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People are sharing the most 'interesting revelation' they've had about the opposite sex

Here are 17 of the most important revelations

opposite sex, dating questions, sex differences

A man and woman communicating their emotions.

Even though we’re constantly around people of another gender, they can feel like a total mystery. The differences between sexes are even a bit of an enigma to psychologists. Some experts believe that men are very similar psychologically, while others believe they are profoundly different.

To make things even more confusing, many barriers get in the way of understanding where everyone is coming from. We are raised with outdated stereotypes suggesting women are “like this,” and men are “like that,” or men are from Mars, and women are from Venus.

We also live in a time when we understand that simply understanding people as either men or women negates those who embrace the entirety of the gender spectrum. Further, fundamental physical differences between the genders can be confusing, too. Learning about our bodies is hard enough, let alone someone with different features.


All in all, this means that we constantly discover new things about other genders, even though many of the discoveries were staring us in the face the whole time. A Reddit user named zenithjonesxxx asked the forum, “What's the most interesting revelation you've had about the opposite sex?” and the responses were pretty enlightening.

Some people shared the differences they’ve learned about our physical bodies, while others have picked up on communication strategies or learned about important differences in clothing.

Here are 17 of the best responses to the question: What's the most interesting revelation you've had about the opposite sex?

1. No bras in the dryer

"It's all fun and games until you put her favorite bra in the dryer, even accidentally." — TheLonelyScientist

"When my Husband & I moved in together, I showed him how to wash bras and to hang them up. One day, he was in a rush and wasn’t paying attention and put 4 of my good bras in the dryer on high. He apologized profusely and promised to replace them. After he found out how much each one of them were he asked if he could buy me a new one each pay period. I said that’s fine and said he will probably never make this mistake again." — _So_Anyways_

2. Period timing

"I was 16/17 when I found out periods happen over time, not an instant gush of blood that comes out at some random point over a one week time period. I blame adverts for panty liners where they poured all the blue liquid out at once." — Samdd1990

"My husband thought all women had their periods in the beginning of each month." — Annizka

3. No one is judging

"That they don’t care much about our flaws like we think." — [Deleted]

"I’m way too busy thinking about what you think is wrong with me to think about what could be wrong with you." — YourMom

4. The importance of kindness

"That nothing stands the test of time in a relationship more than kindness. It can’t be faked long-term. It’s literally the most important quality in a mate." — TrulyFreely

"OMG up vote this. It's the hardest thing to do - especially when you are 25 years in with 2 kids. But let the small sh*t go and just be kind. Find one selfless thing you can do/ say every day to make your partner feel special - no matter how shitty you feel yourself. It comes back at you in multiples." — Cynik0

5. Pad logic

"I learned on Reddit that they don't stick those pad things to themselves. They stick it to their underwear. I guess it's obvious in hindsight." — TokiStark

6. Woman's pants

"Their pants don’t have a waist size and leg length. Just an arbitrary number. The f*** is a size 3?" — PewpyDewpyPants

"It’s actually awful. I hate shopping for pants." — Rhandy_Mas

7. Men feel, too

"Men are incredibly emotional humans in a way that deserves so much showing up for and gentleness. I used to believe the stereotypes and didn’t always hold space for men to bring their emotions. But once I began clocking into how some men show up in their emotions, I was able to see how awesome they are in that space." — Sahipps

"I think it's just that we express our emotions differently. It's not that we don't have them, it's that we don't tend to wear them on our sleeves. However, get us in the right environment and the right frame of mind to express ourselves and you'll find we are no less emotionally complex than women." — Darkknight109

8. Understanding male silence

"Men really do sit there and think about the most random things. You think they’re mad at you, but they’re seriously just contemplating what would happen if oxygen just suddenly disappeared for a brief moment." — Ill_Pumpkin8217

"Yeah sometimes when I say 'nothing' it's because I don't want to say 'I'm imagining what would happen if ninjas were to suddenly attack.'" — CatsDogf

9. Women's buttons

"Shirt buttons are on the other side? But, why?" — Fr8LIner

"The wealthy used to be dressed by servants." — Scornflake

10. Boob size

"Men don't care about the size of boobs half as much as I (F) thought they do." — Manzare

"Yeah, even when being superficial the size isn't really relevant. This myth probably started because men are more likely to involuntarily stare when someone has bigger breasts, simply because they are more immediately noticeable." — Lawlcopt0r

11. Insecurities

"I think I was a teenager when I realized that my assumption - 95% percent of women think they're beautiful - was actually the inverse of reality. I have no idea why I thought that was the case, but I did. When I started understanding people's insecurities about their appearance, men included, it changed the way I interacted with them." — Edgarpickle

"I love the thought that you were projecting how you thought 95% of women were beautiful and just assumed they thought the same." — Xparapluiex

12. Interesting point

"Women really want to be found interesting, by someone who isn’t trying to sell them something or get them into bed in the next few hours." — Dangerous_Grab_1809

"This may have been why many women I (37/M) encountered believed that I was romantically interested in them, simply because I wanted to know who they were as people. It struck me later in life that they deal with guys who only feign interest to get something from them. That must be exhausting." — DDh5

13. Men in childcare

"The lack of guys in child-centered roles (especially roles involving young children) due to their fear of being accused of/perceived as a creep is a real shame and disservice to our youth. My first job was working as a daycare assistant in high school. My guy friend worked at the same place. He wasn’t allowed to change diapers/clothes or hug (and basically comfort) kids, though — only girls or women were allowed. We were both deeply offended by the implication that he couldn’t be trusted to perform the same job as me because he might do something sick. I felt valued as an employee, but he felt like he had a target on his back. Is this the message we want to send to boys? And why perpetuate the societal expectation that females should/need to handle more childcare tasks than males?

I’ve babysat for a ton of different families over the years. The blind trust some parents have in me just because I’m a woman is bewildering. Strangers have literally handed me their kid without batting an eye. Male babysitters are pretty much non-existent aside from the occasional family member or maybe a close family friend. And even if those boys or men are available and willing to babysit, there’s a very high chance that a female family member or close family friend will be chosen instead, if possible." — PasstheTreesPlease

14. She's not 'out of your league'

"My contribution is that women "out of your league" may not be looking for some Andrew Tate Alpha Male who drinks Bull Piss™️ and gets into fights. She may actually have a crush on you and be just as shy to approach as you are.

Imagine my shock when I was on a manic high and spoke to a woman I knew would never associate with my ass and she was the exact type of person I was looking for and I happened to be the EXACT type she was looking for! Next month will be 12 years of marriage." — StudMuffinNick

"So true. I’ve seen a lot of my girl friends feel attracted to a guy just simply because he asked them questions about themselves and seemed genuinely interested in what they were saying." — Annagrams15

15. To-do lists

"Took me a couple years of marriage to realize, but for women crossing 2-3 things off their to-do list = foreplay." — Counthermula

"I believe the term is 'Choreplay.'" — ShaggyNinja

16. 'I'm proud of you'

"Ladies, message him 'I'm proud of you' no clue why it does what it does to a guy, but they love that shit." — Mousewaterdrinker

"Men can feel like trash, contemplating that they’re not good enough cause they don’t usually hear kind words like that really." — RaichiSensei

17. They just want you to listen

"Women can talk about their problems for hours with no intention of looking for a solution. They just want you to listen, not fix it." — Cocaine_N_Caviar

"Sometimes talking it out IS fixing it. The more you say it, the more you realize why you feel, the more you realize if there IS a solution, what it is." — PickledQuestions

Pop Culture

In 1969, the Monkees appeared on The Johnny Cash Show and played a stunning, original country song

"Nine Times Blue" is a jaw dropping intersection of craftsmanship and pure talent.

the monkees, nume times blue, monkees live, monkees country, johnny cash show

The Monkees perform on "The Johnny Cash Show."

The great debate about The Monkees is whether they were a real band or just a group of actors thrown together for a TV show. The answer is yes. They were actors cast to play an American version of The Beatles, and many of their early songs were written by big-time professional songwriters such as Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Gerry Goffin.

However, The Monkees would pick up their own instruments, play on the 1967 Headquarters album, and perform as a live band on sold-out tours. After a resurgence in the '80s, the band enjoyed a lucrative career as a legacy act, with various members continuing to perform as The Monkees until Michael Nesmith died in 2021. Nesmith, originally a country singer from Dallas, Texas, wrote several of The Monkees' hits, including "Mary, Mary," "Papa Gene's Blues," "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," and "Listen to the Band," and was a driving force in the group being taken seriously as musicians.




By the summer of 1969, The Monkees' TV series was off the air, and the affable Peter Tork had exited the group, citing exhaustion. The remaining three soldiered on, performing on The Johnny Cash Show to promote their latest album, Instant Replay. The band chose to perform "Nine Times Blue," a country song written by Nesmith that he had demoed at the time but wouldn't be released until he recorded it as a solo artist in 1970.

The performance is a wonderful reminder that The Monkees were great comedic actors and accomplished musicians. Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz do a fantastic job singing harmonies on the chorus, while Nesmith plays some nice fills on his Gibson acoustic.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Later in the show, The Monkees joined Cash for a performance of his 1966 novelty song, "Everybody Loves a Nut," which perfectly suited the band's comedic sensibilities. Two weeks after the release, Cash scored one of his biggest hits with "A Boy Named Sue," recorded live at San Quentin prison.

A few months later, Nesmith left The Monkees to pursue a country-rock career, first with the seminal group The First National Band, which scored a Top 40 hit with "Joanne" from the album Magnetic South.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Although Nesmith's country-rock albums of the '70s were moderately successful, he was still overshadowed, as a musician, by The Monkees' towering success and subsequent downfall. In the '70s, it wasn't easy for Nesmith to get the respect he was due as a country artist. But in the years leading up to his death in 2021, Nesmith's work was reappraised, and he was seen as a brilliant songwriter who anticipated the rise of alt-country.

The Monkees hold a complicated place in rock 'n' roll history. While some see them as a prefabricated band assembled to cash in on The Beatles' success, others recognize them as talented musicians brought together under bizarre circumstances who forged their own path and created something fresh and innovative, only earning proper respect years later.

1950s year book, old photos, college annual, students, 1950s america

The Wittenberger College 1956 yearbook.

Ever look through your parents’ high school yearbook and all the teenagers look like they are 35 years old? When you think about how teenagers look today, the difference is striking. But why? Did people grow up much faster back in the day, or is there something else at play?

If you look back to the 1980s, there’s a clear difference between actors Paul Rudd and Wilford Brimley at 50.


Sure, that's a cherry-picked, extreme version of the difference in how people age, but it does support the idea that just a few decades ago, people aged much faster.

In a recent video, the folks at Recollection Road did a deep dive into why your average high school junior in 1958 looked like a 55-year-old bank manager, and they found seven reasons. They were a mix of environmental and cultural factors that boiled down to one central point: people are much healthier these days.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

1. Smoking

“Cigarettes were everywhere: in diners, in offices, even on airplanes. In the 1950s, it wasn't unusual to see a mother with a baby in one arm and a cigarette in the other. High school kids would light up behind the gym, and by adulthood, many were chain smokers.”

A Gallup poll found that in 1954, 45% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes at least once a week. Compare this with 2024, when only 11% of Americans smoked a cigarette in the previous week.

2. Sun exposure

“Back in the 1960s and 1970s, a summer tan wasn't just fashionable, it was almost required. People slathered on baby oil, laid out under the blazing sun, and cooked. There was no SPF 50. In fact, lotion was designed to help you burn faster for a deeper tan. Families on vacation didn't think twice about spending hours on the beach with no shade. By the time they were in their 30s or 40s, the sun had also carved wrinkles and dark spots into their skin.”


3. Fashion

“Think about old photos of your parents or grandparents. A 25-year-old man in 1948 was often dressed in a suit and tie, maybe even a fedora. A young woman might be wearing a conservative dress and practical shoes. By modern standards, those styles look more grown-up, more like something we'd expect from someone middle-aged.”

4. Life was harder

“Someone who grew up during the Great Depression often started working as a teenager to help put food on the table. A lot of young men were drafted into World War II or Vietnam before they were even old enough to legally drink. That kind of responsibility leaves its mark. … Even women carried heavy burdens. In the 1950s, a young mother might have had three or four kids by the time she was 25, while also running a household without modern conveniences like microwaves or dishwashers.”


5. Drinking

“Having a three martini lunch was common in the business world of the 1960s. Beer was practically considered a food group in some households. Combine that with less knowledge about exercise and health, and you can see why bodies wore down faster, giving people an older appearance earlier in life.”

There has been a sharp decline in the number of Americans who consume alcohol. In 1971, 71% of Americans had the occasional drink, but that number dropped to 54% in 2025. The decline in drinking is attributed to concerns over alcohol’s effect on health and a decrease in consumption amongst younger people.


6. Cultural expectations

"By their mid-20s, most people in the 1950s and ‘60s were married, raising children, and working full-time jobs. Life was about responsibility, not self-expression. They dressed older, behaved older, and carried themselves as adults.”

7. Testosterone

“Studies show that the average testosterone has been steadily declining for decades. Men in the 1950s and ‘60s often had higher natural testosterone than men today, which gave them more muscle mass, broader builds, and in some cases, more facial hair. While that might sound like it would make them look younger, it often had the opposite effect. The heavy brows, thick body hair, and rugged features made young men look tougher, older, and more weathered than their actual age.”

boomer grandparents, boomer grandparent, millennial parents, millennial parent, grandkids
Image via Canva/PeopleImages

Boomer grandparents are excessively gifting their grandkids, and Millennial parents have had enough.

Millennial parents and Boomer grandparents don't always see eye to eye on parenting and grandparenting. Now, Millennial parents are uniting on a nightmare Boomer grandparenting trend that sees them "excessively gifting" their grandkids with tons of both new and old *unwanted* stuff during visits.

Ohio mom Rose Grady (@nps.in.a.pod) shared her "Boomer grandparent" experience in a funny and relatable video. "Just a millennial mom watching her boomer parents bring three full loads of 'treasures' into her home," she wrote in the overlay.


Grady can be seen looking out the window of her home at her Boomer mom and dad carrying bags and boxes up her driveway after several visits. The distressed and contemplative look on Grady's is speaking to plenty of Millennial moms.

@nps.in.a.pod

Today's "treasure" highlight was the mobile that hung in my nursery... #boomerparents #boomers #boomersbelike #millennialsoftiktok #millenialmom #motherdaughter

Grady captioned the video, "Today's 'treasure' highlight was the mobile that hung in my nursery..."

The humorous video resonated with with fellow Millennial parents. "Straight to the trash when they leave," one viewer commented. Another added, "I always say 'if you don’t want it in yours, we don’t want it in ours' 😂."

Even more Millennial parents have shared and discussed their situations with Boomer grandparents buying their kids too much stuff on Reddit. "Both my mother and my MIL love buying and sending toys, books, clothes, etc. I don't want to be ungrateful but we just don't need it and don't have the space. I have brought this up politely in 'we are all out of drawers for that' but it hasn't slowed things down," one explained. "I think part of the issue is that the grandparents live in different cities and vacation a lot. They don't get to see our daughter much so they buy stuff instead."

Another Millennial parent shared, "While the intention is very kind behind these, all the grandparents are very aware that we do not need, nor wish to receive these gifts in such an excessive volume - as it creates a daily struggle to store and accommodate in our home. I struggle to keep on top of tidying as it is, and this is a massive added challenge."

millennial parents, millennial parent, millennial mom, kids room, organize Millennial mom struggles to organize her son's room.Image via Canva/fotostorm

How to talk to Boomer grandparents about gifts

So, why are Boomer grandparents excessively gifting? "Boomer grandparents may be the first grandparent generation to have accumulated the substantial discretionary funds that enables them to spend money on their grandchildren," Sari Goodman, a Certified Parent Educator and founder of Parental Edge, tells Upworthy. "These grandparents probably grew up with grandparents who didn’t have that kind of money and so they may be excited to give their grandchildren the things they didn’t get."

Goodman suggests that Millennial parents first discuss with them the "why" behind the gifting. "What comes before setting a boundary to limit over-the-top gift-giving is delving into the reasons grandparents are buying so much," she explains. "Coming from a place of compassion and understanding makes it possible to come up with mutually beneficial solutions."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

She recommends that Millennial parents sit down with their Boomer parents to learn more. "Did they grow up without many toys and clothes and are fulfilling a dream? Ask them about the values they learned as children (hard work, perseverance, the power of delayed gratification) and how they can pass on these lessons to the grandchildren," she suggests.

She adds that another reason may be that Boomer grandparents live far away and want their grandchildren to feel a connection with them. "Set up a regular FaceTime or Zoom meeting. Rehearse with the kids so they have something to say and suggest a topic for the grandparents," says Goodman. "Or send snail mail. Kids love getting mail. The grandparents can send postcards from where they live and explain some of the special sites."

boomer grandparents, boomer grandparenting, video chat, video call, grandkids Boomer grandparents have a video call with grandkids.Image via Canva/Tima Miroshnichenko

Finally, Goodman adds that for some grandparents, this may be is the only way they know how to show their love. Millennial parents could ask if they would be open to other ideas. "Parents can set up an activity for grandparents and kids to do when they come over—a jigsaw puzzle, art activity, board game, magic tricks," she says. "Arrange for the grandchildren to teach the grandparents something their phones can do or introduce them to an app they might like."

This article originally appeared last September

employee; employment law; work friends; work bestie; coworker boundaries; work boundaries; work life balance

Employment lawyer reveals 4 texts to never send a coworker

It's not uncommon for people to have a "work bestie" or "work spouse." Often, people spend a lot of their waking hours at work, so they're bound to feel like they've made true friendships with their coworkers. Before too long, numbers get exchanged, and they find themselves venting after hours about work, but this may not be a good thing.

Ed Hones is an employment attorney in Seattle, Washington, and he is not only discouraging coworkers from thinking of each other as friends, but also sharing what texts people should never send their colleagues. As an employment lawyer, Hones sees the legal fallout of the lines between friends and coworkers being blurred. Though he isn't saying people can't text their coworkers, he lists four specific types of texts to never send in case of a lawsuit.


"I see great cases destroyed every single day from one thing: old text messages," Hones reveals. "You might think that your text thread with your coworker is a safe space to vent, joke, or even scheme, but let me be clear about this one thing: it is not. In the eyes of the law, those text messages are evidence, and if you ever have to sue your employer for something, defense attorneys will find a way to get those text messages and destroy your credibility and tank your case."

employee; employment law; work friends; work bestie; coworker boundaries; work boundaries; work life balance Smiling at work, checking messages during a break.Photo credit: Canva

Of course, no one plans to sue their employer or to have their employer sue them, but sometimes things happen that result in lawsuits. Once a lawsuit is filed, discovery often follows, which means phone records and other device communications can be requested. If you've been trash-talking your boss or making egregious claims, you may be stuck having to explain it in court. But avoid sending these four texts, and you won't have to worry about your employer finding something to use against you in a lawsuit.

1. Asking a coworker to bend the rules

Hones explains that this often happens in the form of asking someone to clock you in or initial a form they forgot to complete. It may be something you think everyone does every once in a while at their place of employment, but sending a text message is documenting the request. Explicitly asking a coworker to break this employment policy can result in termination being justified. The employment attorney implores people to avoid doing it completely.

employee; employment law; work friends; work bestie; coworker boundaries; work boundaries; work life balance Man focused on his phone screen, deep in thought.Photo credit: Canva

2. Awkwardly acknowledging something inappropriate

"Here is the scenario," Hones says. "A coworker or supervisor texts you something inappropriate. Maybe it's a dirty joke or a comment about your private life, or medical condition. It makes you uncomfortable, but you have to see this person at the office tomorrow, and you don't want to make it awkward, so you reply with an LOL, laughing emoji, or a thumbs up. But if you send that text, you're walking into a legal trap called "The Unwelcome Standard.'" This means that if this behavior turns into harassment or creates a hostile environment, legally, it can be seen as being acceptable due to responses to inappropriate texts in the past.

3. Texting about job hunting

It's not uncommon for frustration to boil over and result in someone declaring they're going to start looking for a new job. Not every text or annoyed utterance about needing to find different employment is serious. Sometimes it is about blowing off steam, but other times it's truthful. Hones says not to let your employer be the one to decipher the difference in a court of law, because it may not work out in your favor. It could reduce an employee's lost wages claims, eliminate the ability to claim work conditions that resulted in an abrupt resignation, and even result in the company pushing an employee out if the text is revealed before they resign.

4. Talking trash about your boss or company

"We all need to vent, but doing it via text message hands the employer the perfect cover story," says Hones. This comes into play when an employee sues for discrimination or wrongful termination. According to the employment lawyer, if an employee sues for one of those reasons, the burden shifts to the employer to prove they didn't fire the employee for an illegal reason. If the employer discovers the negative texts about them, then it could give legitimacy to their claims if they have lied about the reasons someone was terminated. Hones says it's common for employers to lie in these cases by saying the employee was disrespectful or a bad employee, and texts trash-talking the boss would strengthen their argument.

employee; employment law; work friends; work bestie; coworker boundaries; work boundaries; work life balance Focused multitasking at the office.Photo credit: Canva

Hones explains in another video that it's not wise to assume your coworker-turned-friend will have your back in an employment investigation. Often, people need their jobs and are unwilling to risk them to help someone else keep theirs. Becoming overly familiar with a coworker may feel genuine and comfortable, but maintaining certain boundaries will help protect you legally should you ever have to sue your employer.

"Work relationships do not necessarily have to be friendly to be healthy," Dr. Maya Reynolds, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist and Behavioral Health Spokesperson at Choice Point Health, explains to Upworthy. "Keeping personal relationships and work relationships separated keeps a person free from additional emotional entanglement, rivalry, and disappointment. Because when work relationships step into personal life, promotions or disagreements can feel personal rather than professional, which brings a great emotional toll on oneself. Also, maintaining boundaries at work promotes your psychological safety."