Take a recent dinner party where a friend confidently announced that we only use 10% of our brains. Just said it, like it’s a fact. It is not a fact. As a science writer who has covered this topic, I could feel my eye beginning to twitch. This is one of the most thoroughly debunked health myths—brain scans show activity across virtually the entire brain—and yet here it was, being delivered with complete confidence over dessert. I managed to stay quiet for approximately 45 seconds before I could not take it anymore. “Actually,” I said, “I wrote an article about that …” He would not back down, mostly because he was using it to support his theory that we are all living inside a simulation, and as I am firmly Team Science, we came to an awkward impasse. The table went silent.

The stakes aren’t always this high, of course. I have also gotten extremely pedantic correcting a friend who kept misquoting Friends, which, in hindsight, was not my finest hour. And on the flip side, I have absolutely corrected people only to discover, with great humility, that they were right and I was wrong. I’m personally grateful when this happens, as I’d genuinely rather know the truth than walk around confidently incorrect. Some people have the opposite preference, however, and those people are everywhere.

If you’ve spent any time in a social media comments section, you already know how deep this urge to correct runs. Some people have made it their entire personality. And in a “post-truth society,” where it’s getting nearly impossible to differentiate between AI videos of bunnies jumping on a trampoline and real adorable pets, it seems imperative that we help each other out. But where, exactly, is the line? Let’s discuss.

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The case for speaking up

The most obvious argument for correction is that misinformation spreads, takes root and causes actual harm. The American Psychological Association has noted that unchallenged false claims get repeated—and the more a false claim is repeated, the more believable it becomes. It’s a phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. Eventually, if you say something often enough and loud enough, people believe it’s true. So from this view, letting misinformation slide isn’t polite restraint; it’s potentially complicit.

This applies to the silly stuff too. I love those online threads where people share the ridiculous things they were taught as a child that they believed far into adulthood. For me, it was when my dad told me that the white line divider bumps on the road were there so blind people could drive—you know, like braille for cars. And it didn’t even dawn on me how dumb that was until I said it out loud to a group of work colleagues when I was in my 30s. I still remember the shocked faces of my friends. Not just because I was oh-so-wrong, but because I had apparently graduated college (as the valedictorian, no less) while believing blind people were navigating the interstate via tactile feedback. I was deeply embarrassed but grateful to be corrected. Would you want your friend doing something similar? The secondhand embarrassment alone should motivate us to help each other out.

There are also practical considerations. If someone at work confidently presents incorrect data to leadership, staying quiet to avoid awkwardness could have real consequences. If a friend repeats a medical myth, silence could affect their health decisions. If a loved one’s cherished family story is wrong, it could lead to decades of hurt feelings. Context matters enormously, but so does the subject matter.

There’s also the dignity argument: Correcting someone, done thoughtfully, is actually a form of respect. It treats them as a person capable of handling accurate information, rather than a fragile person who needs to be protected from the truth. And people are often more open to it than you think. Research published in the journal Cognitive Research found that people are generally responsive to factual corrections, and the feared “backfire effect” (where being corrected causes someone to dig in harder) turns out to be far less common than previously thought.

The case against speaking up (and it’s a strong one)

Here’s where things get uncomfortable. Corrections—even accurate ones, even well-intentioned ones—can backfire. And it’s most likely to happen when the correction is addressing things other than clear facts (like feelings), goes against deeply held beliefs, feels condescending, comes from someone the person already distrusts or is delivered when others are watching. Public correction adds a layer of humiliation, and humiliated people rarely say, “You know what? Fair point.”

There’s also the Dunning-Kruger problem on both sides of the equation. Described by psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger at Cornell, this is the phenomenon where people who know very little about a subject are blessed with the confidence of a preschooler in an Iron Man costume, while actual experts stay quiet, worrying about all the things they might not know. This leads to a very special kind of argument in which one person has facts, evidence and years of experience, and the other has a YouTube video they half-watched while folding laundry. In these debates, the dumbest person usually wins simply by sheer persistence. So the person you’re correcting may be completely wrong and utterly convinced they’re right.

And here’s the humbling part: so might you. Before opening your mouth, it’s worth a beat of honest self-interrogation. How sure are you, really?

There’s also the social cost. Even when you are right, the act of correcting someone publicly can make you look like you’re prioritizing being right over the feelings of the person you’re with. As Dr. Phil once famously said, “Would you rather be right or be happy?” In group settings, especially, correcting someone can come across as a power move or a performance, or make you look like a know-it-all. As I can personally attest, being correct does not necessarily make you popular.

A few things to consider before you correct

Asking yourself these five questions will help you slow your roll and decide if you should actually utter those fateful words of correction.

1. What is your relationship to the other person? Correcting a close friend is very different than correcting a stranger, an acquaintance, a boss, a date or someone you’ve just met at a dinner party. The closer and more equal the relationship, the more a correction can land as caring rather than condescending (when said in an appropriate way; more on that below). With an acquaintance, the same words can read as an attack. With a boss, the correction can read as insubordination.

2. Is the topic innocuous or heated? Low-stakes factual errors can be overlooked. (Does it really matter what year the movie came out?) Crucial facts without any emotional connection are generally the best received—for example, “The project due date is this coming Friday, not next weekend.”

However, corrections that bump up against someone’s politics, religion or deeply held identity are different territory—not because those beliefs can’t be wrong, but because the social cost of the correction is much higher and the likelihood of success is much lower. You’re not obligated to let dangerous misinformation slide, but know that “I disagree with your take on this political candidate” is not the same thing as correcting a false fact. Spend your social capital wisely.

3. What is your tone? Tone matters more than almost anything else. There’s a world of difference between saying, “Oh, I actually read something different about that” and leading with “You’re completely wrong.” The first invites dialogue; the second invites defensiveness. Framing a correction as a question or as your own uncertainty (“Wait, wasn’t it … ?”) tends to land better than a declarative correction, even when you’re 100% certain. This is also, incidentally, the same principle behind talking to someone with an opposing viewpoint without it devolving into an argument: Lead with curiosity, not judgment.

4. Can you google it on the spot? The ability to fact-check people in real time is an incredible power and, like most superpowers, a potentially dangerous weapon. We’ve all been there: Someone says something dubious, and you have a device in your pocket that can resolve the dispute in 11 seconds. Whether it’s OK to pull it out depends entirely on the relationship and the vibe. Between close friends who do this all the time, it’s fine, even fun. On a first date, whipping out your phone to fact-check mid-sentence can have the other person frantically signaling for the check. Tread lightly.

5. What if you’re the one who’s wrong? This, frankly, is where character is revealed. If you speak up and it turns out you were the incorrect one, you have two options: Dig in (bad), or graciously concede the point (good). “Oh, you’re right! I had that wrong—thank you!” is genuinely one of the most disarming and likable things a person can say. It’s also rare enough that people remember it.

How to correct someone without being a jerk

When you’ve decided a correction is worth making, here’s how to do it and not become the person everyone dreads sitting next to.

• Keep it private when possible. Pulling someone aside after the fact (“Hey, I wanted to mention I think that statistic might be off”) lands much better than correcting them in front of a group. It lets them save face, which people genuinely appreciate.
• Make it about the information, not the person. “I think I read something different about this” is the start of a conversation, not a personal attack.
• Pick your battles. Not every wrong thing needs to be corrected right now, or by you, or even at all. Ask yourself: Does this actually matter? Will correcting it help anyone? Or am I just annoyed that someone said a thing incorrectly? (The answer, if you’re anything like me, is sometimes the third one. But hey, at least we know that about ourselves!)
• Be genuinely open to being wrong yourself. If you’re not willing to concede when you turn out to be incorrect, you don’t actually have the moral authority to correct anyone else.
• Understand what’s really at stake. In public or private settings with high stakes, you have a duty to speak up, even if it’s uncomfortable. When someone is spreading misinformation that could lead to real harm—dangerous medical advice, incorrect safety information or fear-based myths that affect real decisions—staying quiet in the name of social comfort is bad etiquette. You might make an enemy. You might also prevent someone from making a very bad decision. The social rules exist for a reason, but they shouldn’t paralyze you when the situation genuinely warrants action.

The verdict

Correcting someone who’s wrong is not inherently rude, but how you do it determines whether it comes across as helpful or obnoxious. The checklist is simple: Does this actually matter? Are you sure? Are you doing it for the right reason? And can you do it in a way that’s more “by the way” than red-buzzer “INCORRECT”?

The goal isn’t to win. It’s to leave everyone, including yourself, with more accurate information—ideally, with everyone’s dignity left intact. And if someone corrects you? The most gracious thing you can do is listen, consider it and update your view if the evidence warrants it.

Being correctable is more impressive than being right. And knowing when to shut up is—and I say this as someone who let a 10%-of-your-brain comment go exactly 45 seconds before cracking—a vital life skill. One that I am still working on. But hey, interrupting people after 45 seconds is actually a huge improvement from my childhood. Progress!

Have a social situation you can’t stop ruminating on? Email us at advice@tmbi.com, or message Charlotte on Instagram at @CharlotteHiltonAndersen.

Sources:

• American Psychological Association: “Recommendations for countering misinformation”
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: “Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments”
• Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications: “Examining the replicability of backfire effects after standalone corrections”
• Nature Reviews Psychology: “The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction”

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The post Is It Really Rude to Correct Someone Who’s Wrong? appeared first on Reader's Digest.

What’s up for sale this month is a jersey that belonged to an absolute legend—not just of his game, but of all sports and all time. When I was a kid, my buddy had a poster of him on his bedroom wall. As an athlete myself (albeit a little lacking in the discipline, let alone talent, to make it to the bigs), I looked at it all the time, wondering how someone so young could be such a huge star.

Who is this mystery person, what did he accomplish and why is his jersey expected to fetch that astronomical price at auction? Read on to find out all the details, and get that checkbook out—this one’s going to sell fast.

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Which jersey is heading to the auction block?

It’s Pelé’s 1958 World Cup final jersey, which the 17-year-old Brazilian soccer phenom wore during a thrilling match against Sweden. He scored two goals in the match and still holds the record for the youngest player to compete and score in a World Cup final.

Pelé, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also holds the record for the most goals scored by a footballer in his career. Between 1956 and 1977, Pelé scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, according to Guinness World Records. And the 1958 Brazil-Sweden match was one for the ages.

After the final, the beloved soccer star gave the jersey to his teammate, Edvaldo Alves Santa Rosa (known as Dida), whose family held on to it until 1993, when they donated it to a museum. The museum sold it in 2004 for just $105,000, so the estimated auction price of $6 million is quite the upgrade for the famous jersey!

Will this be the highest-priced soccer item ever sold?

Not just yet. The record for the highest-priced piece of soccer memorabilia goes to another blue jersey, this one worn by Argentina’s Diego Maradona in a 1986 World Cup quarter-final. Called the “Hand of God” shirt because Maradona was accused (rightly) by England of using his hand to score the first of his two goals during that game, the legendary jersey sold for nearly $9 million in 2022.

But Pelé’s 1958 World Cup final jersey could give Maradona’s a run for its money. World Cup fever is high right now, and other Pelé memorabilia routinely sells in the millions of dollars. One of his 1958 trading cards sold in 2022 for $1.33 million, and an auction lot of 2,000 Pelé items sold in 2016 for more than $4 million.

How does this compare to other sports memorabilia?

Pelé and Maradona are bona fide soccer legends, but so far, no piece of sports memorabilia has come close to the current record holder: Babe Ruth’s famous “Called Shot” jersey that he wore in the 1932 World Series. That sold in 2024 for an unbelievable $24 million.

Next on the most-expensive list is Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey, which sold for more than $10 million in 2022. The iconic red and black Chicago Bulls kit is known as the “Last Dance” jersey because it was featured heavily in an ESPN documentary of the same name.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s famous “Rumble in the Jungle” championship belt, which he won for besting George Foreman in a 1974 fight in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, also sold in 2022 for $6.2 million. This bout was a major comeback for Ali, who had previously been barred from boxing for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.

If you have a cool $6 million, how can you get your hands on Pelé’s jersey?

Sure, it’s possible you have $6 million lying around, and we are here to help you spend it. Sotheby’s will be holding the auction for this iconic jersey; bidding starts on June 29 and ends on July 16, three days before the 2026 World Cup final. If you’re in the market for a piece of sports history (of course you are!), you can register to bid at Sotheby’s. But be aware: You’ll have to prove you have the financial means to bid, so have that bank account information ready.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• New York Times: “Pelé’s 1958 World Cup final shirt going to auction with estimated value over $6 million”
• Sotheby’s: “Pele 1958 FIFA World Cup Final Championship Clinching Match Worn Shirt | Two Goals | Brazil’s First World Cup Championship”
• Guinness World Records: “Most expensive football (soccer) shirt sold at auction”
• Guinness World Records: “Most career goals (football)”
• FIFA: “Maradona, England and The Hand of God”
• CNN: “Muhammad Ali’s WBC ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ belt bought for $6.18 million by Indianapolis Colts owner”
• Cllct: “Top 10 most expensive pieces of sports memorabilia ever sold”

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The post Would You Pay $6 Million for This Famous Jersey? Here’s What Has Sports Fans Salivating Right Now appeared first on Reader's Digest.

No. I was just experiencing one of the most common and most casually accepted little fashion quirks: the fact that buttons and zippers are on opposite sides depending on whether the clothing is designed for men or women. I don’t know how, in all my years of dressing myself, I’d never noticed it before. Men’s buttons and zippers go on the right side; women’s go on the left. It’s so standard that we rarely think to ask why or even notice it, and yet once you start pulling on that thread, you end up in a surprisingly interesting tangle of history, class politics, military strategy and fragile emperor egos.

Buckle up, and let’s dive into the details. (The buckle, for what it’s worth, can go on either side, regardless of your gender.)

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Have buttons and zippers always been like this?

Not exactly—this isn’t ancient history. Buttons themselves date back to around 2800 BCE, but the gendered side placement is much more recent. According to fashion historian and author Robert Ossant, “most button clothing design became standardized in the late 19th century, when we shifted from all clothing being bespoke to the modern system of production.” Before that, clothing was made to measure for individuals, and any rules about placement were more informal traditions set by the tailoring houses of London and Paris. John Smith, a fellow fashion historian and the vice president of fashion design at Poshéle, traces the convention to the 17th and 18th centuries, when tailors began systematically applying it to their clientele.

As for zippers, they weren’t invented until the beginning of the 20th century. Elias Howe patented an early “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure” in 1851, but the modern zipper wasn’t perfected until Gideon Sundback did it in the early 1900s. They weren’t common in clothing, however, until the 1930s. By then, Ossant says, the gendered button convention was already so established that zippers simply inherited it: “The convention of right over left for the concealing flap reflected the button style for womenswear, and the opposite for zips used in menswear.”

Why are buttons and zippers on different sides for men and women?

The short answer: class, convenience and a few centuries of deeply entrenched habit. The longer answer involves a remarkable number of things that have nothing to do with buttons or zippers.

Men needed quick access—to weapons

For men, the logic was entirely practical. Right-handed men (and about 90% of the population is right-handed) could more easily grip and manipulate a button or zipper when it was positioned on the right. This was especially important for soldiers and armed men who needed to quickly reach inside their coats for weapons. (Which apparently happened a lot back in the day?) Having the dominant hand control the buttons—holding the button between the thumb and forefinger and pushing it through—was simply more efficient. And the same logic applied to the button or zipper placement on pants, but for, ahem, a different type of quick release.

Wealthy women had someone to dress them

Here’s where it gets classist and sexist. Wealthy women of the 17th and 18th centuries didn’t dress themselves; they had ladies’ maids and servants to do it for them. A servant facing her mistress would be using her own right hand to manipulate the buttons, which meant the buttons needed to be on the left side of the garment. “It was largely a class and practicality distinction rather than a purely aesthetic one,” says Smith. In other words, the entire reason women’s clothing is designed the way it is was to make it easier for someone else to do the buttoning.

Ossant describes women’s clothing of the time as “more complicated, with lace-up undergarments, corsets, petticoats, added in ever more restrictive layers, so having someone help was essential.” The seamstresses who made these garments followed instructions to the letter. “[They] would never interfere with a design and change the placement,” Ossant says. “This would ruin the entire design.”

There’s also a breastfeeding theory floating around: that left-side buttons allowed nursing mothers to more easily open their tops while holding an infant in their dominant right arm. While it’s plausible, as a mom who nursed babies for nearly a decade, I’m side-eyeing this one. You need to breastfeed on both sides or you will become painfully engorged (and lopsided), and most women alternate which side they start with, so button placement is a moot point. Also, I preferred to hold my baby in my left hand so my right (dominant) hand was free.

Horseback riding may have played a role

“One of my favorite alternative theories is that the buttons were placed on the left due to how the wind passed over a woman’s body while riding sidesaddle,” Ossant says, explaining that women typically placed both their legs over the left side of the horse, so as they rode forward, the wind would pull open a blouse that opened to the right. “So some believe the placket (the fabric with the buttonholes) and buttons were swapped to ensure a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse didn’t have to worry about the wind blowing open her clothing,” he says. I feel like romance writers could really do a lot with this idea.

And then there’s Napoleon

If you prefer your history with a side of drama, Ossant offers another one of his favorite (if admittedly far-fetched) alternative theories: “Napoleon was alleged to have been enraged by women mocking his ‘right arm tucked in shirt’ look and ordered that women’s clothing was reversed so they could no longer mock him.”

Is this true? Probably not. Is it delightful? Absolutely.

Mass manufacturing locked it all in

Whatever the origins, the Industrial Revolution cemented these conventions permanently. When clothing shifted from bespoke to mass-produced in the late 19th century, factories needed clear, repeatable rules and patterns. “This came on the back of European-wide uniform standardization to make armies more efficient,” Ossant explains. “The fashion industry simply copied.”

Once those rules were built into the machines, the die was cast—literally.

OK, fine, but why is clothing still like that?

The honest answer is habit … and also the remarkable human capacity to not notice something until it’s pointed out. (Guilty!) “We have kept the gendered closure system mostly because people are used to it,” Ossant says. “It’s something most people don’t notice until it’s flipped, and then they’re confused.”

Smith adds a practical component as well. “Retooling production lines costs money,” he explains, “and as long as the majority of consumers aren’t actively complaining, brands have little financial incentive to change.”

There’s also a brand-identity element, particularly in outerwear. “The placement of a zipper or a set of buttons is part of the garment’s signature,” Smith explains. “Think of iconic motorcycle jackets: The asymmetric off-center zip is as recognizable as any logo. Changing it would feel like altering the product’s DNA.”

Design schools further reinforce the tradition. Both experts confirm that button and zipper placement is taught as a technical standard in garment construction curricula. “Design schools teach the established gendered method for inserting zip closures or button-up fronts because this is now an established norm and what people expect,” says Ossant, who adds a personal anecdote. He owns a man’s shirt that accidentally had its button closure made the “wrong” way. “Every time I put it on, it proves a little difficult because we are so used to the standard way assigned to our genders,” he says. So if even a fashion professional with full knowledge of the convention trips up, the rest of us never had a chance.

Is one side easier than the other to button and zip?

Yes, and this is the part where women discover they’ve been getting a raw deal their entire lives. Right-handed people will find men’s button placement more intuitive: The dominant right hand holds and guides the button, while the left hand holds the placket. For women’s clothing, that dynamic is reversed, meaning right-handed women are working slightly against their natural dexterity every single time they get dressed.

“The advantage of the historical system was ergonomics,” Smith says. “Each garment was optimized for who was fastening it and how.” And, essentially, women’s clothing was optimized for a right-handed servant, not the right-handed woman wearing it.

Left-handed people get their own version of this frustration, and they tend to find women’s garments slightly more intuitive by the same logic. And with zippers, Smith notes, the direction of the zip track matters enormously for comfort and ease. “A stiff or awkwardly placed zip on a structured leather garment is genuinely frustrating to use, especially when the leather is new and hasn’t yet broken in.”

Meanwhile, right-handed women have simply adapted. “It’s just another annoying inconvenience women face in everyday life,” Ossant says, in what may be the most understated sentence ever written about fashion history. This particular quirk may not rise to the level of the famous pocket disparity in women’s clothing, but it’s very much in the same family.

Will this fashion quirk ever change?

Slowly, yes. Ossant predicts that “more clothing [will be] designed as unisex and serve the 90% dominant right-handed population.” Smith is similarly optimistic: “We’re already seeing it in the market. High-end designers and outerwear brands are increasingly offering styles with centered zips, reversible closures or explicitly gender-neutral hardware placement.”

Major fashion houses, including Gucci and Stella McCartney, have launched gender-neutral or unisex lines, and the category has been growing steadily across the industry. “As consumers become more vocal about wanting clothing that fits how they actually live rather than how tradition dictates, the industry will follow,” Smith says.

That said, don’t expect to go shopping this weekend and find everything magically flipped. The machines that make the garments are already built. The patterns are already standardized. Vintage clothing already enforces this standard. And a significant portion of the population has spent decades internalizing which way to reach. As Ossant candidly says: “Men have never and would never have been inconvenienced. Whereas right-handed women have had to put up with a lifetime of it being slightly inconvenient, followed by an era of having to get used to flipping.”

So my confusion when I grabbed my husband’s shirt is not some kind of adulting failure. It is the result of several centuries of servants, soldiers, industrial machinery and possibly one very petty Napoleon. But progress is coming. In the meantime, take comfort in the fact that you now have a genuinely interesting thing to say at parties.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• John Smith, fashion historian and vice president of fashion design at Poshéle; interviewed, June 5, 2026
• Robert Ossant, fashion historian and author of The Art of Couture Embroidery; interviewed, June 5, 2026
• Smithsonian Libraries and Archives: “The Up and Down History of the Zipper”
• Retail Dive: “Consumers want gender-neutral retail clothing”

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The post Here’s Why Buttons and Zippers Are on Different Sides of Clothing for Men and Women appeared first on Reader's Digest.

I still reread them every few years, and when I moved to Minnesota 25 years ago, one of the first things I did was sign up for a 10-mile race through the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin. As fans know, that’s where Laura and her family lived before the sounds of too many ax swings prompted them to push off in search of a new life.

Well, Half-Pint fans, the long-awaited Netflix reboot of the celebrated classic is finally here, and the trailer just dropped. I admit I felt a twinge of sadness that sweet Michael Landon is no longer with us, and Melissa Gilbert’s feisty little Laura exists only in my memory, but you guys, this reboot looks good!

Read on to learn what we know about the new show, what changes are in store and what people are saying about it.

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What did the trailer reveal?

The trailer sets the scene for the series, which covers the third book (appropriately titled Little House on the Prairie) in the Ingalls-Wilder family saga. It opens with a shot of Ma, Pa, Mary and Laura in a covered wagon (accompanied by Jack, their beloved dog that walked alongside the entire way) and a voiceover that paints a picture of their new life in Kansas: no church, no school, no post office. “It’s so small,” Ma says.

We see scenes of the family settling in to a bustling frontier life: Pa chopping down trees and playing his fiddle, Laura daydreaming among the tall grass and plenty of clashes (and community) among the townspeople. There are also glimpses of storylines to come, including one that hints at a deeper dive into conflicts with Native American tribes—something that the books and original show have been criticized for glossing over.

What do we know about the series so far?

The first season will follow the Ingalls as they set up outside of Independence, Kansas. “It’s about people deciding who they want to be, and it’s about people looking for a better life,” showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine told Netflix. “It leans into the idea that it’s never too late to do that.” The series stars Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline (Ma), Luke Bracey as Charles (Pa), Skywalker Hughes as Mary, and Alice Halsey as Laura.

But Sonnenshine said the series will go deeper than the original books and show, bringing in perspectives beyond Laura’s and getting to know the people who already inhabit the “free” land the Ingalls family is homesteading. The show partnered with Osage scholar and University of Kansas professor Robert Warrior to make sure their stories are told accurately and realistically.

We will be “seeing them as husbands and wives and mothers and cousins and sisters,” not just as background characters. “They had one foot, some of them, in this world of America that sprung up around them and a foot in their own culture,” Sonnenshine said. “I feel like that is very relatable for lots of people.”

How closely will it stick to the original series?

It sounds like it will be thematically similar but with key changes. We will see the Ingalls’s family life, just like in the original series, as well as the perils of life on the prairie, including fires, fevers and wild animals. But the focus will expand beyond the homestead. “It was very important that we have a family to mirror our Ingalls family,” Sonnenshine said. “A family that was also trying to figure out what the best future for them was and what that future looks like.”

That mirror will be an Osage family, consisting of father Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother), mother White Sun (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) and daughter Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts). “If you’re going to tell the story, then you need to tell both sides,” she told Netflix. Season 1 will tackle issues like predatory land deals, Indian removal treaties and the railroads that will soon cut through Osage lands.

But Sonnenshine is quick to point out that it’s not all heavy political issues and emotional drama. “All those things were interesting to portray with these characters who are so funny,” Sonnenshine said. “That marriage is very loving, and their daughter is also a little bit of a disruptor, like Laura.”

And for people looking for Laura’s frenemy Nellie Oleson and her mother, Margaret, well, you’ll have to wait until Season 2 for that. Yep, the series has already been renewed, and Nellie, originally (and delightfully) played by Alison Arngrim, will be played by Willa Dunn.

What are fans saying?

Reactions to the trailer, and the overall concept of a reboot, are cautiously optimistic. Over on Reddit, some fans are ecstatic, others are wary—but most are on board. And some are just downright funny.

• “I am looking forward to it. I just hope it is not Netflixy—overly slick and constantly restating the plot,” said one commenter on Reddit. “Netflix is good at melodrama so that gives me hope!”
• “I normally am a snob about remakes, and I LOVE the original, so I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I am looking forward to this one,” said another.
• “I hope they explain the fancy bonnets,” said a third.

Overall, it seems that many fans are looking forward to a dose of good, old-fashioned nostalgia. “I love the Landon series overall, and look forward to this new version,” said a fan of the original NBC show. “The original series is childhood nostalgia for me, and maybe this will be it for a new generation of families.”

When is the series coming out?

Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie premieres July 9, and will drop all eight episodes at once.

Little House on the Prairie

Watch on Netflix

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Netflix: “The Little House on the Prairie Trailer Expands Laura Ingalls’s World”
• Deadline: “Rachelle Lefevre & Charlotte Sullivan Join ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Season 2 at Netflix”
• Reddit: “First official trailer for Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie'”

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The post A Brand-New Trailer for Netflix’s <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> Series Just Dropped—And We Are Feeling Totally Nostalgic appeared first on Reader's Digest.

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That’s what he did recently on a surprise visit to England’s soccer headquarters before the team departed for the World Cup. Football’s biggest competition kicks off on June 11 and runs through July 19 in North America—England’s first qualifying game is against Croatia on June 17, in Dallas—so it was the perfect time to give the crew a boost.

So how did William give them a royal rev-up? Read on to find out.

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What did William say to the team?

He wished them the best of luck, of course. The prince made a surprise visit to the national team’s training hub, St. George’s Park, on May 27, to give the “team behind the team” a good-luck message and rallying cry in person. He was there to meet England manager Thomas Tuchel and his huge entourage of support staff who work behind the scenes. What a great strategy!

“I just wanted to take the opportunity to see the team behind the team today, and to say thank you and good luck to all of you guys who don’t get as much acknowledgement or credit as you deserve,” William told the staff. “It’s a big team that gets on that plane. It’s a big team that looks after them. Not everyone gets to see the hard work you put in, and the success of the players comes from the foundations you built, so thank you.”

Meeting the team behind the team ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We had a special visit from His Royal Highness Prince William at St. George’s Park as preparations continue for the @FIFAWorldCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6SZEFxfzTh

— England (@England) May 27, 2026

What else did William say?

He also acknowledged that they have a tough job ahead. “It’s not going to be an easy tournament as you well know … but I have no doubt you’ll rise to the occasion and deliver on all the things that you do so brilliantly.”

He then used some manifesting tactics to send the men’s team, known as the Three Lions, to victory, referencing the recent successes of the England women’s team. “All the things are coming in align now. The Lionesses’ successes that they’ve had, two men’s Euros finals—kind of feels like we’re closing in on that sort of ambition,” he said. “Go with my blessings and best wishes to all of you. Enjoy it and look after each other and give your best, and I’m sure we will do well, so good luck,” William said on footage on Instagram, raising his hands in prayer.

Even though the players weren’t in attendance this time, we’re sure Tuchel and his team are ready to rally the entire World Cup team. And something tells us superfan William won’t want to stay away from the pitch.

How big of a soccer fan is William?

He’s an absolutely huge soccer fan. William has a genuine passion for what’s dubbed “the beautiful game,” and he was recently seen celebrating his favorite team’s success in Turkey. William supports Aston Villa, who won the Europa League final on May 20 in Istanbul, and the prince was filmed screaming from the stands and singing “Sweet Caroline” with other supporters. He was even spotted declining a phone call that came in during the action. Afterward, William celebrated with the squad at their hotel. We told you he’s a genuine fan!

Will William be attending any of the World Cup games?

You bet. He hasn’t confirmed any details, but if past tournaments are anything to go by, William will likely make an appearance at critical games—though sometimes they do conflict with prior commitments. In 2024, he famously flew to Berlin with Prince George to watch England lose the finals of the European Championships against Spain, and in 2023, the prince received some criticism from the public for not flying to Australia to watch the Lionesses face Spain in the final of the women’s World Cup. However, royal insiders strongly suspect he’ll go to the USA at some point.

What will happen if the England team wins?

Who knows? After all, it hasn’t happened for a very long time. In fact, the only time England’s men’s team has lifted the World Cup trophy was in 1966, at London’s Wembley Stadium. The late Queen Elizabeth presented the captain, Bobby Moore, with the cup. She would later knight many soccer players, starting with Stanley Matthews, and just last year, David Beckham was given a knighthood by King Charles at Windsor Castle.

But back in 1966, the team enjoyed a banquet at a Kensington hotel. When England’s Lionesses scored back-to-back European Championship wins in 2022 and 2025, they were given a parade and victory party (in 2025, it was held outside Buckingham Palace). So, we’re sure William would want to honor the team if they did bring it home.

What does William do as a royal patron of the soccer team, exactly?

William gets a lot more involved as a patron than some other royal family members, mainly because he’s so passionate about football. It doesn’t seem like hard work for the very regal fan. Royal patronages began in the 1700s, under King George II, and royal family members are patrons and presidents of around 3,000 charities and organizations, globally. They represent everything from charities to sporting bodies, hospitals to nonprofits, education to the Armed Forces, and they schedule visits and events to highlight and support the organizations’ work.

As patron of the FA, William is the ceremonial figurehead, attending key matches and finals and highlighting the sport from the grass-roots level to the national team. He took over as patron in 2024—before that, he was president. One thing to know: William is only the patron of England Football; the Scottish Football Association is currently without a royal patron. That’s a little awkward, as Scotland also qualified for the World Cup and will play their first match on June 14.

What are some other notable royal sporting patronages?

The royal family represents multiple sporting bodies. While William loves soccer, Princess Kate is a huge tennis fan, so she was delighted to become patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Wimbledon) in 2016, relieving the late queen of the role, who, well, wasn’t as into tennis as her granddaughter-in-law. (She attended Wimbledon only four times in 70 years!)

Here’s a sample of some of the sporting patronages the royals hold:

• Prince William: Patron of the Football Association (FA), Welsh Rugby Union and Swim England
• Princess Kate: Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon) and Lawn Tennis Association, Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League
• King Charles: Joint patron of the Jockey Club with Queen Camilla, and patron of the British Olympic Association, Commonwealth Games and Royal Scottish Highland Games Association
• Queen Camilla: Joint patron of the Jockey Club and patron of British Equestrian
• Princess Anne: President of the British Olympic Association, patron of U.K. Coaching, vice patron of the British Horse Society, and patron of the Scottish Rugby Union and the U.K. Sailing Academy
• Prince Edward: Patron of the British Paralympic Association and GB Snowsport, and vice patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation
• Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh: Patron of England Hockey and the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association

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Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Instagram: “Prince and Princess of Wales”
• England Football: “HRH Prince William visits St. George’s Park”
• Instagram: “Archbishop of Banturbury”
• Royal.uk: “The Royal Family and Sport”

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The post Soccer Superfan Prince William Gave England’s World Cup Team a Pep Talk—And Used a Smart Strategy to Help Them Win appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Since the games are falling right at the start of the busy summer travel season and international airfares are through the roof, it’s a great time—and a pretty convenient excuse—to tack on a quick domestic excursion from whichever city you’re catching a match.

As a longtime travel writer, I’m always looking for bonus destinations wherever I go—from an interesting nearby town or cultural attraction to an unexpected adventure or activity that maximizes my time in a place. With so many cities hosting games, those rooting for teams on their home turf or traveling farther afield have plenty to explore beyond the stadium stands.

To help you take the most advantage of your soccer sojourn, we rounded up the best day trips from each World Cup location in the U.S., all conveniently located no more than a few hours by car or train. Read on to score some great ideas.

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If the match is in Atlanta: Dahlonega, Georgia

Distance: 70 miles; about an hour drive

Set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Dahlonega claims the distinction of being both the heart of Georgia wine country and a mountain-adventure destination. In fact, this Appalachian town north of Atlanta is so picturesque that it’s become a popular filming location for Hallmark and Lifetime movies. (Even Netflix chose the community as the setting for the recent series His & Hers.) If that weren’t enough of a draw, it has a rich history, to boot: Dahlonega was the site of a major gold rush in 1828, predating California’s by two decades.

For more active soccer fans, a day trip to Dahlonega could include a hike to one of the area’s many waterfalls or a trek along the Appalachian Trail, which has its southern terminus in the area. Families on a post-game World Cup adventure might feel like they’ve struck it rich with the Gold Fever package: It includes a visit to the Dahlonega Gold Museum, a 45-minute underground mine tour at the nearly 200-year-old Consolidated Gold Mine and a hands-on gold-panning experience.

If the match is in Boston: Newport, Rhode Island

Distance: 70 miles; about a 1.5-hour drive

I’ve always enjoyed exploring Newport in the summer. On one trip, I stayed at the centrally located Hotel Viking, which turns 100 this year and recently underwent a major renovation. I spent a day strolling the miles-long Newport Cliff Walk, taking in the many Gilded Age mansions on this part of the Atlantic. On another, I headed out on a sailing excursion in Narragansett Bay, framed by the soaring Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.

Soccer fans with a soft spot for sports of all kinds should make time for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It’s housed in the historic Newport Casino and offers a great crash-course history of the game ahead of the U.S. Open later this summer. And on June 19 (the day Scotland faces off against Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxboro), the seaside city will raise its sails to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Newport Bermuda Race, the legendary 636-mile offshore sailing competition between Rhode Island and Bermuda.

For a more field-based sport, every Saturday this season, Newport Polo will welcome teams from around the world to face off against Team USA. Lawn seating, pavilion tables and other ticket options can sell out in advance, so booking early is highly recommended.

If the match is in Dallas: Fort Worth, Texas

Distance: 30 miles; 30- to 45-minute drive, or one-hour TRE commuter-rail ride

The World Cup stadiums can get rowdy, but that doesn’t quite compare to the Wild West energy of Dallas day-trip destination Fort Worth, also known as Cowtown. The Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District is the epicenter of it all. There’s live honky-tonk music, country dancing and even twice-daily Texas longhorn cattle drives right down the middle of Exchange Avenue.

If you think soccer’s a tough sport, head on over to the Bull Riding Hall of Fame for a primer on what it takes to tame a bucking beast. Or, better yet, pony up $12 to try your luck on the mechanical bull near Stockyards Station. Kids appreciate the chance to get up close to goats, sheep and even camels at the Stockyards Barnyard Petting Corral, as well as rides in a replica 1800s Concordia stagecoach.

For another perspective on the West, check out the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, which highlights the important contributions cowgirls made to Western culture as they helped shape frontier history.

If the match is in Houston: Galveston Island, Texas

Distance: 50 miles; about an hour drive

Houston’s World Cup fans will no doubt want to escape the heat, and Galveston, on the Texas Gulf Coast, is a historic island town with wide, windswept beaches just a quick trip from the city. Families, especially, will have a blast making a day of it—or more—with the many aquatic-based activities available here. After splashing in the waves, rent bikes and pedal along the Galveston Seawall, explore the restaurants and shops along Seawall Boulevard or head to the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier. The pier is built entirely over the water and has classic rides, including a Ferris wheel, with Gulf views.

During the hottest part of the day, a trip to Moody Gardens is another great way to escape the Texas sun. Birds flit and sloths creep at the Rainforest Pyramid, while penguins, sharks and other sea creatures make their home in the newly renovated 1.5-million-gallon Aquarium Pyramid. Everything is bigger in Texas, and the movies featuring great white sharks and other wildlife at Moody Gardens’ 3D and 4D theaters, which boast the state’s largest screens, are true must-sees.

If the match is in Kansas City: Bentonville and Bella Vista, Arkansas

Distance: 200 miles; about a three-hour drive

The perfect antidote to the intensity of a sweaty stadium match in Kansas City is a road trip from Missouri to the outdoor playground of the Ozarks in neighboring Arkansas. The town of Bentonville—home of Walmart, yes, but also a cultural and creative hub in the northwest part of the state—has earned its reputation as the mountain-biking capital of the world due to its extensive network of trails.

One favorite spot to shred is the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. Bike rentals are available in the area, and guided rides—which can be tailored to all abilities, from beginners to advanced riders—are recommended for first-time visitors. The trails, with names like Dirt Therapy and Thunderdome, range from cross-country routes to dual-slalom lines. For more skilled mountain-biking daredevils, the new Cleared for Takeoff trail at Coler features an advanced jump that sends cyclists soaring up to 40 feet.

Need a bonus to the bonus trip? Just in time for the World Cup, nearby Bella Vista’s OZ Trails, which just officially opened, has more than 20 miles of downhill terrain. The park even offers a high-speed quad lift for easy access to the slopes.

If the match is in Los Angeles: Newport Beach, California

Distance: 40 to 50 miles; about an hour drive, depending on traffic

There’s little that’s as frustrating as Los Angeles traffic, so any day trip needs to take travel time into account. Enter Newport Beach, a miles-long stretch of pristine coastline just south of Los Angeles in Orange County. The area is home to one of America’s largest recreational harbors, and the Balboa Peninsula, a long strip of land separating the Pacific Ocean from Newport Bay, is where you’ll find most of the action.

The historic Balboa Fun Zone has classic boardwalk rides and a nostalgic yesteryear vibe, while the Newport Beach Harbor is the launching point for rentable Duffy boats. These small, battery-powered vessels are ideal for slowly cruising the calm bay waters in this part of California.

During L.A.’s games, which run from mid-June through early July, Newport Beach also offers a wide range of special seasonal events. There’s the Live on the Lawn Jazz Series on June 13, 20 and 27; the 20-chef Noble Wine & Dine Festival from June 26 to June 28; and Tunes at the Dunes beachfront entertainment series at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina from July 3 to July 5.

If the match is in Miami: Orlando, Florida

Distance: 235 miles; about a 3.5-hour Brightline train ride

Orlando is a high-speed rail adventure or overnight detour from Miami, but rather than mingling with even more crowds, head to Grande Lakes Orlando. Home to both the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotel, the property is still in the heart of Orlando, but its 500 acres at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades keeps it from feeling suffocating.

The focus is relaxation at Grande Lakes Orlando, so stadium seating is swapped for wellness and spa treatments. (The Ritz-Carlton Spa clocks in at an impressive 40,000 square feet, so there’s plenty of room to de-stress.)

This year, the resort is also debuting Summer by the Lake, an array of experiences offered now through Sept. 6. Every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 15, for example, guests can reserve tickets to attend the American Cookout Classic. Work your way through barbecue classics while sipping Russell’s Reserve bourbon, then check out the nighttime lights with everything from fireworks displays to fire dancers.

If the match is in New York/New Jersey: Saratoga Springs, New York

Distance: 180 miles; about a 3.5-hour drive or Amtrak ride

Every summer, I try to head to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. Watching the horses blaze around the track to the sounds of spectators cheering—and occasional jeering—is a rush from the grandstand or the boxes. I tend to place my bets somewhat randomly, usually on horses whose clever names I like, which is probably why I rarely walk away a big winner. Still, I always have a lot of fun for the day.

Fresh off hosting the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the track, also home to the Travers Stakes, officially kicks off its season over the July 4th weekend, so it’s an ideal trip for those taking in the final World Cup matches scheduled for the month farther south in New Jersey.

If the arts are more your thing, there’s a wealth of things to do in Saratoga Springs beyond racing. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, or SPAC, is in full summer swing, with resident companies including the New York City Ballet, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Saratoga Jazz Festival. Its large, open-air amphitheater replaces New York City as the state’s finest high-culture hub.

If the match is in Philadelphia: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Distance: 135 miles; about a 2.5-hour drive

The World Cup takes place during America’s 250th anniversary year, and what better excuse for soccer fans who are also history buffs to book a day trip to Gettysburg. Steeped in Civil War history, the 6,000-acre Gettysburg National Military Park was the site of one of the most pivotal battles of the war between the North and the South. It’s also where President Abraham Lincoln famously delivered the Gettysburg Address, declaring that the new nation was “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

There’s plenty happening in Gettysburg this summer during Philly’s six FIFA World Cup matches, which run from June 14 to July 4. To commemorate Juneteenth, for example, the Gettysburg Juneteenth Committee is hosting a series of free events, such as an evening celebration of 250 years of Black music at the Majestic Theater featuring local artists and jazz musician Allan Harris. And between July 3 and July 5, visitors can experience living history at the Daniel Lady Farm, where as many as 1,000 re-enactors stage daily full-scale Civil War battle demos.

If the match is in the San Francisco Bay Area: Napa Valley, California

Distance: 40 to 80 miles; a one- to two-hour drive, depending on where you go

Napa Valley is a perennial favorite add-on for visitors to the San Francisco Bay area. The last time I was in the region, I organized a private tour and tasting at Fantesca Estate & Winery. The bottles I ordered are long gone, but it’s an experience I still often think about.

Fans wanting to swap out all those pricey stadium concessions for priceless vineyard views can get a convenient wine-country welcome at the Meritage Resort & Spa. Located at the gateway to Napa Valley, the property has on-site tasting rooms and vineyard walks, so it’s a relaxed alternative to having to spend the day driving around from winery to winery. As a bonus, right now the Meritage’s outdoor concert venue is presenting the Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions, a weekly series that will feature everyone from comedians, like Chris Tucker, to Diana Ross, Willie Nelson & Family and other musical legends.

If the match is in Seattle: Bellevue, Washington

Distance: 10 miles; about a 15- to 25-minute drive, or a 20-minute light rail ride

The recently opened light rail, Crosslake Connection, links the Seattle Stadium District with Bellevue, making the Eastside an easy escape for foodies arriving from the game with an appetite. The best way to get a tasty overview of what’s cooking in Bellevue is to follow the city’s Acclaimed Culinary Trail, a guide showcasing standout cuisine, from Pacific Northwest fare at James Beard winner Jason Wilson’s farm-to-table restaurant The Lakehouse to local twists on Peruvian dishes at Kaoru Chang’s La Mar Bellevue.

Other must-visit spots on the trail: Pan-Indian plates at Michelin-recognized Farzi Café, and the signature Peking duck at Baron’s Sino Kitchen & Bar (tip: order at least a day in advance since it requires 24 hours to prepare). Even Bellevue Brewing Company is getting in on the off-field action, sating soccer fans’ thirst by serving up the limited-edition Bellevue Baller, a brew containing ingredients from all three 2026 host countries: grain from Canada, corn from Mexico and hops from the U.S.

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Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

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The post The Best Day Trips from Every World Cup City in the U.S. appeared first on Reader's Digest.

And this summer, excitement is building around Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming June 12 album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. But while new music can make even a routine commute feel cinematic, researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the National Bureau of Economic Research say that album-release days may come with a surprising downside.

No, it’s nothing about the looks you get at stoplights when you pull up singing “Vampire” at the top of your lungs. But before you start belting out her newest song’s bridge while navigating traffic on a bridge, read on to find out what the research revealed.

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When are traffic fatalities at their highest?

According to the report, fatal car crashes increased significantly on days when hugely popular albums debuted. Yes, really. Researchers looked at major releases from artists with massive streaming audiences and found that nationwide traffic deaths rose by nearly 15% compared with similar days without major releases, uncovering a pattern that suggests drivers may be more distracted after highly anticipated albums hit streaming platforms.

The spike was especially noticeable during the hours immediately following album releases, which often happen at midnight on Fridays. That timing means many drivers may be listening during late-night drives or busy weekend traffic. Researchers controlled for other factors that commonly affect crash rates, including the day of the week, holidays and seasonal driving trends, but the pattern remained.

The study did not suggest that music itself is dangerous. Instead, researchers pointed to behaviors surrounding new releases—like searching for songs, switching tracks, reading lyrics or interacting with streaming apps that make driving less safe.

How did the researchers determine this?

To investigate the connection, researchers analyzed U.S. traffic fatality data from 2017 through 2022 and compared it against the release dates of major albums from top-streaming artists. They then compared those release days with control dates—similar Fridays or calendar periods without blockbuster album launches—to see whether crash patterns changed.

The researchers also examined whether the increase could simply be explained by typical weekend driving behavior. But according to the analysis, the rise in fatalities appeared specifically linked to major album-release days rather than Fridays in general.

The study is still considered a working paper, meaning it has not yet completed the full peer-review process. Still, safety experts say the findings fit into a broader body of research showing how smartphones and in-car technology can contribute to distracted driving.

What makes album-release days so dangerous?

Listening to music while driving is hardly new. But streaming culture has changed how people interact with music in the car. Years ago, drivers might have turned on the radio or popped in a CD before pulling out of the driveway. Now, many people actively engage with music on their smartphones while driving—searching for albums, skipping songs, reading notifications, sharing tracks and checking social media reactions in real time.

That’s where distraction comes in: Even quick glances away from the road can dramatically increase crash risk. According to traffic-safety experts, distracted driving generally falls into three categories:

• Visual distraction: taking your eyes off the road
• Manual distraction: taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive distraction: taking your focus off driving

A major album release can involve all three at once. Drivers may unlock their phones to queue up the album, scroll to find a favorite track or replay a song everyone is discussing online. Others may become emotionally absorbed in the music itself—especially when listening to highly anticipated albums for the first time.

And while singing along probably isn’t as dangerous as texting, it can still affect attention, reaction times and driving behavior. Modern infotainment systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto may also create a false sense of safety. Drivers often assume hands-free technology eliminates distraction entirely, but research shows that interacting with screens and menus inside the car can still pull attention away from driving.

How can you drive safely while jamming to your favorite new album?

Fortunately, you don’t need to swear off new music during your commute. Experts say a few simple habits can help reduce distraction while still letting you enjoy the soundtrack of summer.

• Queue up everything before you start driving. Pick the album, adjust the volume and connect your phone before you put the car in gear. Avoid searching for tracks or reading notifications once you’re on the road.
• Use voice controls when possible. If your vehicle supports voice commands, use them instead of reaching for your phone or tapping through menus.
• Resist the urge to “just check one thing.” Whether it’s a lyric explanation, a social media reaction or a surprise-feature rumor, wait until you’re parked.
• Keep the volume reasonable. Extremely loud music can make it harder to hear sirens, horns or other warning sounds.
• Be extra alert on big release days. Even if you’re not listening to the newest album yourself, other drivers may be distracted. Defensive driving matters even more when attention on the road could be lower than usual.

In other words: Enjoy that new Olivia Rodrigo album when it drops. Just don’t let Track 5 become the reason you miss the car stopping in front of you.

What albums are releasing soon?

Summer 2026 is packed with high-profile album releases that are likely to dominate playlists, TikTok feeds and car stereos alike. Here are some of the biggest upcoming drops:

• June 12: Olivia Rodrigo, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love; Rick Ross, Set in Stone; Sublime, Until the Sun Explodes 
• June 26: Muse, The Wow! Signal; Pixies, Complete B-Sides 1988–97; The Strokes, Reality Awaits; The Pretty Reckless, Dear God
• July 3: Madonna, Confessions II 
• July 10: Adam Lambert, Adam; My Chemical Romance, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys; Rolling Stones, Foreign Tongues
• July 24: Flo, Therapy at the Club; Shania Twain, Little Miss Twain; Tyla, A-Pop
• July 31: Ariana Grande, Petal; Shaboozey, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales
• Aug. 14: Katseye, Wild

Whether you’re counting down the days or discovering the songs later, experts say the safest move is simple: Hit play before you hit the road.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• National Bureau of Economic Research: “Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities”
• Billboard: “Looking Ahead: A Release Calendar of Upcoming Albums in 2026”
• Pitchfork: “New Music Releases and Upcoming Albums in 2026”

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The post It’s Brutal Out There! Here’s Why Olivia Rodrigo’s Album Drop May Make Driving More Dangerous This Week appeared first on Reader's Digest.

In Pool House, a dysfunctional Hollywood duo finds themselves living in their own pool house while renting out their main home to stay afloat financially. “It’s about power and celebrity, and the corrosive effects of both and the erosion of both, which is inevitable,” she tells Reader’s Digest. The novel has already earned praise for its unflinching look at family dynamics, with some authors calling it an “unsparing mother-daughter story.”

For Choi, writing for an adult audience opened up a few new doors. “It was really fascinating,” she says. “Sometimes when I talk about my adult book, it sounds really tawdry and smutty.” But beneath the sparks and sharp edges is the same emotional honesty that has made readers connect with her work for years.

Beyond her bestselling novels, Choi is a journalist and the host of the mental-health and career-focused podcasts Hey, Cool Job! and Hey, Cool Life! Raised in Hong Kong and Texas and now based in New York City, she’s built a career around asking thoughtful questions and telling stories that don’t shy away from life’s messier corners.

For this episode of The Reader’s Digest Escalator Interview, we caught up with Choi at Barnes & Noble in New York City to talk about Pool House, what’s currently sitting in her reading pile, the comfort genres she returns to again and again, surprising details about her writing process and plenty more.

Watch the exclusive interview below, and then scroll down to shop her books and reading recommendations!

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece, Leigh Belz Ray interviewed author Mary H.K. Choi. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

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The post Watch <i>The Reader’s Digest Escalator Interview</i> with Author Mary H.K. Choi appeared first on Reader's Digest.

That’s exactly what happened to a family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who watched in horror (via their home security camera) as their pet pooch started a fire right on their living room rug. Everyone was OK, but it could have been much worse—and often is. If it can happen to them, it can happen to you, so I consulted Richard Meier, the principal expert at Meier Fire Investigation, to learn how and why dogs can start home fires.

Read on as Meier, who has more than 15 years and 700 fire and explosion investigations under his belt, walks us through this scary but increasingly common situation.

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How can a dog start a fire when left home alone?

So many ways! But here, we’re talking about dogs who chew on devices containing lithium-ion batteries. Yes, those same batteries that cause devastating car and plane fires can affect our homes too. “Anything with a lithium-ion battery can fail,” Meier says. “Fortunately, most of them fail in a benign fashion, but when they fail catastrophically, it can be very serious.”

An oft-cited, yet older, statistic from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is that pets cause about 1,000 home fires a year, although the current number is likely higher. There’s no specific data yet about pets causing lithium fires, but dogs (and cats) can and do accidentally turn on stove burners, as happened in Maine in March of this year, knock over candles and, as the Chapel Hill family discovered, chew on devices containing lithium-ion batteries.

Why do lithium batteries burst into flames like this?

It’s due to something called thermal runaway, which happens when the battery enters a stage of uncontrolled self-heating. This can be caused by trauma or an internal failure during charging or discharging.

“So, in the case of a dog chewing on a toy, what’s going to happen is that they will puncture the battery, or just the force of the bite will cause some internal damage to the battery, which will cause an electrical short between the anode and the cathode,” Meier says. “It generally follows the same course: It gets hotter and hotter, and it can’t dissipate the heat.”

And that leads to what we saw on the scary security video. “More and more failures occur internally, and then it ends up being a fire or an explosion,” Meier says. What makes things worse is that lithium fires are extremely hard to put out. He says that for larger fires (like car batteries), firefighters can end up using “thousands and thousands of gallons of water.”

What else are lithium batteries in that your dog can get his paws (and mouth) on?

“Oh, it’s becoming very ubiquitous,” Meier says. “The mouse on my computer right now has a lithium-ion battery in it,” he added, before rattling off a long list of potential culprits, including cellphones and remote controls. I don’t know about you, but I keep my mouse on the couch right next to me (and my dog’s gnawing teeth), so maybe I should rethink that.

Here are some other common items that contain lithium-ion batteries:

• Radio-controlled toys
• Smart watches
• Fitness trackers
• Earbuds
• Flashlights
• Television remote controls
• Rechargeable vape devices

“Generally speaking, the bigger the battery, the bigger the problem,” Meier says. “Not that the little ones can’t fail, but they’re generally more benign when they do.” But remember, any failure has the potential to ignite materials (like rugs, curtains and bedding) in the vicinity.

What other items can cause a fire if a dog chews on them?

Electrical wires are a big one, and as an electrician, I concur (that’s a stat the NFPA tracks religiously). Between 2020 and 2024, the NFPA reported more than 46,000 annual home structure fires in the United States that were caused by electrical failure or malfunction, including electrical wires and cords.

But while dogs are getting a bad rap here, Meier says we shouldn’t forget about cats. “I had one cat, and I don’t know how he didn’t electrocute himself, because he liked to chew on electrical cords a lot,” he says. So whatever pet you have, it pays to be vigilant. Electrical fires cause 13% of all home structure fires and 18% of all home structure fires deaths each year.

What should you do so this doesn’t happen?

Meier says the smartest thing to do is just pick up your stuff and don’t leave things lying around, whether you’re at home or away. These fires happen fast! “Put [devices] in a place where pets can’t get to them, and keep an eye on your pets when you’re home.” He also says not to charge these devices on the couch or bed, because regardless of Fido’s chewing, it’s a fire danger.

He also says to be very careful about throwing things in the garbage. Anything with a lithium-ion battery needs to be taken to an appropriate recycling facility because they cause hundreds of trash fires every year, particularly at waste facilities. “They don’t get a lot of reporting, but it’s a constant danger for them.”

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Richard Meier, principal expert at Meier Fire Investigation; phone interview, June 5, 2026
• WRAL News: “Dog sparks Chapel Hill house fire from chewing on lithium-ion battery device”
• WMTW 8: “Dogs likely started Belgrade house fire that caused their deaths, Maine investigators say”
• NFPA: “Electrical Safety in the Home”
• American Red Cross: “Pet Fire Safety”

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The post Warning! If You Have a Dog, He Can Actually Start a Fire by Doing This appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Born in 1954 in London, Head started out on stage before landing a gig in a series of Nescafé commercials, later reshot in the U.S. for Taster’s Choice, which brought him widespread recognition for his suave and debonair demeanor. From there, it was a short leap to the roles that made him famous, and he continued doing stage, screen and voiceover work for decades.

Ahead, we have 25 hilarious, wry and—now that he’s gone—bittersweet quotes from two of Anthony Head’s most iconic characters. Television just won’t be the same without him. To quote the ever-exasperated Giles: “Bloody hell.”

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Best Giles quotes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

• “Buffy, when I said you could slay vampires and have a social life, I didn’t mean at the same time.”
• “I believe the subtext here is rapidly becoming, uh, text.”
• “Tea is soothing. I wish to be tense.”
• “Xander, don’t speak Latin in front of the books.”
• “I watched Passions with Spike. Let us never speak of it.”
• “Yes, Xander, once more you’ve managed to boil a complex thought down to its simplest possible form.”
• “Things involving the computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now if it were a nice ogre or some such, I’d be much more in my element.”
• “To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It’s … it’s not done because people deserve it. It’s done because they need it.”
• “When I want your opinion Spike, I’ll … I’ll never want your opinion.”
• “Well, no. Um, I wasn’t actually one of the original members of Pink Floyd. But about the monster stuff, yes.”
• “All you will get from me is my support. And my respect.”
• “I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. In fact, I encourage you to always challenge me when you feel it’s appropriate. You should never be cowed by authority. Except, of course, in this instance when I am clearly right and you are clearly wrong.”
• “For God’s sake, man, she’s 18, and you have the emotional maturity of a blueberry scone. Just have at it, would you, and stop fluttering about.”
• “Xander, just because this is never going to work, there’s no need to be negative.”
• “All right. I’ll just jump into my time machine, go back to the 12th century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy …”
• “A watcher scoffs at gravity!”
• “Please stop whatever you’re doing. You smell like Fruit Roll-Ups.”
• “The Earth is definitely doomed.”

Best Rupert Mannion quotes from Ted Lasso

• “Please, call me Rupert.” Later: “It’s Mr. Mannion.”
• “Oh, come on, Sass. Let’s let bygones be bygones, eh? I’ve got a daughter now. I’ve changed.”
• “I want a child. I just suppose I didn’t want one … then.”
• “If you change your mind, say the word and … sent. He’ll be right over.”
• “Well, now, that would have made me a real piece of sh—, wouldn’t it?”
• “How ’bout a game? Maybe we could wager … say, £10,000?”
• “Good luck.”

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Source:

• AP News: “Actor Anthony Head, known for ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ has died at 72”

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The post 25 Iconic Lines from Anthony Head on <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and <i>Ted Lasso</i> That Are Absolute Perfection appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Nobody has spilled the beans (yet) on what dinner parties with King Charles are like, but the ones hosted by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, were apparently pretty spirited. One of the likely reasons? According to those working closest to her, the queen had a very clever (and surprisingly unroyal!) way to keep the conversation going at the table, with many guests revealing more than they’d probably intended to.

So how did the queen get her guests talking so openly? We’ll give you a hint: It’s a trick many of us are probably pretty familiar with too. Read on to see if you guessed right.

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How many events did Queen Elizabeth host in any given month?

Before we get to her slightly naughty party strategy, we should note just how many events Queen Elizabeth both hosted and attended over the course of her 70 years on the throne. She was in charge of a couple regular royal events every year, including four royal garden parties in the summer, as well as state banquets and a handful of palace receptions. While it’s hard to pinpoint exact numbers for all her soirees, we know that she welcomed guests to more than 150 state dinners in total during her reign.

When it came to attending events, those numbers balloon quickly. For example, her schedule peaked in 2016 with 332 engagements—yes, just in that one year! After that, the numbers went down due to both the pandemic and her advancing age. In 2022, her final year, she went to roughly 120 events.

What was her secret tactic for getting people to open up?

Her Majesty kept the drinks flowing! According to Julius Smith, her butler of 35 years, the queen made sure her guests’ wine glasses were constantly topped off. And if someone put their hands over their glasses to discreetly prevent yet another refill, the queen would instruct her servers to keep pouring. “She would say to pour it in through their fingers,” Smith recalled.

The only way out? Drinking very slowly, it seems. After all, telling the monarch a straightforward “no” would have been considered impolite (and certainly a breach of the strict royal etiquette rules). We can only imagine how many people must have left the table tipsy at the end of the night, probably not remembering half of what had happened—and what they had revealed to the queen—the following day.

Why did she do this?

One could argue it might have been her way of making high-profile guests spill all their (state) secrets. But Smith says there was a much simpler, and more relatable, reason: “She used to love to gossip.”

Her predilection for wanting all the tea was more or less confirmed by Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who claimed that the late monarch was obsessed with political gossip and always tried to get the “real story” behind the headlines. Of course, being curious about what was going on behind the scenes didn’t mean that the queen spread gossip herself. In fact, she was considered exceptionally discreet and a woman who’d keep her personal opinions to herself at all times.

In private, she had quite a mischievous side, though. According to Samantha Cohen, a royal aide who worked closely with the queen for nearly two decades, the monarch not only had a cheeky sense of humor but also secretly “loved it when things went wrong” during her many official engagements. “If a cake was not cutting or a plaque didn’t unveil, because everything was so perfectly organized, it spiced her life up when things went wrong,” Cohen revealed.

Behind closed doors, the queen didn’t need to hide her giggles. She was reportedly a big fan of the joke gifts at the royal Christmas party and was in stitches when Prince Harry pranked her with a cheeky message on her phone.

Did Queen Elizabeth enjoy imbibing herself?

She certainly did. At some point, it was rumored that the queen enjoyed four drinks a day, one of them being her favorite two-ingredient cocktail, which she drank before noon every day. That being said, those who knew her were quick to set the record straight and say that she did not actually lead a “boozy” lifestyle. Addressing the tabloid reports, her former chef Darren McGrady told CNN that “she’d be pickled if she drank that much,” while Smith phrased it slightly more diplomatically, saying, “She certainly wouldn’t be drinking … as part of the routine.”

The queen’s ex-butler cheekily told the Daily Mail that it was the queen mother who was the heaviest drinker in the family. That Queen Elizabeth, who died at the age of 101 in 2002, drank 70 alcohol units a week, according to royal insiders. That equals roughly 35 single shots or 31 glasses of wine! She reportedly drank two glasses of Veuve Clicquot pink champagne per day, along with different wines and spirits.

Does King Charles drink?

The current monarch has been spotted having a drink occasionally, but he is not considered a heavy drinker. He likes wine as well as gin and tonic, but his favorite drink is reportedly a martini. His friend Count Tibor Kalnoky revealed that he had one every night before dinner when he visited him in Romania years ago. Fun fact: Charles apparently always drinks from his own cocktail glass, which he brings in his bag when traveling overseas.

Prince William, next in line to the throne, also seems to enjoy a drink once in a while. When visiting the Prince of Peckham pub in London in June 2026, he declared that he “loves pubs,” adding, “I want to do as much as I can to support them because I love the community. … We need to protect our pubs.” Most commoners probably wouldn’t argue with that.

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Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Daily Mail: “A former butler reveals exactly what the royal family REALLY eat and drink… and the late queen’s ‘tipsy’ trick for getting guests gossiping”
• The Telegraph: “Late Queen liked political ‘gossip,’ says Nicola Sturgeon”
• The Guardian: “Elizabeth II: a constant queen whose failings were rare”
• The Guardian: “Bring back the magic hour”
• Marie Claire: “Queen Elizabeth’s mischievous side came out when ‘things went wrong’ at royal engagements, longtime aide remembers”
• CNN: “Royal chef sets record straight on what Queen Elizabeth eats and drinks”
• Royal Collection Trust: “State banquets at Buckingham Palace”
• GBN: “King Charles secret drinking habit revealed: ‘Every night before dinner'”
• Sky News: “Prince William: I love pubs – we must protect them”

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The post You Won’t Believe How Queen Elizabeth Got People to Open Up at Dinner Parties appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Here’s how it plays out: She records a voice note and sends it. I use my messaging app to transcribe it into text, which I then read. Then I compose my reply by voice-dictating it into my phone but sending it as a text, because I like being able to fix my words before they launch into the world. She receives my text and has her phone read it to her out loud. So we’re basically having a full conversation entirely in each other’s preferred formats, like some kind of digital United Nations negotiation. The only thing that would make this dumber is if one of us introduced a third language, perhaps Mandarin.

My core objection to voice notes? A text is text. It is meant to be read, on your own time, at your own speed, ideally while doing three other things simultaneously. The moment it requires earbuds, a quiet room and my full attention, it feels like work. Also, I just really don’t like the sound of my own voice.

But while I will freely admit to being mildly annoyed by voice notes, are they a breach of etiquette? Is it actually rude to send a voice memo instead of a text? Since I write an etiquette column, I feel professionally obligated to figure this out before one of us snaps.

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The case for voice notes (yes, I’m going to defend them)

Voice notes have become a whole thing. According to Statista data released in December 2025, 9.4 billion WhatsApp voice notes are now sent every single day—a 35% jump over the last three years—and things are accelerating. More than half of those polled feel voice notes are even replacing IRL interactions, rising to 60% among Gen Z. Proving this point, Snapchat users sent more than 2.5 billion additional voice notes in just the first three months of 2025 than they did the year prior. And this isn’t purely a young-person phenomenon: According to an older Vox/YouGov survey, 62% of Americans overall have sent a voice message—and that was in 2023, so that number is certainly higher now. Voice notes seem to be trending in that direction, which means I am becoming an outdated curmudgeon.

And look, the reasons to love them are actually pretty solid. Even I can admit that. Voice carries tone in a way that text simply can’t. My friend doesn’t send me voice notes because she’s trying to inconvenience me; she sends them because she says it feels more like a real conversation, more intimate. You can hear when someone is laughing, stressed or absolutely delighted about something, and no string of emojis fully replicates that. Plus, a 2024 Preply survey found that half of voice-note users feel the format actually strengthens their relationships. And in a time where real human relationships are under technological attack, this feels significant.

They’re also, in fairness, efficient for the sender. If you’re driving, exercising, or you just have a lot to say and don’t feel like typing a novel, a 45-second voice note gets it done. We already accept that different generations have wildly different texting styles—from Boomers who sign their texts like letters to Gen Alphas who communicate entirely in memes—so maybe (probably) voice notes are just the next chapter in that evolution.

The case against voice notes (here’s where I get to complain)

Here’s my core grievance, and I suspect it’s shared by the 30% of Americans who told Preply they find receiving voice notes annoying or inconvenient: Voice notes are asynchronous in format but synchronous in demand. In other words, you can send them like a text, but I have to listen to them like a phone call—and like a phone call, I can’t listen while I’m in a meeting, at the gym, standing in line at the store or pretty much anywhere that isn’t my couch with my earbuds in.

And speaking of phone calls, at least a voicemail has the social contract of being kept short. Voice notes have no such guardrails. They can go on. And on. There is nothing—and I mean nothing—quite like seeing a four-minute voice note arrive in your inbox when all you wanted to know was whether you’re still on for Saturday. Four minutes! That’s a TED Talk. That’s a full news segment. That’s enough time for me to deeply reconsider our friendship. And unlike a text—which, even at its most aggravating, generally nudges people to take turns—a voice note is essentially a private podcast episode, with no built-in pressure to stop and no way for the listener to interject or redirect. It’s a one-sided conversation by design.

Texts also automatically provide a written record—useful for when I need to go back and look up an address, find something the other person referenced, check party details or (as sometimes happens with my spouse) use as proof in an argument. Sure, you could go back through all your voice notes to find that info, but who has the time for that? I’ll just be late to the party, thanks. And here’s the kicker: 55% of people admit they forget to listen to voice notes altogether, and 88% forget what the message even contained, according to the aforementioned Statista survey.

Also, I probably should confess that recording a voice note gives me a lot of anxiety. I’ll do three or four takes trying to sound like a normal human, and I always end up hating the sound of my own voice. Which, when I say it out loud, suggests the real problem here might be me.

When it crosses the line

Most of the time, voice notes are a personal quirk rather than a full-on etiquette violation. But there are situations where they tip from mildly annoying to actually rude.

Sending them to someone who has told you they don’t enjoy them is the big issue. If a person has let you know—gently, or even passive-aggressively via your app’s transcription feature—that voice notes don’t work for them, continuing to send them anyway is no longer a preference clash. It’s dismissiveness. (Related: If you’re consistently ignoring someone’s texts and expecting them to work around your format, that creates the same lopsided dynamic.)

Context matters too. Sending a chatty three-minute voice note to a professional contact or a new acquaintance is a lot, because the intimacy of the format doesn’t match the formality of the relationship. And never, under any circumstances, send a voice note to deliver difficult news. That’s not intimacy; that’s just making someone’s hard day even harder while they fumble to find their earbuds.

Timing is also an important factor. Just as declining to answer a phone call and texting back instead can be problematic depending on the context, lobbing a voice note into a conversation that clearly calls for quick, back-and-forth responses is its own kind of communication mismatch. Think: a rapid-fire “are you almost here?” exchange, a quick exchange of data that people will need to refer back to later, or a group thread where people need fast answers. Read the room … or at least the chat thread.

What to do when your communication styles just don’t match

If you find yourself in a situation like mine, where two perfectly reasonable people have landed on opposite ends of the voice-note debate, the good news is that this is genuinely resolvable without a formal mediation session. The key is saying something before it becomes a silent resentment situation. A text like “Hey, I love hearing from you, but I’m usually somewhere I can’t listen, so is it OK if it takes me a bit longer to respond?” is not a confrontation. It’s a communication preference, stated kindly and subtly, with a built-in solution.

Except I did exactly that, and my friend nodded (metaphorically—she actually sent me a voice note about it) and then kept sending voice notes anyway. Turns out it just works better for her brain, and if she can’t voice-note me, she kind of stops talking to me. So now I have to ask myself: Is this glitch worth losing a yearslong friendship over? Of course it’s not. I love her! And honestly, the compromise costs me maybe a few extra minutes.

The exception is when the message is something important and the transcription gets it hilariously wrong, at which point I have to find a quiet corner, listen like an adult and accept that this is my life now. She, in turn, has had to accept that her voice notes will sometimes sit unread/unlistened to for hours while I wait for a moment of silence and that my replies will not always be immediate. We have both grown as people.

It’s also completely acceptable to respond to a voice note with a text and not feel guilty about it. You don’t have to match the format. Reciprocal communication is about responding thoughtfully, not mirroring the delivery method. What matters is that you did eventually respond and that you’re trying to meet each other somewhere. I very rarely return her message with a voice note, and that’s OK.

The verdict

Voice notes are not inherently rude. They are personal, warm and increasingly mainstream—backed by real numbers and real reasons. The intimacy case for them is legitimate. My friend isn’t wrong to love them; she’s just communicating in her own dialect, and part of any relationship is learning to translate.

But that adaptation really should go both ways. If you’re a devoted voice-note sender, it’s worth checking in occasionally with the people in your life to make sure they’re actually enjoying the experience and not silently transcribing your monologues with the resigned energy of a UN interpreter. And if you receive them, you’re allowed to gently, kindly ask for a format that works better for you.

At the end of the day, communication is only good if it actually connects two people. And right now, my friend and I are achieving full connection through a slightly unhinged relay system that involves two AI assistants and the general spirit of mutual compromise.

Which, honestly, might be the most 2026 love language I’ve ever seen.

Have a social situation you can’t stop ruminating on? Email us at advice@tmbi.com, or message Charlotte on Instagram at @CharlotteHiltonAndersen.

Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of etiquette stories that help readers navigate communication in a changing world. We regularly cover topics such as the best messages to send for any occasion, polite habits that aren’t as polite as they seem, email and texting etiquette, business etiquette, tipping etiquette, travel etiquette and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• GlobeNewswire: “Heineken Launches New WhatsApp Technology That Swaps Voice Notes for Real Life Conversations Over a Beer”
• Marketing Dive: “Heineken swaps voice notes for beer in latest bid for IRL connections”
• Snapchat: “The Snapchat Generation Report: Where Culture Gets Real”
• NPR: “Are you getting more voice notes these days? You’re not alone”
• Preply: “Voice notes may be the new phone call, according to 40% of Americans”
• Mediapost: “Snapchat Users Sending Billions More Voice Notes”
• WRAL: “Life coach: Why teens are talking more—and typing less”

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The post Is It Really Rude to Send a Voice Memo Instead of a Text? appeared first on Reader's Digest.

But according to a new report from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), one hobby in particular might be coming back down to earth after what can only be described as a meteoric rise. You might scoff once you learn what it is, since it’s still wildly popular. But numbers are numbers, and ahead, I’ll take you through the latest TPL report as well as data from other research and polling. Read on to see which hobby may have already reached peak saturation.

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Which big trend is now past its prime?

It’s pickleball! During the pandemic, many of us were clamoring to get outside and do something. We were stuck at home, gyms were closed, and we were making so much homemade bread that we really needed an outlet for our pent-up emotions (and waistlines, for those of you not wearing sweatpants). Enter pickleball, a previously little-known sport that we took to like crazy. Right now, there are more than 82,000 pickleball courts in the U.S., according to USA Pickleball. Compare that to 2019, when a report from sports research company Longitudes Group put the number at 18,000 courts.

Shockingly, the addictive, easy-to-play (if not to master) and beloved social juggernaut appears to be on the downhill slide. In 2026, the number of new pickleball courts in the top 100 most populous U.S. cities was up just 4% from last year, according to the TPL. Compare that to 14% growth in 2024 and a still-feverish (but waning) 13% in 2025, and you get the feeling this trend might have already hit its peak.

USA Pickleball, which tracks new pickleball court locations across the U.S. in its “Pickleheads” database, shows even starker recent numbers. Between 2024 and 2025, the org reported a 47% decrease in the number of new pickleball locations added to their database—from 4,000 in 2024 to 2,300 in 2025. Of course, USA Pickleball and the TPL track different metrics, but overall they both indicate a little less rabid enthusiasm for the sport among the American public.

What hobby is taking its place?

Three outdoor activities are currently giving pickleball a run for its money: Gardening, disc golf and “outdoor fitness zones” (which will get an explanation coming up, since we didn’t know what those were either). It seems like people are still interested in getting outside and enjoying nature, even if fewer of us are clop-clopping our way around the pickleball courts.

According to the TPL report, garden spending is up 8%, and disc golf, aka golf with frisbees, saw a 4% bump from last year. Gardening, of course, is an age-old hobby that’s both relaxing and boosts our home’s curb appeal. Disc golf is a newer craze, but it likewise satisfies our urge to be outside while giving those who like a little competition and social interaction some people to spar with.

Outdoor fitness zones are those mini-gyms that you sometimes see at your local park. They’re like scaled-down versions of the outdoor “Muscle Beach” gyms made famous by California bodybuilders, where people can use pull-up bars, balance beams and other equipment for resistance and aerobic workouts.

Does this mean we won’t be seeing pickleball anymore?

Nope! With 82,000-plus courts around the U.S. and more than 3,700 in America’s 100 biggest cities alone (a 900% jump from 2017), pickleball is alive and well. Just head down to your local park on any given Sunday (or Saturday or Tuesday) and you’ll no doubt hear the distinctive thwack thwack of multiple pickleballs being knocked around. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, more than 23 million people played pickleball in 2025—up 479% since 2020—so unless there’s a massive influx of frisbee golf courses and outdoor gyms, it seems like pickleball is here to stay.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Trust for Public Land: “City Park Facts”
• Axios: “Pickleball craze peters out”
• USA Pickleball: “Annual Growth Report”
• Longitudes Group: “Longitudes Group Makes Available Its First Pickleball Distribution Report”
• Michigan State University: “What is an outdoor fitness park”
• Sports & Fitness Industry Association: “U.S. Pickleball Participation Statistics”

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The post This Pandemic-Era Trend May Have Finally Reached Full Saturation—Here’s the Hobby That’s Taking Its Place appeared first on Reader's Digest.

The timing feels especially timely too. July 1 would have marked Diana’s 65th birthday, while July 29 marks the anniversary of her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles. And now, right in between those dates, a collection from one of her childhood friends is giving royal fans a chance to see the teenage Diana few people ever knew.

So what, exactly, is in the collection, and what do these newly revealed photos tell us about the woman who would become one of the most famous people in the world? Read on for all the details—and a look at the photos.

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What do these photos reveal?

The collection, which is being sold by Gorringe’s auction house in the U.K., contains four previously unseen color photographs from Diana’s years at West Heath Girls’ School, where she attended from 1973 to 1977. Two of the photos show Diana alone in her bedroom, another captures her outside the school, and a fourth shows her relaxing with a group of friends.

The photos come from Diana’s longtime friend Katherine Hanbury, who also attended West Heath. And they aren’t carefully staged royal portraits or iconic paparazzi shots. They’re snapshots of a teenage girl hanging out with friends and living a life that looked surprisingly ordinary.

What other Diana memorabilia is being auctioned off?

In addition to the photos, the collection reveals “personal correspondence and ephemera, relating to her schooldays and friendships, and the Royal honeymoon,” according to Gorringe’s. One of the most interesting items in the collection is a three-page handwritten letter Diana sent to Hanbury shortly after returning from her honeymoon with Prince Charles in 1981. Written on Buckingham Palace stationery and bearing Queen Elizabeth II’s royal seal, the letter is dated Sept. 27, 1981, just two months after the royal wedding watched by millions around the world.

In the note, Diana thanked her friend for sending a card and wrote, “Dear Katherine, I can’t tell you what a lovely surprise I got opening your card. Thank you so much for putting pen to paper and wishing me well.” The original envelope is included as part of the lot, making it an especially personal piece of royal history. The collection also contains a handwritten birthday card signed “Diana (S).” Apparently, that was how classmates distinguished her from another student named Diana.

And then there’s perhaps the most emotional item of all: a program from a private Thanksgiving service held in London on Nov. 19, 1997, following Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris earlier that year. Unlike the globally televised funeral at Westminster Abbey, this intimate memorial service was attended by only those closest to her. As a result, very few copies of the program exist, making it a particularly rare keepsake.

How much is all of this expected to sell for?

The entire collection is expected to sell for between approximately $4,600 and $6,937—which is probably not as much as you might expect! But given the enduring interest in Diana and the fact that several of the photographs have never been publicly seen before, it wouldn’t be surprising if bidding ultimately pushes the final price higher.

Can you put in a bid too?

Yes, you can! The auction will take place at Gorringe’s auction house in Lewes, East Sussex, as part of their live Summer Fine Art & Interiors Sale on July 7. Interested buyers have until June 9 to enter their bid, and they aren’t required to be there in person.

But take note: The final cost is usually higher than the winning bid. Auction houses typically charge a buyer’s premium, and additional fees or taxes may apply depending on the bidder’s location.

Of course, not everyone has several thousand dollars ready to spend on Diana memorabilia. But even for those who never plan to bid, the collection offers something valuable: a reminder of the person Diana was before the world knew her name.

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Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Gorringe’s: “Summer Fine Art & Interiors Sale”
• El País: “New Lady Di Auction: Unseen Photos and Letters from the Time Before She Was Princess of Wales”
• Fine Books Magazine: “Princess Diana Private Correspondence and Rare Photographs to Auction”

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The post These Never-Before-Seen Photos of Princess Diana Offer a Glimpse into Her Early Life appeared first on Reader's Digest.

I first saw Toy Story in 1995 like everybody else who wasn’t at a Pearl Jam concert or a screening of Clueless. (I told you, it was a long time ago.) If, like me, you’re having trouble remembering the ’90s, the movie or any of the subsequent sequels (and decades), it’s pretty clear we’re all going to need a recap. Ahead, I’ll take you through the original Toy Story and all three direct sequels—plus give you a bonus sneak peek of the newest one—just in time for the release of Toy Story 5.

As I researched, the memories came flooding back—and I bet they will for you too. So saddle up, and ride along!

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Toy Story

Premiered: 1995

When Toy Story hit theaters just in time for Thanksgiving 1995, it was a revelation. The first feature-length movie made entirely in computer-generated imagery (CGI), Toy Story ushered in a new breed of animation. But the Disney/Pixar film’s real staying power is in its sweet, funny look at childhood through the eyes of a young boy’s toys.

The film introduces us to Sheriff Woody, an old-fashioned talking cowboy doll with a pull string, and Buzz Lightyear, a battery-operated space ranger toy, who battle for the affections of 6-turning-7-year-old Andy. Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, feels threatened by newcomer Buzz (Tim Allen) and fears he will no longer be Andy’s favorite nor the leader of the toys, a menagerie of characters that includes Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex (a cowardly dinosaur), Hamm (a piggy bank), Bo Peep and a platoon of little green Army men.

The plot, centered around Andy’s birthday party and his family’s move, sets the stage for a running theme of the franchise: the inevitability of change and the universal feelings of loss as children grow up. But in this first movie, the vibe is mostly light, as Woody and Buzz trade barbs, get lost in a pizza parlor and ultimately realize that Andy still loves them.

Toy Story

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Toy Story 2

Premiered: 1999

Not many sequels can claim to be equal, let alone superior, to the original, but Toy Story 2 pulls it off. Woody and Buzz now share the toys’ coveted co-leader status, but Andy is growing up and the old insecurities remain. After Woody gets “injured” with a ripped arm, he is temporarily shelved and begins to fear the worst when his shelf companion, a squeaker-less penguin named Wheezy, is added to the family yard sale.

Attempting a rescue, Woody is instead stolen and brought to a toy collector’s apartment, where he meets Jessie the Cowgirl, a rag doll abandoned by her first and only owner. Jessie is voiced by Joan Cusack, and she becomes the heart of the film as we see the highs and lows of childhood devotion through her eyes. Jessie’s storyline is punctuated by a gut-wrenching Sarah McLaughlin banger, “When She Loved Me,” which was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Grammy, so you’re going to want some tissues handy if you plan a rewatch.

The resolution of the toy-collector plot finds Woody and Jessie back at Andy’s, and Cusack, who returns in later sequels (including Toy Story 5), is so pitch-perfect as the plucky yet heartbroken cowgirl that it’s no wonder this film shines so brightly and holds up so well. Incredibly, Toy Story 2 began life as a straight-to-video release before getting the green light to feature status—a good thing, since it grossed nearly $500 million on a $90 million budget.

Toy Story 2

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Toy Story 3

Premiered: 2010

Fast-forward to 2010, and Andy is getting ready to leave for college. To Woody’s delight, Andy plans to take his devoted old cowboy pal with him, though the rest of the toys are destined for the attic. In a mix-up that’s very familiar to anyone who has accidentally thrown away childhood memories, the toy bag instead ends up at the curb on trash day.

To prevent a decidedly awful fate, the toys manage to maneuver the bag over to a donation bin, where Woody joins them, and they wind up at a daycare center. Problem solved! Now they can be played with in perpetuity. Of course, that’s not exactly what happens as Andy’s toys discover (almost) too late that the center’s toy leader, Lotso-Huggin’-Bear, voiced by Ned Beatty, runs the place like a prison camp. “Face it, we’re just trash,” says Lotso in a pivotal moment, masking his hurt at being lost by his owner, a girl named Daisy.

Filled with taut, well-edited action sequences—without sacrificing any of the heart and soul of the previous films—Toy Story 3 was a major box office and critical success. It also was a major leap forward technically from the first two films, and even a tiny bit scary as the toy gang faces their “mortality” in the movie’s climax.

Toy Story 3

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Toy Story 4

Premiered: 2019

Another massive hit with critics and at the box office, Toy Story 4 picks up where the previous installment left off. Woody and the gang are now with Bonnie, a kindergartner who received Andy’s donated toys, but they are struggling to fit into the existing toy hierarchy. In an attempt to protect Bonnie, who is nervous about starting school, Woody tags along in her backpack and meets Forky, a toy Bonnie makes from a discarded plastic utensil.

Forky suffers from anxiety over the fact that he was made from trash, and repeatedly tries to throw himself away. Woody is aghast and keeps rescuing Forky, including during a family RV trip, where the two meet up with Woody’s old pal Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts). It turns out Bo has been traveling around as a “lost toy,” free from ownership and very happy about that fact, thank you very much.

Much of the action centers around getting back to the RV (Keanu Reeves shows up to help as Duke Caboom, a 1970s stunt-car toy), complete with detours at an antique shop and a traveling carnival. The familiar angst of Woody (and now Forky) translated into the franchise’s biggest box-office haul to date, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide. But the film switches up the narrative of toys needing to be owned and loved by a specific child: In the end, Woody ends up joining Bo on the road and letting Bonnie, and his past with Andy, go.

Toy Story 4

Watch on Disney+

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Toy Story 5

Premiered: 2026

Excitement is high for Toy Story 5, which is actually the sixth film in the franchise. (Didn’t see 2022’s Lightyear spin-off? You’re not alone—unfortunately, it was a flop.) The latest installment brings back Hanks, Allen and Cusack as the lead toy trio of Woody, Buzz and Jessie, and it’s even getting a new song by Taylor Swift called “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which will be released on June 5 ahead of the June 19 premiere.

Here’s the premise: It’s been 30 years since the first Toy Story, and a lot has happened in the world of toys and tech. Enter Bonnie’s new “toy,” Lilypad. Voiced by The Morning Show‘s Greta Lee, Lilypad is a modern tablet device that looks like an an innocent frog but, as the official trailer indicates, definitely has a disruptive agenda.

Andy, who was 7 years old in 1995, could now have kids of his own, so sit with that a while as we wait for the release. Potts and Reeves are also returning, along with John Ratzenberger (Hamm), Wallace Shawn (Rex) and Jim Varney (Slinky Dog). Toy Story 5 will be released nationwide on June 19. We can’t wait.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Time: “How Toy Story Changed Movie History”
• Box Office Mojo: “Toy Story 2”
• IMDB: “Toy Story 2 Awards”
• New York Times: “Voyage to the Bottom of the Day Care Center”
• New Yorker: “Toy Story 4 Plays It Again”
• Box Office Mojo: “Toy Story 4”
• NBC News: “Taylor Swift releases new song for ‘Toy Story 5’”
• Disney: “Toy Story 5”
• YouTube: “Original ‘Toy Story’ cast back for ‘Toy Story 5’: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack return”

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What makes all of this even more interesting is the direction of the film itself. Toy Story 5, set to hit theaters on June 19, will be about modern childhood, where traditional toys are being replaced by tablets, apps and digital entertainment. That shift gives the Toy Story universe a new emotional angle, especially for a franchise that has always been about what it means to be needed.

So what, exactly, is Swift bringing to Toy Story 5‘s story, and how are fans reacting so far? Read on for everything we know about the song and when it will drop this month.

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What do we know about the song so far?

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The new track is titled “I Knew It, I Knew You.” It’s set to arrive on streaming platforms this Friday, June 5, and it already sounds like it’s going to lean heavily into emotional storytelling. It’s also inspired by Jessie’s ongoing storyline (remember, she’s the cowgirl character voiced by Joan Cusack), as she continues the journey she began in Toy Story 2.

Swift revealed the announcement on Instagram, sharing that she first saw Toy Story 5 while it was in early development. “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5-year-old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” she wrote in the post. “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”

That caption alone is fueling expectations that the track will lean into nostalgia and a possible return to her country-influenced roots. Swift also co-wrote and produced the song with her longtime friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff, which points to the familiar cinematic and detail-rich production that we know well.

How are fans reacting?

The reactions have been enthusiastic so far, with fans expressing excitement about the release and eagerly discussing what the song might be about. The anticipation isn’t limited to Swifties either. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, a longtime friend of teammate Travis Kelce and now Swift, shared Swift’s post to his Instagram Stories shortly after she uploaded it on June 1.

Fans are also taking over the comments on Taylor Nation’s TikTok announcement. The post basically became a celebration thread, with Swifties locked in on the song’s collector’s edition CDs (there are three versions—standard, acoustic and piano). People are already posting things like, “Got my preorder, can’t believe I was able to get all three” and “I can’t wait for the vinyl.”

There’s a small but very heated debate happening too. Some fans feel the title “I Knew It, I Knew You” sounds a little too close to Gracie Abrams’s “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” especially since that 2020 track includes a similar-sounding lyric (“I knew it, I know you”).

Still, the overall vibe is very clear: People expect this to be one of those subtly devastating Pixar songs that sounds sweet on first listen … and then suddenly has you staring at a wall thinking about your entire childhood.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• @taylorswift on Instagram
• @taylornation on TikTok
• People: “Patrick Mahomes Shows Sweet Support for Taylor Swift After She Announced Her New Original Toy Story 5 Song”

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If you’re here, I’m guessing you’re also in that post-Euphoria void with me—rewatching edits and craving another teen show that hits the same nerve. So I pulled together a list of shows that give you a similar rush: messy high school dynamics, emotionally charged friendships, complicated relationships and characters that feel too real for comfort—or so incredibly unrelatable, they’ll keep you hooked.

Read on for the best shows to binge-watch right now if you’re missing Euphoria. You’re welcome!

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We Were Liars 

Aired: 2025–present

Private islands, wealthy families and summers that look like a dream from the outside. That’s the deceptively beautiful world of We Were Liars. The Amazon Prime Video series, based on E. Lockhart’s bestselling novel, follows Cadence Sinclair and her close circle of cousins and friends (known as “the Liars”) as they spend every summer on her family’s secluded island estate. Everything feels golden and perfect until a mysterious accident leaves Cadence with memory gaps, and the truth about what really happened slowly starts cracking the illusion wide open.

Much like Euphoria, it leans into emotional unraveling and the idea that teenage years aren’t just about growing up—they can also be about surviving what happens when everything you trusted starts to fall apart. And it’s not done yet! Season 2 has already been confirmed and is expected to arrive in summer 2027. It will dig deeper into the Sinclair family’s secrets and everything that hasn’t been fully uncovered on that island.

The best part: The entire story snaps into place in the Clairmont ruins truth-reveal scene, when Cady finally remembers what actually happened. That moment is basically the emotional detonation of the show.

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Gossip Girl

Aired: 2007–20012

If you loved the messy, glittering chaos of Euphoria but wish it came with more designer handbags and fewer dimly lit bathroom breakdowns, then Gossip Girl is your next emotional spiral. Set in the ultra-privileged world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this Millennial show follows a group of teens whose lives are constantly unraveling thanks to love triangles, betrayals and a mysterious blogger who exposes all their secrets for the world to see. It ran for six juicy, drama-packed seasons, and never really let these characters breathe for a second.

Underneath all the fashion and drama, it’s really about the pressure of social status, family damage and trying to figure out who you are when everyone is watching. Yep, just like Euphoria. And if you finish the original series and somehow still want more scandal (you will), there’s also a 2021 HBO Max reboot that reimagines the drama for a more modern, social-media-obsessed generation.

The best part: Blair and Chuck’s “three words, eight letters” moment is the definition of Upper East Side romance. It’s the moment where their dynamic hits its peak.

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One of Us Is Lying 

Aired: 2021–2022

Did Euphoria have you obsessed with how quickly friendships can turn messy and dangerous? If the answer is yes, then One of Us Is Lying is going to feel like stepping into that same emotional minefield … but with a murder-mystery twist. Based on Karen M. McManus’s New York Times bestseller, it kicks off in the most ordinary setting—after-school detention—before turning into something way darker when one student ends up dead and everyone else becomes a suspect. Suddenly, the secrets the characters are trying to hide start spilling out in ways nobody can control.

The best part: The first episode’s detention scene is the hook. It instantly makes us question each character.

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13 Reasons Why

Aired: 2017–2020

Based on the bestselling novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why kicks off with a set of cassette tapes left behind by a student who dies by suicide. Each tape reveals a different person and a different reason behind what happened. 

It ran for four seasons, and like Euphoria, it became one of those shows everyone was talking about online—breaking into conversations about mental health, bullying, relationships and the pressure of being a teenager in a world that doesn’t always listen. If Euphoria is about emotional disorder in neon lighting, this one is the same, but in slower, heavier waves that stick with you long after each episode ends.

The best part: Season 1, Episode 11, carries one of the most quietly devastating, oddly soft moments in the entire show.

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The Sex Lives of College Girls 

Aired: 2021–2024

The Sex Lives of College Girls is your next binge if you want something that feels a little more like your actual life (minus the trauma drama dialed to 100). Set at a fictional Ivy League college, it follows four roommates as they stumble through freshman year, hookups, awkward social moments and the kind of friendships that can change overnight when nobody really knows what they’re doing yet.

Created by Mindy Kaling, the series—which ran for three seasons—quickly became a comfort-watch for anyone who likes their coming-of-age stories funny and painfully accurate.

The best part: In Season 1, Episode 8, the girls team up for an empowering prank that turns into one of those “this is what friendship actually looks like in college” moments. 

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On My Block

Aired: 2018–2021

Living in the same neighborhood your whole life sounds simple … until you realize it can also be a pressure cooker of survival and secrets you were definitely not ready to deal with. On My Block follows a tight-knit group of teens growing up in a rough inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood as they try to navigate high school while also dealing with gangs, romance and family trauma. 

Across four seasons, the show balances humor with seriously emotional moments, especially as the group gets pulled into bigger dangers than they ever signed up for.

The best part: The Season 1 finale is an emotional gut check where everything tightens at once. You’ll be reminded that the show has a lot more drama than you might have expected.

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Skins

Aired: 2007–2013

Some of the best shows don’t just depict teenage life—they basically throw you straight into it without warning, and Skins has been doing exactly that since it first dropped. Set in Bristol, it follows different groups of British teens across multiple “generations,” diving into everything from mental health struggles and addiction to sexuality and relationships. It ran for seven seasons and was constantly refreshing its cast every couple of seasons, so the drama never really stopped evolving.

What makes it feel so connected to Euphoria is how raw it is. There was no pretending that teenage years are cute and simple. And while the original U.K. version is the one that defined the tone, there’s also an American adaptation that aired for a short run in 2011.

The best part: I personally love that each episode locks into one character’s perspective to the point that it feels like you’re rotating through different emotional universes. The actors were also teens themselves, so the choices come across as more raw and less performative.

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Everything Now

Aired: 2023

Coming back to normal life sounds easy enough, until you realize everyone else kept moving while you were gone. That’s the situation at the heart of Everything Now, a British teen comedy-drama that follows 16-year-old Mia Polanco as she returns home after spending months receiving treatment for an eating disorder. Determined to make up for lost time, Mia throws herself headfirst into everything she thinks a “normal” teenage experience should include: parties, dating and all the milestones she feels she missed while she was away. Of course, real life turns out to be a lot messier than the version she imagined.

The series ran for one season, making it a much quicker watch than some of the other shows on this list, but it packs a lot into its episodes. You’ll recognize that same willingness to explore the highs and lows of teenage life, as seen in Euphoria, even though Everything Now takes a more humorous approach.

The best part: Some of the most interesting scenes come from Mia navigating her friendships post-treatment. It leaves you wondering if she’ll ever be as close to them as she was before she left.

Watch Now

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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

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In the last three years, AI photos and videos have gone from charmingly cruddy to terrifyingly realistic. It’s getting more and more common to find a video on social media and share it, only to find out later that a computer created the entire thing. Just look at last year’s “bunnies on a trampoline” craze, where millions of viewers got tricked by fake security camera footage.

And the distrust has gotten so bad that now even videos confirmed to be real, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech about Iran from March, are getting accused of being made with AI. This is a big problem for those of us who care about what’s real and what’s not online (which should really be all of us!) and don’t want bots manipulating our emotions.

But AI-generated media still isn’t perfect, meaning there are ways to tell it apart from reality. I write about tech for a living, so I know a thing or two about this. I also enlisted computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck, PhD, a professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies who specializes in AI misinformation, and creator Jeremy Carrasco (aka @JeremyFindsAI on TikTok and Instagram), an expert at identifying and debunking AI-generated media. Read on to learn how to tell if a video is AI-generated, as well as any online images you encounter—even when they’re super convincing.

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How common are AI photos and videos on the internet right now?

While we know that AI-generated media is more prevalent than ever, it’s impossible to tell exactly how common it is. That’s not only because it can be hard to figure out what’s real and what’s fake, but also because social media sites are hiding the stats. According to Golbeck, in 2022, nearly every major social media platform cut off access to the tools that researchers used to track the content of online posts. “They don’t want to tell you that they’ve got a huge number of bots and a huge amount of AI-generated content,” she says.

At the same time, these same platforms are making it easier for people to make money from their AI posts. On sites like X, where verified users get paid when other verified accounts interact with their posts, bot farms are being created solely to post and repost one another’s AI slop.

Golbeck explains the “business” behind this. “I have to pay $8 a month for this account,” she says, referring to the cost of a verified X Premium account. “So I’m going to make 10,000 accounts, and that’s going to cost me $80,000 a month. But if I can make more than $8 in revenue per account every month, it ends up being worth it. If all 10,000 of my accounts are monetized, I can have them all interact with each other’s content and get this huge amount of interaction.” This artificial content then gets served to real people too, filling your feed with slop.

And this isn’t even mentioning the people posting AI media for non-monetary purposes, like pushing a political agenda.

How can you spot an AI-generated video?

Creating an AI video that looks totally realistic is a difficult task. That’s true for top-of-the-line AI video models, and especially true for the more outdated versions that plenty of people still use. But they are still pretty darn convincing—especially if you’re not quite sure what to look for. Luckily, we do.

Here are some common “tells” that you can find in AI-generated videos, at least for now.

Moving objects disappear or blend into one another

@rachelthecatlovers Just checked the home security cam and… I think we’ve got guest performers out back! @Ring #bunny #ringdoorbell #ring #bunnies #trampoline ♬ Bounce When She Walk – Ohbayprince & Mykfrexh & GwellaGengSpec

Even the most advanced AI models struggle to keep details consistent over a long time. Let’s go back to the infamous “bunnies on a trampoline” video. At first glance, it seems realistic. But if you look closer, you’ll notice that the rabbit closest to the top of the video suddenly disappears when another rabbit passes it. The bunny closest to the bottom does a 180-degree turn instantly when its colors meld with another rabbit. And a rabbit near the middle of the pack just sort of melts in the video’s last second.

If you want to know how to tell if a video is AI-generated, keep an eye out for mushy anatomy that seems to melt into the rest of the video, as well as backgrounds that change after an object passes over it. You’ll especially notice this in big crowd shots.

The video is blurry or pixelated

We live in a world in which almost every single person has an HD camera in their pocket. But AI videos tend to be much lower quality. This is a common tactic for creators who are trying to hide the physics issues mentioned above. When the entire video is a mess, it’s harder to point out any one issue. This is why so many AI videos claim to be shot with a porch security camera—it gives creators an excuse as to why it’s so blurry. But it also shows up in videos supposedly shot on legitimate cameras, like this viral clip of two strangers meeting on the subway. Why would a modern smartphone camera produce such a blurry clip? (Answer: It wouldn’t.)

AI video models still can’t handle text well either, including both digital and analog clocks. Look out for letters that blend into one another, inconsistent fonts and nonsensical typos. When it comes to clocks, pay attention to whether they’re actually counting numbers in the right order and whether they’re running at the right speed.

The visuals are clean, but the audio is subpar

AI can create text, visual media, and audio. But when a single model tries to do more than one of those things at once, it struggles. This is why the audio in AI-generated videos can be a giveaway. The audio for these AI-generated videos might feature strange echoes and too-fast pacing. Accents might fade in and out, or words can be garbled. And in some cases, the dialogue can use the same tropes as clichéd AI writing. (Forbes provides a few handy examples: groups of three, contrasting rhetorical framing, rhetorical questions and answers that sound a lot like advertising-speak, and inspirational pivots, to name a few)

According to Carrasco, many AI videos that feature people talking also use what he calls an “AI accent.” This accent is characterized by an unnaturally “wired” voice with too much energy. The voices also sound like they’re always promoting something, much like a social media influencer.

And when it comes to videos of celebrities, use common sense. Would the celebrity in question ever actually say what the video shows? An example of this is the AI video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting from a few months ago. The fighting looks great, and the voices are on point. But listen to what Brad Pitt’s AI clone is saying. Do you really think a major action movie would have a character, much less one played by an image-conscious star like Pitt, defending Jeffrey Epstein’s honor? It’s a ridiculous premise.

The video’s only purpose is to make you upset

AI videos can be funny, yes. But the worst people online are the ones who create fake videos as a way to push misinformation and bigoted ideas. Let’s say a video appears on your feed of a politician you don’t like, saying something so shockingly evil that it makes you red with anger. Maybe another video focuses on a child suffering in a way that brings tears to your eyes. Both videos come with a caption asking you to share it. Should you?

It’s true that politicians say awful things sometimes, and the world can be cruel. But before you share the video, do some more research to see whether the video is real or fake. Research consistently shows that fake news spreads faster than real information, because it preys on your most intense emotions. And it’s not hard to create them, so think twice before you share.

The person who posted the video is new, posts only one kind of video or posts at all hours of the day

As AI software improves, we might eventually reach a point where there are no visual signs that a video is fake. That’s why you should practice going beyond the video to look at the bigger picture.

If you’ve found a video that looks suspicious, check out the profile of the person who posted it and see if it matches one of these red flags:

• The account just opened, but it immediately started posting videos seemingly designed to go viral. Best-case scenario, it’s a grifter desperate for online attention. Worst-case scenario, it’s a bot spamming AI videos for a quick buck. Not worth your clicks either way.
• The account posts the same kind of video over and over again. Carrasco notes that “if you give the same prompt to an AI video generator 10 different times, it will spit out 10 different videos. Now you have 10 days’ worth of content.” If the account is posting the same basic video idea with tiny changes, like a different camera angle or color of animal, it’s almost certainly AI.
• The account posts 24/7. Golbeck says that while plenty of people are obsessed with the internet, very few “post like it’s their full-time job” all day, every day. An account that never stops posting might be run by a bot, especially if all they post is political content.

How can you spot an AI-generated photo?

If AI-generated videos have improved by miles, then AI-generated photos have improved by light-years. But not all AI photos are high quality, even when they’re trying to look realistic, meaning there are still flaws that give it away. Classic tells like messed-up text and misshapen hands still appear in older models, and the video tips about looking into a photo’s agenda and the account posting it still apply.

Here are a few more pieces of photo-specific advice.

Humans look unnaturally perfect

For whatever reason—maybe because the models were trained on tons of influencer selfies—AI photo generators have a tendency to make human subjects look bizarrely perfect. In other words, you won’t find any blemishes or pores on their skin, and they’ll always be in full makeup, have perfectly coiffed hair and look like they’re using professional lighting.

“It looks a little too clean,” Golbeck says. “That’s always a tell for me. It looks like a TV show as opposed to reality.”

The background is overly blurred

In photography, a shallow depth of field makes the background blurry while the subject is crystal clear. The Portrait mode on smartphone cameras is designed to create this effect automatically. AI photos tend to overuse this effect. It’s often combined with the perfect quality we mentioned before, creating photos that give off a synthetic look. The controversial “AI influencer” Ana Zelu falls victim to this in a lot of her photos, like this one of her working out. (And no, she’s not a real person.)

The background doesn’t make sense

When someone uses AI to create a photo, the background is where you’ll usually find the most mistakes. If there are people in the background, look closely at them. Do their faces have the correct features, or are they just messy smudges? Are people melting into one another? Do the limbs look right? AI-generated crowd scenes often have a mushy, dreamlike quality to them that gives up the illusion.

The spatial geometry might fail too. Look for wonky perspectives, unusual architecture, paths that lead nowhere, and misaligned windows. “If it’s a picture of somebody’s kitchen,” Golbeck says, “are all the knobs on the doors in the same place? Are the doors the correct width? Did they put handles on the stove? These are little kinds of details.”

What other kinds of fakes should you watch out for?

Fully AI-generated media isn’t the only tool that bad actors use to trick people. There are also deepfakes, a type of misinformation that’s growing in popularity. In deepfakes, the majority of the video is real; the only part that’s altered is usually the subject’s face, which has been switched out for someone else’s. Because these videos don’t have to worry about glitches in the background or weird physics quirks, they can be much more convincing than an AI-generated video.

Deepfakes have been around for a few years now, and they’ve already caused a lot of trouble. In 2024 and 2025, multiple outlets reported on a disturbing trend of students using deepfakes to make pornography featuring their classmates; early this year, posters on X began to do the same, using the platform’s Grok AI to digitally undress other users.

The best way to debunk a deepfake, Carrasco says, is to look for “digital artifacts” around the face or body, which look like unnaturally blurry or flickering pixels. If the subject is moving quickly, the overlaid deepfake might have trouble catching up and you’ll see what’s underneath it. Same goes when something passes over the subject, as the deepfaked overlay will have to disappear and reappear.

There are other low-tech options that fake people out too. In 2019, a viral video claimed to show Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi giving a speech while drunk, but the video had just been slowed down by 25%, making her words sound long and slurred. It was a simple trick, but it worked on a lot of people.

And any recorded video can be edited to remove context, move sentences around, extend pauses to make the speaker seem confused and more. Regard anything you watch online with a dose of skepticism, whether it’s AI-generated or not.

Is the AI-generated media problem only going to get worse?

Will Smith eating spaghetti 3.2 years later
by
u/memerwala_londa in
ChatGPT

Again, this is a question that’s impossible to answer for certain. But yes, the issue is likely to get worse before it gets better, if it ever does. The technology that powers AI-generated photos and videos is getting better every day—just compare the AI-generated videos of Will Smith eating spaghetti from three years ago to the ones created this year. Although it does seem that the price of AI software is going up, the fiercest disinformation specialists can afford it. And open source models, which are free to run once you have the hardware, are improving too.

Social media platforms are doing little to moderate AI-generated media. Most sites “require” users to tag AI-generated posts as such, but that rule is rarely enforced, and the AI tags are hard to see. When asked what the U.S. government might do to address the issue, both Golbeck and Carrasco were pessimistic about the possibilities.

If you want to avoid low-quality AI disinformation altogether, your best bet is to get off algorithm-driven platforms like Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram. And if that’s not an option, Carrasco recommends curating your feed so you’re seeing more content from people you know and trust, and less from strangers.

When you do find someone you might want to follow, make sure they’re not flying any of the red flags we mentioned earlier. Taking a few minutes to prove someone’s not peddling AI slop will save you a lot of brain cells later.

Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of articles on personal technology, arming readers with the knowledge to protect themselves against cybersecurity threats and internet scams as well as revealing the best tips, tricks and shortcuts for computers, cellphones, apps, texting, social media and more. For this piece on how to tell if a video is AI-generated, William Antonelli tapped his experience as a prolific tech writer to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We rely on credentialed experts with personal experience and know-how as well as primary sources including tech companies, professional organizations and academic institutions. We verify all facts and data and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Jennifer Golbeck, PhD, AI expert and professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies; phone interview, April 2026
• Jeremy Carrasco, media producer and AI debunker on @JeremyFindsAI; phone interview, April 2026
• Snopes: “Fact Check: Video doesn’t show Netanyahu with 6 fingers per hand, isn’t AI”
• Forbes: “The Seven Deadly Tells of AI Writing”
• @JeremyFindsAI: “What is the AI accent?”
• Science: “The spread of true and false news online”
• The Atlantic: “High School Is Becoming a Cesspool of Sexually Explicit Deepfakes”
• 404 Media: “Elon Musk’s Grok AI Will ‘Remove Her Clothes’ in Public, on X”
• @JeremyFindsAI: “Deepfakes vs AI videos”
• FactCheck: “Manipulated Video Targeting Pelosi Goes Viral”
• Forrester: “Tech Leaders, Brace Yourselves: AI Costs Will Only Go Up”
• @JeremyFindsAI: “It doesn’t need to be this hard!”

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And plenty of people see the appeal. In fact, backyard chicken ownership has grown from a niche hobby into a mainstream one. One 2024 study estimated that the United States has more than 85 million backyard chickens, while another reported that about 11 million U.S. households now keep chickens.

But as efficient and cost-effective as a little backyard flock may seem, 2026 has brought a reminder that raising chickens is not quite as simple as collecting eggs and tossing out feed. There’s a rising risk that could put you (and your chickens) in danger.

No need to send your chickens packing just yet. But it’s smart to stay on top of the latest health alerts so you can protect yourself and your flock. Read on to discover what the issue is, how it may affect you and what experts say you should be doing to keep you and your brood safe.

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What is the issue right now with raising your own chickens?

There are actually two separate concerns right now: avian flu, which is spreading among birds, and salmonella, including some drug-resistant strains, which is making backyard poultry owners and their families sick.

“Highly pathogenic avian influenza, also called avian flu or HPAI, is a respiratory virus carried by migratory birds. It can spread to domestic chickens through direct or indirect contact,” explains Katie Ockert, a Michigan State University Extension community, food and environment educator and instructor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. In chickens, it is usually fatal, and it can affect both backyard and commercial flocks. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, there were 19 confirmed flocks affected by HPAI in the United States in May 2026.

Salmonella, on the other hand, is a bacterium, not a flu virus, and it can be carried by chickens. It may be present on their bodies, in their droppings and on their eggs, explains Ockert. Even more annoying: Birds can look perfectly healthy and still spread it.

The distinction is important. Avian flu is a major concern for birds and for public health monitoring, but salmonella is the more immediate human health concern for the average backyard flock owner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating multistate salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard poultry, with 184 illnesses in 31 states, 53 hospitalizations and one death reported as of May 2026.

And it’s not just chickens: Ducks, geese, turkeys and other backyard birds can also pose risks, depending on the disease.

Where are these infected birds coming from?

With avian flu, wild birds are a major source of spread. Migratory birds can carry HPAI and pass it to domestic flocks through direct contact or contaminated environments, including water, feed, droppings and dust.

That means birds you already own can be at risk too, especially if they have access to ponds, standing water, wild-bird feeding areas or places where wild birds perch or leave droppings. Plus, people can accidentally carry the virus on their shoes or clothing, and vehicles can carry it on their tires.

With salmonella, the picture is different. Birds can come from hatcheries, feed stores or breeders already carrying the bacteria, but salmonella can also persist in the coop environment. Since birds may look clean and healthy, owners may not realize there’s anything to worry about.

Are backyard birds more prone to avian flu?

Backyard birds aren’t more biologically prone to avian flu than commercial birds. Both can be vulnerable, Ockert says. The level of risk depends on biosecurity practices—keeping germs away from your flock and keeping anything your flock may carry from spreading to you—and exposure to wildlife.

The difference is that commercial poultry operations usually have stricter monitoring, testing and biosecurity systems. Backyard owners may not recognize the signs as quickly or may not have the same safeguards in place.

For HPAI, Ockert says owners should watch for warning signs identified by the American Veterinary Medical Association, including lack of coordination, low energy or appetite, purple discoloration or swelling of the head, reduced egg production, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea and sudden death.

For salmonella, though, birds may not show any outward symptoms at all. That’s what makes it so easy to underestimate the risk.

Can avian flu spread to humans?

For most backyard chicken owners, the chance of getting avian flu is still low. “It is extremely rare for people to contract it,” Ockert says.

The virus spreads most easily among birds. Ockert says HPAI can move through direct and indirect contact, including through shared water and feed sources, airborne droplets and dust particles that carry the virus through the air. “Waterfowl such as ducks and geese are natural reservoirs for the disease and may carry it with few symptoms,” she explains. “Domestic chickens and turkeys, however, are much more vulnerable; HPAI spreads through flocks quickly, generally with a 100% mortality rate.”

While human infections are rare, they can happen after close exposure to infected birds or contaminated surfaces. That means the people most likely to be at risk are those who handle sick birds, clean coops, work around infected poultry or have prolonged contact with contaminated environments.

Health officials are also watching infections in mammals. In May 2026, the CDC published a report describing evidence of H5N1 infection—a strain of HPAI—in a veterinary professional who had been exposed to an infected domestic cat. The CDC report noted that the risk for cat-to-human transmission is still unknown, so while it’s a developing concern, it’s not proof that bird flu is suddenly spreading easily from pets to people.

Can salmonella spread from chickens to humans?

Yes. Salmonella is the backyard flock risk that’s already making people sick right now.

Humans can pick up the bacteria after touching birds, eggs, feeders, waterers, coop surfaces or anything else in the area where chickens and ducks live and roam. If they then touch their mouth, prepare food or handle children’s items without washing their hands, the bacteria can spread.

The tricky part is that healthy-looking birds can still carry salmonella. “And that salmonella bacteria can be transmitted to humans,” Ockert says. Adult chickens are often carriers and may never show signs of illness. During an acute infection, however, salmonella can cause diarrhea, lethargy, weight loss and reduced egg production in birds. Chicks are more vulnerable and may develop severe diarrhea, become dehydrated and die from the infection.

For humans, salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and headache. Most healthy adults recover, but severe infections can require hospitalization. Young children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness. The CDC says more than 25% of people sickened in the current backyard poultry outbreaks are children under the age of 5.

Another concern: Some of the salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry have shown resistance to one or more antibiotics commonly used to treat the illness. That does not mean every case is hard to treat—many people recover without antibiotics—but it can make severe infections more complicated, especially for people at higher risk.

It may sound obvious, but health officials warn against treating backyard birds like pets—especially letting kids cuddle, kiss or snuggle chickens and ducks. That kind of close contact can transfer bacteria from feathers, beaks and droppings to hands, faces and mouths.

Can you get sick from eating backyard eggs or chickens?

The good news? You don’t have to swear off backyard eggs if you already have a flock. The bigger risk is usually handling birds, eggs or contaminated surfaces without good hygiene.

“Properly prepared and cooked poultry products remain safe to consume,” Ockert says.

Her tip: Wash your hands after collecting eggs, keep eggs refrigerated and cook eggs and poultry thoroughly.

What should you do if you own backyard birds?

According to Ockert, “while the two illnesses are not related, the strategies that humans should take to protect themselves are similar.”

If you have a flock of your own and want to keep everyone (human and avian) safe, follow her advice below for what to do—and what to avoid.

What to do

• Wash your hands with soap and hot water before and after handling birds, eggs or coop equipment.
• Keep a dedicated pair of shoes or boots for the chicken coop.
• Supervise young children around backyard birds.
• Keep poultry supplies outside the house.
• Clean and disinfect feeders, waterers, tools and other equipment regularly.
• Remove standing water that may attract wild birds.
• Fence off natural ponds or vegetated areas near coops and pasture spaces.
• Reduce food sources and perching areas for wild birds.
• Cover animal carcasses promptly.
• Plug holes where wild birds may enter coops.
• Limit visitors to your flock.
• Keep visitors who have contact with other birds away from your birds when possible.
• Isolate newly acquired birds for at least 14 days, and monitor them for illness.
• Care for new, isolated or sick birds last.
• Watch for signs of illness, and contact a veterinarian or local agriculture officials if birds appear sick.

What to avoid

• Do not visit neighboring flocks unless you change clothes and footwear afterward.
• Do not kiss, snuggle or cuddle chickens or ducks.

The bottom line: Avian flu and salmonella are real concerns for you and your backyard brood, but by taking the steps above, you can keep yourself and your flock safe—without giving up fresh eggs.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Katie Ockert, Michigan State University Extension community, food and environment educator and instructor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; email interview, May 25, 2026
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Poultry”
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Ongoing Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard poultry sickens 150 more people with over a quarter of cases in children under 5 years old”
• Associated Press: “CDC warns of drug-resistant salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry”
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: “Serologic Evidence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in a Veterinary Professional Exposed to H5N1-Infected Domestic Cats”
• American Veterinary Medical Association: “Avian influenza in pets and backyard flocks”
• USDA: “USDA Questions and Answers: Food Safety and Avian Influenza”
• Animals: “From the Backyard to Our Beds: The Spectrum of Care, Attitudes Toward, and Relationship Types with Chickens in the United States”
• Axios: “People flock to backyard chickens as egg prices spike”
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: “Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks”

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The post If 2026 Was Going to Be the Year You Started Raising Backyard Chickens, We Have Bad News appeared first on Reader's Digest.

The case centered on Louisiana’s congressional map, which added a second majority-Black district in 2024. Voters elected Rep. Cleo Fields to Congress that year, but a group sued and the Supreme Court’s majority found the gerrymandered map to be unconstitutional because Louisiana took race into account when drawing the districts. Striking down the map has now opened the door for additional redistricting across the country and could end up diluting the Black vote in the House.

“It means that you have entire communities that can go without having representation,” Cliff Albright, a co-founder of the group Black Voters Matter, told the Associated Press. “It is literally throwing us back to the Jim Crow era unapologetically, and that’s not exaggeration.” The decision hollows out Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in certain minority groups. More specifically, it says that jurisdictions can’t use election rules that deny or limit people’s equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.

In the opinion, Justice Samuel Alito said that Section 2 was meant to protect voters from intentional racial discrimination, not discriminatory impacts. “What the court is saying as a result of this Louisiana v. Callais decision is that you can still say that stuff was racist, but you’re going to have to prove that it’s racist,” Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie told WABE. “And it’s not on the burden of the state to prove that they didn’t harm people disproportionately because of their race.”

We scoured the web for the best news articles for additional context on this major Supreme Court decision, the history of the Voting Rights Act and what it means for voting and minority representation moving forward.

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Before the Voting Rights Act, racial discrimination at the polls was common

Despite the passage of the 15th amendment, which outlawed racial discrimination in voting, in 1870, Black voters have never stopped facing barriers when it came to exercising their right, including being subjected to literacy tests, poll taxes, violence and discrimination. Nearly a century later, this became a major focus of the Civil Rights Movement, prompting marches, protests and voter registration campaigns—during which many activists were murdered or severely beaten.

Discovered on the Library of Congress

The path to the Voting Rights Act was violent and bloody

Activists and organizers like Martin Luther King Jr. campaigned for the Voting Rights Act. On March 7, 1965, what began as a march for voting rights and a protest of the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old Black farmer from Alabama, turned into what’s now known as “Bloody Sunday.”

The march, which took place in Selma, Alabama, was led by a 21-year-old John Lewis (later a member of the U.S. House of Representatives), who was then chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and the Rev. Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. That day, Alabama state troopers and sheriff’s deputies wielding billy clubs, bullwhips and tear gas attacked the marchers as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

The violent attack, which was captured on video and in photos, was so disturbing that it helped turn public opinion toward supporting the proposed Voting Rights Act.

Discovered on PBS

But it finally passed in 1965

President Lyndon B. Johnson made a strong appeal to Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, and the legislation was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965. “Today is a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory that has ever been won on any battlefield,” Johnson said at a signing ceremony on Capitol Hill. The Department of Justice began enforcing the law immediately, suing over poll taxes in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia.

Discovered on The New York Times

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act allowed for the creation of majority-minority districts

Section 2 has permitted (and sometimes required) the creation of majority-minority congressional districts, which has been key to the election of Black and Latino representatives to Congress and other political offices. According to one count, roughly 140 House districts are majority-minority districts—around one-third of congressional seats.

“[The Voting Rights Act] has had a tremendous impact in narrowing the gaps between minority voter turnout and White voter turnout,” said Maya Sen, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a political scientist who has conducted research on the Supreme Court. “In the South, it has been hugely effective in bringing Black voter turnout to levels comparable to, or even exceeding, White voter turnout.”

Discovered on Harvard Kennedy School

The Voting Rights Act now prohibits only intentional discrimination

The majority of the Supreme Court held that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was designed to protect voters from intentional discrimination. But historically, Section 2 also prevented the creation of maps that resulted in discrimination—regardless of whether intent could be proven. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said that the bar to show intent is “an almost insurmountable barrier for challenges to any voting rights issues to prove discrimination.”

Discovered on the Associated Press

The majority said voter protections were no longer needed

The justices who eliminated the protections of the Voting Rights Act did so on the basis that Black and White voter turnout had achieved parity in “two of the five most recent Presidential elections.” Technically, this is correct: Black and White voter turnout was essentially equal in 2008 and 2012—the years that Barack Obama ran for president. In the other three most recent elections, White voter turnout surpassed Black voter turnout. Still, Justice Samuel Alito claimed that the Voting Rights Act had achieved its goal and was no longer needed.

Discovered on the Brennan Center

But the data Samuel Alito used in the ruling is misleading

In asserting that the protections of the Voting Rights Act are no longer necessary, Alito used questionable methodology that calculated Black and White voter turnout in Louisiana as a proportion of the total population of each racial group over the age of 18. This can skew the data because the general over-18 population may include non-citizens, people with felony convictions and others who cannot legally vote.

Discovered on The Guardian

The Congressional Black Caucus will likely shrink

The Democratic Party’s Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has warned that the Supreme Court’s ruling will likely drastically reduce the number of Black representatives. According to CBC chair Yvette Clarke, D-NY, in a worst-case scenario, as many as 19 caucus members could be affected by the upcoming redistricting. “It’s devastating,” she told NBC News. “People have sacrificed so much to make this a more perfect union. And here we are, in 2026, seeing this massive regression in all the gains that have been made. It’s painful.”

Discovered on NBC News

This isn’t the first time the Voting Rights Act has been weakened

In the 2013 case of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court voted 5–4 to do away with the government’s most effective tool for preventing voting bias: preclearance. That’s the part of the Voting Rights Act that required 15 jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination, mostly in the South, to get approval from the federal government before changing their election rules. Similar to Louisiana v. Callais, the court’s conservative majority claimed that this mandate was outdated because it didn’t take racial progress into account.

Discovered on the Associated Press

States are already taking action to redraw congressional districts

A week after the Supreme Court’s decision, Tennessee became the first state to pass a new redistricting map eliminating a majority-Black district. It splits Memphis—which is more than 60% Black—into three predominantly White Republican districts. Now, the city where Martin Luther King Jr. made his final plea for minority voting rights, and was assassinated for his efforts, will no longer be represented by Black elected officials.

“Do not dismantle the only Congressional district that provides Black voters in Memphis a fair opportunity to have a voice in our democracy,” Martin Luther King III wrote to Tennessee legislators. “Do not take this nation back to the days of Jim Crow.” The new map also divided Nashville into five districts in a bid to dilute the impact of minority voters. At least four other Southern states—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina—are attempting to redistrict before the midterm elections. Ultimately, this will not only weaken protections for voters but also cause districts to become increasingly partisan.

Discovered on Mother Jones

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

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The post The Supreme Court Overturned the Voting Rights Act, but What Does This Actually Mean for Voters—And for America? appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Now, the sport—along with all its heated global rivalries and wild superfandom—is descending on North America. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest in history, will run for 39 days, from June 11 to July 19, and feature matches in 16 host cities. The United States will hold games in 11 cities across the country (78 of the 104 World Cup matches), while Mexico will host in three cities and Canada in two.

We know what you’re thinking: The U.S. kind of seems like an odd choice for a host country. Yes, we certainly have our sports obsessions, from the NFL to MLB, but soccer—or football, as most of the world calls it—has long been more associated with after-school sports programs and youth leagues.

That could all change this summer. America loves nothing more than an over-the-top spectacle, and the World Cup (which the U.S. actually hosted back in 1994) is undergoing a major and, for some fans, controversial makeover. For better or worse, the tournament’s 21st-century North American debut is shaping up to be one for the record books.

So whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or just want to understand what everybody’s even talking about, we’ve rounded up the most interesting facts, controversies and cultural moments surrounding this year’s World Cup. Read on to find out why this summer’s must-watch event is going to be uniquely American.

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Why the World Cup is such a big deal

Scarcity makes the World Cup special. Like the Olympics, it’s held just once every four years, and it’s the culmination of a yearslong process involving more than 200 national teams competing around the world for a shot at glory in the final tournament. After roughly three years of qualifying matches, the massive field is narrowed to just a few dozen teams—this year’s top contenders include Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil and England. The two final victors then head to the coveted main event, to be held this year on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

With so many teams from every corner of the globe competing, calling the World Cup a worldwide sensation is an understatement. The last time the World Cup was held—in Qatar, in 2022—it reached 5 billion fans across all media. Yes, that’s billion with a b. The final game between Argentina and France became the most-watched World Cup final ever, drawing a live audience of nearly 571 million viewers globally. To put that kind of number into an American perspective, the NFL’s biggest game that year, Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and Bengals, averaged just over 112 million viewers—massive by NFL standards, but less than 20% of the World Cup viewership.

Just imagine if American football or baseball fans had to suffer through years of highs and lows, watching and anxiously waiting to see if their favorite team would make it to the championship. That’s what’s happening for soccer fans right now.

The buzz around the 2026 World Cup

Love it or leave it, soccer is going to be pretty inescapable this summer in the U.S., and the head of FIFA, soccer’s governing body, insists it’s a subject that’s about so much more than just sport. “Football is about joy, happiness and smiles, while bringing people together from all over the world to create shared moments for billions of fans,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently said. He added that it’s not only “the biggest sporting event on the planet” but also “a chance to invest in something that connects and inspires with a truly global audience.”

On that note, we scoured the internet to find out what’s really landing—and what’s missing the net—with World Cup fans, along with the background and buzz you need to get up to speed on North America’s place in this year’s games.

Prices are causing major sticker shock

We don’t need to tell you that things are pricey in America right now. But sky-high World Cup costs have taken things to a new level. Thanks to dynamic pricing set by FIFA, premium tickets for the World Cup final could set a fan back nearly $33,000 per person! Even an average ticket for a normal match will cost you around $1,000 (though there are some “cheaper” tickets available). Let’s just say some of the host cities are none too pleased. On May 27, New York and New Jersey’s attorneys general launched a probe into FIFA about its ticket practices to see whether it violated consumer protection laws.

Hotels in host cities had originally anticipated large crowds and more demand, and they reportedly jacked up rates. But fan backlash and sluggish bookings have complicated those overly rosy projections. As Vijay Dandapani, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, told the Athletic, “it is not the cornucopia that FIFA talked about.”

Read more on USA Today, NPR and The Athletic

The World Cup is getting its first-ever halftime show

Is this the World Cup or the Super Bowl? The most-anticipated soccer match of the last four years will be entertaining in one very American way: For the first time ever, it will feature a halftime show, starring Madonna, Shakira and the K-pop band BTS. Coldplay’s Chris Martin curated the event, which aims to raise $100 million for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

But while the money will go to a good cause, not everyone is thrilled about the glitzy spectacular. Some international fans are complaining that interrupting the game will disrupt the pace of play and take the focus away from the competition and its players.

Read more on FIFA.com and The New York Post

The tournament will be bigger than ever—maybe too big

In past World Cups, 32 teams were split into eight groups of four. Each team played three matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing. That created a 16-team knockout round, which then went into quarterfinals, semifinals and the final championship match. With this year’s World Cup, however, FIFA has expanded the field to 48 teams, taking the total number of matches from 64 to a whopping 104.

Critics point out the expansion could allow weaker teams to progress further, encourage teams to manipulate outcomes by playing for math rather than wins, and strain players due to a heavier schedule. Fans are divided: Some see the added games as a money grab that dilutes the competition, while others say it makes the tournament more inclusive and competitive.

Read more on Reddit and Reuters

America’s grass may become the “villain” of this year’s World Cup

Yes, grass. Even the slightest difference in grass length can massively shift the speed of gameplay, make the ground feel like “a trampoline” and be “a disaster”—something players have previously complained about with U.S. turf. The main issue? The U.S. doesn’t have many dedicated soccer stadiums, which means these all-purpose venues have very little time to grow the proper grass under optimal conditions. Houston’s stadium, for example, hosted a rodeo in March on a fully dirt surface—not a blade of grass in sight until last week. Incidentally, that grass was grown in Colorado, then transported to Texas in refrigerated trucks.

To mitigate these issues, FIFA partnered with turf labs to improve upon America’s traditional “sod-on-plastic” grass-growing technique. Scientists ended up with a blend of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. To increase its stability, they “studded [the grass] with plastic fibers, sewn in about every five millimeters by a machine that looks like a Zamboni.”

Read more on The Atlantic

You’re going to hear a lot about “Wet Bulb Globe Temperature”

This is the scientific term for the threshold at which heat strain for players can kick in—78.8 degrees Fahrenheit—something that could affect up to one-third of the World Cup matches this year. The U.S. cities where this number is regularly crossed (by a lot) during the World Cup’s dates? Houston, Miami and Dallas. While FIFA won’t consider postponing a game until it’s a sweltering 89.6 degrees, the heat could still cause significant issues for both fans and players.

In addition to ping-ponging between extremely different weather throughout North America, athletes will be dealing with varying time zones and altitudes—all of which can make it harder to play.

Read more on USA Today

Still, hydration is weirdly controversial

Previously, hydration and cooling breaks were used only in cases of extreme heat, but now they will be universal features in all matches. As with the new halftime show, those opposed to the addition say the scheduled stops, which will last three minutes in each half, affect the flow and rhythm of play and could even potentially influence the outcome of games.

FIFA counters that the change is intended to prioritize players’ well-being. To put it further into perspective, last summer, temperatures at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 (which involved pro soccer teams instead of national ones), soared to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit—a very real possibility in several North American host cities during this year’s big tournament, including the ones noted above.

Read more on Reuters and ESPN

Soccer balls may not behave as they normally do, especially with those crazy long-range kicks

Get ready to get a little nerdy—this is all about physics, and it’s fascinating. First, let’s start with the 2026 World Cup ball, the Trionda, which may limit how far those long-distance kicks actually go. This is according to a group of scientists who have been doing wind-tunnel experiments on the World Cup’s official Adidas balls for the past two decades. After determining the ball’s drag coefficient, they determined that the “Trionda may very slightly punish extreme distance, but it should reward clean technique and predictable flight. Goalkeepers, defenders hitting long passes and long-range shooters are where [to] look first for visible differences.”

But—curve ball!—that may not be the case in Mexico City, which is hosting five games. Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca sits a whopping 7,350 feet above sea level, and the thinner air there will reduce drag, meaning the ball will travel faster, straighter and up to 5 yards farther than it will elsewhere. Translation: You just might see some insanely long-range kicks (aka “thunderbastard kicks,” according to U.K. vernacular) here, despite the Trionda. That said, since the ball will encounter less air resistance, it also won’t bend in the ways that players may expect.

Read more on MIT Technology Review and The Tournament Scout

One American town created a special World Cup jail

Apparently, Kansas City hasn’t had a proper jail since 2009, so it’s been holding lawbreakers in police stations or sending them to Missouri jails more than 50 miles away. But with an estimated 650,000 World Cup fans heading to the city this summer for six games—including one with Lionel Messi and potentially another that pits him against Christiano Ronaldo in the finals—officials thought there might be some mischief afoot and decided to create a temporary jail costing $25.8 million.

However, there’s one big problem: Because of delays in manufacturing and staffing issues, it will not be ready in time for the World Cup. Whoops!

Read more on The Athletic

Politics and border issues are posing problems

Many international travelers have expressed concern about attending the World Cup, in part due to the changing rules around travel into the U.S. For example, last year, visitors from 50 countries were required to pay travel bonds of up to $15,000 before entering the country. Several of those nations—Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia—have World Cup teams, raising concerns among fans hoping to see the game in person. The Trump administration has since said it will waive the visa bond requirement for qualifying fans who purchase match tickets.

Other worries surround the potential scrutiny of travelers’ social media histories by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as an increased immigration enforcement presence at airports and an ICE presence at the matches. These and other issues—including the possibility for visitors to be detained by ICE or refused admission to the country at the last minute—have prompted multiple rights groups to issue World Cup travel advisories ahead of the tournament. These issues may also be contributing to lower-than-anticipated travel bookings.

Read more on ESPN and Gothamist

Iran will be taking the field

Well, this is awkward. Despite the war between the U.S. and Iran, the Iranian team will be participating in the World Cup. “They have qualified, and they’re actually quite a good team as well,” said FIFA president Infantino. “They really want to play, and they should play. Sports should be outside of politics.”

However, they will be staying in Mexico and commuting to the U.S. stadiums on the days of their matches. President Trump has discouraged their participation, writing on Truth Social, “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Read more on CNN

Americans are still deciding how much they actually care about watching soccer

Whether or not soccer appeals to Americans remains up for debate. According to a Harris Poll, 45% of Americans indicate their interest in the sport is increasing. However, only about a third of the general U.S. population says it plans to watch the World Cup matches, data that’s backed up by both Numerator and Nielsen. However, that figure rises to 67% among self-identified U.S. World Cup soccer fans. Nielsen additionally notes that soccer fans skew younger, with 76% falling into the Millennial or Gen Z categories.

Still, these numbers are low when it comes to sports in the U.S. According to an S&P Global report, more than half of Americans surveyed said they regularly watch football, underscoring that football remains firmly entrenched as our country’s dominant sport.

Read more at The Harris Poll, Nielsen and S&P Global

But for those watching, it will be a bonding experience

While most people (71%) will watch the majority of games at home, 57% plan to mix it up with soccer watch parties, according to a Numerator survey. That includes 24% who will host a get-together, 25% who will watch at a friend’s house and 27% who will head to a bar or restaurant with the big game on a big screen. State governments are helping the cause, changing liquor laws for the duration of the World Cup and allowing bars and restaurants to stay open later. This includes Massachusetts, which will extend its last call until 3 a.m., and New York City, which is pushing those end times till 4 a.m. Cheers!

Read more on Numerator and Newsweek

How you can dive deeper

Want to learn even more about soccer and the World Cup? We’ve rounded up a few more links to read, watch and listen to so you can get plugged into the action.

• Read, Watch and Listen: Men in Blazers
• Read: We Are the World Cup and The Soccer 100
• Watch: Soccer Meets America
• Listen: Total Soccer Show
• Discuss: r/worldcup subreddit

Where you can watch the World Cup

Fox Sports holds the English-language broadcasting rights in the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games and will air roughly 70 matches on Fox, with an additional 34 matches on FS1. NBCUniversal has exclusive Spanish-language broadcast rights through Telemundo.

Streaming the matches will also be available through the Fox Sports app and Fox streaming platforms, while Spanish-language coverage will stream on Peacock and Telemundo’s digital platforms.

Everyone's Talking About ...

The World Cup

The best way to understand World Cup mania? Tune in!

Watch on Fox One

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• FIFA: “Global Engagement & Audience Report”
• NFL: “Super Bowl LVI averages audience of 112.3 million viewers, is most-watched show in five years”
• FIFA: “Gianni Infantino lauds potential impact of FIFA World Cup 2026 at Washington DC forum”

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The post Everyone’s Talking About the World Cup—Here’s How This Summer’s Biggest Event Will Be Uniquely American appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Well, I couldn’t be more wrong. Birding has really taken flight in the last few years across age groups, especially among younger generations. At the boutique retreat Ocama, above Rincón Bay in Las Galeras on the Dominican Republic’s Samaná Peninsula, birding and nature experience partner Halle Jackson says he’s been amazed by how many guests in their 20s and 30s arrive “already curious and prepared” to spot the more than 300 bird species in the area, often using apps to identify everything from the endemic Hispaniolan woodpecker and broad-billed tody to migratory grasshopper sparrows and black-poll warblers. “Birding has become less of a niche activity and more of a mindful way for travelers to connect with place,” he notes.

Is all this excitement generated by our fine-feathered friends just a fleeting social media fad, or has birding become a trend with true staying power for aficionados of all ages and skill levels? I spoke with Jackson and several other birding experts, as well as a pair of Gen Z and Millennial bird enthusiast brothers, to find out.

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Wait, is bird-watching really a cool-kid hobby now?

Whether they’re driven by peer pressure, FOMO or a genuine love of birding, everyone’s grabbing their binoculars and heading outdoors to take part. And it’s not just a social media fad—the numbers really back it up. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2022 demographic and economic survey on birding (the most comprehensive study to date on wildlife-related recreation), 37% of the population ages 16 and older, or about 96 million people, were birders. The survey defined birders as anyone who had either tried to identify birds around their home or traveled at least a mile away to observe them.

Backyard birders accounted for 91 million people, or 35% of the U.S. population, while those who took trips of at least a mile specifically to bird-watch represented 16% of the population, or 43 million people.

At the time of the survey, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service found that birding skewed older. The average birder was 49 years old, and the hobby was evenly split between men and women. Of the estimated 96 million birders, 23 million were in the 65-plus age group, and 19 million were between 55 and 64, meaning 44% were over age 55. Still, even four years ago, participation rates among younger age groups were also strong, ranging from 30% to 36%.

What’s behind the bird-watching trend?

Gaining momentum around the time of the pandemic’s outdoor-recreation boom, apps like eBird and Merlin Bird ID—as well as Instagram, TikTok and other online communities—helped expand the once-niche offline hobby further into the mainstream, especially with Millennials and digital-native Gen Zers.

Want proof the birding trend is actually a thing—and accelerating? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which runs the global citizen-science platform eBird, recently surpassed 2 billion bird sightings submitted on the app by users in 253 countries.

Steve Hale, founder of Open World Explorers, a bird-watching and natural history tour guide operator, and a partner in a new birding program at the Glen House in Gorham, New Hampshire, notes that the Cornell research center’s other wildly popular app, Merlin Bird ID, “struck a chord” with users when it added the ability to identify birds by their vocalizations in 2021. “It’s like Shazam, but for birds,” he says.

These tools make it easier for the average bird enthusiast to pick up the hobby. “People have more ways to engage with birding, including having an app tell them the answer [of what they’re seeing and hearing] or having a social media group or discussion group where people with experience are more than happy to answer questions,” Hale says.

What’s so appealing to young birders?

While phones have become a big tool for the birding community, part of the appeal of the pastime is that it’s still very much an analog activity. “For Gen Z and younger Millennials especially, [bird-watching] feels aligned with a desire to slow down, be present and experience nature in a more intentional way,” Jackson explains.

Florida-based brothers Devin and Quinn Dudley agree. This past spring, Devin, a 32-year-old attorney, threw a birding bachelor party before his destination wedding in the Guatemalan city of Antigua. The goal: spot the country’s national bird, the elusive, brightly colored resplendent quetzal.

“A stereotypical bachelor trip focuses on partying, and I really wanted to incorporate some of the natural beauty of our surroundings into our trip,” he says, explaining that the excursion with his groomsmen and friends meant waking up at 5 a.m. and hiking 6 miles.

The groom’s 27-year-old brother, Quinn, a biologist, says he loved watching the uninitiated in their birding party discover the siblings’ favorite pastime. “There’s a stigma [that bird-watching] is an old-person hobby—people retired with nothing better to do. But it’s actually very thoughtful and intentional for people of all ages who want to be more observant and immersed in the natural world around them.”

It’s also just a lot of fun. “Birding is like a scavenger hunt or an Easter egg hunt, where you can go out and try and find as many different species as you can,” notes Hale. “Sounds a lot like real-life Pokémon GO, doesn’t it? And that was a huge hit with young people.”

Even for non-birders, the hobby’s appeal is that it’s just so darn relaxing. James Lane Jr., owner of Galley Bay Resort & Spa, a property in Antigua with a protected lagoon, mangrove ecosystems and surrounding wetlands that plays host to more than 45 species of birds—including bananaquits, hummingbirds, herons, egrets, doves, frigate birds and the endangered West Indian whistling duck—has noticed an uptick in visitors who are seeking out experiences that help them slow down. “Even guests who wouldn’t consider themselves birders often find that quietly observing wildlife becomes one of the most memorable and restorative parts of their stay,” he says.

What are the benefits of bird-watching?

Birding is a great stress-reliever, and a growing body of research suggests it has broader cognitive benefits. A study on bird-identification experts published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed distinct structural and functional differences in their brain regions involved in memory, attention and visual processing.

Other recent research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that college students who participated in bird-watching reported improved mood and psychological well-being compared with both a nature-walk group and a control group.

In his years of experience as a professional birder, Hale says the pastime has some other benefits as well, such as helping to increase patience (“It’s a lot like fishing,” he explains), perseverance, attention to detail and calmness.

What are some tips for getting into birding?

Whether you’re a novice birder or a longtime expert, there’s always more to discover about the hobby. Ahead are some tips for everyone who wants to up their birding game, from beginners to more advanced bird-watchers.

Use apps, but also go analog

Hale recommends carrying a paperback bird field guide since apps tend to funnel birders toward identifying just one or a few likely matches. “A book will make you leaf through all of the pages and birds for which you are not looking,” he says. “This is learning at its best.”

You’re forced to scrutinize many similar species, including ones that may turn out to be a bird you’re looking for in the future.

Start wherever you are

Birds are almost everywhere, if we look. “At Galley Bay, our lagoon and surrounding natural habitats create an environment where guests can experience Caribbean birdlife in its natural setting while simply enjoying the property,” Lane says. “One of the species that makes the area especially meaningful is the endangered West Indian whistling duck, which reflects the importance of preserving these coastal ecosystems.”

Attract what you want

At home, plant a garden that will get birds’ attention. “To attract birds to your landscape, plant with berries, seeds, nectar and insects in mind,” suggests Crystal Ledezma, a professional birding guide at Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville, Texas. “Start with trees for nesting and insects, shrubs for berries and cover, wildflowers and grasses for seeds and pollinators, and vines that feed birds while softening fences.”

Time your birding

The Ocama property in the Dominican Republic naturally forms part of a wildlife corridor where guests can encounter endemic and migratory birds throughout the grounds and surrounding coastline—and when you go changes what you see. “From November through April, Samaná becomes an important hub for migratory birds, which coincides beautifully with whale-watching season,” Jackson says.

Even in more urban areas, timing matters, and green spaces that attract birds, such as city parks, often sit along key migratory routes.

Share the knowledge

Hale says his best tip for intermediate birders is to start teaching others about the hobby. The reason? When you try to teach something, you identify gaps in your own knowledge and understanding. “This is a great thing,” he says. “Now you need to fill in your gap of understanding so that you can be sure you are disseminating good information.”

Also, he adds, you do not need to name every bird every time: “Sometimes they get away—and you’ll identify it the next time.”

Level up your birding skills

“Reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses and try to work on building strength and confidence,” Hale says. For example, “if you have less experience with identifying birds by voice and song, work on that. Or if you have not much experience with pelagic seabirds, then get on one of the many great pelagic birding tours that are offered by birding clubs or private operators.”

One great way to boost your bird-watching skills? Check out sites like Birds & Blooms, which offers basic explainers and deep dives on all things avian.

Practice, practice, practice

“The more time you spend in nature, the more you will be able to identify [bird species],” Ledezma says. And she underlines the importance of continued learning. “There are over 10,000, species of birds in the world, so you could never know everything,” she says. “Even if you don’t travel out of your home patch, there is always more to learn about the birds around you.”

Keep yourself honest

Hale notes that birders are essentially “collectors” of sightings, building life lists—the cumulative total of all the birds they’ve seen in their lives. “We do not put a bird on our life list unless we were able to identify it for ourselves,” he says.

Make it social

Ledezma advises finding a birding club or joining bird walks, lectures and other events—opportunities that are often more abundant in urban areas. “Birding with others will help you learn from each other,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• James Lane Jr., owner of Galley Bay Resort & Spa in Antigua; email interview, May 2026
• Halle Jackson, birding and nature experience partner at Ocama in Samaná, Dominican Republic; email interview, May 2026
• Steve Hale, founder of Open World Explorers and collaborator with the birding program at The Glen House in New Hampshire; email interview, May 2026
• Crystal Ledezma, professional birding guide with the Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville, Texas; email interview, May 2026
• Devin Dudley, attorney and birder; email interview, May 2026
• Quinn Dudley, biologist and birder; email interview, May 2026
• Colombia Birdfair
• All About Birds: “Colombia Birdfair”
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: “Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis”
• eBird: “EBird Passes Two Billion Bird Observations”
• The Journal of Neuroscience: “The Tuned Cortex: Convergent Expertise-Related Structural and Functional Remodeling Across the Adult Lifespan”
• Journal of Environmental Psychology: “Birdwatching Linked to Increased Psychological Well-Being on College Campuses”

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The post Here’s Why Everyone You Know Is Suddenly Into Bird-Watching (and Why You Should Be Too) appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Are you looking for new places to celebrate some of the year’s biggest holidays? Ahead, we’ve rounded up classic bucket-list destinations and off-the-beaten-path picks across the country where you can mark some of the year’s most exciting holidays. Read on to find 22 U.S. destinations that are well worth a spot on your must-visit list.

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New Year’s Eve

When: Dec. 31

The classic celebration: New York City

No New Year’s Eve celebration in America—perhaps even the world—is more iconic than the ball drop in Times Square. Each Dec. 31, more than a million people pack into Midtown Manhattan, many arriving hours early to snag a spot, to watch the glowing crystal ball descend at midnight. Music soars, confetti rains overhead and celebrities perform live. While plenty has changed since the tradition began in 1907, it still feels like the gold standard for ringing in the new year.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Considered among the nation’s quirkiest New Year’s Eve traditions, the Sartori Big Cheese Drop in Plymouth, Wisconsin, pays homage to the town’s reputation as the Cheese Capital of the World. As part of the festivities, attendees can enjoy live music, free hot cocoa and cider and, fittingly, a complimentary cheese table. But the real draw is the countdown and lowering of a giant wedge of Sartori cheese at 10 p.m.—two hours before the official midnight countdown so families can celebrate a little earlier.

Mardi Gras

When: The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday

The classic celebration: New Orleans

New Orleans is practically synonymous with Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday). In the weeks leading up to the holiday, the Big Easy comes alive with elaborate parades—from the colorful Krewe of Endymion parade in Mid-City to the family-friendly Krewe of Barkus parade (featuring dogs in costume) through the French Quarter—plus masked balls and loads of live music.

Visitors can also catch beads and doubloons tossed from floats, snack on slices of colorful king cake (traditionally baked with a tiny plastic baby hidden inside that’s said to bring good luck to whoever finds it) and dance to late-night jazz performances throughout the city.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Mobile, Alabama

Most travelers don’t realize Mobile hosted America’s first Mardi Gras celebration decades before New Orleans made the holiday famous. More than 300 years later, the coastal Alabama city still honors that history with longstanding traditions, royal courts and community parades that wind through downtown streets. Visitors can also learn more about the holiday’s origins at the Mobile Carnival Museum, which features elaborate costumes, float designs and Mardi Gras memorabilia dating back generations.

Valentine’s Day

When: Feb. 14

The classic celebration: Las Vegas

Valentine’s Day calls for a romantic weekend getaway, and what better place to celebrate than Las Vegas? Known for its over-the-top glitz and glamour, Sin City offers so much more than casinos. Take your pick of elegant eateries, including the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which serves classic French fare in an elegant setting overlooking the Strip and the Bellagio fountains. Couples can also take a (free!) romantic stroll through the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens or glide through the canals on a gondola ride at The Venetian for a taste of Italy without the long-haul flight.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Valentine, Nebraska

In the aptly named town of Valentine, Nebraska, travelers can send Valentine’s Day cards straight from the Valentine Post Office, which each year offers special holiday-themed postmarks and hand stamps. Before or after mailing your letters, explore the area’s outdoor attractions, from frozen waterfall hikes at nearby Smith Falls State Park to stargazing at Merritt Reservoir, one of the country’s top International Dark Sky destinations.

St. Patrick’s Day

When: March 17

The classic celebration: Chicago

When it comes to the top St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on this side of the Atlantic, few do it bigger than Chicago. Every year, crowds gather downtown to watch the Chicago River transform into a vivid shade of emerald before the city’s massive parade kicks off. Between the packed Irish pubs, live music and festive crowds dressed head to toe in green, the Windy City turns St. Patrick’s Day into an all-day celebration.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Hot Springs, Arkansas

For a more unexpected St. Paddy’s Day destination, head to Hot Springs, Arkansas, home to what organizers proudly call the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade. Every year, crowds pack onto the tiny 98-foot stretch of Bridge Street for a celebration complete with live music, festive costumes and plenty of over-the-top fun. What started as a quirky local event has since grown into one of the town’s most beloved traditions.

Cinco de Mayo

When: May 5

The classic celebration: Los Angeles

As its name suggests, Cinco de Mayo—which translates directly to “Fifth of May”—is celebrated each year on May 5, commemorating Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Unknown to many, Los Angeles is home to one of the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the country: the annual Fiesta Broadway, which has been going strong for more than 30 years. This massive street festival features live music, dancing, cultural performances and, of course, plenty of mouthwatering Mexican food to go around.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Denver

You may not presume a mountain town is the best place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but Denver proves otherwise. Each Cinco de Mayo, the Mile High City pays homage to its large Latino population with a lively, family-friendly celebration filled with Latin music and dancing, a colorful parade and festive events like taco-eating contests. Visitors can also stroll through Civic Center Park, where vendors sell folk art and other handcrafted goods.

Memorial Day

When: The last Monday of May

The classic celebration: Washington, D.C.

With its storied history, our nation’s capital is tailor-made for Memorial Day. Visitors can attend the National Memorial Day Parade, concerts on the National Mall and moving ceremonies honoring veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. The city’s many monuments and memorials add even more significance to the holiday weekend, and many of the city’s attractions are free, making the district a welcome, budget-friendly option in today’s tough economic times.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Waterloo, New York

As the birthplace of Memorial Day, Waterloo, New York, in the Finger Lakes region, is by far one of the most underrated places to commemorate the holiday. The town pulls out all the stops, including a fireworks display, a 5K run, a car show and patriotic ceremonies honoring those who’ve served. For those looking to dive even deeper into the history, visit the Memorial Day Museum.

Juneteenth

When: June 19

The classic celebration: Galveston, Texas

There’s perhaps no more meaningful place to celebrate Juneteenth than Galveston, where Union troops arrived on June 19, 1865, to announce the end of slavery in Texas. Today, the city hosts parades, concerts, film screenings, historical reenactments and educational events honoring the holiday’s origins. In between programming, visitors can explore historic sites connected to Black history and emancipation throughout the area, including the Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa and the Absolute Equality Mural & Juneteenth Historical Marker.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa offers a powerful, community-focused Juneteenth celebration centered on the Greenwood District, once known as Black Wall Street and now home to the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center. Visitors to Oklahoma in June can head to the Tulsa Juneteenth Festival, a multiday celebration that honors the historic neighborhood, where food, music and a 5K and 1-mile run bring the community together.

Fourth of July

When: July 4

The classic celebration: Boston

Few cities are more closely tied to America’s founding than Boston, making it an especially perfect Independence Day getaway. Every year, crowds gather along the Charles River for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, a beloved tradition featuring live orchestral music, patriotic performances and, as its name suggests, a massive fireworks display over the harbor. Of course, visitors should also make time for Boston’s 2.5-mile-long Freedom Trail, which connects 16 historic sites tied to the American Revolution, including Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church and Faneuil Hall.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Bristol, Rhode Island

For a classic small-town Fourth of July celebration, head to Bristol, Rhode Island, home of the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the country. The festivities date back to 1785 and include concerts, patriotic ceremonies, a waterfront parade and plenty of red, white and blue decorations lining the centuries-old streets.

Halloween

When: Oct. 31

The classic celebration: Salem, Massachusetts

Few places embrace Halloween quite like Salem. Every October, the historic town leans fully into its witch-trial past with haunted happenings, ghost tours, costume parades and spooky events that take over the city for the entire month. Visitors can explore museums dedicated to the infamous 1692 witch trials, tour historic cemeteries and join crowds of costumed revelers wandering the decorated streets late into the night.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Anoka, Minnesota

Anoka proudly calls itself the Halloween Capital of the World and has been celebrating the holiday since the 1920s. It’s worth noting, though, that the town’s festivities skew more toward the wholesome than the spooky, with family-friendly programming like pumpkin-carving contests, parades, costume balls and game nights throughout the entire month of October.

Thanksgiving

When: The fourth Thursday of November

The classic celebration: Plymouth, Massachusetts

For a Thanksgiving celebration rooted in history, it’s hard to beat Plymouth. Long associated with America’s first Thanksgiving, the coastal Massachusetts town embraces the holiday with events like America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade, historical reenactments, harvest-themed events and living-history experiences at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, where visitors can also tour the Mayflower II. Add in historic sites like Plymouth Rock and the towering National Monument to the Forefathers, and you’ve got yourself an epic Thanksgiving celebration.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Jamestown, Virginia

History lovers looking for a less-crowded Thanksgiving destination should head to Jamestown, where one of the earliest recorded English Thanksgiving observances in North America took place in 1619. Today, visitors can explore Historic Jamestowne and nearby Colonial Williamsburg while experiencing harvest festivals, colonial reenactments and cooking demos that bring early American history to life. Tip: Skip the cooking entirely and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at spots like Christiana Campbell’s Tavern and King’s Arms Tavern.

Christmas

When: Dec. 25

The classic celebration: New York City

Come Christmastime, New York City decks its halls—er, streets—with gusto worthy of a holiday movie set. Visitors flock to Rockefeller Center to see the towering Christmas tree and ice-skating rink, then browse department store window displays and sparkling lights that turn Midtown Manhattan into a winter wonderland. There’s also the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes and an abundance of holiday markets selling seasonal treats around nearly every corner.

The off-the-beaten-path pick: Santa Claus, Indiana

With a name like Santa Claus, you know this tiny town in Indiana fully embraces the holiday season. Every December, visitors can experience the Santa Claus Christmas Celebration, featuring a jam-packed calendar of family festivities, holiday parades, chestnut roasting, light displays and, of course, appearances from Santa himself. Plus, don’t miss the famous Santa Claus Post Office, where volunteers help answer thousands of letters sent to Santa from children around the world.

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The post These Are the Best Places in the U.S. to Celebrate Every Holiday appeared first on Reader's Digest.

Ask Julian Shapiro-Barnum about that indefinable something, and he’ll tell you exactly where to find it: the playground.

Shapiro-Barnum is the creator of Recess Therapy, the wildly popular TikTok series where he wanders into parks and playgrounds and asks kids the kinds of questions adults usually reserve for therapists and philosophy professors—and gets answers that are somehow better than anything you’d hear in either setting. The videos go viral constantly, and it’s easy to see why. There is something both deeply funny and achingly moving about watching a 6-year-old explain, with complete confidence, the correct way to handle a breakup.

I’m 17 years older than my sister Kathryn, and I still remember her comforting me during a particularly ugly college breakup. “I like James because he shares,” she said, referring to her preschool boyfriend with complete authority. “You need a boy who shares.” She was 3 years old. And she was so right.

I thought about her advice a lot. Then, before I got engaged, I introduced her to my now-husband and asked what she thought. She studied him carefully and asked bluntly whether he was a good sharer. He said yes. She shrugged and told me he could stay. I married him. And now, as a mom of five kids, I have approximately 24 hours a day of evidence that children know more about life than we think. So why do we forget that?

“Kids are not aliens,” Shapiro-Barnum says. “We all were kids—we all are still, to some extent, kids.”

Now, after years of playground dispatches and hundreds of interviews, Shapiro-Barnum has written a book, How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up, that’s a love letter to the kind of unfiltered, unselfconscious brilliance that adults tend to forget they’re capable of. I talked to him about the biggest lessons he’s drawn from all those conversations.

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The wisdom of youth

The most surprising thing about spending years interviewing children, Shapiro-Barnum says, isn’t that they’re wise. It’s how much of their wisdom happened off-camera.

“I was starting to feel like there were so many amazing things that were happening when the cameras weren’t rolling,” he says. “It wasn’t just the brilliant things the kids were saying; it was more than that. It was the way they were acting, the way they were dealing with their feelings, the way they were navigating their relationships with their families and their friends.”

What he kept noticing, above all, was that kids are fundamentally freer than adults. And not because their lives are easier. “Being a kid is really hard in a lot of ways,” he says. “It’s not just fun all the time. It’s not sunshine and rainbows.” But kids operate with less accumulated baggage, and that makes all the difference.

“I think kids have less nuance than adults do and, in that, are more free,” Shapiro-Barnum explains. “They are freer to see solutions to issues that we couldn’t fathom solving. They are free to love more confidently in less complicated ways. They’re free to build friendships faster and have less barriers between them and their ideas.”

Adults, he says, have just as much capacity for all of this—more, actually, because we have more agency and opportunity to act on it. We’ve simply forgotten that it’s there.

The forgetting, he found, runs deeper than expected. “The most surprising part of the project is how far childhood feels from so many adults, and from myself,” he says. “A lot of adults talk about children as if they are these foreign beings. And they talk about their own childhood as if it was another lifetime, like their inner child is something that has to be accessed. That shocked me.”

His counterargument is the thesis of the whole book: “Your childishness is always closer than you think.”

The value of tapping back into your childishness, he says, isn’t just sentimental. “I think the value is ease, happiness, deeper joy, more fulfilling hobbies and a richer life, period,” he says. “Taking the methodology and practicum of childhood and applying it to an adult person should be an everyday practice. There is nothing to lose from being more curious, loving, open, imaginative and more active in one’s life.”

The secret to happiness, according to kids

In How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up, Shapiro-Barnum distills the wisdom of hundreds of kids into practical guidance that tired, overscheduled adults can actually use. Here are some of the best pieces of life advice, straight from the source.

You don’t have to be strong all the time

When Shapiro-Barnum asked 8-year-old Sloane for her best advice on being a boss, she delivered a speech that would embarrass most executive coaches. In full: “Even bosses cry. You need someone to lean on even if you’re an adult. It’s OK to be scared and show it. So, I guess, really probably stick with your friends and family because they’re who will be with you until the end. And if you’re ever feeling sad, find someone to lean on. Even if they are an adult and you think adults aren’t supposed to have strong feelings. Blah blah blah blah blah. That’s a stereotype. Adults can cry too.”

But in all seriousness, there is real wisdom here—especially for anyone who has spent years trying to project competence by pretending they’re fine when they really, deeply are not. Research consistently shows that having a solid support system and leaning on them when you need help is one of the most powerful predictors of lifetime happiness. Vulnerability isn’t weakness.

Try it: The next time you’re struggling—at work, at home, wherever—resist the instinct to white-knuckle your way through it alone. Send a text. Call a friend. Tell someone you’re having a hard time. Ask for a hug.

Say what you need

When Shapiro-Barnum asked elementary schooler Avery for her best advice for adults, she delivered what might be the most efficient piece of relationship guidance ever recorded: “Get a husband who cooks.”

You could spend years in couples therapy unpacking communication styles and attachment theory. Or you could just listen to Avery. She’s not wrong. The equitable division of domestic labor is one of the most reliable predictors of long-term relationship satisfaction, and the older you get, the more you realize that the seemingly small decisions—who makes dinner, who handles logistics, who carries the invisible mental load—get exhausting fast. Whether you’re choosing a partner or renegotiating the terms of an existing relationship, getting specific about what you need is not high-maintenance. It is, per Avery, simply good planning.

Try it: Be honest and open about what you need from your partner. Don’t make them read your mind or set them up to fail with expectations they can never meet. Do return the favor by asking what they need.

Make your space more joyful

Kiara has strong opinions about adult bedroom decor. Specifically, she believes we have failed spectacularly. “Adults need to have cooler beds,” she said. “Adults have just beds. I’ve seen them. They’re just big beds. They don’t even have cool sheets. Adults should have beds with slides and staircases.”

The slide-and-staircase bed does raise certain logistical questions—mostly involving aging joints and building permits—but the underlying point is a good one. Adults tend to strip the joy right out of their living spaces in the name of looking like adults. Neutral walls, practical furniture, everything painted in Millennial Greige. Because we’re so worried about looking stylish or put together, we overlook elements that spark delight. (Looking at your home, Kim Kardashian.) Adulthood, aesthetically, is very often just a practical beige sectional and walls painted an inoffensive color probably named “Resale Value.”

Try it: What if you went the other direction? You don’t have to construct a loft bed with a fireman’s pole (although no judgment), but try something that makes your environment actually fun to inhabit. Hobbies and playful pursuits genuinely improve well-being and lower stress, so why not pull out your Star Wars Lego set or Lisa Frank drawings and display them proudly?

Build friendships fast (and stop overthinking it)

One of the things Shapiro-Barnum has observed across hundreds of playground interviews is how efficiently kids form bonds. A kid who didn’t know another kid’s name 10 minutes ago is now their best friend, co-founder of an informal rock collection business and emergency contact. There’s no runway. There’s barely any small talk. They simply decide, with total confidence, that they’re friends—and then they are.

Adults, he points out, have constructed a lot of unnecessary barriers to this. We overthink, waiting for just the right moment, while we passively hope that friendship will just happen to us, rather than treating it as something we actively build.

“They are free to build friendships faster and have less barriers between them and their ideas,” Shapiro-Barnum says.

Try it: I know, I know, making and keeping friends as an adult is much harder than it was in elementary school. But kids are a useful reminder that a lot of those barriers are self-imposed. You can introduce yourself. You can suggest plans. You can skip the part where you spend three weeks wondering if the other person even likes you and just act as if they do. The success rate is higher than you’d think.

Build a cardboard box fort (literally and figuratively)

When was the last time you just let your imagination run wild? Shapiro-Barnum is particularly struck by kids’ relationships with their own imaginations. For children, there is no ceiling on what’s possible, and they haven’t yet learned to preemptively edit themselves. A kid with a cardboard box doesn’t see a cardboard box; they see a castle, a rocket ship, a time machine, a submarine or a nice napping spot. (And their disappearance into said cardboard castle, rocket ship, time machine or submarine will then scare their parents witless when they can’t find them. Ask me how I know.)

Adults, by contrast, often kill their best ideas before they’ve made it out of their own heads. We have become so practiced at anticipating why something won’t work that we skip straight to the obstacles and never spend any time with the possibility.

“They imagine bigger,” Shapiro-Barnum says simply.

Try it: The fix isn’t complicated. Simply start imagining bigger—and not just in the grand, vision-board sense but also in the everyday sense of letting yourself follow an idea somewhere before you shut it down. (And it doesn’t have to end with some new way to make money or be productive!) Nurturing imagination has real cognitive and creative benefits all on its own. Start by asking yourself: What would you do if you approached your next problem the way a kid approaches a cardboard box? And if you need to build a cardboard-box fort to sit in to think about it, do it.

Love more confidently

Here is one that tends to hit adults right in the chest: Kids love without a lot of asterisks. They tell you they like you. They hold your hand on the playground without performing a full cost-benefit analysis. They are not hedging their bets or managing expectations or leaving themselves a tasteful exit. They are just in it.

“Kids are free to love more confidently in less complicated ways,” Shapiro-Barnum says.

Somewhere in the process of growing up, a lot of us learned to love with one foot out the door. We hold back, stay a little guarded, dole out warmth in careful doses, wait for the other person to act first. It feels like self-protection, but Shapiro-Barnum would argue it’s more like self-deprivation.

Try it: The practical version of this isn’t throwing all caution to the wind—it’s more about the small moments of connection you routinely withhold because you’re afraid you’ll be “too much.” The “I love you” you thought but didn’t say. The compliment you gave in your head but not out loud. The check-in text you almost sent, then didn’t. Say “I love you,” give the compliment, send the text.

Take your silly hobbies very, very seriously

One of the most consistent themes across Shapiro-Barnum’s work is that kids do not do anything half-heartedly. From ages 4 to 10, my oldest son was into trains—and I mean INTO TRAINS. He researched them, watched them, talked about them (incessantly), even slept with them. We had to laminate his Thomas the Tank poster because he insisted on cuddling with it every night.

It’s not just my son. There is no such thing as a casual hobby in a child’s world. There is only complete and total commitment.

Adults, meanwhile, tend to treat their fun as optional extras: nice when they happen but easily sacrificed for work, responsibilities or the vague guilt that we should probably be doing something more productive. We squeeze joy into the margins when we can find them and then wonder why we feel depleted.

Try it: Get a hobby and enjoy the heck out of it. Schedule it into your life. Make friends who like to talk about it as much as you do. And whatever you do, resist the temptation to turn your hobby into your side hustle. Kids aren’t doing their hobbies to make money; they do it because they love them, and you should too.

Shapiro-Barnum’s argument is simple: Stop treating childlike engagement in your own life as something to grow out of. “There is everything to be gained from acting like a child and nothing to be lost,” he says.

That might be the most important sentence in this entire article. And I say that as someone who owns a very serious, very adult, very sensible bed—and is now seriously reconsidering the slide option. How fun would that be?!

Get the Book

How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up

For more kid wisdom that just might change your life, check out Julian Shapiro-Barnum's book.

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Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Julian Shapiro-Barnum, creator of Recess Therapy and author of How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up; interview May 19, 2026
• Recess Therapy on TikTok

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While this cleaning combo gets the job done, the hose has always been my biggest frustration. It snakes across the water, gets in the way during swims, tangles with the skimmer and occasionally disconnects from the wall. So when I had the opportunity to test the Beatbot Sora 70, a cordless robotic pool cleaner that promises to handle multiple cleaning tasks in a single device, I was curious whether it could streamline my routine.

We Tried It

Beatbot Sora 70

An all-in-one cordless robotic pool cleaner designed to vacuum debris, scrub walls and waterlines, and skim the pool's surface.

Shop on Beatbot

What is the Beatbot Sora 70?

While many of the best pool vacuum cleaners do an excellent job cleaning the pool floor, they often come with long hoses and other tradeoffs.

That’s where the Beatbot Sora 70 comes in. Rather than relying on a hose or connection to the pool’s filtration system, this cordless robotic cleaner is designed to handle multiple cleaning tasks all on its own. It vacuums debris from the floor, scrubs walls and waterlines, and even skims floating leaves from the surface.

The Sora 70 uses smart navigation to move throughout the pool and can be monitored and scheduled through the Beatbot app. By combining floor cleaning, wall scrubbing and surface skimming in a single unit, this smart pool cleaner is designed to simplify pool care while reducing clutter and freeing up more space to actually enjoy the water.

Beatbot Sora 70 pool cleaner features

• Complete pool coverage: Cleans the pool floor, walls, waterline, surface, steps and shallow platforms with at least 8 inches of water.
• Cordless design: Operates independently without hoses, suction lines or connections to the pool’s filtration system.
• JetPulse water surface cleaning: Twin jets help funnel floating debris toward the intake basket for more efficient surface skimming.
• 6,800 GPH suction power: Designed to collect everything from large leaves to fine sand in a single pass.
• SonicSense AI ultrasonic obstacle avoidance: Dual ultrasonic sensors and AI-powered navigation help the robot avoid obstacles and navigate tight spaces.
• Five cleaning modes: Standard, Surface, Floor, Pro and Eco.
• 10,000 mAh battery: Provides up to 7 hours of surface skimming or up to 5 hours of floor cleaning on a single charge.
• 6-liter debris basket: Includes a large 6-liter, 150-micron filter basket for everyday cleaning, with an optional 3-micron ultra-fine filter available for even smaller particles.
• App and offline control: Operate the robot through the Beatbot app or onboard buttons. The app features scheduling, battery monitoring, cleaning records, Remote Mode navigation and one-tap retrieval.
• Smart water-surface parking: Automatically returns to the pool’s edge at the end of a cleaning cycle or when battery levels run low for easy retrieval.
• Three-year full replacement protection: Includes three years of coverage with full unit replacement.

How we tested it

Before I even dropped the Beatbot Sora 70 into the pool, I was reminded why I wanted to test it in the first place.

When I stepped outside, I was greeted by a familiar sight: my solar skimmer and pool vacuum cleaner locked in what can only be described as an aquatic tango. The skimmer had become caught on the cleaner’s hose, pulling it just enough to disconnect the cleaner from the pool wall. If you’re a pool owner, you’ve probably experienced a similar scene at some point.

Needless to say, I was more than ready to see whether the Beatbot Sora 70 could simplify my pool-cleaning routine—and maybe even eliminate the need for that troublesome hose altogether.

Set-up and app experience

Inside the box, I found a quick-start guide that clearly outlined the robot’s components, charging process, app setup and cleaning modes, along with a more detailed user manual and a retrieval tool that resembles a pirate’s hook for lifting the robot from the pool.

The Beatbot Sora 70 arrived well-protected, with molded packaging and protective wrapping that kept everything secure during shipping. One thing I noticed immediately was its weight. At roughly 23 pounds, the Sora 70 isn’t exactly lightweight—a detail worth noting since you’ll be removing it from the pool between cleaning cycles.

To prepare for testing, I began charging the robot using the included charging cable and downloaded the Beatbot app. The unit arrived with about 45% battery remaining and reached a full charge in about two hours. Downloading the app, connecting to Wi-Fi and pairing the robot were all quick and intuitive. The app also allows you to further customize the cleaning experience based on your pool’s shape, surface material and sanitation system.

Although you can operate the Sora 70 directly from the robot itself, I quickly found the app to be the more practical option since it allowed me to monitor battery life, switch between cleaning modes and manually navigate the robot during surface cleaning.

With the robot fully charged and connected, it was time to take it for a swim.

Cleaning performance

Floor, walls and waterline

For my initial test, I selected Standard Mode, which cleans the pool floor, walls and waterline. The robot also offers:

• Surface Mode for skimming floating debris
• Floor Mode for floor-only cleaning
• Pro Mode, which combines floor, wall, waterline and surface cleaning into a single cycle
• Eco Mode, an energy-saving setting designed for routine maintenance between deeper cleans

Because my pool already receives regular upkeep, I wasn’t looking for a dramatic before-and-after transformation. Instead, I wanted to see whether the Sora 70 could maintain the same level of cleanliness while simplifying my overall pool-care routine (and potentially saving me some money in the process).

After lowering the robot into the pool, I watched it sink slowly to the bottom, where it paused briefly to calibrate before beginning the cleaning cycle. Thankfully, the quick-start guide had already prepared me for this part of the process. A few moments later, the robot began its first cleaning pass.

My pool’s rock features provided an immediate test for the Sora 70. Several rocks extend directly into the pool walls, creating uneven surfaces and tight corners that could challenge many robotic cleaners. My pool also includes a tucked-away loveseat area along with multiple steps. The robot navigated those spaces with ease and climbed nearly every reachable surface. Only the top step remained untouched because the robot requires at least 8 inches of water to operate.

Unlike my traditional hose-connected cleaner, which mostly sticks to the pool floor and only climbs partway up the walls, the Sora 70 repeatedly climbed all the way to the waterline. Once there, it slowed down and spent extra time scrubbing before continuing its route. Since my current cleaner rarely reaches that area, the difference stood out immediately—especially around the waterline where residue and buildup tend to collect over time.

Many Beatbot pool cleaner reviews highlight the robot’s S-shaped cleaning pattern. In my pool, the route looked a little less uniform, likely because of the pool’s unusual shape and rock features. Still, the robot consistently covered the floor, walls, steps and tucked-away seating area during each cleaning cycle.

After roughly three hours—the estimated runtime displayed in the app—the cleaning cycle ended. The Sora 70 surfaced, moved to the side of the pool and parked itself while draining excess water, making it noticeably lighter and easier to retrieve.

Surface

Next, I switched to Surface Mode. Almost immediately, the robot transitioned into skimming mode and began collecting floating debris from the water’s surface. With several trees surrounding my backyard, leaves and flower petals regularly drift into the pool, so the robot had plenty of opportunities to prove itself.

As the Sora 70 moved across the surface, its dual-jet propulsion system created a noticeable funnel effect, corraling leaves and flower petals inward. While my solar skimmer typically handles day-to-day surface cleanup, the Sora 70 worked more quickly by grabbing debris from beyond its immediate path.

That said, there were a few instances in which I saw leaves pushed away from the robot’s jets rather than drawn toward the intake. The feature seemed most effective along the pool’s edges, where it helped sweep debris away from the sides and into the collection basket. The app also includes a Remote Mode that lets you manually steer the robot toward specific areas for targeted surface cleaning.

By the end of testing, the Sora 70 had successfully cleaned the floor, climbed the walls, scrubbed the waterline and skimmed the surface. While my existing setup already kept the pool clean, the robot demonstrated that it could perform many of those same tasks in a single, cordless unit.

Maintenance and charging

After each cleaning cycle, I gave the Sora 70 a few minutes to self-drain before lifting it out of the pool. Once I emptied the debris basket and gave it a quick rinse, I allowed the robot to dry before connecting the charging cable to a standard outlet. Beatbot recommends charging and storing the robot indoors in a cool, dry location, which is exactly what I did between cleaning sessions.

Thanks to its large 6-liter debris basket, the Sora 70 collected a surprising amount of leaves, flower petals, twigs and other debris before needing to be emptied. During testing, emptying the basket only took a minute or two and quickly became part of the routine.

I also appreciated that the Beatbot app includes a dedicated maintenance section with cleaning recommendations for the filter basket, sensors, roller brushes and other key components. Having those instructions readily available made it easy to stay on top of routine maintenance without digging through the user manual.

Once connected to the charger, the Sora 70 takes about 4.5 hours to reach a full charge. According to Beatbot, a single charge can provide up to 7 hours of surface skimming or up to 5 hours of floor cleaning, depending on the selected cleaning mode. The robot also automatically returns to the pool’s edge when the battery drops below 12%, making it easy to retrieve when it’s time to recharge.

Pros

• Combines floor, wall, waterline and surface cleaning in one device
• Cordless design eliminates hoses and tangles
• Large 6-liter basket
• Multiple cleaning modes for different needs
• App scheduling and remote-control functionality
• Automatic parking features simplify retrieval
• Strong wall-climbing and waterline scrubbing performance

Cons

• At nearly 23 pounds, it might be heavy for some users
• Can’t operate in water less than 8 inches deep

Final verdict

After a few weeks of testing, the Beatbot Sora 70 proved that a cordless robotic cleaner really can replace my hose-connected vacuum. Not only did it handle floor cleaning with ease, but its ability to climb walls and actively scrub the waterline gave it an advantage over my previous setup.

For my pool, I’ll still keep my weekly pool service to manage chemical maintenance and water testing. And because surface debris is a near-constant battle in my backyard, I’ll likely continue using my solar-powered skimmer between deeper cleaning cycles. That said, pool owners with different layouts, debris levels or maintenance routines may find the Sora 70 capable of handling an even larger share of their overall pool care on its own.

What the Sora 70 did eliminate was the most frustrating part of my setup: the long floating hose constantly tangling with my skimmer, drifting across the pool and frequently disconnecting from the wall. By the end of testing, my pool looked just as clean—but with far less equipment floating in it.

Where to buy

We Tried It

Beatbot Sora 70

An all-in-one cordless robotic pool cleaner designed to vacuum debris, scrub walls and waterlines, and skim the pool's surface.

Shop on Beatbot

You can purchase the Beatbot Sora 70 directly through the brand’s website, or on Walmart and Amazon. It retails for $1,499, but this model does occasionally go on sale. When it does, you can save upwards of $300.

FAQ

How do you use a Beatbot pool cleaner?

After charging the robot, users can select a cleaning mode in the Beatbot app or via onboard controls before placing it in the pool. Depending on the model, Beatbot cleaners can clean the floor, walls, waterline and surface without relying on hoses or connections to the pool’s filtration system. Once the cleaning cycle ends, the robot returns to the edge of the pool for retrieval and recharging.

Are Beatbot pool cleaners good?

Beatbot pool cleaners stand out for their cordless designs, smart navigation technology and ability to combine multiple cleaning tasks into a single robot. While features vary by model, many Beatbot pool cleaner reviews highlight strong wall-climbing performance, waterline scrubbing, app connectivity and surface skimming capabilities. Beatbot cleaners are generally best suited for pool owners looking for a more automated, all-in-one cleaning experience.

How much is a Beatbot pool cleaner?

Beatbot offers several different robotic pool cleaners across its Sora and AquaSense series. Entry-level models like the Sora 10 start around $700, while premium options in the AquaSense lineup can climb well above $4,000 depending on the features included. The Sora 70 falls somewhere in the middle, offering cordless operation, surface skimming, wall climbing and app controls at a more approachable price point than some of Beatbot’s flagship models.

Sponsored

The post I Swapped My Old Pool Cleaner for the Beatbot Sora 70—And I’m Never Going Back appeared first on Reader's Digest.

This year’s theme has an unexpected origin story. Delaware’s scrapple was a standout contender in last year’s comfort food conversation, but our editors ultimately decided it didn’t quite belong there. (Let’s just say it raised more questions than comfort.) Still, it stuck with us—and found a much better home at the breakfast table, where it helped inspire this year’s focus. But America the Tasty is just one part of the story.

Below, we’re sharing a few of the other standout features from this issue—inspiring and unexpected tales that capture the heart of the season and the people behind them. Consider this a small taste of what you’ll find inside.

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• 13 Readers Share the Moments That Make Them Feel the Most American
  This one was all about you, and the little things that make people feel proudly American. From the incredible mix of cultures that make this country so unique to the magic and nostalgia of Disney World, these stories capture the memories and traditions that feel straight out of the American dream.
  
• What’s Your Greatest Wish for America?
  From kindness and community to equality, hope and helping one another, readers opened up about what they truly want for the country. Their wishes are a perfect reminder of what America’s 250th birthday is really all about—building a brighter future for the generations to come.
• Forget Destination Weddings—The Latest Travel Trend Extends to Divorce Parties, Midlife Crises and Even Funerals
  Ever heard of booking a trip just to celebrate your divorce? Believe it or not, people are doing exactly that. We dove into why divorce vacations and other life-reset getaways are suddenly everywhere, and why treating yourself to a fresh start could be the best thing for you.
• Wearable Tech Can Keep Us on Track, but It Also Has a Dark Side—Here’s How to Use It Wisely
  These days, it’s nearly impossible to walk outside without spotting someone wearing some kind of tech gadget. From smart watches to sleek rings, wearable tech has exploded in popularity thanks to its promise of making us healthier. But is all this data actually good for us? We asked the experts to weigh in, and the answers might surprise you.
• Rescue on the Elk River: How a Kayaking Trip Turned into a Desperate Fight for Survival
  We take you straight into the terrifying moment one kayaker found himself fighting for survival after plunging into a remote, freezing river. With the cold setting in fast, things looked grim. Read the nail-biting story to discover the heroic act that saved his life.
• 13 Horse Racing Facts Even Die-Hard Fans Might Not Know
  You don’t need to be a horse racing fan to enjoy this one. We broke down the most fascinating and fun facts about horse racing, the legendary Kentucky Derby and more. Don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly ready to throw on a fancy hat and experience the excitement for yourself.

These are just a few of the incredible stories waiting for you inside Reader’s Digest’s June/July 2026 issue, out now. Dive into the issue now and see what everyone is talking about.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

The Most Iconic Diner in Every State

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The post The Year’s Most Delicious Magazine Has Arrived! Here’s What’s in <i>Reader’s Digest</i>’s June/July 2026 Issue appeared first on Reader's Digest.

“I was simultaneously embarrassed and furious,” she says. “And then I realized I could be mad about it and get paid less or suck up my fear of confrontation and figure out why.”

What she did next changed her career. First, she talked to her employee to see if there was a reason he was getting paid more (there wasn’t, as far as she could tell) and to make sure she had the details straight. Then she walked into her boss’ office and made the case for a promotion and a raise. She got both. The whole thing was deeply uncomfortable, she says, and absolutely against the unspoken norms of her industry. But that one awkward conversation changed her life.

The conversation that made it possible? Asking a co-worker what they make.

I know. It feels wrong just reading that. When I told this story to my husband, who is also a manager in tech, his eyes widened and he said, “Yeah, I would never do that. I’d rather announce my credit score than my salary to my co-workers. It’s just not done.” A lot of people feel the same way. And yet, it’s actually a federally protected right—which, when you think about it, is a pretty significant hint that someone, somewhere, really does not want you to know this information.

But just because something is legal doesn’t make it polite. And this has the potential to make a lot of people very uncomfortable. But should you do it anyway? And is it a breach of proper etiquette? Let’s walk through this together.

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The case for asking

Start by asking yourself who benefits when employees don’t discuss money. It’s certainly not the employees. Which is why the federal law exists. Under the National Labor Relations Act, passed in 1935, most private-sector employees have the legal right to discuss their wages with co-workers. Employers cannot punish them for doing it. The fact that we needed a law to make companies stop forbidding this conversation is almost reason enough to do it.

Yet most of us still don’t. A full 70% of workers say salary is not openly discussed at their job, according to a 2025 Kickresume survey of nearly 2,000 employees, and 37% work somewhere that outright bans the conversation, which, again, is illegal. Somehow we’ve collectively decided that the polite thing to do is stay quiet—which is a strange definition of polite, given that it isn’t helping anyone (except, perhaps, the corporations) and may actually be hurting people we care about.

Too many of us, like my husband, have internalized the idea that talking about salaries makes people uncomfortable—ergo, it’s rude. But good etiquette isn’t about keeping everyone comfortable at all costs. It’s about treating people with fairness and respect. And there’s something radically caring about being the person who’s willing to say, “Hey, can we talk about money?” Because that conversation, as awkward as it is, is one of the only tools employees have to find out if they’re being treated fairly.

In workplaces where no one discusses pay, it’s shockingly easy for disparities to quietly compound over years—by gender, by race, by who negotiated harder in their first interview and then coasted on that number forever. As Michelle discovered, that silence can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. It’s hard to call that polite.

The case against asking (OK, fine)

Just because something is legal (and arguably virtuous) doesn’t mean it’s automatically comfortable, and it’s generally good practice not to make your co-workers uncomfortable.

Asking a co-worker what they earn can feel like asking their weight or their age: not technically off the table, but deeply dependent on how well you know them and how you go about it. Like the office group gift request, a salary question aimed at the wrong person or in the wrong context can be a legitimate overstep. It can come across as presumptuous at best and nosy at worst. There may also be real cultural norms against it in your industry—not because the law doesn’t apply, but because culture has never cared much about the law.

There’s also the reaction problem: If the person you’ve asked makes less than you, they might feel embarrassed. If they make more, they might feel guilty. And if the difference is significant enough, someone’s going home to stare at the ceiling tonight at 2 a.m.

Who to ask, and how to not make it weird

Still, I’d argue that this is the rare etiquette case where it’s acceptable to make the other person a wee bit uncomfy. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be a cold plunge into ice water. There’s an art to it.

• Go first. The single best way to make this conversation less weird is to share your own number first. Don’t corner someone and ask them to be vulnerable while you hold your cards to your chest—that’s an interrogation, not an exchange. Offering yours upfront signals good faith and takes the pressure off.
• Start with someone in your corner. The ideal salary conversation partner is either a close colleague who’s already your friend, a former co-worker who has since moved on, or a peer in your industry at a different company. Former co-workers are the gold standard here—they have relevant, accurate data and absolutely nothing to lose by sharing it. Industry peers are great too; they know the landscape and have no reason to be cagey. If you happen to work with a lot of Gen Z colleagues, you may find this easier than you’d expect—the same Kickresume survey found that nearly 40% of Gen Z workers openly discuss salary at work, almost double the rate of Gen X. Turns out the generation that grew up posting everything online has fewer hang-ups about this particular secret.
• Do your homework first. Before you ask anyone anything, spend some time on Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary or the Bureau of Labor Statistics to get a general sense of the range for your role and market. This makes you sound like a person doing research rather than someone who just needs to know. “I’ve been looking at salary data for roles like ours, and the range seems really wide. Would you mind if we compared notes?” is a much easier opening than just dropping that question on them out of the blue.
• Pick your moment. There are times when the conversation comes up organically—after a tone-deaf company announcement, during a mutual venting session, when someone is weighing a job offer. These moments are gifts, so use them. What you should not do is bring it up when someone is already upset about money. That’s not information-sharing; that’s poking a bear.
• Be matter-of-fact about it. The more you treat it like a normal, reasonable thing to discuss—because it is—the more likely they are to respond in kind. Don’t treat it like a dirty secret.
• And if they say no? Let them. A cheerful “no worries at all” and a subject change are all you need. If someone doesn’t want to share their salary, that’s entirely their right, and making it weird or confrontational is an actual etiquette violation.

What you do with the answer matters more than the question

Getting the number is only the beginning. If you learn a colleague is making more than you, you have options, but “confronting your colleague about it” and “yelling at your boss” are not among them. What you absolutely can do is use it as a data point to make your own case to management based on your own merits—without throwing that co-worker under the bus. Michelle didn’t walk in and say, “So-and-so makes X, and I want to know why.” She walked in with a calm, prepared argument for her own value.

Be very wary about sharing what your co-worker told you in confidence. Why? Because the moment you name your source, you’ve put that person in an uncomfortable position they didn’t sign up for. They shared something vulnerable with you in confidence, and burning them as a data point isn’t just bad etiquette—it’s the kind of thing that damages trust and professional relationships in lasting ways. Basically, the information powers the negotiation; it doesn’t become the negotiation. There’s a big difference.

“As a manager, I’m much more concerned about why someone feels they deserve more money rather than how their salary compares to someone else’s,” says my friend Cynthia, who owned an international company and is now a business professor who previously shared her advice with us on how to negotiate your salary. “It can’t sound like jealousy. You need to be prepared to show how you’re worth it.”

If you’re the one making more, the stakes are a little different. More than half of employees have learned that a co-worker earns more for the same role, and most were upset about it, according to the same survey. And while that makes a lot of sense, it can also change the dynamic in your work environment. Your co-worker now knows something that may make them frustrated—and a frustrated colleague can be harder to work with if they feel resentful. It can also strain a relationship if it’s fragile to begin with.

The trickiest situation, however, is when the answer makes you really upset. Maybe the gap is bigger than you thought. Maybe it’s the kind of number that makes your eye twitch. That’s valid! But let the feeling settle before you do anything about it because decisions made in the white-hot heat of financial injustice tend not to go great. Give it a day, then decide.

The verdict

Asking a co-worker what they make is not rude. It can be awkward, it requires some relationship calibration, and what you do with the answer demands real tact. But the question itself? Federally protected, entirely legitimate and in many cases—as Michelle could tell you—worth asking.

The discomfort you feel around it isn’t natural. It’s been carefully cultivated by workplace cultures that benefit from keeping employees in the dark about their own relative worth. And the best etiquette rules, at their core, are about helping people feel comfortable and empowered, not about maintaining a company’s convenient fiction.

Have a social situation you can’t stop ruminating on? Email us at advice@tmbi.com, or message Charlotte on Instagram at @CharlotteHiltonAndersen.

Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of etiquette stories that help readers navigate communication in a changing world. We regularly cover topics such as the best messages to send for any occasion, polite habits that aren’t as polite as they seem, email and texting etiquette, business etiquette, tipping etiquette, travel etiquette and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• National Labor Relations Board: “Your Right to Discuss Wages
• Kickresume: “Salary Talk Survey: 56% Find Out Coworkers Earn More for the Same Job”

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The post Is It Really Rude to Ask a Co-Worker How Much They Make? appeared first on Reader's Digest.

So recently, after another long week of bad news, back-to-back deadlines, health struggles and 5:30 a.m. meetings (let’s not even talk about all of the messages, calls and emails I haven’t had time to reply to), I was more than ready to run far, far away and hide in the forest where phone calls and notifications couldn’t find me. But then I remembered that while I adore nature, I live in a city and hate camping. My compromise: forest bathing.

I’ve tried forest bathing a handful of times in the past—first in a Costa Rican rainforest, then in the Adirondack Mountains in New York, Banff National Park in Canada and a botanical garden in Hawaii—but always in a small group led by a forest bathing guide. Could I get the same stress relief on a solo trip in a city park? I was down to find out.

Read on to learn what forest bathing is, how it may benefit your mind and body and what happened when I recently set out in my hometown.

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What is forest bathing?

Contrary to what the name implies, you’re not “bathing” in the traditional sense—no soap and water required! Instead, forest bathing involves immersing your senses in the forest environment, without a specific destination or agenda. No, this is not a hardcore hike; in fact, you might not move far from where you start.

So what’s the point? Be present, pay attention and connect with the natural environment. “The practice of forest bathing is inspired by shinrin-yoku [which roughly translates to “forest bathing” in Japanese], a public health initiative in Japan developed to address the stress of living in today’s urban, industrialized society,” explains Phyllis Look, a certified forest therapy guide and the founder of Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi. “On a guided walk, gentle sensory-opening invitations are offered to more fully experience the calming, healing qualities of the natural world. This evidence-based well-being practice restores our relationship to nature, to others and to ourselves.”

Of course, humans have been living in and connecting with nature since ancient times, so what’s all the fuss about now? The term forest bathing was coined in Japan in 1982, and in the 21st century, it evolved into the more structured activity of shinrin-ryoho (forest therapy), with prompts provided by a guide—or a deck of forest bathing cards, if you’re going the DIY route. About a decade or so ago, Look says, mainstream media caught on. (I’m partially to blame; I’ve covered forest bathing for a number of outlets, including National Geographic in 2019 and United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine in 2020.)

What are the benefits of forest bathing?

Studies have shown that immersing yourself in nature can have positive impacts on physical and mental health. Here are a few of the science-backed benefits of forest bathing.

Boosted immunity

One of the first things I learned and loved about forest bathing was that you may be “showered” with phytoncides (essential oils) while simply spending time with some plants and trees. These naturally occurring compounds protect plants and trees against disease, so their medicinal qualities can also benefit humans.

“Breathing phytoncides increases human natural killer (NK) cells [that protect the body from infections and tumors],” Look says. For example, a phytoncide called α-pinene (found in pine trees and eucalyptus, among other plants) has anti-inflammatory properties that early research has linked to decreased tumor growth in mice.

Reduced stress

Research has shown that walking or sitting in the woods, surrounded by silence, foliage and fresh air (in addition to those phytoncides), naturally reduces stress hormones in the body. And if you’ve ever taken a little timeout in nature, you already know this to be true.

Lowered blood pressure

Another physical benefit, Look points out, is improved cardiovascular function. Research has confirmed that forest bathing can lower your blood pressure and resting heart rate, which supports cardiovascular health.

Better focus

Studies have shown that interacting with nature in an intentional way can have a restorative effect on the mind—especially critical at a time when we are bombarded with digital distractions, infinite-scroll features, and short, fragmented content.

“Forest bathing can improve cognitive function,” Look says. Slowing down and paying attention to the details around you is a good way to disrupt the overstimulation and dopamine-seeking cycles caused by online activities and social media use.

How does this work, exactly?

If you’re ready to give forest bathing a try, here’s how to get started.

• Consult your health care provider. Consider your personal needs and limitations and check with your health care provider before embarking on a forest bathing activity.
• Choose your destination. If you’re going on your own, pick a safe place and let someone know where you’ll be and when to expect you back. For added safety, turn Life360 or a similar location service on, or as Look recommends, bring a friend or family member.
• Sign up for a guided session. If that’s too expensive, gather some prompts, like the ones in the forest bathing deck I took on my self-directed experiment.
• Set aside a couple of hours. “In that time,” Look says, “one can really slow down and relax enough into a state of being that poet Mary Oliver calls ‘not-thinking, not-remembering, not-wanting.’” But if you don’t have that much time to spare, you can still reap some benefits with shorter sessions. “If you’re forest bathing on your own, experts recommend two hours per week in 20-minute sessions for greatest physical and mental health benefits,” she says.
• Pack smart. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, a hat, a picnic blanket or a beach towel, your fully charged cellphone, a pen and a notepad. When you arrive at your destination, put your phone in Do Not Disturb mode.
• Dive in. Take a deep breath and tune into your senses and surroundings. Pull out your forest bathing prompts (or follow your guide’s invitations), and be open to whatever unfolds. You may find yourself drawn to a certain sound, sight or texture, or feel compelled to journal or draw. “Whether you stroll a short distance or just rest in a single spot, don’t worry about ‘doing it right,’” Look says. “Just listen to your body.”

What if you live in the city?

The good news: You don’t need to go all the way to the woods to practice or benefit from forest bathing. And honestly, if you live in a city like I do, you’re probably in desperate need of a nature fix—stat! Find a green space, such as a park or botanical garden, where you feel safe to forest bathe with minimal distractions.

What if you need a little guidance?

Depending on your location and budget, hiring a certified guide may not be feasible, but it does have its perks. “A guide will relieve you of having to think about where to go, what to do and how long to do it for,” Look says. “Your guide will support being still, quiet, slow and ‘nonproductive’—states we don’t often practice in our 21st-century lives but which our overstimulated nervous system craves.”

As a solo female traveler, I like having a guide for safety and local knowledge. On my first forest bathing experience in Costa Rica, I could close my eyes and tune into the sounds and scents. Given the diversity of creatures in the rainforest (some of which are highly venomous), I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing so without a local guide by my side.

Another thing to consider is that forest therapy guides aren’t the only people who can provide support. There may be other experts or facilitators suited to your identity or the culture of the place. For example, when I went on a mindful wilderness walk in Tasmania, it was important to be led by Aboriginal guides who knew the land best.

So what was my forest bathing experience like?

I planned to try out a deck of forest bathing cards (An Invitation to Forest Bathing by certified nature and forest therapy guides Lissa Kennedy and Roxanne Côté) near a grove of royal palm trees within walking distance of my Honolulu apartment. Confession: I’ve never done forest bathing in a city park and never tried a self-directed forest bathing session, so I wasn’t even sure this would work! But barely a few steps out the door, when the pale petals of a white hibiscus fluttering in the breeze caught my eye, I realized the intention was enough. I hadn’t even reached the royal palm grove, and already my senses were eager and activated.

Passing between two plumeria trees, I plucked up a fallen flower from the sidewalk. As I brought it to my nose to inhale its sweet scent, I heard a birdcall and excitedly opened the Merlin app (Confession No. 2: I’m a bit of a bird nerd!) to help me identify it and any others I might hear en route. Continuing to the park, I paused to snap a photo of a beautiful banyan tree I’ve walked by hundreds of times but have never stopped to photograph.

As I neared the grove of royal palms, I noticed sunlight glinting through the foliage of a mini forest lining the park’s edge. Instead of making a left toward the royal palms, I was drawn to a patch of grass on the right, tucked between some monkeypod trees, traveler’s palms and a cockspur coral tree. It looked like a good place to sit and pull my first card from the deck. I had every intention of getting up and exploring, assuming the card would prompt me to do so. But the deck had other plans: “Sit Spot,” read the first card I pulled. Already seated, I laughed and exclaimed, “No way! What are the chances?” to absolutely no one.

The back of the card invited me to “find a spot in nature where you can comfortably sit, tap into your senses and notice what emerges around you.” I took some time to breathe in the earthy aromas from the damp grass I was seated on and the floral scent of nearby plumeria flowers twirling to the ground. I watched the royal palm fronds bending in the breeze while cotton-ball clouds cruised against the true-blue sky behind them. I heard multiple birdcalls and then spent the next 40 minutes or more wandering—within just a few steps of my “Sit Spot”—and observing various birds and butterflies, including rose-ringed parakeets, common mynahs, house finches and white terns called manu o Kū here in Hawaii.

I imagined I’d try a few cards during this forest bathing session. Instead, I used just one and then let my curiosity lead the way—what a welcome reprieve from an overscheduled life! I was amused to find that while I was standing still, some of the birds seemed equally curious about me, walking to the ends of the lowest tree branches to get eye level and even swooping by within reach.

So often here in the city, where much of the earth is covered in concrete and I work long hours indoors, I feel overwhelmed, uneasy and disconnected. But in that moment, my heart rate was slow, my stomachache was gone, and I felt anchored to the earth rather than separated from it.

Is forest bathing actually worth it?

Absolutely! Whether you have 20 minutes or two hours, the mental and physical benefits are worth the effort to slow down and connect with the natural world.

As I was packing up my bag to head home, I read the last invitation on the “Sit Spot” card: “Consider coming back to this spot regularly, spending longer periods of time and cultivating a relationship with the land.” Confession No. 3: This brought tears to my eyes. I grew up running barefoot in the forest. Now I’m more often walking in heels on city sidewalks. We know instinctively that nature is healing. We know how important our connection with the ʻāina (land) is. Yet under the pressure of our fast-paced, modern lives, we lose sight of this simple but powerful medicine—exactly when we actually need it most.

So here’s my invitation to you: Forest bathing is for everyone. Hire a guide the first time if it’s in your budget. Or grab a book or deck of forest bathing prompts (and a friend or two if you’d rather not go solo). Download some bird and plant identifying apps if those things interest you. Bring a journal or watercolors to capture some of the beautiful things you notice. Whatever you decide, go with an open mind, be respectful of the place you visit and allow the experience to be uniquely your own.

And who knows? Maybe forest bathing will become your new favorite hobby. I think it might be mine.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Phyllis Look, certified forest therapy guide and the founder of Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi; interviewed, May 2026
• American Psychological Association: “Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD”
• Biomedical Research: “Fragrant environment with α-pinene decreases tumor growth in mice”
• Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: “Effects of Forest Bathing on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Parameters in Middle-Aged Males”
• Forests: “Preventive Effects of Forest Bathing/Shinrin-Yoku on Cardiovascular Diseases: A Review of Mechanistic Evidence”
• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Forest Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on Human Health: A State-of-the-Art Review”
• National Geographic: “The secret to mindful travel? A walk in the woods.”
• Pharmacological Research – Natural Products: “Phytoncides and immunity from forest to facility: A systematic review and meta-analysis”
• Psychological Science: The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature
• Science Advances: “Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective”
• Scientific Reports: “Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention”
• Scientific Research Publishing: “Impact of Social Media Usage on Attention Spans”
• Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine: “Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention—the Establishment of ‘Forest Medicine'”
• Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine: “Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function”

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The post Science Says Forest Bathing Can Calm the Mind. We Asked Our Most Stressed-Out Writer to Test It appeared first on Reader's Digest.

It turns out there’s a science to why certain lines move quicker than others—and fortunately, you can make some key decisions that really make a difference the next time you’re at the airport, according to Jamol J. Pender, a professor at Cornell University who studies lines and human behavior. He also travels: “I have a family, and we’re slow,” he says. “Anytime we’re traveling with the kids, we’ve got three car seats and all this extra stuff and the stuffies. Somebody’s always crying.”

I asked him for his best advice—from his research and from personal experience—on which lines are fastest, and dug through other research to figure out just what’s going on with our choices. Read on for great tips that will help you fly through security and make sure you’re not the person who winds up crying.

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Which TSA line is typically the shortest?

Start by looking left: Lines on the left side tend to be shorter than those in the middle or on the right. Researchers speculate that this is because most people are right-handed, so we tend to go right naturally. And because we read left to right, our attention naturally pauses on the right rather than the “starting over” point that’s found by looking left. So fewer people will be looking left toward that line, making it a potentially shorter choice for you.

As for the longest lines, those are typically the middle ones. They’re often right there in front of us, so we tend to gravitate to them. That’s thanks to a scientific concept called central fixation bias, aka the center-stage effect, in which we perceive the person or thing in the middle as being the most important. This tendency motivates us to look at the center of a screen, a ballot, a supermarket shelf—or a collection of TSA lanes.

Of course, choosing the shortest line isn’t guaranteed to move you through security the fastest, but knowing the science can help you make an informed decision. Coming up, we’ll tell you how to make some key decisions to pick the fastest one.

How can you pick the fastest security line at the airport?

Pender says the shortest line is only the beginning. But it’s hard to predict which line is definitely the fastest because it depends on a lot of things: the airline, the airport, the time of day, the agents working and other people traveling at the same time. Noticing who is in line already and choosing your path accordingly can be even more important than line length. Here’s what to do:

• Look for frequent fliers: Typically, these are solo business travelers, not vacationers who may travel only occasionally. Any group with little kids will move more slowly, as will big tour groups or high-school sports teams, for example. Any group that’s trying to stick together can’t move as nimbly as solo travelers and should be avoided.
• Ignore the wait-time signs: Surprisingly, Pender advises ignoring the signs telling you how many minutes you’ll wait. “Whatever the sign indicates, I tend to do the opposite,” he says. The signs are only updated every so often, according to his research, and they’re generally accurate only for a short time. After that, they’re often flat-out wrong, he says.
• Avoid people with lots of bags: People who check their luggage tend to move faster through security because they have less stuff to scan, so follow travelers who have just a purse or a backpack. Pender says roller bags slow down the boarding process, and many airlines are increasingly having people gate check them instead of allowing them on board.
• Pay attention to the agents: Are they hustling and keeping things moving? Or just going through the motions? While you’re waiting, take a peek at the overall flow of each line ahead of you and take the staffing levels and other potential holdups in each line into consideration.

Is TSA PreCheck worth it?

Typically, yes, says Pender, and statistics back him up. According to the TSA, 99% of PreCheck passengers get through security in under 10 minutes. (Standard lines usually take less than 30 minutes.)

“By and large, I think TSA-Pre folks have a sense [that] you want to get through the line faster,” says Pender. And even if the PreCheck lines look a little longer, they’re generally faster because they have more frequent fliers who know how to keep things moving. They also save time because people don’t have to do as many extra steps, like remove laptops and liquids from their bags.

There may be some exceptions, like one Pender has seen firsthand. “I will say that when I’ve gone to Orlando, Florida, so many people have TSA Pre [that] that line is actually sometimes longer, especially on Sunday or Monday morning when lots of people are traveling from the weekend; lots of kids are there,” he says.

Still, even if you fly infrequently or fly out of smaller airports where all fliers stand in one queue, PreCheck can help. “I live in Ithaca, where everybody gets in the same line,” Pender says. But even then, passengers with TSA PreCheck move faster through the line because they don’t have to remove jackets and other outerwear. “What’s interesting is that it saves time for everybody when you do that,” he adds. “You move faster through security, so you speed up everybody else’s time too.”

What can you do to move through airport security more quickly?

At a certain point, it’s all up to you. To speed up your trip through security, here are some things you can do:

• Be ready: Pay attention, read the signs and follow the rules.
• Wear shoes you can easily put on and take off: The TSA no longer requires you to take your shoes off preemptively, but it’s smart to be ready.
• Be able to remove clothes easily: Don’t wear things that are guaranteed to slow you down, like overalls (the metal buckles set off the metal detectors—ask me how I know) or a belt that’s tricky to fasten.
• Don’t carry a bunch of stuff in your pockets: Put all your stuff in your carry-on beforehand.
• Drink up before you get to security: Put that empty water bottle in the security bin or carry-on.
• Keep your boarding pass handy: This is why I always fly in cargo pants or with a cross-body bag with an easy-access pocket—it lets me grab my printed pass easily. I find that to be faster, but if you prefer to use the electronic boarding pass on your phone, pull it up beforehand and keep refreshing so you don’t have to keep starting over.

One final note: If you’re traveling with anything out of the ordinary, read the TSA rules before heading to the airport. I got a snow globe as a Christmas present one year, and when I went to fly, I packed it in my carry-on, thinking it would be safer there than in my checked bag. But that gel inside the globe is considered a liquid, so I had to leave it behind, resulting in another liquid—tears!

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Why trust us

Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Jamol J. Pender, associate director of graduate studies and an associate professor in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering at Cornell University; interviewed, May 2026
• Cornell University: “The temporal evolution of the central fixation bias in scene viewing”
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: “Sequential effects modulate spatial biases”
• Kent Hendricks: “Center Stage Effect”

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The post This Is Usually the Shortest Line at the Airport, According to Science appeared first on Reader's Digest.