Culture

Family

Nature

Science

Subscribe

19 musicals that are not only catchy—they could help with dementia, according to science

Back in 2013, researchers in the U.S. stumbled upon a novel new treatment for dementia patients: listening to show tunes. Seriously.

By

Eric March

musicals, theater, art, dementia, treatments
A picture taken of the Broadway street sign in New York City. – Photo credit: Photo by Jordhan Madec on Unsplash

Back in 2013, researchers in the U.S. stumbled upon a novel new treatment for dementia patients: listening to show tunes. Seriously.

A study of nursing home patients found that residents who sang show tunes — specifically from “Oklahoma!” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Sound of Music” — demonstrated increased mental performance, according to a report in the New York Daily News:

“Researchers working with elderly residents at an East Coast care home found in a four-month long study … that people who sang their favorite songs showed a marked improvement compared to those who just listened.”

A similar study in Finland, cited in The Guardian, demonstrated that singing not only helped dementia patients feel better and focus, but actually improved certain types of memory as well.

Even better? There are tons of classic show tunes specifically about remembering.

Here are 23 tunes every Broadway fan needs to memorize for the day when it’s not so easy to remember. It’ll help to start brushing up now.

1. The one about remembering the good old days.

“Those Were the Good Old Days,” “Damn Yankees”

If you’re the devil in “Damn Yankees,” that means the Great Depression, the Black Plague years, and when Jack the Ripper was running around. Good times!

2. The one about remembering a parade that probably never happened.

Any playlist of show tunes about memory has to include this standard from “The Music Man,” in which Professor Harold Hill remembers the best day of his life, when “Gilmore, Liberati, Pat Conway, The Great Creatore, W.C. Handy, and John Phillip Sousa all came to town.”

Whether or not any of it actually happened is … up for debate, to put it mildly.

3. The one about remembering a really fun trip you took to a medium-sized Midwestern city.

“Kansas City,” “Oklahoma”

“Oklahoma’s” Will Parker is so psyched about his Kansas City vacation he can’t help bragging about it to all the other cowboys. And why not? It’s a neat city! Have you been to Joe’s Kansas City Barbecue? Neither has Will Parker, since he was there in 1906, but you should totally go.

4. The one about remembering how fun it was to murder that guy that one time…

“Cell Block Tango,” “Chicago”

…while glancing nervously over your shoulder to make sure Queen Latifah isn’t around.

5. The one about remembering the questionable choices it’s too late to go back in time and not make.

“Where Did We Go Right?” from “The Producers”

Looking back doesn’t always go well for characters in musicals. It definitely doesn’t for “The Producers’” Bialystock and Bloom, as they tear around their office wondering how their incompetently directed, poorly acted, aggressively pro-Hitler musical wound up becoming a massive hit despite their every attempt to make it fail.

6. The one about remembering the little things.

“I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It,” “Phantom of the Opera”

Perhaps the greatest testament to how emotionally transporting “Phantom of the Opera” is: Christine, removing the phantom’s mask for the first time, can just straight-up claim to remember mist — like, one mist in particular — and no one calls her on it ever.

7. The one about remembering the worst day of your life.

“The Barber and his Wife,” “Sweeney Todd”

No character in musical theater is more nostalgic than Sweeney Todd, who, just moments after we meet him, croons this delightful ditty reminiscing about the time he was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and banished from England so that an evil judge could rape his wife who subsequently poisoned herself.

A tune you can hum!

8. The one about remembering things differently than everyone else around you.

“Satisfied,” “Hamilton”

Not sure if you’ve heard, but “Hamilton” is good, you guys.

After Alex and Eliza Schuyler meet and fall in love in “Helpless,” Angelica Schuyler basically goes “Wicked” on her sister’s song, recalling how agonizing it was watching her sister and the man who she herself is super into get together. But she sucks it up and buries it! Older siblings are the best.

9. The one about remembering that cute girl you just met like five seconds ago.

“Maria,” “West Side Story”

A classic from “West Side Story.” Sure, it’s about remembering a meet-cute that literally just happened — Tony and Maria’s orchestral-swell-assisted gaze across a crowded gym — but Tony is super jazzed about it, so it makes the list.

Gosh, I sure hope those crazy kids work out!

10. The one about remembering all the worst things from when you were a kid, and one kind-of-OK thing.

“At the Ballet,” “A Chorus Line”

The ballet isn’t that great, but it’s better than devastating childhood trauma. Score one for the ballet! Thanks, “A Chorus Line!”

11. The one about remembering old hobbies.

“Dentist!” from “Little Shop of Horrors”

“Little Shop of Horrors’” Orin Scrivello, DDS, is just misunderstood. I mean, who among us didn’t “shoot puppies,” “poison guppies,” or “take a pussycat and bash in its head” now and again as a kid? The ’50s were a simpler time!

12. The one about remembering watching a dude die on the battlefield and feeling feelings about it.

“Momma Look Sharp,” “1776”

47 years before “Hamilton” brought us the swaggery, ass-kicking side of the Revolutionary War, “1776” tore our guts out with this song, in which a courier to the Continental Congress recalls watching a mother comfort a young soldier as he dies at the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Hercules Mulligan does the guest rap. (Just kidding. There is no guest rap. It’s just gorgeously somber for a while and then over.)

13. The one about remembering the best four years of your life.

“I Wish I Could Go Back to College,” “Avenue Q”

Of course the sad-sack puppet man- and woman-children of “Avenue Q” want to go back to college! Who among us doesn’t long for the days of term papers, humiliating romantic encounters, and crushing, debilitating debt? And meal-plan ice cream, too!

14. The one about remembering some A-plus advice from your best friend.

“Cabaret,” “Cabaret”

Ladies and gentlemen, Sally Bowles from “Cabaret” is no fool! No matter how many lovers leave, or how much her career nosedives, or how nutty local politics get, she always remembers this important life lesson she learned from her good friend Elsie.

If only you had such a great, wise friend, maybe your outlook would be as good as Sally’s. You could be so lucky!

15. The one about remembering last Christmas.

“Halloween,” “Rent”

When it comes to the science of memory and cognition, “Rent” asks the big questions:

“Why are entire years strewn on the cutting room floor of memories? When single frames from one magic night forever flicker in close-up on the 3-D Imax of my mind?”

Poetic? Pathetic? We report, you decide.

16. The one about remembering everything and realizing how terrible it all was.

“Rose’s Turn,” “Gypsy”

Ah, yes. “Rose’s Turn.” The 11 o’clock number to end all 11 o’clock numbers in “Gypsy,” the most musical of all musicals. Truly, there aren’t many things more enjoyable than listening to Mama Rose replay the events of the last decade and change inside her own brain in a slow-motion nervous breakdown as the notion that her entire life has been completely worthless gradually dawns on her with ever-increasing dread.

Did I mention how fun musicals are?

Trivia time! You know that thing in music where trumpets go, “Ya da da da daaaa DA. Da DA da DA!” You know that thing? This is the song that thing comes from.

17. The one about remembering the first time you knew what you wanted to be when you grew up.

“Ring of Keys,” “Fun Home”

There’s nothing better than a song that makes you want to shout: “I am so glad I’m watching a musical instead of a basketball game right now.” This moment in “Fun Home,” where Alison recalls seeing a delivery woman — the first person who looked like the woman she felt like — is really, really one of them.

“This is a song of identification that is a turning moment, when you think you’re an alien and you hear someone else say, ‘Oh, me too,’” composer Jeanine Tesori told Variety. “It’s a gamechanger for Alison. And that’s just Musical Theater 101.”

…And the entire audience bursts into happy tears forever.

18. The one about remembering a nice dream you dreamed.

“I Dreamed a Dream,” “Les Misérables”

When your life isn’t going so great, it’s good to remember the positive! Things didn’t exactly go super well for Fantine in “Les Mis.” But, hey, she had a pretty good dream once!

19. The one about remembering your single greatest regret and vowing to never remember it again.

“Turn It Off,” “The Book of Mormon”

What’s the ticket to living as fun-loving and guilelessly as the Mormon elders in “The Book of Mormon?” Don’t just bury those traumatic, scary, impure memories — CRUSH THEM, OK?!

20. The one about remembering a really successful first date.

“Sarah Brown Eyes,” “Ragtime”

Ah, young love. Even in “Ragtime,” a musical that features racism, state violence, attempted child murder, and terrorism, at least we have this song, in which Coalhouse Walker Jr. recalls how he got his beloved Sarah to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with him with his peerless piano skills? So romantic.

Gosh, I sure hope those crazy kids work out!

21. The one about remembering a scary dream.

“Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “Guys and Dolls”

With, perhaps, only a smidge more credibility than grifter-from-another-mother Professor Harold Hill, “Guys and Dolls’” third-most-degenerate gambler Nicely-Nicely Johnson recalls a terrifying dream where he had to convince a group of skeptical evangelical crusaders that he’s decided to give up the dice once and for all.

Side note: People in musicals are unbelievably good at remembering dreams. This is, like, full detail. I’d be like, “Um, I was at the Statue of Liberty, and you were there? I think? It wasn’t really you, it was like a combination of you and my dad. And we were in prison. But at the Statue of Liberty.”

22. The one about remembering how it used to be when you were young and full of hope instead of old and bitter and jaded.

“Our Time,” “Merrily We Roll Along”

The closing number of “Merrily We Roll Along” is actually the first chronologically, since the musical goes backward. It’s the play’s happiest moment — Frank, Charley, and Mary on a roof watching Sputnik go by, giddily talking about how thrilling, perfect, and successful their futures are going to be. It’s so hopeful! But so sad, ’cause you already know all the achingly bittersweet stuff that’s going to happen.

Ach! So poignant! I’m dead from poignant.

23. The one about remembering.

“Memory,” “Cats”

“Cats.” The OG.

All right team, what did I miss?

This article originally appeared on 02.26.16

Add to Google News

Tags

More for You

  • Doctors couldn’t figure out why a Florida woman kept having strokes. The answer turned out to be the way she curled up in bed.
    A woman looks in the mirror during nighttime routine – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    Doctors couldn’t figure out why a Florida woman kept having strokes. The answer turned out to be the way she curled up in bed.

    She kept having strokes with no obvious cause. Her sleeping position turned out to be why.

    Adam Albright-Hanna

    Glenda Bridges had none of the usual warning signs. The 83-year-old Naples, Florida, woman wasn’t obese, didn’t have diabetes, didn’t have high blood pressure. But in the span of just a few days, she had three strokes. She said that one morning she woke up and “had no balance, and my vision was blurry,” according to the Gulf Coast News.

    With each stroke, her brain was sustaining more damage, and doctors at NCH (the only Joint Commission-certified comprehensive stroke center in southwest Florida) needed answers fast.

    Dr. Viktoria Totoraitis, a vascular neurologist at NCH, noticed something that other doctors might have missed: all three strokes had occurred in exactly the same location in Bridges’ brain. That wasn’t typical. “Blood vessels are like highways,” Dr. Totoraitis explained, “meaning they each go to a specific territory. So when a patient has a stroke, I know what blood vessel supplies that territory.” The fact that every stroke hit the same spot pointed to a single, consistent cause rather than random clotting events.

    The strokes were what neurologists call wake-up strokes, meaning Bridges had gone to sleep without symptoms and woken up with them. Research suggests that roughly one in five acute ischemic strokes falls into this category, and they’re notoriously difficult to treat because the exact time of onset is unknown, complicating eligibility for clot-busting medications.

    What Dr. Totoraitis needed to know next was exactly how Bridges slept. When she asked, Bridges answered: “On my side, kind of all curled up in a fetal position.” That detail, combined with something else in Bridges’ medical history, several prior neck surgeries and significant cervical spinal arthritis, led to an imaging test with Bridges positioned the same way she slept every night. The results were clear. “When she’s sleeping and curled up like that, because she does have a lot of cervical spinal arthritis, some narrowing, she was pinching off one of her vessels.”

    An older woman lays her head down on a pillow.
    An older woman lying in bed. Photo credit: Canva

    The fix required no surgery. Dr. Totoraitis recommended Bridges change her sleeping position and wear a soft cervical collar at night. She also clarified that the fetal position is not dangerous for people without prior neck surgeries. For Bridges, though, the combination of arthritis, surgical history, and a habitual curl was cutting off blood flow to her brain every night.

    Since making that small change, Bridges has not had another stroke.

    Her case is an unusual one, but it carries a useful reminder: strokes don’t always look the way we expect. The fastest way to identify one remains the F.A.S.T. method: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911. The sooner someone gets to a hospital, the more brain tissue can be saved.

    @benjhandy

    #handyfacts #dangerous #embarrassing #firstaid #stroke

    ♬ original sound – Ben

    This article originally appeared earlier this year.

    Keep Reading →
  • The two-step test that accurately predicts longevity in women over 60
    A woman lifting weights in nature. – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    The two-step test that accurately predicts longevity in women over 60

    It combines strength training and aerobic exercise without being strenuous.

    Tod Perry

    Nobody knows how many days they have on this earth, and, in a way, that makes every moment feel more valuable. Since we don’t know how much time we have, it’s best to cherish every moment on this beautiful planet with the people we love. It’s also a good idea to stay in shape so you can enjoy the greatest longevity possible.

    An interesting new study from the University at Buffalo involving 5,000 women cannot tell you the exact number of days you have left. Still, it suggests that after the age of 60, it is relatively easy to determine whether you can look forward to a long life. The study found that a two-step test—in which participants first demonstrate handgrip strength and then complete five consecutive sit-to-stand chair lifts—is a good indicator of longevity.

    seniors, longevity, strong woman, muscles, health
    A strong woman in her 60s. Photo credit: Canva

    Grip strength is a hallmark of longevity

    The study found that women with higher grip strength and faster sit-to-rise scores had a significantly lower risk of death over the next eight years. In fact, for every 15-pound increase in grip strength, mortality risk was reduced by 12%. Women who scored highest on grip strength had a 33% lower risk of death compared with those in the lowest group. For chair stands, moving from the slowest to the fastest time in six-second increments was associated with a 4% lower risk of death.

    “If you don’t have enough muscle strength to get up, it is going to be hard to do aerobic activities, such as walking, which is the most commonly reported recreational activity in U.S. adults ages 65 and older,” said study lead author Michael LaMonte, PhD, a research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

    “Muscular strength, in many ways, enables one to move their body from one point to another, particularly when moving against gravity,” LaMonte added. “Healthy aging probably is best pursued through adequate amounts of both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activities. When we no longer can get out of the chair and move around, we are in trouble.”

    How to improve grip strength

    Grip strength has come to be seen as an “indispensable” biomarker of aging because it reflects strength in the hands, forearms, and throughout the body. Looking to improve yours? Here are five expert-based ways to boost grip strength:

    Use a stress ball

    Grab a tennis ball or hand gripper and squeeze as hard as you can for five to 10 seconds, then repeat for 10 to 20 reps.

    A squeeze ball. Photo credit: Canva

    Dead hangs

    Seniors can perform dead hangs from a pull-up bar while keeping their feet on the ground or on a bench for 10 to 30 seconds at a time. The goal is to build up to hanging for 60 seconds.

    Functional movements

    The key is to get some real-world exercise that uses your hands, such as gardening, playing a sport like bowling, or carrying heavy grocery bags.

    Eat a lot of protein

    Protein supports muscle function and growth, so according to Health, it’s a good idea to eat one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.

    Lift weights

    Use free weights such as kettlebells, barbells, or dumbbells to challenge and strengthen your hands. “Even using soup cans or books as a form of resistance provides stimulus to skeletal muscles and could be used by individuals for whom other options are not feasible,” LaMonte said.

    Keep Reading →
  • Doctors rush to reassure menopausal women about the female version of ‘shrinkage’
    Doctors reassure menopausal women about the female version of "shrinkage." – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    Doctors rush to reassure menopausal women about the female version of ‘shrinkage’

    So many women are surprised when parts start disappearing down there.

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    In recent years, women have become more open about what happens leading up to and during menopause. As a result of this public sharing, younger women are learning about a shocking possible side effect of depleted estrogen: the shrinking, and in some cases the disappearance, of the labia.

    As our parents prepare us for adulthood, some things slip through the cracks. We learn about puberty, how babies are conceived, and then the conversation stops. One area with a large information-sharing gap is the process of menopause. This lack of information puts both women and the people who love them at a disadvantage. It can leave people confused and frustrated.

    menopause, shrinkage, hormones, gynecologist, perimenopause
    A woman fans herself. Photo credit: Canva

    Perimenopause, which is the time leading up to menopause, is not a short process. Hormone levels can begin to fluctuate widely as early as a woman’s 30s. At the same time, the average age of menopause is about 51, though it can occur as late as 60, according to the American Medical Association.

    The Cleveland Clinic explains that “Menopause is a point in time when a person has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period.” It is a natural part of the aging process for women, but for decades, if not centuries, the menopausal experience has been shrouded in coded language and silence. Not anymore.

    menopause, shrinkage, hormones, gynecologist, perimenopause
    A woman looks stressed. Photo credit: Canva

    The habit of Millennials seeking community in online spaces is opening the blackout curtains on the taboo subject. This has led to honest conversations about what happens when women go through “the change,” and the revelation about shrinking labia is causing a bit of panic.

    Labia are the outer visible anatomy of the female genitalia, consisting of the labia minora and labia majora. This tissue protects the urethra, vaginal opening, and other sensitive areas from infection and friction, Dr. Somi Javaid, OB-GYN and founder of HerMD, tells The Flow Space.

    So the idea of losing them due to a lack of estrogen has some women calling for a timeout as they try to process this previously unheard-of information. Several of these women took to social media to seek clarity and support.

    “So nobody was going to tell me that one day I could lose my coochie lips?” one woman asks in an Instagram video. “That one day, my bean could just decide to clock out for the rest of my life? Why aren’t the older women sharing with us? Why aren’t the elders sharing this with us, cause this lady got on here and said if you start your estrogen early when you first go through menopause, you can save your lips.”

    “I just saw this post of this doctor lady explaining that your labia minora grows during puberty, and then you lose it in menopause,” another concerned woman says in a TikTok video. “Come again? You’re telling me…is it…where does it go? Where is it gonna…does it just…I have so many questions. Does it just…one day I’m gonna wake up, and I’m gonna have no labias? Does it slowly disappear?”

    @rachelelizabethx0

    I swear we can’t have ANYTHING 😭😭😭 #onthisday

    ♬ original sound – Rachel Elizabeth

    These were not the only people concerned. Video after video showed women, and some men, flabbergasted and concerned about the mystery of the disappearing labia. Commenters were equally freaked out. All of this open confusion and fear created a perfect learning opportunity. OB-GYNs, urologists, and other medical professionals took to their own platforms to ease people’s stress about the process.

    Dr. Sally Doust, a women’s health specialist, explains:

    “So yes, the labia can shrink around menopause, and this is because estrogen levels are dropping, and this affects the tissues. The good thing is, you can prevent it. Start vaginal estrogen really early, as soon as you start to notice any of these changes, and it improves blood flow, elasticity, and lubrication, relieves dryness and soreness.”

    @womenofvoy

    Can your labia change around perimenopause and menopause? Yes and no one really talks about it!!! As oestrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, vulval and vaginal tissues can become thinner, drier and lose elasticity. Some women even notice their labia shrinking, which can feel worrying if you’re not expecting it. The good news? Vaginal oestrogen can help. Used early, it supports blood flow, elasticity and lubrication, and can relieve dryness, soreness and discomfort. It’s a safe, local treatment and can be used long-term. If you notice changes, you don’t have to ignore them, support exists 💛 #perimenopause #menopause #HRT #womenshealth #hormones

    ♬ original sound – womenofvoy

    Doctors and nurses online continue to reassure viewers that, while it sounds scary, vaginal estrogen can prevent it. One urologist explains that after women go through menopause, their estrogen levels are lower than those of men. This drop in estrogen causes structural changes in the labia, which can also lead to adhesions and pain.

    “Let’s be clear: you do not lose your labia, but the tissues do undergo significant and visible changes,” says Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a menopause specialist. She adds, “The labia minora may shrink, flatten, or adhere to adjacent tissues. The labia majora can sag or retract due to tissue thinning.” She also says that prescription estrogen is the only way to prevent the issue.

    Keep Reading →
  • People share things they didn’t realize until they lost weight, and it’s eye-opening
    Major weight loss comes with some surprises. – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    People share things they didn’t realize until they lost weight, and it’s eye-opening

    There are some unexpected learnings that come with a change in size.

    Annie Reneau

    In an era when both obesity and “heroin chic” trends are growing concerns, weight loss can be a touchy topic. Society’s ever-changing views on body size are worthy of their own discussion, of course. But as the link between obesity and health risks has been well-established, the reality is that many adults want and need to lose weight for health reasons.

    People who are looking to lose weight know to expect certain things—an increased focus on nutrition and exercise, for example. Some weight loss journeys might include surgery or GLP-1 medications, which have exploded in recent years. But some parts of the journey can still take people by surprise, especially as they get closer to their goal.

    So when someone asked on Reddit “What is something you didn’t realize until you lost weight?” thousands of responses poured in. While everyone’s experience is unique, the common themes are eye-opening.

    What is something you didn’t realize until you lost weight?
    byu/Cultural-Profile-527 inAskReddit

    Temperature tolerance changes

    Many people shared that they felt colder after losing weight. Body fat acts as an insulator, so losing it can make people more sensitive to cold temperatures. Changes in metabolism and hormones that accompany weight loss can also temporarily make you feel cold. However, nutritional deficiencies can cause similar symptoms, so it may be worth checking with your doctor if it becomes a concern.

    “How well the fat insulates heat. On the positive note, I can tolerate hot and humid weather much better now. But I have to wear a lot of extra layers when it is cold, and I don’t enjoy swimming in the sea anymore even in height of summer, because it is too cold all the time (I am in the UK).”

    “Oh man, so true, I’m still a big person but much smaller than I was and in winter I’m shaking like a Chihuahua, even with a lot of layers on.”

    “Absolutely correct! I get frustrated at how easily I get cold now. It was not something I anticipated.”

    “Same, I absolutely cannot tolerate the cold anymore. But warm weather is much easier to cope with, so it’s not a bad tradeoff.”

    “I lost 6 stone last year and this winter has been COLD but I’m looking forward to not being a gross sweaty mess this summer!”

    Armpits are pits

    Armpits are just arm pits, right? Not necessarily. When extra fat in that area fills in the hollow, it doesn’t appear as much of a “pit.” Losing weight revealed the actual pit feature for some folks.

    “That your armpits are actually pits, they’re not just called that. When you’re fat, you just have underarms.”

    “Just got here. Asked my wife why she was staring at me oddly, she said my pits were hollow.”

    @amber_c_fitness

    Replying to @Julie 💙 omg yes! #weightlossmotivation #beforeandafter #weightlossresults #weightlosstransformation #weightloss

    ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] – Billie Eilish

    “From my all time heaviest I am down 90 pounds to 279 as of this morning. For about a month I’ve really been feeling the pits come in…lol. The joy this brought was very surprising.”

    “Fair warning: now I have pits I absolutely cannot figure out the right angles to shave at anymore lmao. A blessing and a curse. A blurse.”

    “Yes!! I have to change how I shaved them.”

    Feeling your bones

    When you become accustomed to having a layer of cushion around your body, losing it can be disconcerting—especially when you start feeling hard, knobby things that you might mistake for growths of some kind.

    “I fairly recently lost 50 lbs. Imagine my surprise when I scheduled a doctors appointment thinking there was some sort of tumor in my chest only for them to tell me I have bones.”

    “I’ve lost 50kg. I panicked when I felt my sternum.”

    “Yes! I felt this with my chest. 😂😭 I thought I had some kind of chest cancer lump. This is the part of weight loss I did not expect.”

    “I was very muscular in high school. Then gained a bunch of weight in college. Then lost the weight (and a fair bit of muscle) a few years after that. One day I thought I felt a lump in my boob and panicked. Turns out it was a rib that had been previously covered in muscle or fat.”

    “I’m so glad I’m not the only one 🤣 I once went to the doctor thinking I had breast cancer. The doctor asked me if I had recently lost a lot of weight, then explained I was feeling my ribs.”

    “When I lost 100 lbs and all of a sudden I could feel like wtf there’s actually a spooky skeleton inside me I would just sit there grabbing bones in bewilderment and mild horror.”

    People treat you differently

    Perhaps the hardest realization people shared was how being overweight had made them invisible to so many. A lot of commenters said people became nicer to them after they lost weight. That’s food for thought for all of us.

    “How much nicer people are. As someone who’s lost and gained and lost again, it’s something I’ve noticed. People aren’t noticeably rude or dismissive to me as a bigger person, it’s more like they just don’t really acknowledge you. The world is just nicer when you’re smaller.”

    “I’m male. I lost 140 lb and got fit in my mid-40s after living all my late teen and adult years being 300+. That was almost a decade ago. I can honestly say that everything in this thread has been, to some degree, true for me as well, but the most startling has been the way people react to me. It’s unbelievable. Male or female, stranger or acquaintance or friend, passing or casual or business, I’m treated differently. It’s like stepping into another reality and also makes me sad for all those years. Sure, I was fat, but man, I was treated like a subspecies.”

    “Yes. I didn’t even realize how much being a fat woman over 40 negatively impacted me professionally until I lost 70 pounds right after Covid. My income more than doubled within a year. It has now nearly tripled. Is it partly because of increased confidence on my part? Probably. Does that explain it entirely? Probably not.”

    “My least favorite experience with significant weight loss was experiencing ‘pretty privilege’ for the first time, realizing how mean people had been all my life, and why.”

    “I’ve been losing weight and exercising regularly, and suddenly women are interested in me again. I knew logically that humans have a general preference for people of a healthy weight, but I feel like I’ve crossed some threshold of no longer being invisible to them. Wild.”

    “I was telling my dad how it blew my mind how differently I was treated and he almost couldn’t believe the difference I was describing.”

    Having energy

    Carrying excess weight is physically demanding and requires extra energy for everyday activities. Obesity and sleep problems are also linked, often leading to fatigue. Many people found that their exhaustion eased and that they felt much more energetic after losing weight.

    “That being tired all the time isn’t normal and I have a lot more energy to get things done than I thought.”

    “When people ask me what I feel like after losing 120lbs, the best explanation I can come up with is that I didn’t realize how sick and miserable I felt all the time until I didn’t feel sick and miserable all the time.

    The energy, the aches, the poor sleep, the brain fog…i frog boiled myself into that being my new normal, and now it’s all gone and I can’t believe that’s how I lived for so many years.”

    “It’s crazy how many people think constant exhaustion is just ‘normal life’ until they finally fix whatever’s causing it. Feels like getting a whole different version of your day back.”

    “It’s crazy how easy it is to assume that’s just your normal baseline. Then you lose weight and you find that you’ve been running on hard mode the entire time. And after losing weight I felt like I had superpowers…”

    These revelations are a good reminder of how much of a difference focusing on health can make in our own lives—and how much kindness can make a difference for others.

    Keep Reading →
  • A former CIA officer was asked for the one spy trick everyone should know. His answer has nothing to do with espionage.
    A spy taking secret photographs from her car – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    A former CIA officer was asked for the one spy trick everyone should know. His answer has nothing to do with espionage.

    Andrew Bustamante spent years as a covert CIA officer reading people for a living.

    Adam Albright-Hanna

    Andrew Bustamante (@Andrew-Bustamante) spent years as a covert CIA intelligence officer. When Lex Fridman asked him to name the single most useful spy trick that anyone could apply to their everyday life, his answer wasn’t about surveillance, or reading body language, or disappearing off the grid.

    It was about how you see other people.

    The clip, from Episode 310 of the Lex Fridman Podcast, originally recorded in August 2022, has been recirculating widely since Bustamante published his memoir “Shadow Cell” with his wife and fellow CIA officer Jihi Bustamante in September 2025, which debuted at number eight on the New York Times bestseller list. His follow-up book, “Everyday Espionage: Winning the Workplace,” applies the same intelligence tradecraft directly to professional life. The perception versus perspective clip is one of the reasons people keep finding him.

    Here’s the distinction he draws, as he explained to Fridman and as YourTango reported in covering the exchange. Perception is how each of us interprets the world around us. It’s personal, it’s filtered, and it’s entirely our own. There’s nothing wrong with it, but the problem is that most people treat their perception as objective reality and then spend enormous energy trying to convince everyone else of it. “That’s why so many people find themselves arguing all the time,” Bustamante said, “trying to convince other people of their own perception.”

    Perspective is different. It’s not just feeling what someone else feels, which Bustamante distinguishes from empathy. It’s actively placing yourself in someone else’s position and asking what their life actually looks like. What did they wake up worried about? What are they afraid of? What pressures are they carrying that you can’t see? “Perspective is the act or the art of observing the world from outside of yourself,” he told Fridman. “You sit in the seat of the person opposite you and think to yourself, ‘What is their life like?’”

    The intelligence application is obvious. An officer who can only see a situation through their own cultural and personal lens is going to miss things. One who can genuinely inhabit another person’s point of view, their incentives, their fears, their constraints, is going to understand things that others don’t. But Bustamante’s point is that this skill doesn’t stay in the field.

    “If you do that to your boss, it’s gonna change your career,” he said. “If you do that to your spouse, it’s gonna change your marriage. If you do that to your kids, it’s gonna change your family legacy. Because nobody else out there is doing it.”

    That last line is the part that tends to land. Most interpersonal friction, whether in a marriage, a workplace, or a friendship, comes not from bad intentions but from two people each arguing from their own perception without pausing to genuinely inhabit the other’s. Bustamante is saying the CIA trains people to close that gap, and that closing it is available to anyone who practices it deliberately.

    The comment sections on the viral clips reflect how directly this lands for people. “He just put it into words for me,” one viewer wrote. Another added that taking on multiple perspectives is “a way to find useful truths and do skillful systems analysis.” The observation isn’t new, but something about hearing it framed as tradecraft, as a skill that professionals train for rather than a platitude, seems to give it traction.

    Bustamante runs his own platform, Everyday Spy, where he teaches intelligence-based skills for civilian use. His core argument, across the podcast appearances and the books, is that 95% of what CIA officers are trained to do applies directly to ordinary life. The perception versus perspective shift, he says, is where most people could start.

    This article originally appeared earlier this year.

    Keep Reading →
  • An ER nurse shares the four essential medical skills everyone needs to learn but never talks about
    An ER nurse takes care of a patient. – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    An ER nurse shares the four essential medical skills everyone needs to learn but never talks about

    Accidents and medical emergencies happen every day, but, unfortunately, many Americans do not feel prepared to jump into action when they do. According to a poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), most Americans report feeling comfortable calling 911 and speaking with dispatchers. However, the number drops to just 55% for life-saving CPR—and…

    Emily Shiffer

    Accidents and medical emergencies happen every day, but, unfortunately, many Americans do not feel prepared to jump into action when they do.

    According to a poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), most Americans report feeling comfortable calling 911 and speaking with dispatchers. However, the number drops to just 55% for life-saving CPR—and only 46% feel comfortable applying a tourniquet.

    Without medical training, confidence wanes and fear likely sets in for the average civilian. And since first responders may not be present when a medical emergency happens, an emergency room nurse with 11 years of experience shared their medical insights with the average person on Reddit.

    They explained four essential medical skills everyone should know that could potentially save someone’s life.

    “I know everyone wants the dramatic skills,” they wrote. “But these four things, done correctly, will genuinely make a difference in the scenarios most of us are actually likely to face.”

    Medical skill #1: Wound packing and pressure

    Learning how to pack wounds and apply pressure is the most important medical skill civilians should know, according to the ER nurse. These skills are more important than learning how to suture.

    “Suturing a wound that isn’t fully clean can trap infection inside and make things significantly worse,” they wrote. “What saves lives in the field is knowing how to pack a deep wound with gauze and hold real pressure for long enough.”

    They explained that most people apply only one-fifth of the pressure actually needed to help.

    “Most people stop after 2 minutes. You need at least 10, sometimes more,” they added. “This one skill has a higher chance of keeping someone alive until they can get real help than almost anything else on the average prep list.”

    Medical skill #2: Recognizing shock

    The next most important medical skill people should learn is how to recognize shock, which, according to the nurse, is “not just ‘they look pale.’”

    “I mean understanding the progression: restlessness and anxiety first, then skin changes, then the dangerous drop in blood pressure that most people think comes first,” they explained. “By the time someone looks classically ‘shocky’ you’re already behind. Learning the early signs gives you a real window to act.”

    Medical skill #3: Splinting, not setting

    Next up is dealing with possible bone breaks. The ER nurse emphasizes that people should absolutely not try to set broken bones. Instead, they should know how to splint them.

    “Splint them where they are, immobilize the joint above and below the break, and focus on getting the person calm and still,” they shared. “A bad reduction attempt can damage nerves and vessels in ways that are very hard to fix later.”

    Medical skill #4: Medication interactions and allergy documentation

    Finally, the fourth medical skill recommended by the ER nurse is knowing which medications (including dosages) family members or close friends take, as well as any allergies they may have, in case of a medical emergency.

    “Keep a physical list. Not just in your phone. Know what everyone in your household takes, the doses, and any known allergies,” the nurse explained. “In a chaotic situation this single piece of paper can prevent a serious medication error if someone else has to help you.”

    Keep Reading →
  • A landmark new study shows that 45 percent of older adults cognitively improve as they age
    A senior couple working out. – Photo credit: Canva
    ,

    A landmark new study shows that 45 percent of older adults cognitively improve as they age

    “What we found is that improvement in later life is not rare, it’s common.”

    Tod Perry

    Most people assume that by the time you hit your 60s, you’ve reached the point of continuous mental and physical decline. The mind just isn’t as sharp, and the body becomes overtaken by inflammation, stiff joints, and brittle bones. However, a new study from Yale University says that, for the most part, this is only true for those who believe it.

    A new study published in the journal Geriatrics found that when researchers followed 11,000 participants over the age of 65 for up to 12 years, 45% of them improved in either the mental or physical domains, with some improving in both. About 28% improved physically, and 32% improved mentally. To determine whether the participants improved or declined, they completed a global mental performance assessment and a walking test.

    “Many people equate aging with an inevitable and continuous loss of physical and cognitive abilities,” lead author Becca R. Levy, an international expert on psychosocial determinants of aging health, said in a statement. “What we found is that improvement in later life is not rare, it’s common, and it should be included in our understanding of the aging process.”

    When it comes to aging, attitude is everything

    The researchers hypothesize that the major reason some people show improvements is their beliefs about aging. Those who have a more positive view of the aging process were much more likely to show improvements in their mental and physical health. Those with negative views on aging were much less likely to show any improvement.

    It makes sense because if you believe that you can improve after the age of 65, you’re much more likely to try. If you think that you can or cannot improve your health over the age of 65, you’re probably right.

    “Our findings suggest there is often a reserve capacity for improvement in later life,” Levy said. “And because age beliefs are modifiable, this opens the door to interventions at both the individual and societal level.”

    seniors, geriatrics, working out, exercise, happy women
    A group of older women exercising. Photo credit: Canva

    How to stay mentally and physically fit after 65

    Improvement after 65 requires regularly performing age-appropriate mental and physical exercises. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, which can be divided into about 22 minutes a day.

    Here are exercises that can help people age well:

    1. Brisk walking

    Studies show that walking is great for seniors’ mental and physical health and can help reduce the chances of developing cardiovascular problems as well as cognitive issues, including dementia and Alzheimer’s.

    walking, working out, exercise, aging, seniors,
    A group of people walking. Photo credit: Canva

    2. Resistance exercises

    Resistance exercises, or strength training, can help prevent muscle loss and improve metabolic health. They’re also known to elevate mood and improve sleep quality. Examples of strength training exercises include light weights, squats, and standing push-ups against a wall.

    3. Meditative movements

    Mental and physical exercises such as tai chi and yoga have been shown to improve health in older adults. They are great for flexibility, mental sharpness, and muscle strength. The combination of mindfulness, breathing, and movement benefits both the body and mind.

    Keep Reading →
  • Her dog wouldn’t stop sniffing her breath. She thought it was weird but it saved her life.
    A woman sitting with her dog. – Photo credit: Canva
    , ,

    Her dog wouldn’t stop sniffing her breath. She thought it was weird but it saved her life.

    Dogs can be weird. Any dog owner will tell you that, but typically their shenanigans are just personality quirks. Unfortunately for Colleen Ferguson of Kent, England, her dog’s weird behavior wasn’t just a silly personality thing. For several weeks, Ferguson’s German Shepherd was obsessively sniffing her mouth. This was a new behavior that she found…

    Jacalyn Wetzel

    Dogs can be weird. Any dog owner will tell you that, but typically their shenanigans are just personality quirks. Unfortunately for Colleen Ferguson of Kent, England, her dog’s weird behavior wasn’t just a silly personality thing.

    For several weeks, Ferguson’s German Shepherd was obsessively sniffing her mouth. This was a new behavior that she found quite odd. The dog, Inca, was only two years old, but she seemed to know something was wrong with her owner and was doing her best to let her know. Inca constantly sniffed around Ferguson’s mouth and frowned.

    german shepherd, dog smells cancer, dog saves life, wholesome, pets, culture
    A woman and her dog outside. Photo credit: Canva

    The dog’s persistence caused the then 60-year-old woman to become concerned, which led her to the dentist. Everything checked out fine, but Inca was still frowning after sniffing Ferguson’s mouth. This prompted Ferguson to visit her doctor to be tested for other things that might change the smell of her breath.

    According to Medical News Today, diabetes can cause the breath to smell differently. Gluten intolerance and Celiac disease can also cause bad breath, according to Imperial Dental Center. Ferguson was cleared of any gut-related issues after tests from her doctor. Yet Inca would not stop telling her something was wrong. Growing more concerned about her dog’s new behavior, Ferguson decided to do a full-body scan to rule out anything unusual.

    “Her behavior towards me changed, she just started homing in on my mouth. Every time she could get a sniff of my mouth she would frown,” Ferguson told The Mirror. “She just had this focused intent on my mouth, and you couldn’t push her away until you had done an outbreath. When she got that she would give me such a look and walk away. In no way did I expect lung cancer at all. It was such a shock because I am a non-smoker, and because I taught biology, I was very anti-smoking.”

    Turns out, Inca was trying to tell her she had a tumor growing in her lungs. Thanks to the dog’s keen nose and insistent behavior, Ferguson was able to catch the cancer early. Before long, the science teacher was off to surgery, where doctors removed a golf-ball-sized tumor.

    german shepherd, dog smells cancer, dog saves life, wholesome, pets, culture
    Doctors operating on a patient. Photo credit: Canva

    “The surgeon said…’that dog saved your life. We never catch it at stage one,’” Ferguson told the BBC.

    This remarkable discovery took place in 2015, and since then scientists have been working on recreating a nose like Inca’s. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is currently developing an “e-nose,” a mechanical nose that scientists are training with AI to detect cancer. They have moved to the trial phase, testing more than 500 urine samples to see if the artificial nose is as accurate as a dog’s nose in detecting cancer.

    Dr. Andreas Mershin, a quantum physicist, developed the device that will be used to screen donated urine samples. The samples were prescreened by Medical Detection Dogs, and the results of the e-nose will be compared with those of the dogs.

    german shepherd, dog smells cancer, dog saves life, wholesome, pets, culture
    A dog sits in the grass. Photo credit: Canva

    “This is a major milestone,” Mershin told Medical Detection Dogs. “We’ve worked to emulate the dogs’ abilities and train machines in a similar way—rewarding them for correct identifications. It’s like giving our devices a new sense: a nose. Phones already have eyes and ears, but machine olfactors are the next frontier in health technology and AI sensing. This could transform the world of diagnosis, screening, and early detection.”

    While the e-nose is currently designed to detect prostate cancer, once it’s perfected, the mechanical nose will hopefully detect other cancers as well.

    Ferguson, for one, is thankful that her dog’s nose detected her lung cancer early, giving her a renewed chance at life.

    “I was just so lucky,” she told The Mirror. “Every day is special with her. To catch it at stage one is just remarkable. I don’t know how I would have survived with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She saved me a lot of fuss. It was meant to be.”

    Keep Reading →
grandparents, mils, dils
Family

The 1 mistake grandparents who don’t see their grandkids enough make with their daughter-in-law

small talk, woman talking, bus stop, two women, chatting
People Skills

Expert reveals why chatting about the weather exposes more about people than you think

HOA, yoga, neighbor dispute, housing rights, Fair Housing Ac
Culture

A neighbor complained that her rooftop yoga was “inappropriate for children” and promoted “Eastern religion.” She made them regret it.

wake-up stroke, sleeping position, neurology, brain health, women's health
Science

Doctors couldn’t figure out why a Florida woman kept having strokes. The answer turned out to be the way she curled up in bed.

Sage Pasch, young moms, adoption, non-traditional families, TikTok
Family

Mom took her teenage son to the ER, and the doctor seriously doubted their relationship

Get stories worth sharing delivered to your inbox.

Advertisement

Featured

All Featured Stories →
teen screen time, smartphone addiction, Project Reboot, kids and technology, how to reduce screen time
Science

Tech expert shares the one message that actually convinces teens to reconsider their screentime

Tod Perry & Upworthy Staff
James Orgill demonstrates the ice cream transfer mystery
Making Sense of Science

Chemical engineer breaks down the science behind the ‘impossible’ ice cream transfer trick

Annie Reneau
consent, relationships, marriage, TikTok, boundaries
Family

Her husband got kissed by a stranger at a bar. Her response got more criticism than the woman who did it.

Adam Albright-Hanna
online dating, personal safety, dating red flags, women's safety, background checks
Relationships

His last name was spelled backwards on his Facebook Dating profile. Her mom figured out why from the parking lot just in time.

Adam Albright-Hanna