
This week's list includes love stories, cute kids, adorable animals and more.
It's that time again, friends! Every week, we collect 10 smile-worthy finds from around the internet, wrap them up in a nice bow and share them with our readers.
This week's list includes some adorable kiddos, some inspiring long-term love stories, some hilarious animals, a wildly talented harmonica-playing beatboxer and more. We hope this list brings you as much joy as it brought us putting it together.
Enjoy—and don't forget to share the love!
1. Kids are adorably wowed by a woman's sidewalk chalk art.
"There is no such chalk!" Ah, the pure wonder of children.
2. This little girl standing up for herself and her hairstyle is everything
That's right, little one. You do you and don't pay Owen's opinion any mind.
3. The way this doting husband styles his wife of 25 years is total #couplegoals
Can we clone this man? Gracious. See the fuschia dress on "Flower" and read the full story here.
4. Harmonica beatboxing is something we never knew we needed to see
It just gets better and better. Like, how?
5. Woman pretends to faint and her camel's reaction is the sweetest
Great, now I need a camel.
6. A-ha's stripped down version of 'Take On Me" is a lovely trip down memory lane
When a song makes you smile and tear up at the same time, you just lean into it. Read the full story here.
7. Gorilla siblings being classic siblings is completely hilarious
Siblings.. \ud83d\ude02\n\n\ud83c\udfa5 IG: limbewildlifecentre— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden) 1695790929
Everyone with a sibling recognizes this interaction. All that's missing is, "Mo-oommm! He's bothering meeee!"
8. Couple married for nearly 62 years saying goodbye for the weekend is total sweetness
"It's terrible, Troy." Awww.
9. We weren't ready for how this brother and sister talked about their love for one another
Sometimes siblings pick at one another, and sometimes they share a bond like no other.
10. Kid's alien abduction costume inspires an Oscar-worthy performance
@saddiegau #aliens #abduction #halloween
Seriously impressive acting skills, kiddo! Read the full story here.
If you enjoyed this post and want to receive more like it in your inbox, sign up for Upworthy's free email newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.
Until next week—keep on smiling!
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."