There’s a point when discovering new music stops being exciting. For some people, that point arrives suspiciously close to the moment they start calling everything on the radio “noise.” Growing up my parents dismissed my favorite songs as a racket.…
In the 1950s, the psychoanalyst Karen Horney described the narcissist not as someone who simply loves themselves too much, but as someone desperately hiding a wounded self-image beneath a curated facade. “The pride of the narcissist,” she wrote, “is not…
There’s a scene in the movie Good Will Hunting where the therapist, played by Robin Williams, looks at Will and says, “It’s not your fault.” He says it once. Then again. Then again—until the walls finally break and Will cries…
In 2002, a man named Jack Whittaker won $314 million in the Powerball lottery it’s the largest single-ticket win at the time. Within a few years, his granddaughter was dead of a drug overdose, his wife had left him, and…
We may say we believe in gender equality, but we still speak in ways that excuse men and condemn women. These ten phrases are proof. In 2003, the pop world turned on a 21-year-old named Britney Spears. She had just…
There are underlying issues that go beyond emotional splurge. Your bank account isn’t empty because of one too many takeout orders. There are deeper, uglier patterns draining your wallet and they’re not as obvious as you think. Here are 7…
In recent years the internet has become the birthplace of viral dances, comedic skits, and recently… “body count.” It’s become a common term to keep tabs on how many notches one has on their bedpost. Spend a few minutes scrolling…
Most of us were never really taught how to manage money beyond the basics: open a checking account and don’t spend more than you earn. But as adult life kicks in—student loans, car repairs, surprise dentist bills, dream vacations—it becomes…
It’s one of the most common personal finance questions, should you rent or buy your home? And as we step deeper into 2025, the answer isn’t getting any simpler. For years, homeownership was the assumed path to building wealth. But…
I was driving home from the grocery store on one of those wide two-lane roads that curves through town, I had the windows cracked and music playing low, and a kind of peace that comes with knowing dinner’s already in…
I had a roommate who threw out some homemade sauerkraut after just a week. Why? Because the internet told her it had gone bad. I said, “How could it be bad? It was already bad when I gave it to…
We tend to think of saving money as a purely logistical exercise: make a budget, spend less, invest the difference. Simple, right? Except it never is. Life is messy. We’re messy. And our relationship with money is usually entangled with…
‘You ever try to bake cookies and end up with crackers? I have. They looked like flattened hopes. Tasted like toasted despair. I followed the recipe. The oven was preheated. The ingredients were fresh. I religiously followed a Pinterest lady’s…
Long before a child can say “mama,” before they even form memories, they’re already learning how love works. In the quiet hours of early life, when a parent and baby lock eyes, then break and return that gaze, something foundational…
You think you’re just being nice. Helpful. Easy to get along with. The kind of person who always shows up, never complains, and keeps the peace. Everyone loves you—right? Except you’re exhausted. Secretly bitter. I’ve been there. As a recovering…
‘You ever met someone who says they’re “just private” but gives off the same warmth as a locked safe? Maybe that someone is you. You’re not cold, or maybe you’re. You’re not boring. You’ve just gotten really good at keeping…
The woman in front of me in the checkout line noticed I was trying to keep a toddler from eating a receipt while trying to balance half-open packet of crackers and a backpack with one broken strap. She handed me…
By all appearances, the human mind is built to betray itself. We say we want to exercise, but skip the gym. We swear off spending, then buy a $400 flight to feel alive again. We talk about writing that book,…
There’s never been an easier time to stay connected. With a few taps, we can reach friends across continents, ping colleagues on five platforms before lunch, and follow the daily lives of people we haven’t seen since high school. And…
I used to think my dark circles were permanent. For a long time I started thinking maybe dark circles were just part of my face, no amount of sleep seemed to make them better. I’d catch my reflection and see…
