And now for some good news from a hellish year

Every year around this time, as families gather around holiday tables and friends share drinks, talk often turns to the news and events of t [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Every year around this time, as families gather around holiday tables and friends share drinks, talk often turns to the news and events of the past 12 months. “Why don’t they [report more good news](?” many will wonder. “Why must it lead if it bleeds?” “Fair point,” I’d reply as one of the folks responsible for the news. But there are some powerful forces at work here, and they are inside each and every one of us. Studies show that humans are simply [psychologically drawn to bad news](. And to quote Tyler Cowen quoting Adam Smith, “There is a great deal of ruin in a nation.” 2022 has been quite another entry in the pandemic annals, with plenty of bad news for us to cover. But as Tyler also reminds us, “Both America and the world [have more talent, and more capital investment](, than they have ever had.” It can be hard to see it, but this year has been full of good things; even avowed pessimist Andreas Kluth had to admit [this year gave us signs of hope]( that things are looking up. “A lot could actually get better, or at least stop getting worse,” he says. Well, we’ll take it. Here’s more of the good news Bloomberg Opinion writers found in the world this year. - [50 States, 50 Startups: How Innovation Surged in 2022]( — Bloomberg Opinion writers - [Jerome Powell Is Fighting Inflation — and Winning]( — Karl W. Smith - [Life Is Good in America, Even by European Standards]( — Tyler Cowen - [Let Us Give Thanks to Cranberries for the End of a Food Crisis]( — David Fickling - [Cheap Gasoline Can Be Part of a Good Climate Policy]( — Matthew Yglesias - [Cooling Economy Is Giving US Workers a LiftÂ](— Conor Sen Technology and Ideas - [Facebook and Twitter Have Curbed Election Misinformation. Really.]( — Parmy Olson - [Behind the Amazing Photo of the Milky Way’s Very Own Black Hole]( — Faye Flam - [Fusion Energy Is Starting to Look Real]( — Bloomberg’s editorial board - [Italy’s Winemakers, and Grapes, Are Adapting to Climate Change]( — Francis Wilkinson Politics and Policy - [I’m Thankful Politics Might Be Fun Again]( — Jonathan Bernstein - [Biden’s Quiet Progress on Guns]( — Bloomberg’s editorial board - [Putin and the Possibility of Defeat in Ukraine]( — Leonid Bershidsky - [Brittney Griner Is Home. Next Up Should Be Paul Whelan.]( — Stephen L. Carter - //link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/30016257.32655/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9vcGluaW9uL2FydGljbGVzLzIwMjItMDctMjMvYnJ1Y2Utcy1iZWFjaC1maWdodC1zaG93cy1lbWluZW50LWRvbWFpbi1zLWRlZXAtZmxhd3M_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX3Rlcm09MjIxMjE4JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zaGFyZXRoZXZpZXc/582c8673566a94262a8b49bdBae76c393[Republicans Really Do Have Plenty to Celebrate]( — Ramesh Ponnuru But if [none of that is enough for you](, Noah Feldman has the perfect club for you to join. Notes: To contact the author of this newsletter, email Brooke Sample at bsample1@bloomberg.net. This is the Theme of the Week edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a digest of our top commentary published every Sunday. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022