+
upworthy
Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Our first roundup of 2023 includes awesome old folks, toddlers, dancers, marine mammals and more.

music festival, toddler

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

Happy 2023, everyone!

We're almost a week in. How are we doing so far? Whether you're crushing your New Year's resolutions, struggling to make new habits stick or are ditching the goal-setting altogether, we hope you're making the most of the fresh energy the new year brings.

If adding more joy to your life is on the docket for 2023, you've come to the right place. We are experts in uplifting and specialize in smiles, and we love to share the best of humanity with you all.


One of the best parts of pulling together these weekly roundups of joy is seeing the wide range of things that make us smile. We've got old folks and wee ones, dancers and doggos, teachers connecting with students and a whole town changing its plans to protect a wandering walrus. Each thing is delightful in its own way, and there's a little something here for everyone.

So kick back, relax and enjoy these serotonin-boosting finds:

1. Doggo's owners have a conversation using all of his favorite words and his joy is palpable.

The tail wagging and the eyebrow raising say it all. So dang cute.

2. Gramps does the cutest 'fit check' with his granddaughter.

@pettitgrace

This is my new favorite video ever.

We love this Grandpa. What a joy. Read the full story here.

3. 73-year-old went to his first music festival and lived his best life.

@ayeejayy42

Age is just a number… #happynewyear #countdownnye2023 #insomniacevents

Good for him for not letting the number of candles on his birthday cake hold him back. Looks like he had the time of his life.

4. A teacher and an eighth grader faced off in a dance challenge between exams.

Teachers are real-life heroes every day, and Ms. Turner heroically brought it in this dance battle. Love seeing this kind of connection with students. Read the full story here.

5. A British town canceled its New Year's Eve fireworks to let its unexpected walrus visitor sleep.

Thor showed up on a boat ramp in the U.K. town of Scarborough and appeared to need some rest. Residents rallied to protect him until he moved on, including canceling their traditional fireworks display. Read the full story of Thor's visit to Scarborough here.

6. Mom tries to get her toddler to unlock the door after being locked out, and perfect toddler chaos ensued.

@gesikaaaaaa

Thank god for tiny humans #bne #lockedout #tinyhuman #mamashelper #breakingin #DoTheSmartThings #toddlercomedy #kidtok

Tiny humans are predictably unpredictable and always good for some entertainment. Read the full story here.

7. Whale watcher in California got an unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime, front row seat to a whale giving birth.

Whale-watching passengers and crew off the coast of Dana Point, California, spotted blood in the water around a gray whale and thought they were witnessing a tragedy. As it turned out, she was birthing a calf, which she then proceeded to show off. Amazing.

8. Ukrainian 'light' dancers wowed the judges and audience in 'America's Got Talent' all-stars performance.

Their story is moving and their moves are impressive. How on Earth did they create those effects? Read the full story here.

9. When one of you wants to snuggle and the other just wants some alone time…

The struggle is real … and adorably hilarious.

10. Let's all enjoy the small wonders of life like this snowflake-catching raccoon.

It's the simple things that bring the most genuine joy, every time.

Hope that brought a smile or 10 to your face! Join us every Friday for these smile-worthy roundups, and if you'd like them delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

The gaze of the approving Boomer.

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it's wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations' hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

Keep ReadingShow less

Tia Savva has an invested father.

Sadly, a lot of men go out of their way to avoid learning anything about a woman's period.

(That could be why throughout most of the United States — where the majority of lawmakers are men — feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax.)

So we should give some love to the guys who make an effort to learn a bit about the menstrual cycle so they can help their family members when they're in desperate need of feminine hygiene products.

Personally, as a guy, the feminine hygiene aisle can be a little intimidating. There are multiple brands, styles of products, scents, absorbency levels, and they are all color-coded.

What do the colors mean?

Keep ReadingShow less

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

It seems that Adele is going viral once again.

Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

Keep ReadingShow less
Identity

Non-Americans are sharing the ‘dead giveaway’ someone is American and they are pretty right

The dead giveaway is when they call me "honey" or "sweetie" or "darling."

via Flickr, Flickr, and Flickr

Three American tourists enjoying the sights.

One of the most interesting things about traveling the world is noticing how people from your country are a bit different from the place you’re visiting. In America, you’re mostly around fellow countrymen so it’s hard to notice the things that make us stand out.

But when you travel abroad, you quickly notice that no matter how hard you try to blend in, there are a lot of dead giveaways that show people you’re from the states that go way beyond your accent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Doctor's alcohol tip that 'could save your life' goes viral on TikTok

Something to keep in mind for holiday parties and beyond.

A doctor's take on drinking at parties

New Year’s Eve is often a night filled with celebratory shots and champagne toasts. But as the party night fast approaches, one doctor is gently reminding folks the importance of partying responsibly during the holidays. Really, it’s a piece of advice that’s important all year long.

Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, an Ohio based neurosurgeon with over two decades of experience, has a TikTok channel filled with educational videos and lifestyle tips. But it’s his latest clip explaining just how long it takes our bodies to break down alcohol that has gone viral.

In the video, which was shared on Christmas Day, Dr. Hoeflinger sets the scene of a party where “a lot of drinks are going down” by setting up a bunch of shot glasses filled with water.

“Say you’re having five drinks in the first hour,” he says, taking five fake, water-filled shots. “As you’re taking them, that alcohol is building up in your system fast. [It] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you."

Keep ReadingShow less

Mom's reaction to toddler's self haircut

An unsupervised toddler with a pair of scissors is nightmare fuel for parents.

Will you find shredded books, a hole in your new couch, or a pile of lopped off hair when you emerge from your quick trip to the potty?

Toddlers may still be very young, but they are fast and have a knack for getting ahold of unapproved things quickly, inflicting maximum destruction. TikTok user, @designerluxury4you, shared a video of their toddler proudly showing off the haircut she had given herself.

Experiencing your child giving themselves or their siblings a haircut seems to be a rite of passage for parents.

But the way this mom handled the discovery is showing how gentle parenting is changing the game. It's pretty safe to say that most parents would react in a more expressive way and immediately remove the scissors from the child's hands. This mom responded in the kindest and most respectful way you can imagine and maybe the internet is a little better for having seen it.

Keep ReadingShow less