
From adorable doggos to heartwarming humans, here are 10 tidbits of joy to boost your spirits.
I'm not quite sure how it happened, but his week's list is somewhat dog-heavy.
It's a bit odd, because I'm really more of a cat person. I've had more than a dozen cats in my lifetime and not a single dog. I do love other people's dogs, though, and there's no shortage of awesome stories about dogs that occasionally make me question my loyalty to cats.
Animals in general are joy-bringers, though. Along with the dogs, we've got bears and an otter this week that I think will bring a smile to even the most hardened of hearts.
And there are awesome humans, too. Sometimes it's easy to become dismayed with our fellow humans, especially when most of what we see are headlines about bad behavior. It's good to be reminded that there are so many people doing so many great things in the world.
If you need a boost of faith in humanity or just a little mood boost with some endorphin-pushing animal videos, we've got you covered. Here are 10 things that made us smile this week:
The dramatics of this husky are entirely extra and it's hilarious. (Sound up.)
"You went and got groceries WITHOUT me? Waaaaaaah!" And how he just escalated with the foot tap. Such a drama king.
Then there are these guys with the cutest doggo photo shoot ever.
We all have that friend when you try to take a picture.. pic.twitter.com/LNRC6J4aPE— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1652120810
How do you train dogs to do this? Or do they just do it on their own?
Chef José Andrés inspires with his words about utilizing our talents to change the world.
"Longer tables, not higher walls." Chef José is an international treasure. Read the full story here.
Ths mama bear wrangling her toddlers across the street is every mom.
Anyone who\u2019s gone somewhere with a toddler can relate to this \n\nOn a serious note - a big shout out to all those people who stopped their cars and patiently waited! \n\nin/crazyforcouturepic.twitter.com/Sm39VJZkMH— Jess \ud83c\udf3b (@Jess \ud83c\udf3b) 1652305719
Been there, mama. Totally feel you.
Girls ask their stepmom to adopt them after 12 years and the joy is palpable.
Speaking of mamas, oof, this one hits right in the feels. Stepparents can be a gift, and this family clearly has no shortage of love.
As if sea otters needed to get any cuter…
Sea otters will often cover their eyes with their paws to help them sleep during the day.pic.twitter.com/16l99GTBxy— Wonder of Science (@Wonder of Science) 1652361498
It's not even doing anything and I think I might die from the cuteness.
The delightful anger management skills of this young one.
@larobenz BRO I CANNOT WITH HER 😭😂😂😂😂 @emmali. #TheSuicideSquadMovie #stitch #fyp #foryou #viral #blowthisup #kids #emmali #kidstiktok #funny #comedy
That grin, though. He may want to sleep with one eye open, but that girl has got charm times a hundred.
Couple celebrating their 67th anniversary get a tear-jerking surprise from their kids.
Well, shoot. That one required a tissue warning. So sweet. Read the full story here.
On a personal note, the teens are all right.
My teen daughter and her friend went to Dairy Queen and were helped by a woman who was just a ray of sunshine. She was juggling lots of different things, but was warm and cheerful and kind with everyone, from co-workers to customers. My daughter and her friend noticed.
She took their order for two mini Blizzards, but then handed them two smalls (the next size up) instead. They told her they'd ordered minis, and she smiled and said, "I know. It's all right. Enjoy." They were delighted.
They didn't see a tip jar but wanted to do something to show their appreciation. So they went to the grocery store down the road, bought a small bouquet of flowers, and went back.
When they handed her the flowers and explained how they saw and appreciated her excellent service, she was shocked and thrilled.
"You guys! I'm gonna cry!" she said. "Oh you've just made it all worth it! Can I give you a hug?"
And she did. And it was all just pure joy. And my daughter came home beaming about the whole experience.
The teens are all right.
Let's pounce into the weekend like this dog pounces into the ocean for the first time.
guess which dog has never seen the oceanpic.twitter.com/Mm15BomgBK— Puppies \ud83d\udc36 (@Puppies \ud83d\udc36) 1652323913
Bounding with joy. Let's do it.
Hope that brought a smile or six to your face! Come back next week for another roundup of joy and delight.
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- Scientists Discover One Of The Greatest Contributing Factors To ... ›
- Mom and stepmom become best friends and co-parents - Upworthy ›
- Toddler's sweet reaction to finding out her mom is adopted - Upworthy ›
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."
This article originally appeared in May.