Health Tips Line

I admit that I am not one to strike up conversations with strangers. As an introverted writer, I prefer the written word to the spoken one. I like to use the self-checkout lane at the grocery store and have even gone so far as to choose doctors based on whether they use online scheduling. That said, I do try and smile or give a simple hello when I pass someone or enter a room—it’s just good manners, isn’t it?—and I’m often surprised at the number of acquaintances I have who will pass me by without any acknowledgement of my existence. These little moments with strangers and others are called microconnections, and although we usually brush them off, they have positive impacts on our mental health—and beyond. “ Talking to strangers has benefits for you, it has benefits for the person you’re talking to, and it has benefits for the community,” says Gillian Sandstrom, PhD, an associate professor of the psychology of kindness at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. Society is s...

You know that moment when someone casually asks, “So, will your stepsister be a bridesmaid at your wedding?” and you suddenly feel like you’re taking a pop quiz you didn’t study for? Yeah. Welcome to the delightfully complicated world of blended families , where the rulebook is mostly blank and everyone has an opinion. If you’re part of a stepfamily, you’re in excellent company. According to the United States Census Bureau, about 1,300 new stepfamilies are formed every day, and research estimates that more than 114 million Americans have a step relationship of some kind. That’s a huge chunk of Americans navigating the same murky waters of “Do I have to invite them to Thanksgiving ?” and “Am I a terrible person if I don’t?” You can take comfort in this, though: “The questions people ask about stepfamilies—What do I owe? How much is enough?—are the same questions that quietly strain biological families,” says Mai Uchida, MD, a child psychiatrist affiliated with Harvard University who h...

Like any child growing up in the snowbelt of northeastern Ohio, I was glued to the local news shows on snowy winter mornings . Even if we only got a dusting, we still believed in our hearts that a snow day was possible and couldn’t look away from the news crawl at the bottom of the screen. On those glorious days when school was actually canceled, I’d get bundled up in my coat and snow pants to play outside. Whether it was a late-fall snow squall or an early-spring blizzard, as soon as I stepped foot outside I was always struck by one thing: the quiet stillness of the snowfall. It was as if everything was tucked in under a blanket, not making a peep. As it turns out, there’s a scientific explanation for snow’s quieting effect. I spoke to meteorologist Matt Sitkowski, PhD, the science editor-in-chief at the Weather Channel, to find out why this happens, so put on some layers and keep reading. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more knowledge, humor, travel, tec...

The details of Super Bowl matchups can blur over the years, especially for die-hard football fans whose team didn’t make the cut (a sincere apology to non–Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots fans this year). But there’s one part of the biggest game of the year that tends to stick in spectators’ collective memory long after the final whistle: the 12- to 15-minute halftime show. Who could forget Rihanna revealing her pregnancy during her 2023 performance? Or The Weeknd’s elaborate, maze-like stage production two years earlier? Katy Perry’s 2015 beach-themed spectacle—complete with fireworks, palm trees and a now-infamous, meme-able backup dancer in a shark costume—still feels like it happened yesterday. And then there was one of the game’s most iconic shows ever: Prince, back in 2007, singing “Purple Rain” in an actual downpour in Miami. Love or hate the chosen artists, their performances are almost always unforgettable—and usually attract more eyeballs than the big game itself....

It’s Super Bowl season, so if you can explain intentional grounding, forward progress and the two-toe sideline tap, then hats off! But if your football interest leans more toward how spicy the wings are and whether there’s enough ranch dressing for dipping, you’ll really dig this Super Bowl news: Instacart has just released its 2026 Snacktime Report detailing the yummy things we’re devouring this year. To be fair, this year’s matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks is predicted to be very competitive. But for many, the food is the best part of Super Bowl Sunday , along with the TV ads and halftime show (Bad Bunny!). We caught up with Instacart’s trends analyst Alex Orellana to get key insights from the report, so if you’re already salivating at the thought of a big game-time spread on Feb. 8, read on to learn which snacks surge this time of year. Then, get your own snacks, grab some extra napkins and cheer your team! Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read ...