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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Bringing you the internet's most smile-worthy finds.

female friends, cheerleaders, dad and daughter making coffee

From friendship to sportsmanship to macchiato whip, this week's 10 things are smile-worthy.

Hey ho, happy humans!

It's that wonderful time of the week again, when we round up 10 of the internet's most smile-worthy finds to share with you all. And this week's list does not disappoint.

We've got celebrations of friendship, the kindness of Martin Short and Disneyland's Evil Queen, Drew Barrymore and Pink talking candidly about motherhood, U.S. presidents with mullets, the cutest barista ever and more.


The more people find reasons to smile, the better our world will be, so don't forget to share the joy. Off we go!

1. This is much, much better than the 'dirty art' people usually leave on rear windshields…

Can you imagine coming back to your car and finding this? I'd never be able to wash it. The rain would have to do it for me.

2. Woman shares the power of platonic love in a sweet celebration of friendship

There are many kinds of love, and we create unnecessary limitations if we view every close emotional bond through the lens of romance or sex. Yay for platonic love and genuine friendship.

3. Disneyland's Evil Queen shows she actually is fairest of them all, making an autistic boy feel welcome

@magicwiththomas

The not so Evil Queen offering him to feel her cape #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #asd #specialneeds #disney #disneyparks #disneyland #disneytiktok #disney100 #snowwhite #evilqueen #fyp #foryoupage

Autistic kids have different sensory needs and preferences, and this queen seems to know how to connect with Thomas by inviting him to feel her cape. Disney magic at its best. Read the full story here.

4. By chance, Chance the Rapper had a kindness run-in with the legendary Martin Short

Chance the Rapper, Martin Short

Chance the Rapper had a chance encounter with the kind Martin Short.

Upworthy/Facebook

Chance the Rapper boarded a flight with his 7-year-old daughter, Kensli, when he realized their seats weren't together. A man immediately offered up his seat so they could sit together, and then Chance realized it was the legendary comedic actor Martin Short. Chance said he didn't think Short even knew who he was—he was just being kind. Read the full story here.

5. The music cut out in the middle of a cheerleading competition, and the crowd immediately stepped in to save the routine

The counting reaction from the cheerleaders in the crowd was immediate. Talk about awesome sportsmanship.

6. Drew Barrymore and Pink had a couch chat about motherhood that was refreshingly real

So open, so sincere and so wise. Love seeing moms being honest about their fears and struggles. Read the full story here.

7. Cutest barista ever makes coffee with her patient, loving dad

@sailorkinsley

Coffee made by my mini 🫶🏽 #fyp

It's adorable, but also a masterclass in positive parenting. The family's videos demonstrate how letting kids try and letting them make mistakes and messes helps them learn. Read the full story here.

8. Kid's drawing of what 'safe' means to him is just pure 'Awwww'

Does anyone have tips for when a preschooler's drawing makes you cry all the good tears?

9. All 46 U.S. presidents looking 'cool' with a mullet is the greatest use of AI ever

U.S. presidents mulletts

Barack Obama and Abe Lincoln, but cool and with mullets

Upworthy/Facebook (Images via Cam Harless/Twitter)

As writer Tod Perry quipped, "Barack Obama looking like he played an informant on 'Starsky and Hutch' in 1976." And hello, Babe Lincoln. Check out more mulleted presidents here.

10. Third time's the charm for this adorable joey trying to climb into mama's pouch.

"If at first, you don't succeed," am I right? We've all been there. Next time you fall flat on your face, just remember this baby kangaroo's undeterred perseverance and tell yourself to keep trying.

Hope that brought you some joy! Come back next week for more.

(If you'd like to be notified of these posts each week, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.)

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Sixty-one years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to make it into space and probably the first to experience what scientists now call the "overview effect." This change occurs when people see the world from far above and notice that it’s a place where “borders are invisible, where racial, religious and economic strife are nowhere to be seen.”

The overview effect makes man’s squabbles with one another seem incredibly petty and presents the planet as it truly is, one interconnected organism.

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Pop Culture

Special ring that tells people you're single created for folks tired of dating apps

The Pear ring is a new "social experiment" trying to connect folks IRL, not online.

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That’s where the Pear ring comes in. Self dubbed as the “world’s biggest social experiment,” this $25 brightly colored blue ring offers something classic, with a twist. Basically, folks wear it out to signal they’re single and ready to mingle. Almost like the opposite of an engagement ring, really.
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Brianna Greenfield makes nachos for her husband.

A viral video showing a woman preparing nachos for her "picky" spouse after he refused to eat the salmon dinner she cooked has sparked a contentious debate on TikTok. The video was shared on April 26 by Brianna Greenfield (@themamabrianna on TikTok) and has since earned over 2.5 million views.

Brianna is a mother of two who lives in Iowa.

The video starts with Brianna grating a massive hunk of cheese with a caption that reads: “My husband didn’t eat the dinner that I made…So let’s make him some nachos.”

“If I don’t feed him, he literally won’t eat,” she wrote. “This used to irritate me. Now I just blame his mother for never making him try salmon,” Greenfield wrote. The video features Meghan Trainor’s single “Mother” playing in the background.

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Family

New study shows spanking hurts kids' mental health and is less effective at teaching lessons

Why is it wrong to hit an adult or an animal but OK to spank a child?

Photo by Kat J on Unsplash

Yet another study shows that spanking isn't good for kids.

Whether to spank your child or not is one of the oldest debates among parents. Many live by the age-old wisdom that to “spare the rod” is to “spoil the child,” while others believe it’s wrong to resort to violence to punish a child when so many alternatives exist.

It also begs the question: If it's wrong to hit your spouse or pet, why is it acceptable to hit a defenseless child?

The 2021 American Family Study found that support for spanking has declined in the U.S. over the past few years. In 2015, 54% either somewhat or strongly agreed with the practice, but that number dropped to 47% in 2021. Thirty-five percent of respondents disagree with the practice and 18% neither agree nor disagree.

A new research study from the Parent and Family Research Alliance in Australia led by Professor Sophie Havighurst and Professor Daryl Higgins from Australian Catholic University makes a strong case that people should stop using corporal punishment to discipline their kids. The study “Corporal punishment of children in Australia: The evidence-based case for legislative reform” analyzed countless studies on the topic and found spanking ineffective and harmful.

The study was published to urge lawmakers to make corporal punishment in Australia illegal. Sixty-five states across the world have made corporal punishment illegal, protecting 14% of the world’s children.

The study defined corporal punishment of children as using physical force to cause pain, but not injury, to correct or control a child’s behavior.

The most startling meta-analysis published in the study found that "only 1 out of 111 statistically significant effect sizes was associated with a link between 'spanking' and a positive child outcome," while 110 were found to be associated with adverse outcomes.

The one positive outcome was in a 1972 study of children of the U.S. military living in West Germany that found those spanked showed less amphetamine and opiate use as adults.

However, the remaining 110 significant results found that spanking had adverse effects, including: “reducing trust and connection with those they are closest to, lower self-esteem, more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems including aggression, mental health difficulties, and increased risk for later substance abuse, antisocial behavior, and violence.”

A meta-analysis found that when children are spanked, they are less likely to internalize the moral implications of the behaviors that led them to be disciplined. It also found that non-physical discipline was more effective at teaching “alternative behaviors,” “developing a child’s conscience,” and advancing their “emotional development.”

Another meta-analysis cited in the story found that corporal punishment in childhood was associated with mental health problems, low self-esteem and antisocial behavior.

In the end, the studies show that corporal punishment is counter-productive when it comes to raising healthy, happy children. But it will take much more than a study to get people to reconsider their views of corporal punishment because they are deeply rooted in many cultural traditions.

Looking for some non-physical alternatives to discipline your child? Here’s a great place to start from WebMD.

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That “object” was a 3-year-old boy.

Kennedy sent an emergency call out to all trains in the area, catching the attention of a northbound conductor, Shawn Loughran, and a trainee. Loughran slowed down his train as he approached the child, who was straddling the electrified third rail.

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