
From delightful musical TikTok collaborations to surprise engagements, here are 10 delightful finds from this week.
Hello, everyone!
At Upworthy, we're on a mission to make the world a better place, and part of that mission includes bringing more joy into people's lives. Sometimes that means sharing stories of hope and humanity to warm your heart, and sometimes it means sharing silly animal videos you can't help but laugh at.
Each week, we round up 10 things from around the internet that spark joy and delight in the hopes that it brings a little lightness to your day. If you've had a long week and are looking for some reasons to smile, here are 10 of them:
This pooch gives "dog sledding" a whole new meaning.
Are all dogs this smart? If so, I want one.
13-year-old used his Make-a-Wish wish to feed homeless people.
The Make-a-Wish Foundation grants wishes of kids with terminal illnesses, and typical wishes range from getting to meet a hero to getting to go to Disneyland. But when Abraham Olagbegi, who was born with a rare blood disorder, got a chance to get his wish, he chose to feed people who are homeless once a month for a year. "My mom always says it's a blessing to be a blessing so I just wanted to do something for other people to make it last long," he said. What a sweetheart. Read the full story here.
Sikh community prepares 3,000+ meals and transports them by helicopter to stranded Canadians.
There are so many good people.
— Christine Boyle (@christineeboyle) November 17, 2021
Huge gratitude for the Sikh community’s commitment to seva (selfless service). #BCFlood #BCStorm @Tarnjitkparmar https://t.co/sdrnyjGGgl
British Columbia got hammered by a once-in-a-century weather event that caused unprecedented flooding and mudslides, cutting off Vancouver from the rest of Canada by road and rail. As we've seen countless times before, the Sikh community stepped up to help out, cooking thousands of meals and arranging a helicopter to deliver them. Read the full story here.
Watch this red panda trying to get into a pumpkin.
Why do red pandas always look like little kids dressed up in costume? They're so stinking cute.
The strangers who met after a mistake text are sharing their sixth Thanksgiving together.
We are all set for year 6! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/wEQioizWGd
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 14, 2021
Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton met in 2016 when Wanda thought she was texting her grandson to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner but reached 17-year-old Hinton instead. The two formed a sweet friendship and have been sharing Thanksgiving dinner ever since. Read the wholesome, heartwarming story here.
Adele helped arrange the most adorable surprise engagement ever.
New life goal: Get engaged in front of @adele. 💍 pic.twitter.com/ybfa922aHg
— CBS (@CBS) November 15, 2021
I mean, how can anyone top that? Meet the lucky couple and read the full story here.
Check out this dad showing his tiny baby the art in an art gallery.
That guy's a keeper.
This kid finds out he got a puppy and welp, hand me a tissue, please.
Every kid deserves to grow up with a good pup… pic.twitter.com/XHhn3aevSi
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) November 19, 2021
What pure emotion. Oof. And the way the pup goes up and licks his face? It's too much joy for one video.
Have you ever loved anything the way this pup loves the water?
“Five more minutes” 😂 pic.twitter.com/HlbNXofcvB
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) November 19, 2021
Dying. There is absolutely no way that doggo is getting out of the water.
This delightful musical collaboration on TikTok is exactly what TikTok should be used for.
This is the TwitterTok content I want to see pic.twitter.com/hR5gZudOyt
— Dr. Raven the Science Maven (@ravenscimaven) November 15, 2021
As we saw with the wave of sea shanty videos a while back, TikTok can be used to create unique musical collaborations between total strangers. It's the best thing about the app, truly. And this one just takes the cake … er, muffin. So dang sweet.
Hope that brought a smile to your face! Join us at the end of each week for another roundup of joy-filled finds from around the internet.
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- Pharrell's 'Happy' in sign language is even better than the original ... ›
- When you ask people around the world what makes them happy ... ›
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."