
From sleepy pups to smooth skate moves, there's plenty of reasons to smile.
When the internet is full of dreary headlines, it’s even more important to balance it all out with things that spark joy.
Whether it comes from cute kids and animals, amazing art or wholesome acts of kindness, things that make us smile help remind our hearts that the world is indeed a big place, containing both the bad and the good. Sometimes it might take a little extra scouring to find what makes us smile, but Upworthy is here to make the search a little bit easier.
Without further ado, let’s get uplifted:
1. Benny the guide pup fell asleep at his own photoshoot and Twitter loved him for it.
This is Benny. He fell asleep during his guide dog initiation photoshoot. 12/10 we still think he has what it takes pic.twitter.com/s5Juhz7SP2
— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) June 29, 2022
Sometimes being adorable is just so exhausting, wouldn’t you agree?
2. Orchestra conductors got gloriously pranked on their birthdays.
Maestros Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Roger Norrington and Lahav Shani were in for a delightful symphonic surprise. Who knew that “Happy Birthday” could be such a moving tune?
3. People rallied around an honest teen who went out of his way to return a woman's purse.
Seventeen-year-old Adrian Rodriguez found Eliana Martin’s abandoned purse in a shopping cart. Rodriguez found an address where Martin lived, and dropped it off while she wasn’t home. His act of kindness was caught on the doorbell camera, and Martin's former roommate was so moved she started a GoFundMe campaign to reward him. People raised nearly $10,000. You can read the full story here.
4. The crowd at a baseball game had the most wholesome reaction to a little girl's bottle flip.
This girl had the whole section rooting for her bottle flip pic.twitter.com/CxSyGP7OKx
— Gleyber With No Brim (Corey) (@Saquon_Gleyber) June 26, 2022
And the crowd goes wild! I don’t think she expected that kind of applause.
5. A mischievous baby elephant causes the cutest wardrobe malfunction of all time.
Note to self: Never wear a long skirt while visiting baby elephants.
6. A helpful grandma pressed her grandkid's bi flag before Pride Parade.
Sometimes the simplest gestures hold the most meaning.
7. Two brothers are using their roller skates to spread joy.
@griffinbrothersskating Comin I’m hot 🥵 #TheGriffinBrothers #foryoupage #fyp #jamskating #rollerskating #jamskate #rollerskate ♬ Coming In Hot - Andy Mineo & Lecrae
Brothers Marcus and Michael Griffin, also known as The Griffin Brothers, are rolling through social media showing off their impressive skate skills. With smooth moves, fun outfits and an inspiring story, there’s just so much to love about these two.
8. A 1991 blooper clip of Robin Williams and Elmo resurfaced, and everyone's in stitches.
Williams was a comedy master. Elmo is adorable. It’s a pretty unbeatable combo.
9. Did you know that an octopus can use jet propulsion?
Perhaps I’m biased because octopi are my favorite animals of all time, but it was cool to learn that octopuses have two sets of gills inside their mantle to extract oxygen from their ocean environment. They bring water into their mantle and exhale through their “siphon”—that snorkel-like tube sticking out of the mantle. If an octopus needs a speedy getaway from a predator, it can use jet propulsion—inhale with a powerful exhale—to swim away!
10. Kentanji Brown Jackson made history as the first Black woman to serve on the highest court of the nation.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in as an associate justice to the United States Supreme Court, making history as the first Black woman on the highest court in the nation https://t.co/udbQDO3alg pic.twitter.com/4R6U6rIFgi
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 30, 2022
At least one bit of good Supreme Court news.
The internet doesn’t always have to be a soul drain. Feel free to come back to these anytime you need the healing salve of joy.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.