Following a year made frantic by chaos and existential angst, 2020 will be all about ways to inject control, calm and clarity into a world that can seem to be spinning out of control. In her annual report, Marian explores trends that will emerge or grow in the new year, from our obsession with physical touch and our love-hate relationships with our smart devices to our efforts to protect ourselves from dangers ranging from air pollution and traffic congestion to cybercriminals.

“If my husband gave me a Peloton for Christmas, I’d give him divorce papers.”  Such raw emotion has typified reactions to the spin cycle maker’s “Gift that Gives Back” commercial.  People are entitled to their opinions about the ad and Peloton can explain its position, but a few principles from psychology may help both sides see how the cycle commercial could have avoided such a controversial turn.