
From stellar sportsmanship to corntastic kiddos to adorable animals, enjoy the best of the internet this week.
Wait. Are we really almost halfway through August already? Didn't I just write one of these intros talking about how summer had arrived? What the heck happened???
Time flies when you're having fun, I guess, and these weekly roundups are nothing but fun. Every day it seems like we're bombarded with something new to stress about or be outraged over, but not here. In this space, we celebrate simple joys, awesome humans, hilarious animals and all things smile-worthy.
This week alone, we've seen sportsmanship that inspired us, parenting that touched our hearts and kiddos that tickled our funny bones. Readers have told us they look forward to our 10 things roundup every week, which is good because we have no intention of stopping. (Honestly, it's therapeutic to pull this list together, so win-win all around!)
So kick back, relax and let these 10 little tidbits of goodness carry you through this final stretch of summer.
1. A Little League player comforted the opposing team's pitcher after his errant pitch hit him in the head.
\u201c"Hey, you're doing just great"\n\nOklahoma little leaguer gets hit in the head and then comforts the pitcher who is shaken up afterward\u201d— Jomboy (@Jomboy) 1660067195
This is some seriously awesome sportsmanship from both of these boys, putting caring and compassion over competition. Love to see it. Read the full story here.
2. Motion-activated home security camera caught this fierce beast on the premises.
\u201cMotion activated home security camera working as intended\u201d— pups (@pups) 1660117665
It's that head tilt in the last 10 seconds that really makes this video. Such a good doggo.
3. Woody Harrelson wrote a hilarious poem for his random baby look-alike.
Cora's mom shared her photo alongside Woody's and he not only reshared it on Instagram, but wrote Cora a delightful little poem joking about how he wished he had her hair. What a guy. Read the full story here.
4. Dad's response to his daughter's skateboard crash is a masterclass in awesome parenting.
The way he asked if she was scared or hurt, the way he balanced empathy with empowerment and how he encouraged her but left the choice totally in her hands … seriously good stuff. "Ultimately I just respond from the heart," he wrote. Stellar job dad.
5. This teeny tiny crab eating a strawberry is just too adorable.
\u201cvery small crab eats Strawbery\u201d— glurpo (@glurpo) 1660153249
I never thought I'd describe a crab as adorable, and yet here we are. I mean, goodness. Wook at its widdle tiny cwawwwws! Those have to be the tiniest bites of strawberry that have ever been consumed.
6. This young Corn King won everyone's hearts with his corntastic personality.
I've watched this video at least a dozen times. "Whaaat?! It's just a pun about cowhn!" It's too much. Read the story here.
7. Apparently, it's the 8th anniversary of one of the greatest viral videos the world has ever seen.
Five-year-old Noah Ritter (aka "the 'apparently' kid") gave us such a laugh that even the Newswatch 16 reporter couldn't keep it together. Eight years, and it still never gets old.
8. Duncan the doggo is torn between responding to his owner and keeping his eyes on the neighborhood. (SOUND UP)
\u201cNot now, not now, not now\u2026\n\nWHAT? \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1660071355
Goodness knows he was trying hard to be a good boy. Hilarious.
9. Housekeepers going above and beyond in their cleaning duties are the bestest.
Scroll through to see what hilarity these other cleaners concocted. Love seeing people take pride in their work and take the time to make strangers smile.
10. When the water's colder than you anticipated but you're trying to be cool…
\u201cNope! \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1659560746
Ha ha. NOPE.
Hope that brought a smile or ten to your face! Come back next week for another roundup of 10 things that made us smile. (And in the meantime, sign up for The Upworthiest newsletter to get the best stuff right to your inbox.)
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."