be a bigger deal. So we pitched it like, hey, this is a bet someone should work on."

Here's how Sparks won over the investors backing Holloway's seed round.

SEE ALSO: 25 rising stars in venture capital who control millions of dollars in Silicon Valley and decide which startups will blow up

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• Worrying is often seen as a negative thing, breaking your concentration and taking up your time. Especially for entrepreneurs, worrying is rampant.
• If you're constantly worrying, there may be a more productive way to tackle those concerns.
• Scheduling a worry break means that you're making your mental health a commitment, offers an alternative to unhealthy repression, and allows you to have the focus of knowing you'll have time to worry again soon.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Worrying all the time is a reality for many entrepreneurs. Long hours working alone, increased pressure to succeed, and the rigorous demands of running a business often result in concerns that multiply and go unchecked.

Whether it's one or two big problems that nag at you consistently throughout the day or a host of little things that zip in and out of your head and break your concentration, there's one simple way to manage them: take a worry break.

The benefits of worrying on a schedule

A worry break is a scheduled time that you set aside on a regular basis to focus on the anxieties or problems that are preoccupying you.

If that sounds like a recipe for more stress, consider this: spending 15 to 20 minutes a day on a worry deep-dive can ultimately reduce your worries and help you cope more effectively with the challenges thrown at you. When you focus intensely on your concerns at a designated time instead of letting them run wild and interfere with your day, you're more equipped to create constructive solutions.

If you're ready to try a worry break, here's how experts recommend you start. 

SEE ALSO: 7 habits of the luckiest people you can start copying right now

1. Schedule a time for your worry break

Pick a time when you are usually alone and are less likely to be interrupted. Ideally, you would take a worry break on a daily basis, making it part of your routine. This also makes you less prone to skipping it on hectic or stressful days (which is when you need it most). Proactively tending to your mental well-being should be a habit, not an afterthought. Set a calendar reminder, write it in your planner, and commit to it.

2. Channel worries elsewhere until it’s time to focus on them

Trying to fight off negative thoughts and emotions backfires. They will just pop back up like trying to hold a beach ball under water.

Instead, capture your worries in a document, journal, or note. You may find it helpful to jot down stressful thoughts as they occur to you, especially if you feel worried about so many things that you can't even keep track of them. (It happens – especially to us perfectionists.)

This serves a few purposes: it keeps you organized, gives you peace of mind you won't forget anything important, and means worries stay out of sight, out of mind until you're prepared to tackle them. This may be difficult at first, but it gets easier.

3. During your worry break, worry intensely, but worry well

When your scheduled worry break arrives, don't do anything but worry. Free write about your fears and concerns. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Don't censor yourself. If any new ideas or next steps occur to you as you worry, jot those down too.

When problems meet the light of day, you'll probably find that solutions often come more naturally than you ever expected. It makes perfect sense: when you resist negative emotions like worry, they only become stronger. But when you confront them head-on, we diminish their power and often find ways to tackle them productively.

You might find the quiet time for reflection and deep concentration allows you to think more clearly. Or you might try setting a timer to brainstorm possible options to run by your team or a trusted mentor. Asking yourself questions like the ones below can also unlock your creative thinking:

• What story or limiting thoughts am I telling myself about this situation?
• What would I do if I had unlimited time and resource or if X wasn't a barrier?
• What would I like to happen?
• What will I do first?

4. Worry break over? Time to move on

When your worry break is over, switch gears. If you feel fixated on a problem, remember that you'll have another worry break on the calendar. In the meantime, you're now free to focus your energy elsewhere, without the powerful cognitive toll that round-the-clock stress takes.

So, worry away — when the time is right.

• Michel Falcon has gone from working as a call center agent for 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to advising billion-dollar brands. 
• Falcon left college to work for 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, fielding 100 calls a day. He was intrigued by the company culture, and became friends with the CEO.
• After getting promoted five times in five years, he struck out on his own in 2012. He found himself struggling. 
• But then he became a traveling speaker, helped launch restaurants, and wrote his own book.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Michel Falcon went to college like his parents wanted him to. But he wasn't an academic, and accumulating debt to get through school felt like a waste. So when another opportunity presented itself, he jumped at the chance to take a different approach to learning.

It was a call center job for a junk-removal business. Eyebrows were raised when people assumed he left school to be a garbage man, but Falcon didn't care. He was confident it would teach him the skills he needed to launch his own business someday.

Next, he needed to find his niche. Sales or marketing were logical choices, but he didn't want to go the popular route. As he searched for his calling, a Harvard Business Review article about a successful company caught his eye. That was all he needed; he was off to the races.

Taking 100 calls a day 

Falcon went to Capilano University in Vancouver, where he grew up, to study business administration. While he did well in courses he liked, he didn't excel. "I was paying for my tuition and decided I'd rather work for a company I could learn from while getting paid at the same time." 

After a friend raved about his new job with a company called 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Falcon researched them and liked what he saw. Its founder, Brian Scudamore, grew the venture from a $1,000 investment to a nine-figure international company with no funding or co-owners. They had just been named one of the best workplaces in Canada — after all, their motto was "It's all about people."

Falcon applied for a job in the call center and experienced the culture in the interview. "They were so hospitable, and it seemed like everyone genuinely wanted to be there."

Falcon was hired; and to appease his mother, he told her he was "postponing his degree." He was assigned the 4 a.m. shift and was answering 100 calls a day. "There were many things I would have rather been doing than going to bed at 6 p.m.," says Falcon. "I hated it sometimes, but that's when I remembered my purpose. I would use this company as a springboard to success and contribute to theirs along the way."

Read more: I'm a wife and mother who works from home. My family acts like I don't have a job — and I'm tired of it.

An MBA from a junk-removal company

How does an entry-level employee get to know the CEO? "It was actually the other way around," says Falcon. "Brian introduced himself to the call center team, a department often overlooked at other companies. That was something I learned from him: he's a servant leader."

Falcon and Scudamore developed a friendship, even boxing together over lunch. "I'm sure lots of people tugged at his cape and asked for his time. I took a different approach. I put my head down, did good work, and gained attention that way."

In 2008, Falcon read an article about Zappos, a billion-dollar shoe and clothing company with a renowned customer experience, which was heralded as one of the next secrets to success. "I realized you can't have a great customer experience without company culture and engaged employees. I decided to build my career on those three things."

Thanks to Scudamore's connections, Falcon spent a day with the Zappos executive leadership team. He turned the internet inside out studying his craft. "I contacted people who worked for customer-focused companies like Apple, Amazon, and Southwest. Sometimes I read case studies for six hours a day."

Falcon's dedication paid off. He was promoted five times in five years and moved to the operations team after three years, which helped build and manage the company's customer experience efforts. The department was responsible for creating customer-centric training materials, deploying a complaint resolution system, and managing the Net Promoter Score program, which measures customer relationships and loyalty.

"My time at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? was my MBA. They got a lot of value from me too, but I couldn't believe I got paid to learn so much. I believe organizations should offer so much learning and development that employees think they're getting the better deal."

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

In 2012, Falcon was ready to strike out on his own. At 26 years old, he gave a month's notice and started Falcon Consulting Group to advise companies on customer experience, employee engagement, and company culture strategies. With a month of savings, he moved home to work from his parents' dining table.

Falcon's first clients were small local companies. He took out payday loans and maxed out credit cards to get the business going. "It was tough," he says. "There were times when I quietly cried to myself because creditors were calling; I was stressed, and I seriously doubted my ability to succeed.

"I don't know if there was a single friend I didn't borrow money from. It was like robbing Peter to pay Paul. I couldn't get more credit because I didn't have any verified income. I was in debt and on my last financial lifeline."

After a year of struggling, there was a tipping point. During his free time, Falcon blogged about the value of customer experience, employee engagement, and company culture. Verizon Wireless found his blog and asked him to speak at their western region's retail conference.

"I thought it was a joke at first," Falcon admits. His next thought? "I hope I can figure out how to write a proposal and submit an invoice."

Falcon leveraged the project to work with international clients like Electronic Arts, Alfa Romeo, and Lush cosmetics. Over the next year, he traveled to countries such as Israel, Australia, and Saudi Arabia to speak at events. To hone his speaking skills, he watched Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up comedy. "Comedians have the best opening, closing, and delivery," he says.

Read more: I'm a recruiter who's placed hundreds of senior professionals. Here are 5 things hiring managers know that job seekers don't.

Hiring 100 people in 45 days

But it wasn't all laughs. "Traveling was cool, but it got lonely," says Falcon. "I missed the collaborative atmosphere of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? I was depositing five-figure checks, but I was hollow."

In 2016, his friend Brandon Farmer called for help launching a large venue with a restaurant, snack bar, cocktail lounge, speakeasy, event space, and rooftop patio. Falcon says the business would do $10 million its first year and required 100 employees from day one.

Falcon relocated to Toronto to consult for them and was offered a partnership in the restaurant group after six months. While he continued to speak and host workshops, he dissolved the consulting company to focus on the new venture's culture, employees, and customers.

Before the venue opened, Falcon built about 20 initiatives to enrich the lives of customers and employees. For example, someone from every department would be elected to the employee advisory board to meet with him monthly and discuss company culture. 

In the interview process, his team asks, "What is an indulgence that you can't live without that costs less than $20?" Whether it's a bottle of cabernet or dark chocolate with sea salt, that item would be waiting to surprise the employee on their first day of work. "If you want your employees to deliver unique customer experiences that grow your company, you must do that for your team first," he says.

The restaurant, Baro, opened in December 2016. In less than two years, the group opened another large bar-restaurant in Toronto, Petty Cash. Falcon says their Net Promoter Score is between 70 and 80, compared to an industry average around 40. At one point, the employee retention rate was 2.5 times higher than the industry average, according to Falcon — but he doesn't believe in monitoring retention anymore.

"A great company helps their team follow their passions as individuals, not employees," says Falcon. "If that means they eventually leave to follow their dreams, it's your responsibility to get them there. As former Netflix chief talent officer Patty McCord taught me: 'Be a great company to be from.'"

Never a thought leader

Falcon attributes their success to a people-first philosophy, and he's building an online course to help other companies implement his strategies. In 2018, he released his book, "People-First Culture: Build a Lasting Company by Shifting Your Focus From Profits to People," which became an Amazon bestseller. That year, McDonald's Canada asked him to be the spokesperson for their National Hiring Day campaign.

Falcon continues to advise businesses, speak at events, and host workshops across various industries. "I believe every industry could be a little more hospitable."

As a 33-year-old, Falcon understands younger customers and employees; but he also has the experience. "I cringe at the idea of being called a 'thought leader.' I've built our business with the strategies I talk about. I want to be recognized as someone who has done it."

Once a week, he talks with someone who wants to pick his brain. "That's what I was asking for in my early 20s," he says. "Shame on any leader who won't reserve time to help others."

Falcon often works 14-hour days, so finding that time is no small task. Every hour of his day is planned, including weekends. "People tell me I'm too busy, but that's how I want to be," he says.

Falcon still makes time for friends and family, his girlfriend, Sophia, and his Rottweiler, Maggy. He is also training to win a sanctioned boxing fight, one of his goals for 2019. 

Though he says he can't share what's next, Falcon has even bigger goals. "I'm launching my billion-dollar idea next year. It will become a globally recognizable brand."

How is he so sure? "It's been done before, so why can't I do it?" he asks. "Why not me? Ask yourself that question. That's the best advice I could give anyone."

Connect with Michel on LinkedIn or visit his website to order his book, "People-First Culture."

SEE ALSO: Richard Branson on the 'million-dollar lesson they don’t teach in business school' — plus 12 more secrets from highly successful people

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, says 2 beliefs have brought him the greatest success in life

• Only 12.5% of CFOs of publicly traded companies are women, according to the Spencer Stuart Fortune 500 CFO Index.
• At 32 years old, Jamie Cohen is the youngest person in the C-suite of ANGI Homeservices, a company connecting home-care professionals with consumers.
• Mentors have been crucial to her career advancements, and Cohen herself wants to lead by example.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories. 

Jamie Cohen stands out. For one, she's a woman in the notoriously male-dominated world of the C-suite — and at 32, she's also an unusually young CFO. 

Cohen works at ANGI Homeservices, overseeing the financial side of the company's mission to connect consumers with home-care professionals, for projects like kitchen remodeling and flooring. There are two things she attributes to her quick ascent up the corporate ladder, both of which she says are inextricably linked: taking on challenges, and being open to mentorship.

"I have a constant appetite for learning and just continually asking questions," Cohen told Business Insider. "Throwing myself into the unknown, and being willing to take risks, and take on things that I might not check every single box for. But I have the confidence in myself that I can figure it out, or I can ask people to give insight and input so that we can figure it out together."

A graduate of Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Cohen joined the corporate strategy team at digital marketplace HomeAdvisor (which would eventually become part of ANGI Homeservices) in 2011. She rocketed up the hierarchy over the next eight years, taking on roles like director of financial planning and analysis and senior vice president of finance, before being appointed CFO of ANGI Homeservices this March.

Cohen's career trajectory is astonishing considering the results women usually obtain when they indicate interest in promotions: even though women ask for promotions just as much as men, they are 24% less likely to receive them.

Cohen says having supporters in her corner was key to navigating these waters.

"I think that willingness to put yourself out there and ask for input creates relationships, and ultimately advocates across the business," she said. "So if somebody's contemplating promoting me, I have people around saying, 'Yes, I know her and I totally support that,' or 'I've worked with her and I believe in what she's contributed.'"

Why mentorships help women more than men

Without mentors, women in particular lose valuable insight into the realities of male-dominated business cultures.

Cohen explained that she worked with then-HomeAdvisor CEO Chris Terrill throughout her career to assume more responsibility within the company. Terrill was involved with planning her career development and path, especially when she considered going back to school to get her MBA. 

"I had just an ongoing dialogue with Chris and other people that were in my mentorship circle," she said. Ultimately, Cohen says she told herself, "'I think that there's more for me to learn here on the job and just a better path if I stick to it.' And I think that that has played out well for me."

The results of PayScale's Salary Survey show that for women, having someone in a position of power who is willing to advocate for them could help them move to higher-paying jobs — also known as a sponsor.

According to the report, each step up the corporate ladder sees an increase in sponsorship: 59.2% of managers, 63.1% of directors, and 65.5% of executives say they have a workplace sponsor.

Even when she was just starting out in the company, Cohen focused on creating strong relationships with mentors. This served her well when she transitioned to CFO: as it happened, she knew Glenn Schiffman, the CFO she'd go on to replace.

"I'd worked with Glenn for quite a while at that time and built my working relationship with him," she said. "And so when he took the reins of CFO of ANGI HomeServices, it was a constant dialogue and kind of setting out and laying out the path for me to take over as CFO."

Over half of the ANGI Homeservices C-Suite is composed of women, according to Cohen. The organization is about 50% women overall, while the accounting division is 75% women.

"Being a young, female CFO of a public company, I also feel like I want to give that back in terms of hopefully inspiring and showing other women that finance is an accessible area to enter into," she said, "that it's achievable, and kind of giving that back as well."

SEE ALSO: Here are 25 of the most innovative CIOs leading their companies' strategies in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and AI, according to experts and their peers

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Most hurricanes that hit the US come from the same exact spot in the world

• Adam Sebba is the CEO of Cookson Adventures, an ultra-luxury experiential travel company.
• In this role, he says that he'd rather work with outsiders — including former military officers and a one-time fashion director — than typical travel industry insiders.
• He also never sends employees to industry conferences; instead, they attend science lectures, film screenings, and art exhibitions.
• Here's why: The travel industry is stagnant and ripe for disruption — and to stand out in the noise of any crowded marketplace today, you have to be unique and eclectic.
• Take calculated risks when you hire people, he says.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I work in luxury travel — and yet I don't hire anyone with a travel background to work here.

Ok, you caught me. One of our directors, Nick, does come from a travel company. But one travel guy in the entire company isn't bad. 

We also have ex-documentary makers, a round-the-world sailor, a private jet executive, a submarine pilot, a yacht broker, former military officers, a scattering of polar explorers — including one who lived on Antarctica — not to mention a finance director who worked in fashion and healthcare. 

I started my business career at a well-known management consulting firm. "It always helps to bring fresh insight," a partner advised me, "if you have one person from a completely different industry on a case." This mantra stuck with me, and now later in my working life, I've found the tactic working again. 

The traditional travel industry, like so many other sectors, is stagnant and ripe for disruption. Even experiential travel companies can suffer from a lack of imagination. Originality is sacrificed for scalability and trips become off the shelf, 'one size fits all' packages. To stand out in the noise of any crowded marketplace today you have to have a differentiated customer offering. 

So, not only does our unique and eclectic mix of backgrounds work, it's essential. Because the three things that make our team different all boil down to this mix of people.

SEE ALSO: I run an adventure travel company. Here's what you should do instead of Everest

1. We’re breaking the mold

We don't send people to travel shows; instead, they attend science lectures, film screenings, archaeological seminars and art exhibitions. And that's how we source the truly different. "There are unexplored and breath-taking cave paintings in China," an art historian imparted to us at the Venice Biennale. "There's a lost city," a South American archaeologist confided "deep in the Colombian jungle that used to be controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia."

And last year, a scientist told us that he believed that there was an undiscovered species of killer whale circling the Southern Ocean. So, we designed an experience with these scientists at its heart; and it led to the almost unbelievable discovery of a new species — the 'type D killer whale' with a pointer dorsal fin and a smaller white patch by its eye — during one of our trips to Antarctica.

2. We evoke emotion

One of our mantras is "location is subordinate to experience" or in other words, it's not about where you go, but how you feel when you're there. What emotions does your experience evoke in your family; what lasting memories do you create with your friends?

To think like that, you have to behave differently — and we've found that when you've been indoctrinated into the traditions of an industry, it's hard to break out. 

3. Making the impossible possible

I joined the Army the day before 9/11 and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Northern Ireland. During my service, I learned that the military teaches you how to execute missions with scarce resource and creative planning. To build a luxury camp in the middle of primary rainforest requires complex logistics and a mission-focused approach. That's why we have two former army captains on our projects team.

So, what have we learned from hiring such eclectic and talented people? Three things.

• If you want to truly do something new, there's no cookie-cutter person you can hire ready to hit the ground running.
• Take calculated risks when you hire people. Prize transferable skills above industry experience.
• Above all, invest time in developing and training people.

We've found that when you get these things right, the "power of difference" can be transformational.

Adam Sebba is the CEO of Cookson Adventures, which crafts travel experiences that mix adventure and luxury for its global client base.

• To get a closer look at the US economy as it varies by metro area, we considered five measures of economic health.
• We used those measures to establish to ranking of the 30 biggest metro areas in the US.
• Cities such as San Francisco and Seattle have some of the strongest economies; cities like Detroit and Riverside have some of the weakest.
• See the full ranking here.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In our ranking of the economies of the 30 biggest metro areas in the US, we looked at five measures of economic health.

Each measure was rescaled to allow us to compare them to one another. Technically, we calculated z-scores for each metro area on each measure, which rescales each variable based on its average and standard deviation.

To make the combined ranking, we added together the five indicator z-scores for each metro area to create an overall economic index.

Here are the sources for each of our measures. All data is the most recent available at the time of writing:

• May 2019 unemployment rate: The most recent unemployment rate for the country's metropolitan areas came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics program.
• Year-over-year percent job growth rate between May 2018 and May 2019: Non-farm payroll employment figures were from the BLS' State and Metro Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings program.
• Q4 2018 average hourly wage: The BLS' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program tallied this figure.
• 2017 per capita gross domestic product: The Bureau of Economic Analysis releases annual figures on GDP for the nation's metropolitan areas, and we combined that with the Census Bureau's 2016 population estimates to get a per capita figure.
• 2017 GDP growth rate: This also came from the BEA's annual metropolitan area GDP release, linked above.

• Read more:
• 50 maps that explain how America lives, spends, and believes
• This map shows the highest-paying job in every state (we should've been doctors)
• From secretaries to substitute teachers, these are the fastest-dying jobs in every US state
• Here are the most and least dangerous states to work, from Alaska to Rhode Island

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Ray Dalio shares what he's learned from his succession plan at the world's largest hedge fund

• America's big cities are one of the main engines of the country's economy, but these 15 are relatively struggling.
• We ranked the 30 biggest metro areas on five measures of economic health.
• The cities at the bottom of the list tend to have higher unemployment and lower wages.
• Detroit had the weakest economy, according to our metrics.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

America's big cities have an outsized role in the country's economic engine, but some urban areas are struggling when compared to their peers.

Business Insider looked at five measures of labor market and overall economic health for the 30 metropolitan areas with the largest populations: the unemployment rate, job-growth rate, per capita GDP, GDP growth, and average weekly wages. We combined those measures together to get an overall sense of economic health in the metro areas.

Read more about our methods and data sources here.

Detroit, which just hosted the second round of presidential debates for the Democratic party, had the weakest economy among the 30 biggest US metro areas, according to our metrics. The city and its auto-heavy manufacturing sector were hit hard by the Great Recession, and it's recovered more slowly than many other urban areas. However, there are signs of hope, with major local investors working to bring life back to the city, as detailed by Business Insider's Rich Feloni in 2018.

Here are 15 big metro areas with the weakest economies, ranked from best to worst:

15. Sacramento, California: The job growth rate of 2.4% was tied for ninth highest among the big metro areas, but the GDP per capita of $46,860 was the sixth lowest.

14. Orlando, Florida: The job growth rate of 3.1% was the second highest among the 30 biggest metros, while the GDP growth rate of 1.9% was the eighth lowest.

13. Cincinnati, Ohio: The average weekly wage of $1,087 was the eighth lowest, while the unemployment rate of 3.1% was tied for tenth lowest.

12. Miami, Florida: The average weekly wage of $1,096 was the ninth lowest among the big metro areas, and the GDP per capita of $48,212 was the eighth lowest.

11. Phoenix, Arizona: The unemployment rate of 4.0% was tied for second highest among the big metro areas, while the job-growth rate of 3.2% was the highest.

10. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: The job-growth rate of -0.2% was the worst among the big metro areas, but the unemployment rate of 2.7% was tied for fifth best.

9. Chicago, Illinois: The unemployment rate of 3.5% was tied for ninth highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, while the GDP growth rate of 1.5% was the sixth lowest.

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The unemployment rate of 3.6% was tied for sixth highest among the big metro areas, while the GDP growth rate of 1.4% was the fifth lowest.

7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The job-growth rate of 0.8% was tied for fourth lowest among the big metro areas, but the GDP growth rate of 3.7% was the fifth highest.

6. Las Vegas, Nevada: The unemployment rate of 4.0% was tied for second highest among the big metro areas, while the job-growth rate of 2.9% was tied for third best.

5. Tampa, Florida: The per capita GDP of $41,224 was the second lowest among the big metro areas, and the average weekly wage of $1,021 was the fifth lowest.

4. Baltimore, Maryland: The unemployment rate of 3.6% was tied for sixth highest among the big metro areas, and the GDP growth rate of 1.0% was the third lowest.

3. St. Louis, Missouri: The GDP growth rate of 0.5% was the second lowest among the big metro areas, and the average weekly wage of $1,080 was the seventh lowest.

2. Riverside, California: The per capita GDP of $29,753 and average weekly wage of $909 were both the lowest among the 30 biggest metro areas.

1. Detroit, Michigan: The unemployment rate of 4.3% was the highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, and the job-growth rate of 0.5% was the second lowest.

• Finding a job can be difficult, no matter what state the economy is in.
• These people used unorthodox methods to secure their dream jobs.
• Some baked cheesecakes, some took out billboards, and one even got a tattoo. For the most part, these outrageous gambles paid off.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some people will do just about anything to find a job. But to set themselves apart from other candidates, the folks on this list went the extra mile, finding bizarre, hilarious, and ingenious ways to get the attention of hiring managers.

They utilized advertising and the internet to maximize their exposure, and even used the press to get the word out. Almost everyone succeeded in finding a job.

Here are some of the more outrageous approaches people have taken to find work.

SEE ALSO: 20 high-paying jobs you can get with just an associate degree

This man handed out his résumé by the side of the road

Sometimes, the best way to get people's attention is by handing out your résumé to anyone who happens to pass by. For 30-year-old Patrick Hoagland, it worked.

According to CNN, the recently laid-off construction worker decided to hit the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, handing out his CB to drivers passing by. The 110-degree heat in the middle of July didn't deter him.

"I at first laughed and thought that was silly, but I kept thinking about it," Hoagland told CNN. "I figured, why not?! There are millions of people in Phoenix driving around, someone might hire me."

Another Phoenix resident, Melissa DiGianfilippo, who was driving past, picked up a copy of Hoagland's résumé and shared it on Twitter. The tweet brought Hoagland hundreds of job offers. As of this writing, it's not known if Hoagland accepted any of the job offers.

One man put his name on a billboard to spark the 'Employ Adam' campaign

Adam Pacitti graduated from his university in 2012, but soon had trouble finding work.

After sending out around 250 résumés, he realized he needed a way to differentiate himself from other job candidates in the media industry. That's when he bought a billboard. He's said that the sign, along with a website, got him 60 interviews, eventually landing him a job. 

Source:The Muse

One man wore an Axl Rose wig to impress at his job interview — and it worked

After interviewing with several companies, one man wasn't having any luck. He reportedly decided to dress for the part: professional clothes paired with a long orange wig that made him look like Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose.

During the interview, he took the wig off halfway through, saying that he felt silly it in. The interviewer appreciated his sense of humor and immediately offered him the job.

Source:Quora

This student built her own LEGO résumé

Recent college grad Lisa Bowman took a unique approach to résumé building by constructing a virtual LEGO-themed CV. 

By showcasing her skills, she was able to demonstrate that she could actually do everything listed on her résumé.

Source: Mashable

One woman was asked to convince her prospective employers why she should be hired, and she suggested a game of rock, paper, scissors

After an interview for her very first job, one woman was asked to convince her prospective employers to hire her.

After thinking it over, the woman suggested a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine whether or not she should be hired. If she won, she'd get the job, and if the company execs won, they'd get to decide for themselves.

Naturally, the execs appreciated her sense of humor and decided to give her the job, regardless of who won the game.

Source:Quora

This man made an interactive video résumé to get hired

Graeme Anthony, a PR and social media consultant, was looking for a job, but was having no luck. To set himself apart, he decided to make an interactive video résumé showcasing his experience while proving he had the skills to back it up. 

The video features an "about me" section, a timeline, and an intro where Anthony says: "I've produced this video because, let's face it, communications have changed." 

Thanks to his unique thinking, he received so many job offers that he took them all — by becoming a freelancer.

Source: The Muse

One student walked two miles through a blizzard to hand-deliver a résumé

Some people will go to great lengths to get a job, but this person went the extra mile — well, two extra miles.

The college student was aiming to escape a toxic work environment and horrible boss, so she trudged through two miles of lake-effect snow to apply for a hospital job instead. The grand gesture worked, but ever since then, she was reportedly on call during snowstorms when other employees called out.

Source:Quora

This man got a face tattoo to get a job at an ad agency

Rudolph Troncone really wanted to get hired for a summer internship at R/GA, an innovation company with offices in 14 countries. So, he got a tattoo.

This bold stunt impressed R/GA so much that Troncone got the internship. After all, it would have been very hard to get hired anywhere else.

An Irishman bought a billboard to find a job and keep from leaving the country

Much like Adam Pacitti, this Irishman took out an ad on a billboard in 2011 in the hopes that work would come his way.

The ad read, "Save me from emigration." The man, Féilim Mac An Iomaire, was nicknamed "Jobless Paddy" thanks to his email address on the billboard. And, much like Adam, Mac An Iomaire was able to find work and stay in Dublin because of his advertisement.

Source: The Journal

Back in 1998, a man applied to a new startup called Google by handing out cheesecake and résumés

One man working in tech decided to find a job with a recently founded startup called Google in 1998. 

He was known among his friends as an excellent cheesecake chef, so he reportedly snuck into Google break room and handed out slices of cheesecake with copies of his résumé. The ploy actually worked, and he got an interview. However, he had already decided that Google was too stuffy and declined. Stories say he later realized he'd made one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

Source: Quora

This man paid for a Google ad that would show up whenever top ad executives searched their own names

To get the attention of top ad executives, it might help to appeal to their vanity.

That's what Alec Browstein did by taking out ads on Google, so that whenever one of the targeted execs searched their own name, they'd find Alec's job application as the first search item. These ads were targeted to six execs, and after a couple rounds of interviews, Alec was hired.

Source: The Muse

One woman sent virtual Valentine’s Day packages to prospective employers that stated, ‘Kim could be the one’

Kim Huynh, who works in advertising, has several methods to set herself apart from other candidates. One of her favorites was a website she created for prospective employers.

The site was branded as a Valentine's Day package that read, "Kim could be the one." There was even an interactive Flash game employers could play. Thanks to her remarkable ability to sell herself, she got interviews with four out of seven ad agencies.

Here are some of the other clever ways she gets employers' attention.

Source:Business Insider

A woman displayed her résumé in Christmas lights

A Georgia woman named Liz Hickok found her own creative way to tell the world that she needed a job in 2011 — with Christmas lights.

The lights spelled out, "My wish, HR job, Liz Hickok, LinkedIn." 

Local media reports say Hickok heard from employers as far flung as Italy, but she said her main wish was to remain in Atlanta with her family no matter what.

Source: WTVY.com

A Canadian man sent in his résumé with a 4-pack of his own craft beer

Brennan Gleason, a designer from British Columbia in Canada, got the attention of prospective employers by sending out 4-packs of his own craft beer, which he called "Resum-Ale."

The CV itself was printed on the beer-bottle labels, which added a unique touch to an already special approach. And after drinking his ale, a digital marketing agency gave Gleason a much-needed job.

Source: ABC News

A British man decided to find work everywhere he went by wearing his résumé

When you don't have money for beer or billboards, try making your own shirts. 

A British man named Joe Busby spent a while applying to jobs and getting nowhere, so he decided to apply to jobs wherever he went by wearing his résumé.

Joe told the BBC that he was still looking for work, though he was much more optimistic than before he'd hatched up his memorable scheme.

Source: BBC

One British man decided to auction himself off on eBay

One man named Josh Butler reportedly took a more comical approach to job applications: He auctioned himself off on eBay for £16,000 ($21,000). 

When you click on the item description, you get redirected to Butler's résumé, which outlines his experience until 2011.

Source:Cheat Sheet

One man couldn’t find work, so he made his own website, which he called a ‘reverse job application'

Andrew Horner was sick of applying to jobs with fruitless results, so he turned the job application process on its head.

He created a website where prospective employers had to compete for his attention, as if they were the real candidates. The unorthodox approach landed him a job.

Source:Cheat Sheet

• I moved from Los Angeles to a town of just 2,260 people in Idaho.
• Moving from a major US city to a small town came with many culture shocks, from the popularity of hunting and rodeo to the nature of local politics.
• Here were some of the biggest culture shocks I've had to adjust to since moving.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In January 2013, my wife and I left a balmy 70-degree morning in Hollywood with all our earthly possessions condensed into a pickup truck and a CR-V.

After close to a decade living in Orange County and Los Angeles, we'd decided to take a break from the traffic, the crowds, and the stress of competitive, busy coastal cities. Our destination was the rural town of Victor, Idaho, in the Rocky Mountain West, population 2,260.

A day later we arrived at our small, one-bedroom cabin on a minus-23-degree day. Our pipes were frozen and the baseboard heaters struggled to heat the place up. 

As we began to wonder whether we'd made a mistake, and if we would ever feel warm again, much less make it a whole winter, our neighbor walked over with a massive load of split firewood and welcomed us to the neighborhood. I tried to give him some cash but he waved his hands — he seemed embarrassed by my thanks, as if to say, "Why wouldn't I help out a neighbor in need?"

Thus began our new life in the small mountain enclave that we now call home.

Related:I moved to the US from China — here are the biggest cultural differences I've noticed between the 2 countries

There were a lot of cultural differences I noticed immediately after moving from the most sprawling city in the US to a town of a couple thousand people. As time went on, I realized that some of those preliminary observations were right on, while others only scratched the surface of very complex cultural differences.

These are the the biggest culture shocks I encountered after I moved from LA to a tiny town of just over 2,000 people.

SEE ALSO: I moved to the US from China — here are the biggest cultural differences I've noticed between the 2 countries

DON'T MISS: I'm an American who's lived in Europe for 10 years — and I don't miss these 5 aspects of American culture at all

In my small town, everybody helps everybody

Not to sound cynical, but my time in Los Angeles made me a little skeptical of the kindness of strangers.

Scammers on the street would try to sucker you into handing over money at every corner. And I remember discussions about how inviting a certain person to a party would be good because that person had pull with a certain actor or writer. It felt like almost everybody had an agenda.

A week after we moved to our new home in the mountains, my wife and I were trying to lug a very large couch out of a local store. A guy walked up and offered to help. I accepted, and he lifted and carried it out with a smile the whole time. Once he'd gotten it to the truck I reached in my pocket for some bills and he waved his hand — "Naw man, I just like helping people," he said. I eyed him suspiciously for about a minute, trying to figure out his angle. 

My wife and I have been pulled out of snowbanks, drifts, and ditches at least half a dozen times by people just driving by. Most recently I was pulled out by a guy in a tractor who was plowing a road I hadn't realized was not county-maintained. On top of the fact that he pulled me out and pulled out the car behind me, he was taking a few hours out of his morning to clear a road of snow despite the fact that he had no responsibility to do so. 

Needless to say, it was very different from what I had experienced in the big city.

People leave their doors unlocked and their valuables in plain sight

This was a tough one for a man who grew up in Baltimore and then lived in Los Angeles, but where I live now, few people lock their houses. Many cars are left unlocked, even on the main street in town. People leave their duffels with their wallets and phones in open-air cubbies in the locker room at the gym. 

It took me a while to realize how guarded I had been walking the streets of downtown Los Angeles, or even going to my local gym.

Thankfully, when it comes to crime in my new hometown, public drunkenness is typically the worst thing people hear about in the police blotter.

The media focus on the local community

I still remember one of my first big culture shocks: when I saw a picture from the local high school basketball team on the front page of the daily paper.

I used to read the nationally-minded LA Times. Now my local paper, the Jackson Hole News & Guide, runs stories about the debate team. 

The issues people care about here are different than those in the city. Stories about land usage, grazing rights, and the Bureau of Land Management are hot-button topics over here, while they may not register with my friends in coastal cities.

The region is lacking in racial diversity

According to the US Census Bureau, my county is just 0.4% black. Our largest nearby urban center, Salt Lake City (about 4 hours away) barely fares better, at 2.02%. While there are rapidly-growing Latino communities in most of the Rocky Mountain West, they're still smaller than in most urban centers. 

Compare that to my old hometown of LA, where 49% of the population is Latino, 9% is black, 12% is Asian, and just 28% non-Hispanic white.

I am not going to speculate on the reasons why minority populations aren't larger in these mountain towns. But I'll say that it does make me feel more than a bit separated from the greater debates on racism taking place across the country.

Hunting is extremely important to the local culture — and much different than I imagined

I grew up with two extremely anti-gun former hippies as parents. I never shot a gun until I was 30.

But given our regular interactions with dangerous wildlife in the Tetons, and the popularity of hunting throughout the region, it felt like a necessity to have a gun, which is why I own one today.

I was surprised to find that shooting is, well, fun.

I took my hunter's education course with people of all ages and political affiliations, and learned that responsibility, respect, and control are the guiding principles. The gun owners I met take the responsibility of owning a gun very seriously and approve of formal education and certification for operating weapons.

Hunting is a central component of life up here because until the early 1900s, if you couldn't hunt, you might starve. Much of this area was first explored and settled by trappers with limited outside resources, especially during the winter. That tradition continued on into the modern era.

While many restaurants may tout the ethical source of their meats, no meat is more free-range, organically fed, or responsibly sourced than game meat.

I discovered that most hunters around here have high respect for local wildlife — much more than visitors I've observed crowding a poor moose and calf to get a picture, for example.

Everyone here loves to play in the great outdoors

In the city, it was easy to fall into the cycle of bar/restaurant/shopping/pool. Up here, you're forced to spend time in nature for fun and socializing.

Instead of meeting up for drinks, people make ski dates. I know quite a few people who take their dates on hikes instead of going to restaurants. After work, a friend and I hike up and then ski down the local hill by headlamp. And when you ask people what they did last weekend, there's almost always a mention of some sort of outdoor activity.

Perhaps this culture helps explain why life expectancy is so long in my small Idaho county, and why it scores so well in other health categories, according to 2014 data.

Many businesses are closed on Sundays, and nightlife shuts down early

This was one of the biggest shocks for me when I moved to my new town.

The supermarket is closed on Sunday. The hardware stores are closed on Sunday, and the lumber yard closes at 3 p.m. on Saturday. 

It can be very frustrating to get into a home project on a Sunday only to realize I need a different type of saw bit or a box of screws but the local stores are closed. The "whatever you want, anytime you want it" culture is such a basic part of city life that it took a while to fully grasp that I couldn't run out to a store after 5 p.m., couldn't grab dinner after 9 p.m., and couldn't do any shopping on Sunday. 

And bars don't stay open nearly as long as they do in the city. Unless there's a band playing or it's a special event, most bars close by midnight. Worse yet, there is no such thing as late-night food. I can't tell you how many times I've left the bar at closing time and would have paid an exorbitant price for a burrito or a slice of pizza, only to go home empty-handed.

Long distances don't seem so long anymore

Living up here can alter time and space. When I lived in Los Angeles, driving the 33 miles from Hollywood to Venice might as well have been driving to another state. It's an old joke that when friends move west of Sepulveda, you never see them again. 

Yet up here, a large percentage of the population drives 30-some miles each way over a state line every day to get to work. (Of course, that drive takes about 35 minutes, not the hour-and-a-half it can take to get to Venice and park during a busy Saturday).

Most people drive the 300 miles it takes to get to Salt Lake City to catch a flight that's cheaper or more direct than a local flight would be. I have friends who've driven to Salt Lake and back in a day for an important doctor's visit or a kid's sports tournament. 

And it's common for high school sports teams will ride several hours each way for a game. Perhaps the most amazing part of those long drives is the fact that you may only pass through one or two small cities along the way.

Small towns are more intimate but also more isolating than big cities

I've heard a lot of people in my town say they love visiting vibrant, cultured cities, but "can't stand all the people."

I can understand their discomfort. There are fewer people here than on some city blocks in LA.

You have a lot of time to be alone with your thoughts up here, and if you have issues with crowds and the bustle of busy boulevards, this is a great place. Acre lots are pretty standard in neighborhoods. You can always find parking, traffic is minimal, and there's a real sense of "we're all in this together" even if we're all more separated. 

On the other hand, there are fewer social events here, especially in the winter. And many people in small towns have had their friends for years, so it can take a while to build strong relationships, whereas in cities people are usually more interested in networking and trying to expand their social groups. Still, within a few years you begin to feel like you know everybody.

Small towns can be more intimate and also more isolating than cities, and it was shocking to adjust to that.

I'm a coastal liberal — and I was forced to see things from another perspective

I moved to a small town at just the right time in national politics. It feels like the conservative/liberal divide has grown to absurd proportions, and in part it's become a geographic divide as well as a social one. 

I'm a coastal liberal who now lives around rural conservatives, and living here has forced me to see things from another perspective.

My town was settled mostly by Latter-day Saints who worked in ranching and farming. There's still cattle and farmland interspersed between the burgeoning neighborhoods. Many of the county elders and large landowners are still Mormon farmers and ranchers, and religion is such a big part of life that leaving the church can mean for some people losing social and family ties.

I've come to understand the fear some small-town residents have of technology and new ways of working. In cities, people embrace new industries powered by tech and don't think twice about the demise of agricultural jobs. But when you were raised to be a cowboy, it can be frustrating to discover the only way you can make enough money to buy a house involves computers. I've seen this frustration unfortunately get aimed at newcomers to my town, many of whom are college-educated coastal liberals who ride bikes and skis instead of horses.

I would not have seen this very real problem fueling rural discontent had I never left LA, even if I feel like some of that anger is directed at me. But I've also gained a new perspective on national issues that I would have missed had I stayed in the city.

For example, after Donald Trump's election, I saw memes and posts from friends in California talking about how their state should secede, or how sparsely populated states should have their electoral college votes or senate representation reduced.

My first thought was water: Many of the rivers they depend on in California come from headwaters up here. As the saying goes, in Wyoming, "whiskey's for drinking, and water's for fighting over." When I pointed out that to disregard these states could result in dire consequences for water-hungry California, I got attacked by people with whom I agree on 99% of the issues.

Local politics feel much more personal here

A year after I moved here, I found myself at the local bar, casually drinking a beer with my town's mayor. We then went to a party and met two previous mayors.

In a town of 2,300, it's amazing how quickly you can get involved in local politics, should you choose to. Of course, being mayor of Victor, Idaho, is considerably different from being the mayor of Los Angeles. But the opportunities to affect policy and experience politics in action is unmatched by anything you'll get in a big city. 

One of the biggest issues we voted on in the last cycle was a tax increase to build a new elementary school. Since there's only one in my town, and only a few thousand voters in my county, my vote impacted my life and the lives of those around me in a very palpable way.

People you interact with actually know you

After a few weeks stopping at our little neighborhood market after work, the people behind the counter began to recognize me, my wife, and our son. As a friend of mine pointed out, "They'll say, 'Hey, just saw your wife earlier, she sure loves that fresh-cut bacon.'" Also, with only three bars in town, you don't have to be a barfly for your local purveyor to know you and your drink. 

The woman who watches our son part-time at daycare would be our waitress when we go out to dinner, and it's a pretty regular occurrence to bump into people we know having dinner just a table over. Living in Los Angeles, where there's a bar on every corner and more stores than I could ever shop at in a lifetime, I never felt much like I was going to Cheers. Now, the Knotty Pine has become that place where Adam behind the bar knows my name.

People hitchhike, and it can be incredibly rewarding

The first time my friend took me to hitchhike back up the mountain pass we'd just skied down, I was nervous. My whole life I had been told that hitchhiking is dangerous, and in some places illegal.

But I soon found myself hitching nearly every day. In turn, whenever possible, I pick up hitchers — usually skiers and snowboarders in the winter and mountain bikers in the summer.

But I've also picked up people simply commuting from our town to the bigger one just over the mountain pass. It's a great feeling when you get a ride from sticking your thumb out, and the stories you get from the hitchers you pick up make for an interesting commute.

I couldn't imagine picking up a stranger off the street in Los Angeles. But hitchhiking is a beautiful tradition still alive and thriving in some small towns like mine.

Everybody drives pickup trucks

In Los Angeles I usually only saw pickups leaving Home Depot or hauling around construction equipment and lumber. I knew surfers and snowboarders who drove trucks to transport their equipment. But few people just drove one as their daily commuter vehicle.

But everybody in my small town has a pickup truck. 

Obviously if you have a lot of large toys, which most people do here, a pickup comes in handy. You can throw wet, dirty gear into the back without worrying about it. And many people with fireplaces cut their own firewood. It's tough to fit even a half cord into the back of an SUV. 

Pickups are just extremely useful in a town where you need a rugged vehicle to get around and live an outdoorsy lifestyle. I might see the occasional luxury vehicle, but there isn't as much value placed on what you drive. Compared to Los Angeles, where driving a luxury car was a requisite to be considered successful, it's refreshing to know that the richest person in my town drives a nice F-250 every day. Even if she likely also has a Tesla in her barn.

People give directions differently out here

The first time my friend said he was parked on the north side of the parking lot, I had to turn my truck on and look at the direction in my console.

Because getting outdoors is such a common part of life out here, you have to learn your compass directions quickly. Visitors get lost and have to be rescued every year out here because they don't know what direction they're facing or where they need to go. And a lot of GPS maps won't include certain roads because they're too new or not even official "roads."

As it is, many of the roads are named like a grid — for example, "4432 W 5250 S." It's normal for friends to send you their GPS spot rather than an address to let you know where they're meeting up. It's very different from most of my life when directions were "take a left on La Cienega, right on Venice, then turn left when you get to the end, and my house is the first one on your right."

And the rodeo is one of the hottest hangouts in town

Rodeo culture is not only alive but a central part of my new home. There is the big rodeo in Jackson Hole that some locals consider a bit more of a show put on for the tourists. And then there's one in smaller Teton County, Idaho, where you park in a field, sit in uncovered skeletal metal bleachers and watch the cowboys and cowgirls do their thing. 

The first time I went, it reminded me of our local football and lacrosse games growing up, except the rodeo athletes were competing for cash, and instead of throwing a ball around, their sport involved holding onto the back of a bucking mountain of muscle. 

I sat up in the packed bleachers next to seemingly every cowboy family in the valley. When I went down to get some food, I saw the kids dressed in their nicest cowboy hats and pearl-button shirts, feeling awkward as they needled each other and tried to work up the courage to talk to their crushes. 

It was an echo of what high school kids do all around the country, but here it was happening at the rodeo grounds, with the dust and mud and leather and cattle. Here they wore jeans with big buckles instead of polo shirts and khaki shorts or surf trunks and flip-flops. A world away from sport as I'd known it and yet a reminder that, in the end, if we're not all singing the same song, at least the tunes are familiar.

• Susie Moore spent 10 years working in corporate sales, and before she changed career paths she was earning about $500,000 a year.
• She attributes part of her success to building her confidence at work, and showing colleagues and clients that she was smart, capable, and ready for anything.
• Here, she's sharing six of the everyday tips she used to be more confident, like introducing yourself with your last name and sitting up front and center for meetings and presentations.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

One morning, when I was in my early 20s starting out in my corporate career, I walked out of another meeting with my head slightly bowed. I hadn't said a thing during the entire hour. 

Again, I kicked myself silently for not contributing a good idea that I was holding inside, hoping the perfect moment would present itself (it never does).

All I remember is that an annoying colleague spoke non-stop. He was notorious for taking up way too much air time in every meeting, and my quieter colleagues resented him.

Slowly, I realized something as the months passed.

Opportunities, responsibility, and significant salary bumps were highly correlated with how confident and visible you are. And if you're less visible, then — well. You're on your own. No one can give you the boost you deserve but you. 

Here are some confidence hacks I've mastered that helped take me from a $75,000 income to a $500,000 income within five years.

1. Be down to disagree

It's so easy to just nod in agreement with other people's ideas, right? Our subconscious minds are running a risk-reward analysis in which the conclusion is that there's less downside with simply agreeing (particularly with more senior colleagues) than there is by challenging someone else's input or ideas.

But anyone can do this (even someone who doesn't speak the language of the boardroom — think about that for a second, because it's hilarious). It's more than OK, if you're polite and concise, to say what you mean. In the end, we're paid to think and be creative and strategic — machines can do pretty much do everything else. 

When I stopped complaining and started contributing, big shifts came my way. But don't just disagree to be contrarian. That gets tiring, fast.

Here's a master hack: Speak within first eight minutes of every meeting – say something, anything. A tag point can work wonders. "I agree with that point, Tom, in addition we could …" 

After eight minutes, you're far more likely to lose your nerve. So just say it!

2. Stop tagging every statement with a question

Tag questions are what we add to the end of a sentence that converts it from a statement by adding a question, e.g. "That's something we can do, right?" See how the tag ("right?") is assurance seeking? It weakens the statement. Once you're aware of tag questions, it will surprise you how overused they are at work. Drop 'em. 

3. Let your last name live!

The first female CEO I ever worked for taught me something that I've never forgotten. When you introduce yourself — in any setting — use your first name and last name to accompany your (firm) handshake. It's not "Hey, I'm Susie." it's "Hi, I'm Susie Moore." 

Trust me on this one. It'll feel weird at first, but it's assertive and empowering. You'll start noticing people standing straighter for you. Pay attention to who already does this in your world, whenever an introduction is involved. They're probably people that you consider important!

4. Say no to yes

There's an old adage that if you want a task done, give it to a busy person.

Taking everything on as a people pleaser can, in many cases, have the opposite effect you intend it to. There's nothing like a firm, high quality no to come across as self-aware, strong and self respecting, e.g. "Jane, I'd love to assist with this new project but my hands are full until the end of the month with X. I think Liz would be a great co-pilot! Or I can get involved in two weeks from now when my schedule opens up."

Sticking with the disease to please is like taking a weakening drug. 

5. Sit up front and center

Remember how the naughty kids would always sit at the back of the bus? It ain't so different now. It's just a different setting. 

Take a front seat in any group gathering and see how it feels (and check out who will sit beside you — it will be the leaders, I bet you). Be conscious of your posture, too. A simple shoulders-back, chin up, and smile will make you appear the most confident person in the room. These small shifts go a long way in projecting self-assuredness. 

Think for a second … how can you be visible if you're not seen at all?

6. Stop saying sorry so much

Try eliminating the word (unless spilled your iced coffee on someone or did something else where it's truly necessary) for just 24 hours.

Thank you is a far more powerful statement, e.g. "Thank you for waiting" when you're four minutes late to a conference call versus, "Oh I'm so sorry I'm late."

The number of times I hear someone apologizing for getting in or out of a busy elevator for example is nuts! What are you sorry for, exactly? Having a body? Just get in or out with as little fuss as possible. Then smile (and if you wish) repeat that magic word: thank you.

Susie Moore is a high performance coach and author who's been featured on the Today show, Forbes, and Oprah.com. Sign up for her free self confidence workshop here.

Join the conversation about this story »

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Some people in the US make just $6 an hour, while others earn a whopping $106 during that same 60-minute period.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. In some states, however, employees not covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act earn as little as $5.15.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average American — including those in salaried jobs — earns $24.98 an hour, and that number reaches more than $100 for some professions.

Business Insider recently looked at the most recent BLS wage data to find out exactly how much doctors, lawyers, and other top-earning professionals make per hour, on average.

Here's what we found:

SEE ALSO: The 37 highest-paying jobs in America

Anesthesiologists

Average hourly pay: $128.38

Number of people in the US with this job: 31,060

Surgeons

Average hourly pay: $122.65

Number of people in the US with this job: 34,390

Obstetricians and gynecologists

Average hourly pay: $114.58

Number of people in the US with this job: 18,590

Psychiatrists

Average hourly pay: $105.95

Number of people in the US with this job: 25,630

Chief executives

Average hourly pay: $96.22

Number of people in the US with this job: 195,530

Pediatricians

Average hourly pay: $88.10

Number of people in the US with this job: 28,490

Dentists

Average hourly pay: $86.82

Number of people in the US with this job: 128,060

Nurse anesthetists

Average hourly pay: $84.03

Number of people in the US with this job: 43,520

Petroleum engineers

Average hourly pay: $75.18

Number of people in the US with this job: 32,510

Computer and information systems managers

Average hourly pay: $73.49

Number of people in the US with this job: 391,430

Architectural and engineering managers

Average hourly pay: $71.62

Number of people in the US with this job: 188,290

Podiatrists

Average hourly pay: $71.26

Number of people in the US with this job: 9,500

Marketing managers

Average hourly pay: $70.79

Number of people in the US with this job: 240,440

Financial managers

Average hourly pay: $70.59

Number of people in the US with this job: 608,120

Lawyers

Average hourly pay: $69.34

Number of people in the US with this job: 642,750

Sales managers

Average hourly pay: $67.46

Number of people in the US with this job: 379,050

Natural sciences managers

Average hourly pay: $67.16

Number of people in the US with this job: 60,260

Public relations and fundraising managers

Average hourly pay: $63.26

Number of people in the US with this job: 72,460

Human resources managers

Average hourly pay: $60.91

Number of people in the US with this job: 143,580

Physicists

Average hourly pay: $60.23

Number of people in the US with this job: 17,620

Pharmacists

Average hourly pay: $59.45

Number of people in the US with this job: 309,550

Air traffic controllers

Average hourly pay: $58.09

Number of people in the US with this job: 22,390

At Business Insider, we're really into transformation.

Personal, professional, cultural — just about any variety will do.

It's about gaining skills, entering the halls of power, and elevating the culture of an organization. 

As of late, I'm proud to say, we've had some rather transformative stories come from our editorial team.

The best way to teach yourself to code and land a six-figure job, from 5 people who've done it

Learn to code has been the career-transitioners' mantra — or at least standard advice — for a while now. But the concrete steps for how to do it? Not exactly common knowledge.

So we dispatched writer Robin Madell to figure it out. She talked with people who had done so first hand, from more junior coders to those who had risen all the way up the tech hierarchy to CTO. 

"Learning to code can sometimes be equated to climbing a mountain," explained software implementation consultant Bharat Nain. "If you look at the peak, you might shy away. It's best to take one step at a time." 

Like by reading Robin's piece.

Here's exactly what it takes to get accepted into Harvard Business School, according to 5 grads and the managing director of admissions

Harvard Business School (HBS) is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

About 10,000 people apply every year, but only 11% are accepted. 

So we spoke with gatekeepers and grads alike — uncovering some telling detail about how to get in. Surprisingly, it has a lot to do with souls. 

"At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, the essays are the windows into your soul," explained Patrick Mullane, the executive director of Harvard Business School Online and an HBS graduate.

"They are a chance to put a personality around the numbers that will make up much of an application," he said. "It's not enough to be a great writer — although that's essential. An applicant must also be able to communicate, in a relatively short amount of space, something that makes them human."

How Satya Nadella's leadership style catapulted Microsoft to a trillion-dollar valuation — and what you can learn from it

Microsoft has got to be one of the most fascinating organizations we cover. In the 1990s, it was beyond gigantic, pushing Bill Gates into "richest living human" territory. But rolling into the new century, the giant started to lumber — less relevant, less flush, less gigantic. 

Enter: Satya Nadella. Formerly head of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, he became CEO just five years ago. Now, Microsoft has eclipsed a trillion dollar valuation. 

The key, as our reporter Sherin Shibu writes, is leadership driving culture change. Particularly, Nadella has scaled growth mindset (a psychological insight that came from studying why some kids relish challenges) across the 130,000 person organization. The key: When the riddle-loving children encountered a problem they didn't understand, they didn't think they were failing. They thought they were learning.

SEE ALSO: The ultimate guide to selling your startup for a boatload of cash, from founders who sold their startups for billions

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Kylie Jenner is the world's second highest-paid celebrity. Here's how she makes and spends her $1 billion.

• America's big cities are one of the main engines of the country's economy.
• We ranked the 30 biggest metro areas on five measures of economic health.
• The cities at the top of the list have thriving technology sectors. San Francisco took the top spot.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

America's big cities have an outsized role in the country's economic engine, and these cities in particular are thriving. 

Business Insider looked at five measures of labor market and overall economic health for the 30 metropolitan areas with the largest populations: the unemployment rate, job-growth rate, per capita GDP, GDP growth, and average weekly wages. We combined those measures together to get an overall sense of economic health in the metro areas.

Read more about our methods and data sources here.

The top three cities on our ranking — Seattle, Austin, and San Francisco — all have thriving technology sectors, along with strong economies overall.

Here are the 15 big metro area economies with the strongest economies, ranked from worst to best:

SEE ALSO: The 15 biggest US cities with the worst economies, ranked

15. Atlanta, Georgia: The unemployment rate of 3.3% was just above the average rate among the 30 biggest metro areas of 3.2%, and the GDP growth rate of 2.9% was slightly higher than the average rate of 2.7%.

14. Houston, Texas: The job growth rate of 2.6% and average weekly wage of $1,318 were both the seventh highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, while the GDP growth rate of 0% was the lowest.

13. Charlotte, North Carolina: The unemployment rate of 3.7% was tied for fourth worst among the big cities, while the GDP growth rate of 3.5% was the seventh best.

12. Los Angeles, California: The per capita GDP of $68,044 and the average weekly wage of $1,345 were both the sixth highest among the 30 biggest metro areas.

11. New York, New York: The average weekly wage of $1,537 was the fourth highest among the big metros, and the per capita GDP of $72,228 was the fifth highest.

10. Portland, Oregon: The per capita GDP of $63,731 and the GDP growth rate of 3.0% were both the tenth highest among the big metro areas.

9. San Diego, California: The average weekly wage of $1,260 was the ninth highest among the big metro areas, and the unemployment rate of 2.8% was tied for seventh lowest.

8. San Antonio, Texas: The GDP growth rate of 4.6% was the third highest among the big metros, and the unemployment rate of 2.6% was the fourth lowest.

7. Washington, DC: The average weekly wage of $1,540 was the third highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, and the per capita GDP of $74,198 was the fourth highest.

6. Denver, Colorado: The GDP growth rate of 3.6% was the sixth highest among the big cities, and the unemployment rate of 2.4% was the third lowest.

5. Boston, Massachusetts: The average weekly wage of $1,589 was the second highest among big metro areas, and the per capita GDP of $78,334 was the third highest.

4. Dallas, Texas: The job-growth rate of 2.9% was tied for third highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, and the GDP growth rate of 3.9% was the fourth highest.

3. Seattle, Washington: The per capita GDP of $80,471 and the GDP growth rate of 5.2% were both the second highest among the 30 biggest metro areas.

2. Austin, Texas: The GDP growth rate of 6.9% was the highest among the big metro areas, and the unemployment rate of 2.2% was tied for lowest.

1. San Francisco, California: The per capita GDP of $90,296 and average weekly wage of $1,932 were both by far the highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, and the unemployment rate of 2.2% was tied with Austin as the lowest.

• The Center for Science in the Public Interest released its 2019 Xtreme Eating Awards, a roundup of the most unhealthy menu items across major US restaurants.
• CSPI began compiling the list in 2007 as part of a larger effort to educate American consumers and help them make healthier food choices.
• We took a closer look at the items on this year's list, which individually boast between 1,500 and 2,300 calories — and at least a day's worth of sugar, salt, or saturated fat.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Though many US restaurant chains are making concerted efforts to integrate healthier meal and ingredient options, there are still some especially calorie-packing items lurking on their menus.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently released its 2019 Xtreme Eating Awards, an annual roundup of unhealthy menu items. The consumer advocacy group, which has an "ambitious agenda for improving the food system to support healthy eating," has compiled the list since 2007 as part of a larger effort to help Americans make healthier food choices. 

Lists such as these are part of a growing movement to reduce American obesity rates, which are as high as 2 out of 3 adults, and 1 out of 3 children, according to the CSPI.

Each entry on the CSPI list individually boasts between 1,500 and 2,300 calories — and at least a day's worth of sugar, salt, or saturated fat. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the average person's daily diet should include no more than 2,100 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, 2,300 milligrams of sodium, and 90 grams of sugar.

Read more: There's a 'way between two food systems' — and the big food conglomerates are winning

"Pancakes with syrup or cheeseburgers are never a health food, but it seems like the Cheesecake Factory, Chili's, and other chains are trying to outdo each other to make them worse," CSPI senior nutritionist Lindsay Moyer wrote in an article on the organization's website.

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states: "Weight management is all about balancing the number of calories you take in with the number your body uses or burns off." With that in mind, here's a closer look at the food items that made this year's ranking, along with their calorie counts and levels of sugars and fats. 

SEE ALSO: Researchers ID Mechanism that May Drive Obesity Epidemic

Sonic — Oreo Peanut Butter Master Shake (large)

Fast food drive-in chain Sonic offers the only liquid entry on this list. According to its website, the Master Shake contains "Real Ice Cream," peanut butter and Oreos, and is "finished with whipped topping and a cherry."

Calories: 1,720

Saturated Fat: 48 g

Added Sugar: 62 g (estimate)

Here are the full nutrition facts.

Cracker Barrel — The Country Boy Breakfast

Cracker Barrel prides itself on its Southern country theme.

According to its website, the chain's Country Boy Breakfast "comes with all the fixin's," which includes three eggs, fried apples, hash browns, grits, two pork chops, Sawmill gravy, buttermilk biscuits, real butter, and jam.

Calories: 1,530

Saturated Fat: 25 g

Sodium: 4,730 mg

Here are the full nutrition facts.

Maggiano’s Little Italy — Braised Beef al Forno

Maggiano's Little Italy first opened its doors in Chicago in 1991.

This particular dish is made up of orecchiette pasta, beef, peppers, spinach, and well over a day's worth of sodium. On top of that, customers who order this dish get an extra plate of pasta to take home for tomorrow's leftovers (not included in nutrition facts).

Calories: 1,760

Saturated Fat: 41 g

Sodium: 2,990 mg

Here are the full nutrition facts.

Topgolf — Injectable Donut Holes

Topgolf, a chain restaurant that lets you get some indoor golfing in while you eat and drink, also offers injectable donut holes. The little balls of fried dough come with a plastic syringe so you can control how much jelly or cream you want to inject.

On the plus side, every time you order this dish, one dollar is donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation for children with life-threatening illnesses.

Calories: 1,970

Saturated Fat: 37 g

Sodium: 1,880 mg

Added Sugar: 100 g (estimate)

Here are the full nutrition facts.

Jimmy John’s — JJ Gargantuan

Jimmy John's aptly named JJ Gargantuan sandwich is everything you want in a sub and more — much more. It's got five kinds of meat (salami, capicola, turkey, roast beef, and ham) and a slew of other ingredients, all in one 12-inch package that's over two days' worth of sodium.

The Jimmy John's site notes just below a studio photograph of the Gargantuan: "Let's be honest, my sandwiches ain't gonna look this pretty, but they will be tasty!"

Calories: 2,190

Saturated Fat: 29 g

Sodium: 7,720 mg

Here are the full nutrition facts.

The Cheesecake Factory — Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

These pancakes are a cross between a cinnamon roll and a pancake — with a bit of maple syrup, hashbrowns, and an egg. The spread itself is nearly a day's worth of calories.

Calories: 2,040

Saturated Fat: 51 g

Sodium: 2,950 mg

Added Sugar: 137 g (estimate)

The Cheesecake Factory doesn't provide nutritional information on its website.

Chili’s — The Boss Burger

Based on the name of this burger, Chili's knew they were making the biggest, sodium-packed burger they possibly could. Their website says it all: "The burger all other burgers report to. Smoked brisket, tender rib meat, jalapeño-cheddar smoked sausage, bacon & cheddar with lettuce, tomato, House BBQ & house-made ranch."

If the steak knife sticking out of the bun wasn't enough, they even challenge any prospective diner: "We. Dare. You."

Calories: 2,020

Saturated Fat: 47 g

Sodium: 3,900 mg

Here are the full nutrition facts.

Dave & Buster’s — Chicken & Waffle Sliders

Dave & Buster's offered up this year's least healthy dish with the ultimate in dessert/entrée combinations. Despite not having the highest saturated fat or sodium count, these sliders have more calories and more added sugar than any other dish.

Calories: 2,340

Saturated Fat: 38 g

Sodium: 3,420 mg

Added Sugar: 98 g (estimate)

Here are the full nutrition facts.