A horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, “Why the long face?” Ba dum bum! We just celebrated National Tell a Joke Day — though, seeing as that one-liner is rather tired (it’s cutting-edge compared to the world’s first bar joke), we could probably stand to freshen up our arsenal. If you too could use some inspo to get in on today’s unofficial holiday, check out 40 comedians’ favorites jokes, compiled by Reader’s Digest. — the Nice News team
Featured Story
Lymphatic Drainage Can Help You Feel Your Best — Get Started With These At-Home Techniques
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With so many buzzy wellness techniques to choose from these days, one with “drainage” in its name may not seem especially appealing. But dive a little deeper into lymphatic drainage, and you’ll find that in addition to being good for your body, it just feels good to practice on yourself. Manual lymphatic drainage, or MLD, targets the lymphatic system, a collection of organs, tissues, and vessels that work as part of your immune system to distribute a fluid called lymph, which supports many essential bodily functions. It’s “a specialized technique designed to stimulate the lymphatic system, helping the body eliminate excess fluid, toxins, and waste,” Flavia Morellato, president of the UK Association of Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy, tells Nice News. We spoke to Morellato about how to perform MLD at home — dive into her advice and get step-by-step instructions at the link below.
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It’s Not Just You: Research Explains Why Mosquitoes Favor Some People
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It’s often said if mosquitoes love you (or don’t love you, depending on how you look at it), you must have sweet blood. But a recent study suggests that each mosquito species is actually drawn to a specific blend of skin bacteria and body odor, explaining why they may feast on one person and leave another blissfully be. To come to this buzzworthy conclusion, researchers recruited around 120 brave volunteers in Miami and analyzed their odors in a special scent chamber as three different mosquito species buzzed about. The participants also had their forearms swabbed to identify the bacterial species on their skin. The team found that one of the species had a slight preference for male participants, while the other two demonstrated no sex bias but rather were attracted to certain scents caused by skin bacteria that feed on our sweat and natural oils. The researchers hope this new intel could help ward the bugs off with “microbial-based mosquito repellents that produce repulsive compounds or reduce attractive cues.” Fingers crossed, but in the meantime, here are some tips to make yourself less appealing to them.
Health
Yes, Your Brain Can Change After Just 1 Week of Meditation: Study
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It’s not often we get results in seven days of doing something. But that’s not the case when it comes to meditation, according to researchers. In a first-of-its-kind comprehensive study published last year, scientists examined the impact of a weeklong intensive retreat involving about 33 hours of guided meditation and group healing. The researchers collected blood samples from the 20 healthy adult participants and examined their brains with MRI scans before and after the retreat. They found that afterward, the blood samples indicated a “more flexible and adaptable” metabolism and brain activity became less pronounced in regions associated with internal mental chatter. The brain also seemed to show increased neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to change and form new neural connections. “This isn’t about just stress relief or relaxation,” study co-author Hemal Patel said in a statement, noting the brain changes following meditation were similar to ones associated with psychedelic experiences. “This is about fundamentally changing how the brain engages with reality and quantifying these changes biologically.” If you’re inspired, read about Staff Editor Rebekah Brandes’ experience meditating every day for eight weeks — or get your own practice started with a mini meditation (it’s just 1 minute!).
Science
What’s Going on Inside Your Dog’s Brain When You Smile at Them?
Laura V. Cuaya/University of Vienna
It doesn’t take much on a dog’s part to elicit a smile from their owner — or from passersby on the street, many of whom often begin cooing at the pup before even taking stock of the person holding the leash. While previous research has suggested that canines can differentiate people’s facial expressions (something any pet parent can attest to), less is known about the biology involved. A new study investigated what actually takes place inside a dog’s brain during this process, finding that images of smiling faces activated the same region that lights up when pups anticipate tasty treats. In the study, published last week in the journal iScience, researchers conducted brain scans on eight dogs while the animals were shown photos of strangers with either neutral or happy expressions. The happy faces triggered activity in the temporal cortex, which is associated with cognitive processing, and the caudate nucleus, associated with reward processing. Read our full article to learn about how dogs process other facial expressions (and seea pic of the researchers with their own participating pups).
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
A Nat Geo photographer has been showcasing Earth’s animals for 20 years — explore his “photo ark”
Despite what its rather irreverent title suggests, s.e. smith’s debut book — subtitled Practicing Good Grief in a Culture That Fears Mourning — is not about pet death. Not solely, anyway. Anecdotes about the award-winning essayist’s feline companions act as entryways into larger conversations around loss, with the goal of making the topic accessible and less taboo. Smith interviewed dozens of experts, from psychologists to death doulas, to help readers better understand grief both as individuals and as community members. For more expert insight, revisit Nice News’ guide to supporting someone who’s grieving.
Carly Simon’s first album of entirely original material in 18 years proves the “You’re So Vain” singer still has her touch for crafting tunes fans want to bop along to. Exploring themes of love, memory, and forgiveness, Comes in Waves features 12 tracks and is a family affair — both her children with ex-husband James Taylor were involved with the record. Their son is credited as a songwriter, musician, and producer, and their daughter contributed vocals and artwork, including for an illustrated lyric video accompanying lead single “Howl,” which you can listen to at the link above. The full album dropped Friday, less than a month after the 83-year-old shared that she’s been living with Parkinson’s disease.
This Week in History
The First Issue of Sports Illustrated Hits Newstands
August 16, 1954
Susan Wood—Archive Photos/Getty Images
On this day 72 years ago, sports fans picked up the glossy first issue of a new magazine covering American athletics. On the cover was a thrilling action shot of Milwaukee Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews during an evening game at Milwaukee County Stadium. It was launched by Henry Luce, the founder of Time, who — though not much of a sports fan himself — recognized a gap in the media landscape. Despite not being taken seriously by some during its early years, including in the offices of its own publisher, Sports Illustrated went on to achieve both mass readership and critical acclaim. In 1990, it became the first large-circulation title to win consecutive National Magazine Awards for general excellence. While the publication has changed hands and evolved over the past seven decades, it remains the world’s most iconic sports magazine. See a selection of classic covers.
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