Men sometimes get labeled as the gender more likely to keep secrets for selfish, manipulative purposes. But just as often, men might keep certain things to themselves due to the effects of gender norms: wanting to hide insecurities to appear strong for their families, hoping to shield their partners from hurt, not feeling safe to show emotion, and so on. Reddit user Teen_dream91 recently asked: “What, if anything, are you unable or unwilling to share fully openly and honestly about yourself with your spouse?” and the answers are a prime example of this. These long kept secrets—some hilarious, others heartbreaking—a rare candid glimpse into exactly what many men feel compelled to keep bottled up inside. Check them out below:“I keep the ceiling fan on at night because she farts in her sleep and it's so bad it wakes me up.” JackassWhisperer"When I go grocery shopping, i often buy a fresh rotisserie chicken thigh for myself, and wolf it down on a parkbench on my way home like a homeless caveman. I have no idea why, but it's my little me-time ritual." -Sternsson"My self-doubt is something I conceal. I strive to be her rock and revealing my vulnerabilities seems counterproductive." -AdhesivenessGlass978"When she asks to go out with her girlfriends or away on an overnight with some friends, she thinks I’m upset I’m not included. In reality, I’m praising the lord for a day or two alone." Bobo_Baggins03x"While I love my spouse deeply, I struggle to fully share my childhood traumas. The memories are painful and sometimes I feel like shielding her from that darkness." Slight_Policy3133"My child (18 months) is legitimately well behaved, compliant, and enjoyable to be around when she’s not in the home and it’s just he and I. When she’s around he’s combative, whiney, rude, and a little terror." D00deitstyler"Deep down, I really just want to be lazy.I don’t want to go to work, or cook that much, or change the bedding every week, or find part time income streams… Like, in my heart, I just want to lounge about, get a bit drunk and read books or watch youtube videos. I do as much as possible so that she’s comfortable and happy but don’t want to admit that I don’t really WANT to do anything useful." -LeutzschAKS"The sheer amount of stress I'm under. I do share, but I can't articulate how bad it is." -Herald_of_dooom“Sometimes the things she says to me in arguments break my heart.” -justVinnyZee"I served in Iraq and lost my leg. As a result I have severe PTSD…A couple of years after I got out I met my wife. She is an Iraqi Lady and has helped me through the best and worst times. She's given me beautiful children and a reason to carry on. However…her parents moved from Iraq before she was born. Every time I go to her parents house or there is a wedding on her side of the family I attend whilst suffering in silence. Sweaty palms, heart palpitations, shredding feeling where my leg was etc. It drove me to be extremely disrespectful by secretly carrying a hip flask with spirits and cocaine in as it just took the edge off and made it all manageable. Her parents are extremely religious and alcohol and drugs of any kind are heavily frowned upon and banned from the house.The worst is going to her parents house as so much of the decorations reminds me of the house I got dragged into after stepping on an IED. I keep this hidden because what can I do? Make her choose between family and me? Absolutely not. Prevent my kids from having grandparents and extended family? Absolutely not. My mental health and my foolish decisions at 16 are not going to be any form of potential wedge." -Greenlid_42"That I sometimes buy $20 scratchers when I do the shopping and occasionally throw $60 at large Powerball/MegaMillions jackpots even tho I publicly say 'lotteries are a tax on people who are bad at math.' I do this because I like to dream of a day we don’t have to work and we can follow our passions." -wembley"The fact that she wont let me put any of my hobby stuff (mostly miniatures and random knickknacks) in our shared spaces without it being in an approved location, meanwhile the entire house is her canvas for her aesthetic. Makes me feel really lonely and small sometimes and like she doesn't care. It's been a topic of conversation, she just doesn't get that delegating me a tiny shelf in her curio isn't the same as letting me actually decorate some." -Kimblethedwarf“That she is bad at taking criticism, even about the most minor of things. And even saying so is itself a form of criticism she cannot handle. And this has very much hindered our ability to talk to each other.” Aechzen"I keep my regrets from her. I worry she’ll think less of me if she knew all my past mistakes." Suspicious-Factor362“Literally anything that isn't within the realm of her personal interests. Otherwise, she makes it clear that she's not really interested in what interests me. Sometimes I do, because I can't keep everything to myself forever, but it just feels like I'm a child bothering their parents talking about how cool their toys are.” ChefBillyGoat“I’m scared of not being able to provide a half decent life for her and my kids. Life’s getting so expensive and challenging.” Arent_they_all"Sometimes, the food she cooks isn't great. I will never tell her this because she goes out of her way to cook, and I'm not ungrateful. I can live with bad food that night over her getting upset." -CaptainAwesome0912"That if I speak to her the same way she speaks to me she would probably spend her whole day in tears. It’s definitely a case of “familiarity breeds contempt” as she does not speak to any of her friends like this (who come over to help with furniture moving, for example), and occasionally it comes out with her family, but the unfettered torrent of complaints and abuse is reserved only for me, regardless of what I do. It’s like she looks for imperfections and mistakes just to point them out." -MusicusTitanicus“How sad I am that my life isn't a grand adventure but a series of choices i made in order to be able to form and provide for a family…I know there's adventure and excitement to be had still, but I wanted to continue my family line. And dearly love my family. Anything available in that vein will come at cost to my wife and children. So I'm stuck playing rise through the ranks, build the better mouse trap and look good to the suites for another raise or step up the ladder. It's going well, but as it goes well it feels more hollow. I could become head honcho, or start my own enterprise and find massive success, it'd still all been to just provide. Collecting wealth is such a boring pursuit, I hate our society.” BodyRevolutionary167"I let the kids play Roblox beyond their allowed time." -chelhydra"She's always in the way. If she's in the kitchen when I'm cooking, she's always standing in front of the next place I need to be. If I'm working outside, she's always in the next place I'm going to go. If I'm fixing something, she's always standing right in front of whatever I'm going to be working on next. If I'm trying to leave a room, she's always in the doorway. I realize she wants to spend time with me, but I really wish she'd just get out of the way when I'm doing something." -Lonecoon"That when I’m not with her, I put ketchup on my hot dogs." -bipolarcyclopsThis article originally appeared last year.

Americans have long had a fascination with Japan, but thanks to anime, manga and Pokemon, young people in particular seem to have a special affinity for the country and the culture. According to Travel Noire, Japan is the fastest growing travel destination for millennials and Gen Z, and tourism in the Land of the Rising Sun is booming. Most people who travel to Japan spend at least part of their time in Tokyo, the world's second-largest city, but many modern travelers may not be aware of how drastically the city has changed in the past 60 years. Here is what Tokyo looks like today: Tokyo Tower sits surrounded by skyscrapers in downtown Tokyo in 2023.David Kernan/Wikimedia CommonsThat red and white pointed tower in the center of the photo is Tokyo Tower. When it was finished in 1958, Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world at 333 meters. It was the tallest structure in all of Japan up until 2010. This photo is likely what people would expect the second-largest city on Earth to look like—lots of tall buildings close together to accomodate a dense population.Obviously, if we went back in time far enough, the landscape here would look quite different, but we don't actually have to go back very far to see a different view of Tokyo. A 1960 photo of Tokyo Tower—an iconic landmark in downtown Tokyo—is so different than the current cityscape that it has people questioning if it's an AI-generated image. from Damnthatsinteresting Whoa. What a difference less than one lifetime makes. People in the comments say the 1960 photo looks like it comes straight from an anime scene or Godzilla movie from the past. Tokyo residents who were 10 years old in 1960—old enough to have clear memories of what the city looked like back then—are 75 now. They've watched the city transform from this traditional-looking scene to the modern metropolis it is today.We have to go back a bit before 1960 to get the full picture of how much the city has changed. In 1940, the population of Tokyo was around 7 million people, but that number was cut in half during World War II. By October 1945, the city's population had fallen to a mere 3.5 million people. Since then, it's grown to over 14 million people—quadruple what it was when the war ended. (For comparison's sake, the population of New York City has grown less than 10% from 1945 to now.) Tokyo began growing rapidly after the war, and growth accelerated through an economic boom in the 1970s and the tech manufacturing boom of the 1980s. Japanese innovation with electronics, cars, and more made them a major player in the global economy despite being a relatively small and isolated country geographically. Tokyo's growth from 1960 to 2010 paints a clear picture of the boom the nation experienced in the last half of the 20th century. Tokyo is the second largest city on Earth, but it may not be for long.Daniel L. Lu (user:dllu)/Wikimedia CommonsHowever, that massive growth Tokyo saw during the average baby boomer's lifetime has basically ground to a halt. Japan's overall population has been in decline since 2010, and Tokyo saw its first population decline in 26 years during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The future outlook doesn't look great on that front for the city, either. A study group set up by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government estimates that Tokyo's population will fall by half by the year 2100, back to the 7 million or so that the city saw in 1940—and nearly half of that population will be over 65. Japan's good reputation for longevity provides little comfort for a rapidly aging nation with a birth rate that doesn't line up. "The number of people in their most productive years will decline, while local governments will face severe financial strains," the group said in a statement. "So it will be crucial to take measures to turn around the falling birthrate and enhance social security measures for the elderly."Has Tokyo seen its heyday come and go? Will we see a very different photo of what surrounds Tokyo tower in another 60 years? Perhaps. But Japan has seen its fair share of crises and repeatedly come out strong on the other side, so maybe the city beloved by millennials and Gen Z alike will rise again in an innovative way that surprises us all.

A story out of Wichita Falls, Texas, is an excellent reminder that even though there are people who do wrong in this world, there are plenty more to step up and do good. On December 28, some teenagers entered Stone Oven Pizza and stole the employee tip jar. But they left behind a big clue the restaurant owners thought might leave them to the crooks: a tan-colored Justin Bent Rail cowboy hat. “Last night, our crew ran into an incident where some teenagers stole the tips out of the tip jar,” Stone Oven wrote on Facebook. “However, luckily enough, they left this hat.” To help compensate the employees whose tips were stolen, the pizza joint reached out to the community on its Facebook page to recoup the losses by auctioning off the hat. “We’re not a big fan of hats around here, however, we know the beautiful community of Wichita Falls is, and we would like to open up an auction,” the post said. “The highest bidder by Tuesday afternoon will win the prize of this authentic cowboy jicama-giga! All proceeds will be divided evenly between the three team members that lost out on Tips last night!” Stone Oven Pizzavia Google The kind folks of Wichita Falls got the bid up to $200, but some people thought the hat should be used to catch the crooks. “Yall seen Cinderella?” asked someone else. “Line up all the men in the kingdom. We’ll find that prince charming!” However, just before the pizza place would give the hat to the highest bidder, a man who was the hat’s original owner came forward. “What this attention also did was allow us to find the original owner of the hat… not the teenager that dropped it, but the gentleman whose truck was broken into that those kids had stolen it from,” Stone Oven wrote. "While the owners of Stone Oven were prepared to meet this man in mutual combat to defend the wages of our team… It was the team members themselves that decided this man’s head was indeed looking cold… we will be returning the property to its’ rightful owner… do not worry the employees have been given $50 bonuses for altruism and compassion."The beautiful thing was that even though they couldn’t auction off the hat to help the employees, some community members donated a couple hundred dollars for them to split. “Over the last couple of days we have gotten some amazing responses to this post, and the community has opened up their hearts to our employees,” Stone Oven wrote in a December 30 update. In the end, the employees got their money back and the truck’s owner got his cowboy hat returned. The only loose end is that the thieves are still on the loose. However, Ryan Thomas, the co-owner of Stone Oven, doesn’t want them to go to jail, but maybe a little extra help in the kitchen will do. “I’d rather somebody make them come back and wash dishes for eight hours straight or something,” he told Today.com. If you’re in the area of Wichita Falls, Texas and would like to help out the local community, Stone Oven is currently accepting donations for its sock drive. The drive was created to help people experiencing homelessness and those in need with socks, gloves, hats, beanies, or whatever else they may need to make it through the winter.

Ahhh, siblings. Sometimes they're your best friends and other times your living room turns into an MMA octagon over the remote control. If you grew up with brothers and sisters, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to be an only child. (That's not to say you didn't dream about it when your sister stole your favorite shirt for the 30th time.)If you didn't grow up with siblings, however, it can feel pretty impossible to imagine what life is like with them. While those of us with siblings sometimes daydreamed about being an only, only children likely also had moments where they dreamt of having a brother or sister, not realizing the literal torment siblings can inflict on each other. TikTok creator Lonnie IIV recently posted a video of himself with two other friends seemingly out to lunch. One of the friends asks what it was like to grow up with siblings and in less than a minute, she realized she lucked out being an only child because her two guy friends gave her a crash course in sibling behavior."She got an entire childhood in less than a minute."In the clip, Lonnie asked if she wanted her drink but then promptly told her she didn't want it before swirling his fingers around in her cup. This prompted the other friend to throw his balled-up straw paper at her before repeatedly dipping chopsticks into her soup. The woman just laughed and looked seemingly confused at the nonsense her guy friends were displaying. Of course, no sibling experience would be complete without the classic "stop touching me" added for a little pizzazz."She got an entire childhood in less than a minute," one user wrote.A different user said, "This is so accurate."The comment thread was full of childhood sibling...nostalgia?Other commenters started sharing the things they did to their siblings or vice versa. The comment thread was full of sibling...nostalgia? Seems weird to look back on those memories with fondness, yet here we are. Honestly, my brother used to ask if he could have a bite of my food, and when I said no, he would just lick it before asking again. In turn, when my brothers wouldn't let me play video games with them, I would pinch my arm until it turned red and run out of the room crying to tell my mom they hit me. Kids are weird, but thankfully there are usually doses of love in between the madness. If you grew up with siblings, you'll likely appreciate the video below. Or it'll give you flashbacks. It's a toss-up. If you don't have siblings, you may feel the need to have us evaluated. We turned out alright...mostly. @lonnieiiv Don’t ask, just bring it This article originally appeared two years ago.

When a resident from San Antonio posted about how his bike got stolen on Reddit, he knew he was aimlessly reaching for a life preserver. However, folks in the thread not only threw him a life preserver, they threw him a whole boat. Well, they threw him a new bike, technically speaking. In an r/sananonio post, a local asked a fair rhetorical question: “Do people steal bicycles in 2025?”“I commute to work by bicycle every day because I got no other choice,” said the post. “It’s a bike a friend gave me ‘cause he saw the struggle. I got off work today. Couldn’t see it. Started bawling my eyes out.” Bike theft is incredibly common in North America.Photo credit: CanvaAccording to the poster, his job was three and a half miles away from his home, making it a big ask to walk there every day. He also couldn’t afford to purchase a new bike. After all, the bike that was stolen was originally a gift from a friend, not something he was able to buy in the first place. And, yes, the bike was locked.His situation is sadly, not unique. According to 529 Garage, a bicycle registration company, an estimated 2 million bikes have been stolen in North America within the last two decades. Bikes are often taken in public areas, such as parks and on the street. There are several locks and methods to deter bicycle thieves, but it seems that as soon as a strategy becomes effective and popular, a thief has found a way to circumvent it. Many of these stolen bikes are sold in full or Frankensteined together with other stolen bike parts to sell again in a secondary market.Fortunately for this poster, the community showed up.“I have a old road bike, will need tires though.”“Hey OP, I’ve got a spare bike you can have.”“I have an extra bicycle, if you want it.” For a variety of reasons, many Americans have to ride a bike to get to work.Photo credit: CanvaBy just posting his plea, the poster got what he needed.“Got a bike y’all. This evening, literally about an hours after asking,” he remarked in an updated post. “And many, many, many people offered to help and I am really grateful. In order to have good, you need evil yk ☯️. So to everybody that offered to help, a billion thanks.”Several other posters offered advice to help prevent his new bike from getting stolen.“If you get another, even at home, take it inside or chain it up in back where no one can see it from the street.”“If you want to be extra safe, consider double locking with a u-lock or cover the bike in duct tape to make it look janky.”“Glue an airtag on it. Somewhere hidden of course.” There's no such thing as too many bike locks.Photo credit: CanvaIt’s a shame that the poster had his bike stolen to begin with, and that such petty theft is common in San Antonio and other areas throughout the country. However, it should be noted that when a neighbor needed help, people immediately came to his aid within an hour’s time. People that were faceless strangers that just happened to live in the same city, not friends or even acquaintances. So while the bike theft issue should overall be addressed in terms of what we can do as a society to resolve it, only one person took the bike while many folks offered assistance in some form. To paraphrase the original poster, evil such as petty theft sucks, but out of it is the potential reminder of how much good is actually out there.

I think most people in longterm relationships eventually reach a point where seeing your partner step out of the shower doesn't really register for you. There becomes a "normal every day" nudity — changing clothes, bathing, etc. — that is not inherently sexual and therefore no longer warrants celebration.Unfortunately, that sucks! No one wants to be ogled 24/7 when they're just trying to exist, but at the same time, no one wants to feel like they're invisible to their partner. It's a fine line, and it's easy to see why longterm spouses can lose sight of each other over time and stop appreciating the attraction that initially drew them together.One guy took to Reddit with this exact conundrum: "My wife is upset that I don't say anything to compliment her when i see her naked, and thinks im not attracted to her even though i am," the user wrote.He then asked for suggestions on what a husband might say in a situation like this, and the guys and gals of AskMen had thoughts. Here are some of the best responses: two grey fruits Photo by Nik on Unsplash The suggestions ranged from the funny or corny...My husband says “Hey you’re wearing my favorite outfit again” and 12 years later I still blush lol - Impressive_Bat3090(Side note: I'm stealing this one.)"You know at the beginning of 'Saving Private Ryan' where Tom Hanks gets an explosive right next to him and he is just trying to focus and there is that high pitched hum and slowly he realises that someone is trying to communicate with him and the humming slowly goes away and he kinda snaps out of it? - Yeah, that's what happens when you walk out naked" - Tacozymaybe a 'Dayummmmm' , another user added.... to the simple yet effective.I always stop and stare. No matter what I was doing, or about to do. If she takes off her clothes. I stop and stare with a big ass dumb grin on my face. She loves it. ... Also, I can hear when she is finished with the shower. I always manage to just walk in at the right time. ... I will say “WELL HELLO!” - Tollin74I always say "my god... i'm so lucky!" - LehvinnStare for a bit with a big ol smile. When she asks what you're doing say something along the lines of, "just enjoying the view" Before you walk away - Rexis717I can also just stop whatever I'm doing drop my jaw and go "wow", "well hello sexy" or whatever else comes to my mind (which usually isn't much at these moments, but that doesn't seem to hurt). I will find my own way of telling her I can't focus when she's naked. Felt like a cave man who can't control his urges doing some of these things in the beginning, but once I noticed that she really enjoys it and that it makes her feel beautiful.. I'm all on board. She deserves feeling every bit like the queen she is in my eyes and more. - onehandedbraunlockerAnd some people's stories of how much a little appreciation means to them absolutely blew me away.My man out of nowhere, whether I’m naked or not, will grab me at random moments and kiss me properly and then hold my face, look in to my eyes and say something like ‘my god you’re a beautiful woman. … we are mid 50s and together many years. What do you love about her physically ? Tell her that. It doesn’t have to be overtly sexual, she’s seeking reassurance and validation. - whatpelican00My guy just consistently gets happy when I'm naked. He voices his appreciation, sometimes with a dirty word, sometimes with a sweet one, and sometimes he comes closer to touch me. It really makes me feel good about myself. ... It's all about being joyful and sharing the love. - TourquoiseTortoiseAnd just in case you thought you'd get through this thread without at least one tear-jerker...My husband intrudes on almost every shower or when I'm changing for a change to peek at skin. If he sees me naked or dressing, he's instantly trying every possible move and pick up line known to man. I feel like if he sees shoulder skin or even an ankle he'll come at me. Sometimes it gets frustrating; but let me tell you. I know he wants me or at least is really good at pretending. We've been together 19 years and this man is still chasing. I have fluctuated massively in my weight having birthed 4 sons and 6 miscarriages. Anywhere from 245 my heaviest to 129 my lightest. Didn't matter, one bit... I could be 600 pounds. This man makes sure to always tell me I'm beautiful and makes me feel so loved and wanted. - queensfanobs81Experts say it's common for couples to begin taking each other for granted after a while, but it can be combatted with small gestures and a little effort. Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash "When have seen your partner naked or in nice underwear for thousands of times, you tend to not pay as much attention to it as you might should be, and the life puzzle makes it extra difficult to stop up and think 'Hey, I love the looks of my partner and they’re so darn attractive'" says Sofie Roos, a licensed sexologist and relationship therapist and writer with Passionerad.It's also true that as our relationships grow and deepen far beyond physical attraction, which is a good thing, losing sight of our partner's beauty can be an unfortunate side effect. All of us want a look, a touch, a physical compliment every now and then just to be reminded that our partner hasn't forgotten — especially if you're just standing right there in plain sight!Genuine, specific, and playful comments work best in these scenarios. Something like "You look beautiful," while well-meaning, is a bit of a platitude and can come across empty, even if you mean it. Try to get creative!Sean O'Neill, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist recommends, "Instead of saying 'You look beautiful' you could say 'That dress doesn’t stand a chance against you' or 'I’m so glad only I get to see this,' playfully. The aim is to make your spouse feel uniquely valued." And if your brain locks up and you feel awkward and can't think of anything, a playful "Nice butt," never hurt anyone.

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