Sometimes when we interact with people, we can fall into autopilot mode and say something we don’t mean. Case in point: when someone accidentally ends a professional call with “I love you,” as if they were talking to a spouse, instead of a formal goodbye—or when a student accidentally refers to their teacher as “mom.” The reason we sometimes feel like we’ve “zoned out” or acted without conscious effort is a psychological phenomenon known as automaticity. Automaticity can be very helpful when we’re doing complex tasks like catching a football or when we’re doing things that shouldn’t require much mental energy, such as brushing our teeth. However, when we’re on autopilot, we sometimes say silly things, and this teacher is a perfect example. A woman slapping her forehead. Photo credit: Canva A teacher’s incredibly embarrassing moment “I’m a high school teacher (44, been doing this for like 15 years) and today during 6th period, I was helping this kid, let’s call him Marcus, with a geometry proof,” the teacher explained in a now-deleted Reddit post. “He was really trying, you know? Had his pencil behind his ear, kept erasing, the whole thing. And when he finally got it, I just… I said, ‘There you go, sweetie!’” “The room went *silent*. Like that record-scratch moment you see in movies, except it was real and happening to my actual life,” the teacher explained. “Marcus just stared at me. I tried to recover with ‘I mean… good job, Marcus,’ but the damage was done. By the time the bell rang, I could hear them already talking about it in the hallway.” Students laughing. Photo credit: Canva Why did the teacher call the student “sweetie”? The teacher has a 12-year-old daughter they call “sweetie” approximately 600 times a day, so, of course, it was bound to slip out at some point. This time, it just happened to be to Marcus in geometry class. After the school day, the teacher was fraught with questions: “Do these things just blow over? Will Marcus ever make eye contact with me again?” The post received some funny responses and genuine encouragement. “It’s good to see there’s a teacher version of calling the teacher mom,” a commenter wrote. “I once called my English teacher Dad in an otherwise silent classroom. He was only 24, a strawberry blond, and he blushed,” another added. One commenter thought the teacher should take the Curb Your Enthusiasm approach: “Double down. Call more kids ‘sweetie.’ Now it’s normalized, and you haven’t humiliated just Marcus (or yourself). There’s a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode about this! Richard Lewis hits his new gf with a premature ‘honey’ and then predictably spirals when she’s weirded out and tries to overcompensate by calling everyone he sees ‘honey’ in front of her.” Finally, a lot of folks told the teacher everything would blow over “It will blow over,” a commenter wrote. “I don’t know where you’re from, but calling people little things like that is common everywhere, as far as I know. If a cashier said ‘thanks sweetie’ to me or something I would think literally nothing of it. Seems an overreaction from them. If one of them accidentally called you mum, they would get some banter for it, and then it would be forgotten about. Happens to us all!” The teacher’s story is a great reminder that we all go on autopilot sometimes and slip up, and there’s no need to feel too bad about it. But just be careful what you call your loved ones at home. It may be the next thing you call a coworker. The post Mortified teacher accidentally called a student ‘sweetie,’ and folks swooped in to fix the damage appeared first on Upworthy.

Imagine you’re young and strolling through a university campus, wishing you could randomly chat with someone much older. Perhaps you’re looking for a bit of wisdom. Or maybe you simply wish to talk to a Baby Boomer, like a parent or grandparent. If you’re on the Boston University campus near Pavement Coffeehouse, this wish could become a reality. The folks at Matter Neuroscience have created another social experiment in which they set up what look like payphones in two locations. One, outside a building on the BU campus, says “Call a Boomer.” The other is in the game room of a senior housing complex in Reno, Nevada. That one has a sign suggesting someone “Call a Zoomer.” The hope? That two generations can connect, have a lovely conversation, and spark a little dopamine in their day. View this post on Instagram Loneliness matters On the Matter Neuroscience Instagram page, they share the statistic that younger and older adults often suffer from loneliness: “Younger adults and older adults tend to experience the highest levels of loneliness of any age group, so the goal of this project is to inspire generational connection through meaningful conversations, despite differences in age, lifestyle, or politics.” They report that statistically, “over a third of people over 65 report being lonely. And over half of the students in college report being lonely.” They go on to note that loneliness can be more detrimental to one’s health than lack of exercise or even smoking cigarettes. Loneliness demographics in America. Photo credit: Matter Neuroscience A new idea Upworthy spoke with Calla Kessler, a social strategist at Matter Neuroscience, who explained the process: “The boomer/zoomer payphones are the second iteration of our Party Line experiment, which originally included in San Francisco and Abilene, Texas, encouraging Democrats and Republicans to find common ground and walk away with a positive interaction.” Kessler is referring to a project that Upworthy covered a little over a month ago. In that project, the team set up two makeshift “payphones” in Texas and California. The idea was for people on the left and right sides of the political aisle to connect without all the extraneous noise. Ben Goldhirsh, one of the co-founders of Matter Neuroscience (alongside neuroscientist Axel Bouchon), reported that after reviewing hours of footage, people were looking to connect on a human level 100% of the time. No arguments—just two people laughing while sharing a brief moment of their lives with a total stranger. Kessler said the success of the project inspired them to think about other demographics that would benefit from connection: “We landed on two groups that research shows experience some of the highest levels of loneliness: younger adults and older adults. The purpose of these projects is to share the science of happiness and help people live emotionally and molecularly balanced lives.” She reiterated how dangerous chronic loneliness can be: “Loneliness has been linked to health risks comparable to smoking, excessive drinking, and lack of exercise. Positive social interactions can influence our biology in the opposite direction, lowering cortisol while increasing feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, cannabinoids, and oxytocin.” View this post on Instagram How it works For those wondering how the payphones work, they were bought on Facebook Marketplace. They were then deconstructed so modems with SIM cards could be placed inside, making it possible to make toll-free calls. While they’re waiting for the results (the phones were just recently installed), people in the comment section were already excited. At the mere mention of the idea, thousands chimed in to add their two cents. One wrote, “This is so great! Can we make pen pals cool again?” Another noted that although they don’t fall into either generation, they’d love to take part as well: “I’m not old. I’m not young. But if that phone were in my vicinity, I would be calling someone every day.” The post A new hopeful payphone project invites ‘Boomers’ and ‘Zoomers’ to connect one conversation at a time appeared first on Upworthy.

Shakespeare is a staple of any high school English curriculum. Yet, getting young folks to actually understand, let alone appreciate, the Good Bard’s work has always been a bit of a challenge. Unless you’re teaching it to a room full of theatre kids, that is. Recently, a high school teacher named Molly Dugan shared some of her current students’ reactions to one of Shakespeare’s most notable works, Romeo & Juliet. Spoiler alert: they weren’t fans. Nonetheless, their remarks were comedy gold. High schoolers react to Romeo & Juliet Some of the comments reflected the same counterpoints many younger generations have had about well-received works of yesteryear (looking at you, ’90s rom-coms). View this post on Instagram For instance, one student said, “Romeo is hella cringe, get him off my screen.” Meanwhile, two other students accused him of being a “hella stalker” with “bad rizz” who just “wants the huzz,” a.k.a. a girl, a woman, or, to really make it feel dated, a “boo.” Folks in the comments didn’t really disagree with these points.  “‘Bro’s a hella stalker’ oddly accurate take,” one viewer wrote.  Another echoed, “Bro actually was a hella stalker and arguably was hella cringe.” Another teacher even shared, “Directed it last year. Best response: ‘where are their parents?!’” Distinct brand of savage high school sarcasm on full display “Oh, so you actually hate us,” one student said, apparently after Dugan asked the class to get their notebooks out. Another delivered a rather low blow, saying, “We don’t need subtitles. We’re not old.” But then some genuinely baffling questions left many wondering if this generation is, in fact, “cooked”: “Was there time back then? Like, did it exist when Romeo and Juliet were alive?” “Is Shakespeare a real person? Because I thought he was one of those Greek gods. So I’ve been confused.”  Woof. That’s…something. Apparently, a few other teachers have had very similar experiences “One year I got ‘What’s Shakespeare’s last name?’” one commented.  Another shared, “At the beginning of teaching the Anne Frank unit, I asked my 8th graders what they knew about her…’Isn’t she a rap star?’ ” Who knows—perhaps the kiddos would have appreciated this Gen Z–ified version of Romeo & Juliet.  Shakespeare’s work has always been a bit of a hurdle for students His plays were written more than 400 years ago, after all, and can sometimes feel as though they’re in an entirely different language. On top of that, Shakespeare wrote in verse, using rhythm and poetic devices that were meant to be heard onstage rather than quietly analyzed in a classroom. When those lines are lifted from the stage and dropped into a worksheet or textbook, it can take a lot more effort for students to connect with what’s actually happening in the story. Cultural references can also add another layer of confusion. Jokes, social norms, and expectations around love, family, and marriage were very different in Elizabethan England than they are today. Without that context, characters’ actions can seem strange, exaggerated, or downright problematic to modern readers. That’s part of what makes teaching Shakespeare such a unique challenge. Teachers often have to act as translators, guiding students through unfamiliar vocabulary and historical context while also trying to reveal the very human stories beneath it all. Once you get past the old-fashioned phrasing, the themes are surprisingly relatable Romeo & Juliet is about power dynamics, rivalry, and impulsive decisions that spiral out of control (and love, I guess). Those ideas are still easy to recognize, even if the characters express them in dramatically poetic language. It’s what gives Shakespeare such staying power and explains why he continues to show up in classrooms century after century, much to the bemoaning of high schoolers. The post Romeo is ‘cringe’: English teacher shares what Gen Z thinks about ‘Romeo & Juliet’ appeared first on Upworthy.

Gen X (people born between 1965 and 1980) grew up eating some pretty incredible foods. From classic casseroles and meatloaf to old-school sandwich combos, food in the ’80s was filled with delicious staples. Gen X also had a major sweet tooth. In the ’80s, they were munching on unique candy from drugstores and corner shops. Many Gen Xers argue that candy in the ’80s was the best, including comedian Karen Morgan—whose bit about ’80s candy being “mean to children” resonated with Gen Xers on Reddit. “We had candy like Atomic Fireballs. You couldn’t eat that! It was who could leave it in your mouth the longest before you spit it out,” she quips. More Gen Xers shared their favorite candies from the ’80s that they miss most. Although some are still around, most don’t taste the same—and many have been discontinued. From sour varieties and chewy classics to chocolate bars and pure sugar treats, these are some of the best nostalgic candies Gen X hasn’t forgotten. Willy Wonka’s DinaSour Eggs “Soo many great memories seeing this box! I wish they would bring them back!!” — blue_eyed_girlie “I liked getting to the sour center.” — robgrab “Duuude remember these and loved them! There was an urban legend in my neighborhood that there was some of these that had a candy shaped dinasour inside…. Never got one! ( never made it to the cherry tree in pitfall either!) lol.” — right_bank_cafe Mr. Bones “I loved that candy!! I had so many coffins all over my room!” — FlawedWoman “OMG I completely forgot about this candy! We ate it to quick to make a skeleton .” — PaleontologistSad316 Fun Dip “My little brother always liked the powder better so if we both got a pack of fun dip I’d give him the powder and he’d give me the candy stick. ” — Happy_Leg-2063 “The Lik-a-Stix from the Fun Dip. I just threw the powder away.” — non3ck “I wish they still had the lime.” — bubblehead772 Johnny Apple Treats “Johnny Appletreats were my favorite” — Longjumping-Shoe7805 “I’ve been looking everywhere for apple treats. They are like f*cking CRACK.” — truthteller5 Alexander The Grape “Alexander!!!!!!! So good.” — cwvandalfan “I ate all of these but probably Alexander The Grape most of all.” — Grand_Snow_2637 Cherry Clan “I really loved the cherry clan!!!!” — McKitNassty “Cherry Clan were the best. ” — Krystalmyth Marathon “This is THE answer. I sure miss them.” — Beanholiostyle “I both loved these and forgot about them. Now I have a craving for one.” —Ok_Experience_8194 “Marathon Bar (stealer of fillings).” — JCo1968 Tangy Taffy “Best part was freezing them, then you could bang them on a table and they would shatter then you had little pieces of them to eat.” — Chewcudda42 “Tangy Taffy. So much better than Laffy Taffy IMO.” — User Unknown Reggie! “Ooh, those were so good…like an oversized chocolate turtle, but more savory.” — throw123454321purple “They were awesome. Pretty much was just a round Baby Ruth but sooooo good.” — jmf0828 @hellosweetscandy Replying to @Delia’s Nail Studio LLC Lets take a look at some candy that was popular in the 1980s! #hellosweetscandy #candyshop #candystore #candy #nostalgia #nostalgic #retro #1980s #wny #smallbusiness ♬ 80’s nostalgic synth pop(1140622) – Studio Bach Willy Wonka’s Oompas “Oompa’s by Willy Wonka. Ginormous half chocolate half peanut butter M&M’s…….” — Ledophile “Peanut Butter Oompas… they were similar to peanut butter M&Ms, but tasted better.” — Interesting-Night740 BarNone “Bar None. Like a cross between a Twix and KitKat.” — Katriina_B Milk Shake “There used to be a candy bar called Milkshake. They at I remember it would have been slightly between an Uno Bar and a Three Musketeers. It has a taste of a chocolate malted milkshake. They were delicious but did not last long that I remember.” — Salt_Ingenuity_720 PB Max “I swear when I talk to my kids about the PB max, I feel like one of those old cartoons where you’re saying ‘back in my day’ by far the best peanut butter candy bar ever.” — New-Car-3759 “These are discontinued but they were so good! Well my young mind used to think they were good lol.” — Pink_Pixie00 Atomic FireBall “Atomic Fireballs, I used to love those things!” — AzureGriffon “When I quit smoking, I used these to get through it. Then I had an Atomic Fireball addiction. Thankfully, that was a much easier habit to break.” — ThresherGDI Whatchamacallit “Whatchamacallits are my favorite candy bar, hands down. They are definitely different size wise and also the taste, but they are still pretty good. Rarely do things stay the same, but it’s especially bad when it’s your favorite candy.” — yellow_forsythia “When Whatchamacallit first came out, it was a bar of crispy rice covered in chocolate. I LOVED it. Then they decided to ‘improve’ it by adding caramel. I didn’t like it as much anymore, but still bought it because it was still a good candy bar.” — Alman54 “Whatchoo say? Whatchamacallit! Can still remember the song from the commercial.” — demonOS_ Skor “I had a Skor bar the other day and it just hit SO right.” — Luvsseattle “Skor. I remember when those things came out that they positioned them as upscale candy bars. My great-grandmother loved them because they made her feel fancy.” — jimb575 Oh Henry! “This was one of my favs in 5th grade going to the candy store after school.” — banana_fana_1234 “Oh, made my mouth water I miss those.” — Wuddlecat The post 17 Gen X candies kids of the ’80s are still pining for appeared first on Upworthy.

Life hack advice abounds in the era of optimization and influencers, but the desire to live life a little better is nothing new. Even ancient philosophers pondered the wisest uses of our time, energy, and resources. But in today’s more complicated world, the answers to such questions can be a lot more specific. Young adults have been asking for “oddly specific” life tips, and people are delivering their favorite hacks. These aren’t the “surround yourself with positive people” kind of tips we typically see, but rather random, specific bits of advice. I’m 25. Give me oddly specific life tips. No general ”surround yourself with positive people” tips. I want the most random, specific advice possible.— Tokyo (@otokyo__) March 2, 2026 Here are some of the most universally applicable ones shared on X: Food Thinking about what to eat, preparing what to eat, and actually eating it takes up a decent amount of our daily lives. It makes sense to give it a little extra thought, both for efficiency and enjoyment’s sake. “When in an unknown small town, pick your restaurant based on the number of pickup trucks in the parking lot. Nobody goes on vacation in the pickup. Those are locals, who know where to eat.” – @KeelowSierra “Learn to cook 3 meals extremely well. It will save money, impress people, and make rough weeks easier.” – @Alacritic_Super Learn to cook three things well. Photo credit: Canva “Make a weekly rotating menu so you never have to agonize over what to make for dinner. Like Taco Tuesday. Vary the specific item each week to keep it fresh but man it saves time, energy, and money.” – @RuralUrbie Health There’s a lot of health advice out there, and a lot of it is conflicting. But here are a few tips that seem solid no matter what your approach to health might be: “Always wash your hands standing on one leg. We lose our balance with age and this simple habit forces you to consistently practice it without interfering with your life.” – @catpoopburglar “Drink a full glass of water before you touch your phone in the morning.” – @EarthOriginHQ “Speaking as someone who *didn’t* do this enough: Literally touch grass as often as you can. Go outside, get some sun, go camping, disconnect from your phone and social media and go explore the world without a filter. It’ll do wonders for your mental health, it’ll force you to spend some time alone with your thoughts, and you’ll gain some perspective about yourself and life in general.” – @CitizenAmedia Money Getting money advice from strangers can be dodgy, to say the least. But a few folks offered some pretty universal bits of wisdom: “Before any purchase over $100, wait 48 hours. If you still want it after two days, buy it. You’ll be surprised how often the urge disappears. This one habit will save you thousands over the next decade without any willpower required.” – @BellaBaddie__ “I wish I had practiced minimalism. I’m spending the second half of my life getting rid of expensive junk for free that I thought I needed. I wish I had invested that money for my future instead. That’s solid advice.” – @starjaxranch “Roth IRA and regular investment brokerage accounts. Contribute every month, even if it’s only $20. Just keep doing it and don’t stop. When people panic about the market crashing just keep contributing. It isn’t a loss if you don’t sell and it always bounces back higher, crashes are nothing but buying opportunities to increase your returns down the road. Just keep investing in funds. Learn how to get a shopping high from investing.” – @AnteEcho Work Most adults spend much of their day working, so advice in this area is particularly valuable. Here are some nuggets of wisdom that apply no matter what kind of work you do: “Keep a ‘brag document’ – a running list of every win, project, compliment, or achievement at work. Update it weekly. When it’s performance review time or you’re updating your resume, you won’t be sitting there trying to remember what you did six months ago.” – @PursuDr Keep a running list of your wins at work. Photo credit: Canva “At work no matter what your job is or how much you are currently being paid, if someone offers to teach you a new skill… Get out a notebook and a pencil and say ‘Thank you, I want to learn how to do that!’ This is how you increase your value.” – @TimothyMcGuire “Always keep one skill you’re quietly improving that nobody knows about yet.” – @Alacritic_Super “For all the jobs you have, don’t burn bridges when you leave a place. Keep your colleagues contact informing from each job. Leave on good terms. These things help in networking for a new job in the future.” – @daoc151 General Outside of those big life categories, people offered all sorts of great tips born from experience. Keep these in your pocket when you need them: “After you spend ages looking for something store it in the first place you looked.” – @floboflo “Buy your concert t-shirts one or two sizes larger. You’ll likely be larger yourself for the reunion tour.” – @TeamToad Buy your concert t-shirts one or two sizes larger.You'll likely be larger yourself for the reunion tour. pic.twitter.com/teJoxj8lpS— Michael Mauldin (@TeamToad) March 9, 2026 “When you find a pair of shoes or sandals or a bra that fits you comfortably and perfectly, buy three more just like it immediately and save them in your closet. Everything good gets discontinued.” – @Suzanne08053 “The mental energy associated with procrastination is costing you the same (if not more) as the energy required to take action. Pick action over mental suffering.” – @ConMcGovy “Check the toilet paper holder in the gas station bathrooms BEFORE you sit down….” – @scdavem “Treat every microphone like it’s on.” – @RobOps_xyz “Never make a major life or business decision after 10 PM. You aren’t yourself when you’re tired; you’re just a high-stress version of yourself. Sleep on it. The solution is almost always waiting for you at 7 AM.” – @ria_rustagi “When you drop something. Especially something small like a screw. Don’t grab wildly at it to keep it from falling. Concentrate on watching it fall with absolute focus.”– @GeorgiasGiant “If you find a toilet in your dream, don’t use it.” – @Sandy166059 (If you know, you know.) There’s a lot we need to learn on our own, of course. But we can also learn from the lessons others have shared, taking what works and leaving what doesn’t. The post 22 ‘oddly specific’ life hacks that could save you time, money, energy, or sanity appeared first on Upworthy.

Not what he was expecting. The post “A tiny bit difficult”: The album Jeff Lynne was never comfortable working on first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Music kept close to the chest. The post The most mysterious song Bob Dylan has ever heard: “It was like the fog rolling in” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The online gambling industry is projected to amass over $1 trillion by 2028 — at the price of many young men’s lives. On this episode of The Spectator P.M. Podcast, hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo discuss online betting and share testimonies from recovering men who are raising awareness about the addiction. Ellie and Lyrah talk about the concerning statistics about online gambling and its overconsumption by young men, especially for sports. (READ MORE: The Next Social Epidemic Is Already Here: Legalized Sports Gambling) Tune in to hear their discussion! Read Ellie and Lyrah’s writing here and here. Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Spotify. Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Rumble.

The US government’s response to the covid pandemic led to widespread school closures, resulting in significant learning losses, particularly for students from low-income households. Studies by the National Institutes of Health and […] The post Six years after covid lockdowns, students are still paying the price first appeared on The Expose.

Love shucking these mollusks? There are two states that duke it out for a coveted title, one in New England and the other in the Mid-Atlantic.