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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week​

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

smiley face smile
Photo via br_ruy/Canva

Need a reason to smile? How about 10 of them?

Did you know that baby owls' heads are too heavy for their little bodies to hold up all the time, so they sleep on their stomachs and it's the cutest thing ever?

Did you know that otters like to have their hands rubbed by humans?

Did you know that Kevin Bacon singing a Beyoncé song with his guitar while being surrounded by goats was a thing?

There's so much to learn in this week's list of things that made us smile!


From our adorable animal friends to our awesome fellow humans doing awesome things, here are 10 delightful finds from around the internet to lift your spirit and give you a feel-good boost.

Otter loves it when a human holds and rubs its little hands and the bliss is too much.

Look at that face. I get it, little otter. Hand massages are highly underrated.

Baby owls sleep on their stomachs because they can't hold their honking heads up for too long.

This is one of those things that sounds fake, but isn't. Dr. Heather Hinam, conservation biologist, confirmed it. Entirely too hilarious.

Speaking of owls … the way owls run looks like a cartoon.

Oh my gosh, why are their legs so long and why do they look like they're picking up their trousers and sneaking around? Can't handle it.

Bono made a sweet animatic honoring his 40-year marriage to his wife, Ali.

Bono and Ali started dating the same year that U2 formed and 40 years later he still refers to her as his "soulmate." Four decades is an impressive run for any couple, but practically unheard of for a world-famous rockstar. (I see you, Jon Bon Jovi!) Read the full story here.

These brothers caring for their baby sister after she fell asleep in her high chair is so dang sweet.

@stevenbb12345

#amor #dehijos #💓💓

No idea what the backstory is on these kiddos, but clearly they've been raised to take good care of their sister. The way the older one jumped into action and the smile on the younger one's face before he snuggled her up are just precious.

Kevin Bacon sings Beyoncé surrounded by goats in the most unexpectedly delightful video.

This is the cover no one asked for but everyone finds themselves bopping to. What a combo. Read the full story here.

This 3-year-old loves her "Creepy Chloe" doll and Disney embraced her in the best way.

Creepy Chloe accompanied Briar to Disney World and had a special, spooky day.

Photos courtesy of Brittany Beard

Kids are quirky, and 3-year-old Briar Rose's choice of doll makes that clear. Disney World cast members totally went above and beyond when she brought "Creepy Chloe" to the Magic Kingdom, giving her some spooky treats, taking some fun portraits and making her an Honorary Caretaker of the Haunted Mansion. So fun. Read the full story here.

This bird trying to land a lady with his wing-waving, headless peek-a-boo dance

Bro, you're going way too hard here. Very entertaining, though.

Brodie the famous floof visits kids in the children's hospital and it's sheer joy.

Nobody can suppress a smile when they see Brodie. What a sweet way to bring some joy to these kids' day.

It's Labor Day weekend! Let's celebrate like this cat, with an epically awesome nap.

May we all find a space and time when we can be this relaxed.

Hope this list brought a smile or six to your face! Have a fabulous weekend and come back again next week for another serotonin-boosting roundup.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


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Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

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Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

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YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

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