HigherIQ — Thursday, January 22, 2026

Good morning. It's Thursday, January 22nd, and welcome to your HigherIQ briefing. Markets are rallying after President Trump pulled back from the brink on Greenland, Southwest Airlines just reclaimed its throne as America's best carrier, and new research suggests your body starts betraying you way earlier than you thought. Plus, why therapists might need to rethink their advice about rebound relationships, and the bizarre feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair's CEO that's now selling plane tickets. Let's get into it. We'll start with the story that moved markets yesterday. After days of escalating tensions that rattled investors and tested trans-Atlantic diplomacy, President Trump announced he'd reached a "framework for a future deal" on Greenland with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also dropped his threatened tariffs against European allies, sending stocks soaring. The S&P 500 climbed back into the green for the year, with tech names like Nvidia leading the way. But here's the thing: nobody seems to know what the deal actually is. European officials say there's no written document and that no real details on Greenland's future have been negotiated. When asked whether the U.S. would actually acquire Greenland, Trump told Fox Business, "I don't know if I can say that, but it could be. I mean it's possible, anything is possible. But in the meantime we're getting everything we wanted." Meanwhile, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held firm that sovereignty is non-negotiable, and NATO's Rutte said the topic of sovereignty "didn't come up at all" in his talks with Trump. Former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace put it bluntly: "I don't think there's a deal at all at the moment. I mean, it's a sort of a fake deal so far." What we do know is that earlier discussions floated the idea of paying each of Greenland's 57,000 residents between $10,000 and $100,000 to encourage secession from Denmark. At the high end, that's nearly $6 billion in direct payments. Greenlandic lawmakers weren't impressed. "No amount of money can buy our national soul," said Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament. Another Greenlandic lawmaker, Aki-Matilda Hoegh-Dam, added: "We are not a commodity to be traded as human beings. No matter how much money one might offer, it would still be too cheap. It is just as much about dignity." The de-escalation came after Europe was reportedly preparing to fight back hard. The EU had considered deploying what's become known as the "bazooka" — a never-before-used trade tool that can impose harsh import and export restrictions when a bloc faces economic blackmail. The European Parliament had also paused ratification of the U.S.-EU trade deal. For now, markets are taking the détente at face value. But the lack of clarity means the chaos of the past few days could easily return. As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted in Davos, in what many interpreted as a veiled warning to the U.S.: "Germany went down this road to its bitter end. It pulled the world into a black abyss." Switching gears to something a bit more practical. If you flew anywhere last year, you probably have opinions about airlines. The Wall Street Journal just released its 18th annual airline scorecard, and there's a new champion: Southwest Airlines took first place for the first time since 2020, ending Delta's four-year winning streak. Budget carrier Allegiant came in second, with Delta dropping to third. Southwest didn't dominate every category, but it performed consistently well across the board. The Dallas-based carrier had the fewest customer complaints and tarmac delays, came in second for on-time arrivals and cancellations, and its worst finish was fourth place for baggage handling. The airline has spent billions improving its operations since its disastrous holiday meltdown in late 2022, and it shows. Southwest's cancellation rate came in at just 0.84 percent — only tiny Allegiant did better at 0.55 percent. At the bottom of the rankings: American Airlines and Frontier tied for last place. American had a particularly ugly year, canceling 2.2 percent of its flights — more than any other carrier surveyed. That's up from 1.37 percent the prior year. Its highest ranking in any category was sixth out of nine airlines. Frontier ranked last in four of seven categories and declined to comment. One surprising bright spot: Spirit Airlines, currently fighting for survival after filing for bankruptcy a second time, climbed from eighth place to fifth — the most improved airline in the survey. Its cancellation rate dropped from 1.88 percent to 1.42 percent. But here's the stat that should humble the entire industry: no airline cracked 80 percent for on-time arrivals. Delta came closest at 79.1 percent. The industry average was 76.45 percent. That's a C+ in most households. And remember, the government's definition of "on-time" is generous: within 15 minutes of schedule. Now for something that might hit close to home if you're over 35 — and definitely will if you're approaching it. A 47-year Swedish study just revealed when physical decline actually begins, and the answer is: earlier than most people assume. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet tracked 427 people from age 16 to 63. Not different age groups at a snapshot in time — the same individuals, measured repeatedly over nearly five decades. They assessed aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and endurance through standardized tests at multiple points across adulthood. What they found: fitness and strength start declining around age 35, regardless of how much you trained earlier in life. The decline starts gradual — about 0.3 to 0.6 percent per year — then accelerates to roughly 2 to 2.5 percent per year as you get older. By age 63, overall fitness levels had dropped 30 to 48 percent from peak. Elite athletes follow the same trajectory. They peak in their mid-30s too; they just start from a higher baseline and maintain more capacity into old age. But here's the encouraging twist: participants who started exercising later in life still improved their physical capacity by 5 to 10 percent. The researchers emphasized that physical activity remains the single most important factor influencing both absolute fitness levels and the rate of decline. "It is never too late to start moving," said the study's lead author, Maria Westerståhl. "Our study shows that physical activity can slow the decline in performance, even if it cannot completely stop it." The study continues — next year, participants will be examined again at age 68, and researchers hope to uncover why everyone peaks at 35 and why exercise can slow but not halt the decline. Here's another piece of conventional wisdom that new research is challenging: the idea that you need to stay single after a breakup to properly heal before dating again. A study tracking over 800 young adults aged 18 to 25 who had recently gone through breakups found something surprising. The researchers tracked how self-esteem, distress, and intrusive thoughts changed depending on whether participants stayed single or entered new relationships. People who entered rebound relationships actually experienced less rumination and better emotional recovery than those who stayed single. The mechanism seems to be distraction. Breakups trigger obsessive thought loops about your ex — the rituals, the emotional comfort, the daily routines that suddenly ended. These recurring, sometimes obsessive thoughts cause partners to feel increased anxiety and a sense of being frozen. A new romantic connection helps break those loops by giving you something else to focus on. Rebounders also reported feeling more desirable, which boosted their overall well-being and confidence. This doesn't mean therapists should start prescribing Hinge. The researchers were careful to note that rebounding isn't about avoiding your feelings — you still need to process the grief. But it does suggest that the conventional wisdom of "take time to heal before dating again" may be too rigid. Breakup recovery isn't about waiting a prescribed amount of time. It's about finding ways to stop the rumination while still mourning what was lost. A few quick hits before we go. The feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has escalated into a marketing campaign. It started when O'Leary said Ryanair wouldn't adopt Musk's Starlink internet because installation and fuel costs from antenna drag could run $250 million a year for a service only 10 percent of customers would pay for on their short flights. Musk called O'Leary an "utter idiot" on X and jokingly asked users if he should buy the company and "restore Ryan as their rightful ruler." O'Leary's response at a press conference: "I suspect he's a bigger idiot than me, but nevertheless, he probably thinks I'm a bigger idiot than him." Ryanair then launched a "Big Idiot Seat Sale" with flights for about $23. O'Leary noted that these PR spats are "very good for our bookings." Say what you will about budget airlines — they understand the assignment. And after 40 years in Utah, the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Boulder, Colorado starting next year. Park City lost out despite Utah officials proposing $3.5 million in state funding. Boulder offered $34 million in tax credits over 10 years, plus more venues and proximity to the University of Colorado. The 2025 festival drew over 85,000 attendees who spent more than $162 million in the state — a significant economic blow for Utah. Sundance will keep its filmmaker workshops in Utah, but the festival itself — the launchpad for careers of directors like Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Richard Linklater — heads to Colorado. That's your briefing for this Thursday. Stay informed, stay curious, and we'll see you tomorrow.