upworthy
Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Some smileworthy finds to make your day a bit brighter.

monkey, young tailor, sweet brother and sister
Buitengebieden/Twitter, @daddyfiles/TikTok, @grazeemoladele/TikTok (via Upworthy Instagram)

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy

Wait, is April seriously here already? How the heck did that happen? It feels like just yesterday that 2023 began, yet here we are already a quarter of the way through it.

They say time flies when you're having fun, so maybe it's a good thing that the year seems to be going so fast!

This week's list is full of fun finds, such as a 9-year-old aspiring tailor, the sweetest sibling wake-up ever, an incredible 3D artist, an adorable, thumb-sucking baby monkey and more.

Take a stroll through these delights and share them with others in your life who could use a boost of joy.

1. The way these students surprised their teacher with a 152-page book of his own random quotes is hilariously heartwarming

"You know what makes writing slower? Talking." Can confirm. What a delightful gift that none of them will ever forget.

2. 9-year-old surprised his dad with a dress shirt he made himself and everything about it is fabulous

@daddyfiles

Sam made me a shirt! Wow. #sewing #sewingtiktok #samsewgood #boyswhosew #parenting #raisingboys

Read the full story here.

3. Behold the sweetest sibling wake-up video ever

​"You're beautiful, Grace." Anyone else's heart just turn into a puddle?

4. A group of vacationing friends reveals which one of them is the 'airport dad'

@johannes2o

Hes gonna be a great dad💀 #airport #airportdad

We all have the 'airport dad' friend, thank goodness. Read the full story here.

5. The emotional intelligence of this little one is off the charts


6. Airbnb host woke up his guest in the middle of the night so she wouldn't miss the northern lights

@penslucero

I’m on the verge of crying every time I watch this video I still cannot believe it. 📍 Rörbäck, Sweden

Best host ever. Read the full story here.

7. Woman explains Ramadan to first graders with a simply sweet lesson

Three cheers for building greater cultural understanding.

8. Ricky the kitten spent 2 weeks at Gramma and Grampa's and the photobook is everything

Read more about Ricky and his human family here.

9. Dad and former art professor with aphasia has covered a former barn in incredible 3D artwork

@david.hollowell

day 365 of trying to make my dad famous 🖌🎨 #art #mural #illusion #2d #3d #surreal #crazy #plants #nature #weird #painter #artist #professor #ucdavis #california #norcal #famous #viral #trending #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

Since he was diagnosed with aphasia, David Hollowell's speech has been limited, but his artistic skills certainly aren't. Absolutely incredible. Read the full story here.

10. Person shares dragon fruit with a baby monkey and generosity has never been so cute

The thumb-sucking at the beginning, though. Gracious, the preciousness.

Hope these brought some smiles to your face! If you'd like to have these posts delivered to your inbox each week, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

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History (Education)

The fascinating reason people looked much older in the past than they do today

Why did teenagers look like they were in their mid-30s?

via Vsauce/YouTube

Norm was only in his 30s?

Ever look at your parents' high school yearbooks and think people looked so much older back then? All of the teenagers look like they’re in their mid-30s and the teachers who are 50 look like they’re 80. When we watch older movies, even those from the 1980s, the teenagers appear to be a lot older as well. Why is it that they looked so much older? Was life harder? Did people act more mature? Did they spend more time outdoors and less time playing video games? Is it their sense of fashion? Were they all smokers?

Educator Michael Stevens, who runs the super-popular Vsauce YouTube channel, explains the phenomenon in a video called, “Did people used to look older?” In it, he explains that people in the past appear a lot older due to retrospective aging.

This is how it works: when we see people in the past, they are wearing outdated styles that we associate with older people; therefore, we think they have aged rapidly. For example, a teenager in the 1950s may have been in fashion while wearing thick Buddy Holly-style glasses.

anti-aging, youth, why do i look older, how to look younger, treatments for looking younger, anti-aging productsBuddy Holly was 20 years old in this photo. upload.wikimedia.org

But as people age, they tend to cling to the fashion of their youth. So many people of that generation continued to wear the Buddy Holly-style glasses into their 50s. So when younger people see those glasses they see them as old people's glasses and not a hip kid from the '50s.

So in the photo from the '50s, the teen appears to look a lot older because our perspective has been tainted by time.

anti-aging, youth, why do i look older, how to look younger, treatments for looking younger, anti-aging products30 going on 60…media3.giphy.com

But it isn’t all just an illusion. Stevens also points out that people did age faster back in the day due to differences in nutrition, lifestyle and medicine. In addition, he also does a deep dive on how a person's name can affect their appearance, referencing the Dorian Gray effect, which theorizes that cultural stereotypes linked to a name come to be written on the faces of their bearers, as well as the name matching effect, in which people whose faces "match" their names tend to be better perceived.

Basically, this 22-minute video is chalked full of fascinating tidbits. Give it a watch below.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

It might be worth noting that, in addition to healthier lifestyle options, younger generations have more access to anti-aging procedures than ever before. "Tweakments," like fillers and botox, are less expensive and more readily available than ever—not to mention every anti-aging cream, serum, and cleanser known to man. And many millennials and Gen Zers take advantage of that, whether prompted by selfie anxiety, a growing obsession with youth, or some other motivation.

Plus, millennial and Gen Z fashion often honors their inner child. Nostalgic cartoon tees, colorful prints, cutesy accessories, etc. Granted, under the retrospective aging theory, even those styles could one day look dated, but they are so youthful that it's hard to imagine that being the case. That said, can't wait to see bunch of geezers sporting those broccoli haircuts.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Internet

Think your dishwasher kinda sucks? The 'weird appliance guy' says you're probably wrong.

These four dishwasher tips are "unironically life-changing."

Photo credit: Canva

Most dishwashers work way better than we think. We're just not using them right.

People often lament that household appliances aren't built like they used to be, and, in some cases, that's totally true. Planned obsolescence is a real thing, and old fridges, washers, dryers, and other appliances definitely don't last as long as they once did. Some people also complain that modern appliances often don't work as well as older models did.

That may also be true in some cases, but Alec Watson, "the internet's weird appliance guy," has some key information about dishwashers that may leave you singing a different tune.

How often have you thought that your dishwasher kind of sucks? Like it just doesn't do a good job of getting the dishes clean, or it leaves a residue on the dishes, or you feel like you have to rinse every speck of food off your plates before loading it in order for it to work properly (thereby largely defeating the purpose of a dishwasher in the first place)?

It turns out, it's probably not your machine that's the issue. It's you.

using a dishwasher, dishwasher, home, cleaning, choresParenting Chores GIF by Scary MommyGiphy

Or rather, it's you not fully understanding how your dishwasher works and how to actually make it perform its functions the way it's supposed to. That's the premise behind Watson's Technology Connections video with 5 million views that people are calling "unironically life-changing."

The video is actually a synopsis of two viral videos Watson previously shared, which together take up the the length of a feature film. This video pares all of that down to a 25 minutes, during which he shares how dishwashers are designed to work, why you feel like yours doesn't work well, and four vital tips for making sure that those problems aren't a skill issue on your part. No judgment here—just some helpful information and advice that just might change your relationship with your dishwasher forever.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

First, you shouldn't have to rinse your dishes before loading the dishwasher. Scraping off the large pieces of food is perfectly sufficient, or should be. Dishwashers are designed to actually wash dishes, not just sanitize them.

Watson's video contains the ins and outs of why these tips are important, but here's a rundown of what he suggests:

1. Remove and clean out the filter on the bottom of the dishwasher.

Many of us don't actually know there's a filter in dishwashers that catches the food chunks. Some dishwashers have a macerator in the pump instead, which breaks up the food particles and washes them away like a mini garbage disposal. But you should definitely know which kind of dishwasher you have and clean the filter regularly if you have one.

hot water, rinse, cleaning, washing, dishes Satisfying Clean Water GIF by NRDCGiphy

2. Run the kitchen tap until the water gets hot just before starting the dishwasher.

Dishwashers in North America are connected to the hot water in the kitchen, and having the water that goes into the dishwasher already be hot rather than the dishwasher itself having to heat the water makes them run better. If you've washed dishes by hand, you know the difference hot water makes. Priming the pump, so to speak, buy bringing hot water into the kitchen first so that the dishwasher starts off as hot as possible helps a lot with getting the food washed off well. It also helps the detergent work better.

Watson says this may be the most important tip in the video—at least for North Americans—so don't skip this one (And if it doesn't seem to help, make sure that your dishwasher is actually hooked up to the hot water in your kitchen. See minute 7:50 in the video for how to check that).

dishwasher, washing, dishes, clean, appliances, tipsGo Pro Dishwasher GIF by DiggGiphy

3. Use the detergent dispenser correctly.

Using and closing the dispenser door is super important, says Watson. Dishwashers generally have a pre-wash cycle that rinses dishes for about 10 minutes to get the bulk of food off, and if all of the detergent were to be used in that cycle, it would mean the dishes spent very little time with soap getting them clean. The dispenser door is designed to open after that rinse cycle, being incorporated into the next, much longer wash cycle.

4. Use cheap detergent and add a pre-wash dose

That's right. Watson says he uses the cheapest detergent he can buy. And, as he went into it at length in one of his previous videos, the fancy expensive pods might actually be limiting the ability of your dishwasher to do its job fully. The cheap stuff actually works better, according to Watson.

cheap, dishes, detergent, washing, dish washingmikekoziol GIF by Bizness RebelsGiphy

There is a pre-wash dispenser on many dishwashers, however, which is meant to be filled with a small amount of detergent in order to make the pre-wash cycle work better. If your dishwasher doesn't have a pre-wash dispenser, you can toss about a tablespoon of detergent into the bottom of the dishwasher or onto the door.

Dishwasher pods make the pre-wash dispenser basically impossible to use, which is one reason why Watson recommends using the old-fashioned powdered or gel detergent. He also recommends those because you can adjust the amount of detergent you use. People who have soft water don't need to use as much detergent as those with hard water. Powder and gel detergents are generally more cost-effective as well.

dishwasher, how to use a dishwasher, dishwasher tips, cleaning hacks, washing dishesYou know you're using the right amount of detergent if your dishes come out clean and residue-free.

If your dishwasher is leaving a soap residue on your dishes, you're using too much detergent and can cut back. Watson says you likely don't need to fill the entire dispenser cup, though the detergent box isn't going to tell you that.

Lest you think that your dishwasher is surely the exception, Watson says he has tried these tips on a huge range of dishwashers, including "the gnarliest landlord special I've ever encountered—that thing didn't even have a sprayer for its top rack, and boy was it loud" and they've all been able to wash dishes well as a result.

Watson offers a lightning round of additional tips at the 20-minute mark on the video, such as removing scale and buildup that might be clogging sprayers, so if you try these four things and your dishwasher still seems to struggle, check those out.

Happy dishwashing, everyone!

Follow Technology Connections on YouTube for more interesting and helpful appliance information.

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Conservation

A juice company dumped orange peels in a national park. This is what it looks like today.

12,000 tons of food waste and 28 years later, this forest looks totally different.

Image via Dan Jansen

A before and after view of the experiment

In 1997, ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs approached an orange juice company in Costa Rica with an off-the-wall idea. In exchange for donating a portion of unspoiled, forested land to the Área de Conservación Guanacaste — a nature preserve in the country's northwest — the park would allow the company to dump its discarded orange peels and pulp, free of charge, in a heavily grazed, largely deforested area nearby.

One year later, one thousand trucks poured into the national park, offloading over 12,000 metric tons of sticky, mealy, orange compost onto the worn-out plot. The site was left untouched and largely unexamined for over a decade. A sign was placed to ensure future researchers could locate and study it.

16 years later, Janzen dispatched graduate student Timothy Treuer to look for the site where the food waste was dumped.

Treuer initially set out to locate the large placard that marked the plot — and failed.


natural wonders, nature, recycling, conservation, environment, oranges, orange peels, dumpsThe first deposit of orange peels in 1996.Photo by Dan Janzen.


"It's a huge sign, bright yellow lettering. We should have been able to see it," Treuer says. After wandering around for half an hour with no luck, he consulted Janzen, who gave him more detailed instructions on how to find the plot.

When he returned a week later and confirmed he was in the right place, Treuer was floored. Compared to the adjacent barren former pastureland, the site of the food waste deposit was "like night and day."


Environment, natural wonder, natural miracles, nature, oranges, planet, conservation The site of the orange peel deposit (L) and adjacent pastureland (R).Photo by Leland Werden.


"It was just hard to believe that the only difference between the two areas was a bunch of orange peels. They look like completely different ecosystems," he explains.

The area was so thick with vegetation he still could not find the sign.

Treuer and a team of researchers from Princeton University studied the site over the course of the following three years.

The results, published in the journal "Restoration Ecology," highlight just how completely the discarded fruit parts assisted the area's turnaround.

According to the Princeton School of International Public Affairs, the experiment resulted in a "176 percent increase in aboveground biomass — or the wood in the trees — within the 3-hectare area (7 acres) studied."

The ecologists measured various qualities of the site against an area of former pastureland immediately across the access road used to dump the orange peels two decades prior. Compared to the adjacent plot, which was dominated by a single species of tree, the site of the orange peel deposit featured two dozen species of vegetation, most thriving.


natural wonder, nature, environment, conservation, oranges, orange peelsLab technician Erik Schilling explores the newly overgrown orange peel plot.Photo by Tim Treuer.


In addition to greater biodiversity, richer soil, and a better-developed canopy, researchers discovered a tayra (a dog-sized weasel) and a giant fig tree three feet in diameter, on the plot.

"You could have had 20 people climbing in that tree at once and it would have supported the weight no problem," says Jon Choi, co-author of the paper, who conducted much of the soil analysis. "That thing was massive."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Recent evidence suggests that secondary tropical forests — those that grow after the original inhabitants are torn down — are essential to helping slow climate change.

In a 2016 study published in Nature, researchers found that such forests absorb and store atmospheric carbon at roughly 11 times the rate of old-growth forests.

Treuer believes better management of discarded produce — like orange peels — could be key to helping these forests regrow.

In many parts of the world, rates of deforestation are increasing dramatically, sapping local soil of much-needed nutrients and, with them, the ability of ecosystems to restore themselves.

Meanwhile, much of the world is awash in nutrient-rich food waste. In the United States, up to half of all produce in the United States is discarded. Most currently ends up in landfills.


natural wonder, nature, conservation, environment, planet, oranges, orange peelsThe site after a deposit of orange peels in 1998.Photo by Dan Janzen.


"We don't want companies to go out there will-nilly just dumping their waste all over the place, but if it's scientifically driven and restorationists are involved in addition to companies, this is something I think has really high potential," Treuer says.

The next step, he believes, is to examine whether other ecosystems — dry forests, cloud forests, tropical savannas — react the same way to similar deposits.

Two years after his initial survey, Treuer returned to once again try to locate the sign marking the site.

Since his first scouting mission in 2013, Treuer had visited the plot more than 15 times. Choi had visited more than 50. Neither had spotted the original sign.

In 2015, when Treuer, with the help of the paper's senior author, David Wilcove, and Princeton Professor Rob Pringle, finally found it under a thicket of vines, the scope of the area's transformation became truly clear.



natural wonder, nature, environment, environmental miracle, planet, oranges, orange peelsThe sign after clearing away the vines.Photo by Tim Treuer.


"It's a big honking sign," Choi emphasizes.

19 years of waiting with crossed fingers had buried it, thanks to two scientists, a flash of inspiration, and the rind of an unassuming fruit.

This article originally appeared eight years ago.

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science
Mental Health

A woman joked that she need a 'cry room.' So her husband built one for her.

Their designer friend Rachel helped draw up a plan.

Images via Canva

A woman said she needed a crying room so her husband built one

For most of us, the world can seem chaotic. With the influx of a 24-hour news cycle, constant social media scrolling, and the day-to-day fires we're so often putting out, we need an anxiety-reducing space to help us take it down a notch. Interior designers have taken note and have begun creating "Wellness Rooms"–with "introvert nooks" as the latest trend.

Think smaller and cozier, surrounded by warm and inviting items, specifically curated for each person. In the same way Dachshunds like to burrow under the covers, a lot of humans do too—at least in a metaphorical sense. Interior designers have definitely taken this into account.

In the Associated Press article, "Wellness Rooms Are Claiming Space in Many Homes," author Kim Cook writes, "We’re seeing rooms transformed into sanctuaries of self-care." She shares the thoughts of Dallas designer Gonzalo Bueno, who says, "Music rooms, meditation rooms, and Zen gardens are some of the wellness spaces we’ve designed recently. Spaces for wellness, retreat, and recharging are all really popular right now."

Bueno notes in the article that these spaces can be serene like a spa or have a bit more energy to them. "We’re designing more music rooms, which isn’t surprising since music is so healing."

Also popular? Introvert nooks. On the lifestyle site Cup of Jo, founder and editor Joanna Goddard shares a letter from a reader named Kristen, who was feeling overwhelmed. In the letter, she writes, "I’m an introvert with a husband and four kids, so I’m always trying to find a space where I can be alone. I joked to my husband that if we could move the back wall of our bedroom forward, we could create a tiny room for me. For my 40th birthday, he did it!"

After a follow-up phone call, Kristen revealed to Joanna, "I was crying a lot but didn’t want to cry in front of my kids. I told my husband, 'I need a cry room,' and I joked that we could move the wall up in our bedroom and create a little nook."

Kristen said she also addressed her underlying depression and anxiety with a therapist. But, her husband Jeff never forgot her initial request. She shares that the night before her 40th birthday, Jeff pulled out a card. “The front said, ‘You’re my human panic room,' and inside he had written, ‘But you might need one of your own.'” Their designer friend, Rachel, had drawn up a plan, which Jeff included in the card.

What came to be was her own tiny (mostly) private nook, accessible through a hidden door in their bookshelf. There, she can read and knit sweaters under an "Over the Rainbow" sign made by her brother. There's an entire wall adorned with cards and notes. Kristen told Joanna, "I saw that Drew Barrymore had something like that, and I’m a big words-of-affirmation person. I have so many from my kids when they were little, like ‘Happy Mother’s Day,’ but they couldn’t spell it."

There are plenty of others sharing similar cozy spaces. On TikTok (and among many interior designers), it also became known as the "Rest Corner Trend." In a 2024 article for The Spruce, writer Shagun Khare's discusses how nuanced and personal each space is. How the colors, materials of the fabrics, and, of course, layout, are all paramount to finding the relaxing space that's right for each individual.

@theintrovertedition

will literally never get over this corner of my library, peak coziness just in time for the holidays 🎄🎀✨ #booktok #homelibrary #christmas #pinkmas

She also cites designer Amy Courtney, who shares, "Cozy corners have become more than just a trend—they're a necessity. This trend will last because it aligns perfectly with the wellness movement, encouraging us to take a step back and find balance in our lives."

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Pop Culture

Duran Duran's new luxury perfume is unintentionally making fans think of a very dirty word

"Every time I see the name ... I see another word. I can’t be the only one who feels this way."

Images via Canva and Wikicommons

Duran Duran's new luxury perfume really sounds like something else entirely

For many of us Duranies, the pop band Duran Duran has held a top spot in our hearts over the years. We love the music, the videos, the groovy Nile Rodgers-inspired John Taylor bassline, and the delightfully bonkers lyrics, often brought to us by front man Simon Le Bon (though, over the decades, other bandmates have offered lyric collaborations),

In fact, there are entire Reddit threads dedicated to the seemingly nonsensical nature of their lyrics. One fan eloquently advises, "I would suggest you study poetry and the poets that influenced Simon. Do they 'mean' anything in a literal sense? Not really, nor are they supposed to. He’s said before that he was highly influenced by impressionistic poetry, and one of his favorite poets was Wilfred Owen. A couple of other obvious ones are T.S. Eliot, and I believe the great metaphysical poet John Donne."

Duran Duran, show, band, performance, 80s, lyricsduran duran 80s GIFGiphy

One such lyric is from one of their most popular hits, "Hungry Like the Wolf," from their second studio album, Rio, released in 1982. While the entire band (which consisted of Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor, and Andy Taylor at the time) is credited with writing the song, it's widely believed that Simon had the most influence on the words. "Smell like I sound," he sang, while clad in a khaki "safari" suit, a fedora, and a shirt unbuttoned so far down that his many necklaces glistened in the swamps of Sri Lanka.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

But it often begged the question: How DO they smell? If it’s like they sound, then it must be pretty awesome. Well, now we have an actual answer to that question. Duran Duran has released two unisex scents in collaboration with the Italian fragrance perfumery Xerjoff. And a few folks online are having a fun time with its name. But we'll come back to that.

One scent, NeoRio, can be purchased in four different-colored flacons: pink, green, orange, or yellow. According to the Xerjoff website, it contains notes of "candied fig and rum with the sparkling freshness of elemi absolute, before unfolding with the fiery warmth of saffron and the elegance of soft rose oil, all anchored by the creamy richness of Tonka bean and the timeless depth of balsam from Peru." Not sure whether to wear it, eat it, drink it, or just listen to it, but it goes for nearly 400 USD a pop.

At the same price point, Xerjoff is also offering Black Moonlight, a heavier scent where "Bergamot and mandarin awaken the senses, whilst saffron, lavender, sambac jasmine, and hazelnut envelop the senses in an intimate embrace. It’s all grounded by the base notes of patchouli, vetiver, tonka bean, and benzoin to create a sensual, timeless scent that mirrors Duran Duran’s legacy: constantly transforming yet introspective—a harmonious blend of art, innovation, and emotion." Now that's a good sell.

The issue on Reddit? Fans have thoughts about the name of the perfumery. On the subreddit r/DuranDuran, someone posted a "New Duran Duran Perfume" thread. The first comment comes in hot: "Every time I see the name of this company, I see another word. I can’t be the only one who feels this way." This gets over 50 upvotes, with many Redditors in agreement.

Though some defend the company: "Xerjoff is a highly regarded perfumier. Also, damned expensive." But after a few more in the comments use creative and descriptive ways to explain how the mind tends to trick us into reading Xerjoff in a less-than-savory way, it really just comes down to the cost. "I think I’ll stay with the way I think they smell like. Too expensive for me."

The comments even come up on Duran Duran's official TikTok page.

@duranduran

@Xerjoff x Duran Duran x LDN. The night took place in Lost City, a secret London location. Here’s a sneak peek….share at your highest discretion. #xerjoff #duranduran #NeoRio #blackmoonlight #london

Xerjoff, for what it's worth, is an extremely popular and well-reviewed perfumery. And in the words of keyboardist Nick Rhodes on their website, they created the scents with the same standards as they approach their over 40-year career. "We realized we were striving to achieve similar criteria as we do when writing songs—ultimately aiming for something seductive, unique, and irresistible.”


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