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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.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

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Health

Relationship expert shares her advice on how to 'stop an argument in its tracks'

She has the perfect question to ask once your partner gets defensive.

Therapist Lauren Consul has one trick to stop arguments before they begin.

Arguments start to take off when one partner begins to get defensive. So, therapist Lauren Consul shared her relationship-saving tip to "stop an argument in its tracks" when one partner goes into self-preservation mode.

Lauren Consul is a couples and sex therapist who’s developed a following of nearly 160,000 people on TikTok and has received over 5.4 million likes. She is an infidelity expert and hosts retreats to help people "survive and thrive" after one partner has strayed.

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Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

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Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

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