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older people

Friendship

Best friends, 88 and 92, experience Disneyland for the first time and their joy is contagious

Watch them hopping out of their wheelchairs to dance in New Orleans Square.

Photo courtesy of Disney

June and Ann felt the Disney magic on their first trip to Disneyland.

Good friends can come along at all ages and stages of our lives. While some friendships start early and blossom slowly, others arrive later—sometimes much later—and quickly burst into full bloom.

Ann was nearly 90 years old when she met her bestie, June, and their friendship blossomed instantly. Ann's son, Alonzo, started dating June's daughter, Lauria, three years ago, and the two moms have been inseparable since then. Now 88 and 92, June and Ann do pretty much everything together. "They've known each other almost as long as [Alonzo and I] have been together," says Lauria, "and they've been causing trouble ever since."

 disneyland, disney park, disneyland resort, first trip to disneyland June, Lauria, Alonzo, and Ann enjoying The Happiest Place on Earth.Photo courtesy of Disney

Only good trouble, of course. June tells Upworthy that she and Ann are often told they look alike and they've grown to be more like sisters than just friends. "Our closeness in age allows us to do things together that the younger people wouldn't understand," she says, "like laughing at things we feel are funny or going to dinner, shopping, watching game shows and taking walks together."

And, apparently, hopping out of their wheelchairs to dance to the music in Disneyland's New Orleans Square. June and Ann recently took their first trip to Disneyland and the Disney magic didn't disappoint.

Watch how joyfully these two kicked up their heels with their kids:

 

  June and Ann loved dancing in New Orleans Square.Video courtesy of Disney 

 

"[Experiencing the Disneyland resort] was a wonderful, fun, and exciting experience," Ann tells Upworthy. "It exceeded my expectations and made my first visit to Disneyland a magical experience that I will never forget. I plan on returning for another visit if God is willing."

June says the kindness, patience, and laughter of the cast members stood out to her during their visit. "All the people were so kind to us and I will never forget how warm and happy and inviting they made me feel," she says.

  Disney Perfect Loops GIF  Giphy  

Both of them said their favorite parts were dancing in New Orleans Square and taking a boat ride to see the animals. "We still laugh about all those animals," says June.

Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025, which means the children who first visited the park the year it opened are now well into retirement. But as we can see from June and Ann's joy, you're never too old to enjoy a little sprinkle of Tinkerbell's magic.

June and Ann's experience with employees—known as cast members—isn't unique. Part of what has made Disneyland such a special place for seven decades is the dedication of the people who work there. Cast members strive to ensure that every guest, no matter their age or how many times they've been to Disneyland, experiences the Disney magic and truly feels they've arrived at The Happiest Place on Earth.

In honor of its 70th year, Disneyland shared a video highlighting a handful of long-time cast members who have been welcoming guests for decades, including Disney's longest-serving cast member, Henry Ameen—affectionately known as Hank—who first started working at the park in 1958.

@disneyparks

At Disneyland, happiness is generational 🏰✨ Since 1955, more than 300,000 cast members have followed in Walt's footsteps to welcome guests to The Happiest Place on Earth, and we can’t wait for everyone to Celebrate Happy during our 70th anniversary.

Disneyland has earned the loyalty of cast members and guests alike since 1955 by honoring the imaginative child that lives in all of us. June and Ann are a delightful reminder that sharing joy with your favorite people is a big part of what makes Disneyland "The Happiest Place on Earth." Whether you're 9 or 92, friendship combined with a sprinkle of that mysterious Disney magic is the perfect recipe for unforgettable memories.

joy
Joy

Millennial who just hit middle age shares the absolute 'best' thing about being 42

It's the wisdom that only comes with age.

via Canva/Photos

A millennial woman holding her phone.

Remember when millennials (born between 1981 and 1996), once known as the participation trophy generation, ruined everything from cable TV to diamonds to department stores? Well, it’s 2025, and the first group of elder millennials is now entering middle age (gulp!), and the older generations are saying "join the club," as long as you don't mean nightclub. No one over 40 has any business in a nightclub.

While entering middle age may be a massive bummer to many millennials, Carly Box on TikTok is doing her best to kill the notion that aging is such a bad thing. In a new TikTok post, she’s celebrating the “best thing” about getting older: eating dinner with friends at 5 pm. If millennials were known for killing everything, they're starting middle age just like the older generations.

“I am 42 years old and I'm about to go out to dinner with one of my best friends. And here's what I reckon is one of the best things about being middle aged is that it's 4:40,” Carly revealed in a video with over 148,000 views. “It's 4:40. I'm about to drive down the road to meet her for dinner at five. We both agreed that five PM was an excellent time to have dinner and some drinks.”

@carly.box

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“Do you know why?” she asked her audience. “Cause it's sensible. Because then we get home at a sensible hour and then we're not too hungover and then we wake up in the morning relatively fresh cause we went at a sensible hour.”

A lot of Carly’s followers agreed with her embrace of early dining. “Also, restaurants are quieter when you go before 6 pm LOL you actually get to hear each other talk,” one viewer wrote. “Last time we went out, we moved to another section of the restaurant so we could hear better. I was like We are 800 years old, haha,” Carly responded. “My much younger friend messaged me at 8 pm to meet here for wine at 930.... girl, it's Wednesday and I'm cozy, absolutely not,” another added.

woman eating, early dinner, italian food, bruschetta, wine glasses, happy hour, dinnerWomen eating bruschetta. via Adrienn/Pexels

People are eating dinner earlier than before the pandemic

Given recent dining out trends, it appears millennials started embracing early dinner a while back. Since COVID-19, there has been a sea change in the times that Americans make restaurant reservations.

In 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported a considerable increase in people making reservations earlier in the day. According to Yelp data, restaurants currently seat 10% of diners between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. That number has doubled since 2019, when only 5% of people went to restaurants between those hours. People are also taking Uber rides to dinner earlier than before, with a 10% increase in rides that are being given between 4 pm and 5 p.m. and a 9% drop in rides after 8 p.m.

 


The Robb Report says that the primary reason for the change in people’s eating habits is that more people work from home and can get to a restaurant before the sun goes down. Plus, when you spend all day in the house, you want to get out and enjoy life as early as possible.

Ultimately, Carly doesn’t go out to eat early because she’s too—it’s just a more enjoyable experience. “Honestly, those of you that have eight pm dinner bookings, you're missing out,” she concludes her video. "Early dinner's where it's at.”

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Joy

Wise woman turning 70 shares her one 'big' piece of advice for millennials turning 30

She wishes she had learned this lesson 40 years ago.

via Canva/Photos

A woman turning 70 shares her wisdom.

If only there were a way for someone 30 years old to download the wisdom of a 70-year-old into their brains. What a joyous life they’d live being free from having to learn a lot of lessons the hard way. They'd also be able to make big decisions in life with a greater sense of perspective. The good news is that the wisdom is out there, and older folks are sharing it. The question is: Will you listen?

A TikTok user who will turn 70 this December and goes by Golden Years Guidance (@foxandfawnwhalley) is doing her best to improve the lives of younger people by sharing the wisdom she’s gained over the years. She recently shared the “biggest thing” she’s learned. The advice was so powerful that the video has been seen over 400,000 times.

"Hi, everyone. Planning my birthday party for December. I'll be 70. Don't know how that happened, but I was thinking about what I wish I had known earlier on in my life," the woman says in the video. "What I wish I'd known when I was 30, married with three children.”

The biggest life lesson: "I think the biggest thing is I'd wish I realized that people aren't thinking about you as much as you think they are."

"I used to stress over what people thought, what I wore, what I said, my accent, every little mistake," she continued. "But you know what? They're too busy thinking about themselves to worry about you." To illustrate her point, she asked viewers: "Think about it. Do you spend hours analyzing about someone else's awkward moment? No. Neither do they. So why waste time holding yourself back?"

The big takeaway from the woman’s lesson is to stop wasting your time worrying about other people and to be yourself. Wear the clothes that you like, do the activities you like, love the people you love, speak your mind, and be your authentic self. "Live your life for you, not for them," she said. "Doesn't matter what they think, no matter who they are … Don't be rude. Think before you speak. But speak your mind."

woman 30s, blonde woman, happy woman, woman listening, free woman, brown-eyed womanA woman standing on a golf course.via Canva/Photos

The post was just what many people in the comment section needed to hear. “I spent many, many years worrying about pleasing everyone else, about what people thought of me. I’m 41 now and these past few years I’ve realised that it’s insignificant!” one woman wrote. “Needed it, I’m 35 and I’ve spent way too long already worrying about this type of thing. Thank you for the advice,” another added.

The woman’s advice has resonated with many people, and it’s more than just one person’s realization. According to psychology, overestimating the amount of time people spend thinking about you is known as the spotlight effect.

 


“We estimate our own importance from our perspective, which is colored by the fact that we are all the center of our own universes—this is the famed ‘egocentric bias,’” Aditi Subramaniam, Ph.D., writes in Psychology Today. “A manifestation of this bias is the spotlight effect. That time you had a juice stain on your shirt or said something embarrassing in class—you most likely felt like there was a spotlight shining right at you with everyone’s eyes on you. While this might have technically been true in the classroom scenario, I’d guess that you might have greatly overestimated for how long people thought about that gaffe or how harshly they judged you for it.”

Ultimately, we all have the choice of whether we want to heed the advice of our elders or learn the same lessons on our own time. But it’s a lot easier to learn by listening than through trial and error. That’s why it’s terrific that @foxandfawnwhalley has dedicated her TikTok to improving people’s lives, one lesson at a time. The important thing is not just to listen to it, but to live it.

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Internet

The Yanny vs. Laurel debate is back and what you hear could reveal the 'age' of your ears

What you hear might depend on your age.

Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash

What did you hear?

In 2015, many of us had our minds blown by the "Dress" debate. It started with a post and became an Internet sensation. Was the color of this random dress posted on social media black and blue, or white and gold? Arguments erupted. Scientists got involved. We looked at each other with suspicion. And for some, it was never truly resolved.

Fast forward three years, and the internet exploded again, this time with an auditory feud. A video started making the rounds with a simple recording of a word said over and over. Some heard "Laurel." Some heard "Yanny." None of it seemed to make sense. Two people could be sitting in the same room with the same speakers and hear two entirely different words.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Just as theorists came forward to explain the dress phenomenon, Reddit threads and YouTube channels exploded with explanations. Some thought it was the treble/bass settings that influenced what people heard in the recording. But that didn’t explain how people could listen from the same device and still hear different words.

Brad Story, a professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing at the University of Arizona, did a little digging. In the 2018 CNN article, "Yanny or Laurel: What Science Has to Say," writer Amanda Jackson notes that, "Story ran an acoustic analysis on the viral recording of the computerized voice. He also recorded himself saying 'Yanny' and 'Laurel' for comparison."

She shares that Story reported, "When I analyzed the recording of Laurel, that third resonance is very high for the L. It drops for the R and then rises again for the L. The interesting thing about the word 'Yanny' is that the second frequency that our vocal tract produces follows almost the same path, in terms of what it looks like spectrographically, as 'Laurel.'"

He also noted that if you alter the pitch of the recording, you might hear the other word. "Most likely, the original recording was ‘Laurel,’" Jackson adds. "If you heard 'Laurel,' you are the winner and have earned bragging rights for this round of the Internet debate."

yammy, laurel, gif, auditory understanding, man, mind blownDetroit Tigers GIFGiphy

But there's more to it. On the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel, they reveal a few reasons for the divide. One is simply the power of suggestion. When the words are written on the screen, the mind might hear whichever word it sees first.

They also illustrate Professor Story's actual sound waves when saying the words "Laurel" and "Yanny," and explain that even though the waves are similar, what you hear might depend on your age. "The sounds of 'Yanny' play at a higher frequency than 'Laurel,' so if you're hearing 'Yanny,' you might have younger ears."

The video goes on to say that a Twitter (now X) user "posted audio of the pitch both brought down and up. When you listen to it brought down 30 percent, you will hear 'Yanny.' But when you listen to it brought up 30 percent, you'll likely hear 'Laurel.'"

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

On a blog post for the hearing aid company Miracle-Ear, they back up the theory. "The real mystery of Yanny vs. Laurel lies with sound frequency. The sound waves that allow us to hear 'Yanny' are at a higher frequency, whereas the sound waves that allow us to hear 'Laurel' are at a lower frequency. As we age, it’s common for us to start losing our ability to hear higher frequency sounds. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone younger hears 'Yanny' while someone older, listening through the same device, hears 'Laurel.'"

It’s all coming around again after the hosts from the Just The Nobodys Podcast revisited it on Instagram. One plays the sounds for the other, who hears "Yanny." He then exclaims, "Okay, since Yanny is a higher frequency, it requires younger and healthier ears to be able to hear it. But for older people, who don't have healthy ears, they're actually hearing Laurel."

The comment section was fired up as many of them argued with the premise.

"I'm 12, and I hear Laurel," said one.

Another claims they don't hear either: "I hear Yammy."

Amazingly, some hear both within two seconds:: "The first time I heard Laurel. The second, I heard Yanny."

And then, of course, there was this comment: "It's blue and black."

I guess we'll never truly know for sure.

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