If you love being single, you'll love Emma Morano, once the oldest person on Earth.
Emma Morano spent the vast majority of her 117 years single as can be, and she was perfectly OK with that.
Emma Morano had eaten about 100,000 raw eggs, give or take.
For most of her 117 years on this Earth*, Morano ate three eggs every day (nowadays, though, The New York Times reports, she's down to two). She picked up the habit about a century ago, when her doctor recommended the diet to ward off anemia.
But it wasn't raw eggs she craved on Nov. 29, 2016, with friends and family — and members of international media — huddled around her dusty, two-bedroom apartment in northern Italy. It was birthday cake.
"Hey, isn’t there anything to eat here?" she asked before diving in.
At 117 years young, Morano is, at this time, the oldest known person on the planet.
One of her best pieces of advice to living a long, healthy life? Cherish the single life.
She separated from her husband nearly eight decades ago — when doing so wasn't such a popular move — and hasn't looked back since.
As The New York Times reported (emphasis added):
"She is also convinced that being single for most of her life, after an unhappy marriage that ended in 1938 following the death of an infant son, has kept her kicking. Separation was rare then, and divorce became legal in Italy only in 1970. She said she had plenty of suitors after that, but never chose another partner. 'I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone,' she said."
Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images.
That's right. If you'd asked Morano, singlehood kept her going for nearly 12 decades (along with that healthy diet of raw eggs, of course).
The science is on Morano's side here, believe it or not.
Although you might assume that people in relationships live longer, what with all the ways society is constantly urging us to find our soulmates and settle down ASAP, research suggests single women are just as likely to live long, fulfilling lives as married ones (men may be different).
Living the heck out of a solo life may make certain people happier than settling down with a partner, too. Research out of the University of Auckland's School of Psychology suggests that, depending on what types of factors motivate our decision-making, staying single might be the way to go for some of us.
So yes — "All the Single Ladies" that Beyoncé knows have science on their side.
Morano, who was "very, very happy" celebrating the big 1-1-7, doesn't need a scientific study to tell her what she already knows all too well.
Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images.
“115 years are a lot," Morano told The New York Times. When you've lived your life like hers, though, it's time well-spent.
Morano was 12 when the Titanic sunk. She watched the world evolve from using telegraphs to relying on smartphones. And she lived through some dark times in postwar Italy.
But if you ask her, global affairs and technological advances are far less memorable than the relationships she's had — the non-romantic ones, of course.
“My sisters and I loved to dance," she recalled to The New York Times.
Congrats, Emma — 117 never looked so good.
* Update 11/30/2017: Morano died April 15, 2017, still aged 117. Minor changes to this story were made to reflect her passing.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
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."