
This week's list brings us uniquely talented people and creatures, from a 6-year-old fashion design prodigy to a cat crafting pawttery.
Hey all! Time for another Upworthy roundup of joy!
We've got a plethora of talent in this week's 10 things, from singing South African firefighters to 6-year-old fashion designers to the world's fastest Rubik's Cube solver. We've even got a cat making pottery, for goodness sake. What could be better?
When you need a break from the heavy headlines and media melee, Upworthy's got you covered. Dive into these fun finds from this week and get your smile on!
1. South African firefighters bring their skills to Canada to help fight wildfires with the best energy ever
Is that not the greatest airport arrival ever? Canada and the smoke-affected U.S. thank you, South Africa!
2. Guy skillfully fast raps Dr. Seuss books and it's just awesome to witness
@jordansimons4 Rappin “Dr. Seuss’s ABC” by Dr. Seuss! #rappinrhymebooks #DrSeuss #FYP #fyp #foryourpage #rap #bars
Pretty sure this is how Dr. Seuss always intended his books to be read, despite his books predating rap music by more than three decades. See more of Jordan Simons' Seuss raps here.
3. Check out this 6-year-old fashion design prodigy making a custom dress for afriend
Like, what?!? Those are not easy-to-sew fabrics, either! Gorgeous dress. Way to go, Max.
4. American speed cuber Max Park breaks World Record, solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube in 3.13 seconds
\u201cRubik's Cube 3x3 World Record (3.13) breaking 4.5 year old record of (3.47) #thecubicle #rubiks #spinmaster #thespeedcubers #netflix\u201d— Max Park (@Max Park) 1686544334
Not three minutes—three seconds. What we see at first was just a warmup. Once the scrambled cube was revealed, he had 10 seconds to examine it before making any moves. Just don't blink once he starts. Absolutely bonkers.
5. Danish 'recycle artist' builds enormously endearing trolls as part of an ongoing global art project
Trolls Isak Heartstone 1.0 (originally built in Breckenridge, Colorado) and Mama Mimi (built in Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
Photos courtesy of Thomas Dambo
Thomas Dambo has spent the past nine years building huge trolls all around the world to draw attention to humanity's relationship with nature. Each troll is made of recycled wood materials and each one has its own unique name and backstory. This summer he's touring the U.S. to build 10 more of these gentle giants. See where the new trolls are going to pop up here.
6. Submitting a formal request for all the cat-crafted pottery, please
\u201chttps://t.co/aLzAW4BUPt \u201d— cats with jobs (@cats with jobs) 1686854071
Or perhaps pawttery is the correct term. Genuinely would pay good money for one of thess pawts.
7. Clever doggo plays the 'pick a cup' game with the most human-like responses
\u201chttps://t.co/MgTGlREhi6\u201d— out of context dogs (@out of context dogs) 1685966556
Seriously, though, those captions are exactly what that dog is thinking. There's no other explanation. And those eyes at the end? Give that pup all the treats, stat.
8. This 94-years-old's description of her marriage is a touching testimony to love's longevity
And how about being this sharp at 94! Love her and love her story.
9. Woman finds her mom's best childhood friend from 50 years ago and the reunion is adorable
Swipe through to see the reunion video. Fifty years! So much joy.
10. When someone sings 'You Are My Sunshine,' you sing along, even when you're a squeaky doggo
\u201c\u201cYou are my sunshine, my only sunshine\u201d \ud83c\udfb6\n\nWatch and listen until the end.. \ud83d\ude02\n\n\ud83c\udfa5 @casperandpam\u201d— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1685901512
Is it just me or did it look like the pup was tearing up? What a reaction. Feel those feelings, friend!
Hope you found a few reasons to smile in this week's roundup! If you'd like these posts delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free email newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.
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.