Must Reads

• Scroll through designer-approved teen bedrooms from TV shows and movies
  ​
• Next time you’re feeling distressed, remember this three-letter acronym​

Culture

Reading (and Listening to) Books Opens Up a World of Better Well-Being, Report Finds

Books can boost empathy, vocabulary, memory, and, per a recent report, your overall well-being. Commissioned by Storytel and published last month, the survey also found that the wellness benefits of digging into a good story held true whether you’re reading or listening.
​
“The more we read or listen — regardless [of] format — the better we feel,” Storytel Group’s CEO Bodil Eriksson Torp wrote in the introduction to The 2026 Story Report, which explored the link between reading and audiobook habits and general wellness. She added: “We don’t just read to escape our busy lives; we read to enrich our lives.”
​
The report surveyed 5,077 people aged 18 to 79 from five different European countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, and Bulgaria). It found that those who read or listened to books in the past six months self-rated their well-being higher than non-listeners. Voracious readers won’t be surprised that the findings align with other research on the topic.
​
The survey also looked into books as an antidote to kids’ screen time, with the majority of respondents noting that their children are “calmer, more focused, and even smarter when listening to audiobooks.”
​
Inspired to read? Here’s a list of lesser-known works from popular authors and some of Ann Patchett’s must-reads.

Together With Miso Robotics

From a Caltech Garage to a $1 Trillion Market

In 2016, some innovative Caltech robotics students set out to transform fast food. That first garage-built prototype became Miso Robotics’ famous Flippy Fry Station AI robot.
​
Since then, Flippy has worked over 200,000 hours in live kitchens alongside human employees for brands like White Castle, frying more than 5 million baskets of food. Now Miso has just acquired technology rights for a food robotics early-mover that adds around 300 new patents to its portfolio, expanding it 10X in size to grow its moat.
​
​Flippy represents a $4 billion/year revenue opportunity in the U.S. alone. And it’s just one piece of Miso’s restaurant AI and robotics platform. Big-name brands like Jersey Mike’s and Cinnabon just became customers. Industry powerhouse Ecolab already invested. Join 40,000 people and become an early-stage shareholder in Miso today. Hurry for bonus shares.​

This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics’ Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com.

Humanity

Want to Get Hitched at a Welsh Pub? New UK Law May Soon Make That Possible

The U.K. government may soon relax some rules in the name of love, allowing couples to tie the knot (pretty much) wherever their hearts desire — be it a beach, a pub, a castle, or right at home. Under the proposed legislation, which likely won’t take effect until next year if passed, the main requirement for a legal marriage ceremony would be having a registered officiant who signs off on the location of choice.
​
As of now, couples in Wales and England must go to a pre-approved licensed venue to get married or join a civil partnership (Scotland and Northern Ireland enjoy fewer constraints). Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy told the BBC it’s a restriction that has “not kept pace with the social and cultural changes that have shaped modern Britain.”
​
Lammy added: “They say you can’t put a price on love — but too often, the cost of weddings puts this commitment out of reach. That’s why I’m reforming archaic rules, so couples have more freedom to say ‘I do’ on their own terms, while strengthening safeguards to protect the meaning and permanence of marriage.”

Environment

Okefenokee Swamp Park Is Close to Becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site

This month, Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp may get word that it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, joining the likes of Grand Canyon National Park and the Colosseum.
​
Known as the “Land of Trembling Earth,” the more than 400,000-acre wildlife reserve is the largest blackwater swamp in North America, housing endangered birds, thousands of alligators, and a window into the past. “This is almost exactly how it was hundreds of years ago,” Hunter Barber, operations and facilities manager of the Okefenokee Swamp Park, told Georgia Public Broadcasting. He added, “If you come out and do a camping trip, you’re going to see the stars like you’ve not seen in a long time.”
​
The hope is that the designation, determined by an ongoing UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting, would ensure the land is protected for generations to come. (Regular Nice News readers may remember the swamp was threatened by a mining attempt, which was thankfully put to a halt last year thanks to a purchase by The Conservation Fund.) UNESCO status would also potentially draw more visitors to come and see the beauty for themselves.
​
“We want to celebrate it,” said Okefenokee Swamp Park Executive Director Kim Bednarek. “We want to share, and we want to educate the public on what makes it so wonderful.” Take a (virtual) boat tour through the swamp.​

Global Good

🇬🇷 Speaking of: Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Greece, is also seeking UNESCO World Heritage status (read more)
​
🇦🇺 Identical quadruplets were born in a 1-in-15-million pregnancy in Australia — see the girls and learn their names (read more)
​
🇵🇰 A modified motorcycle opened up a Pakistani man’s world after he lost his legs in an accident (read more)
​
🇮🇹 Rome is offering free movie screenings in air-conditioned cinemas to help residents beat the heat (read more)
​
🇬🇭 Meet a conservationist in Ghana on a mission to save one of the most threatened fish in the ocean (read more)

Inspiring Story

A compliment with more meaning than most

​

NPR’s My Unsung Hero series is a trove of inspiring stories, including this most recent one: Years ago, Susan Greenstein Prescott was scared to recite a poem in high school English class because of her stutter, but when she recited it one-on-one to her English teacher, he told her that he liked listening to her voice. It was a seemingly small moment that had a big impact on how she thought about public speaking and herself. “I think in his mind it was so minor and he wanted me to understand I have nothing to be afraid of,” she said, adding: “I don’t know where I would’ve gone if I felt like I had to keep my voice quiet because I was afraid of embarrassing myself.”

Photo of the Day

15 BABY is right. On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox scored their 15th consecutive win, the most games they’ve won in a row since 1946’s 15-game winning stretch. The streak ended just a few hours later, after the second game of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles — but there’s still plenty of season left to top the record.

Tello: Save on Your Phone Plan Without Sacrificing Quality

Tello believes that phone plans should be simple and flexible, not complex contracts that lock you in with various fees. The wireless service offers affordable plans with reliable nationwide 5G coverage on America’s largest network, without the long-term commitment — and you can keep your phone and number. Now through July 31, Tello’s back-to-school promotion offers a 10 GB plan for just $10 for the first three months of service.

Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡

Up This Weekend

1. WNBA All-Star Game: The WNBA’s top players will gather at Chicago’s United Center for the All-Star Game Saturday night — check out the team rosters​
   ​
2. London Wing Fest: Billing itself as “the world’s largest chicken wing festivals,” the U.K. Wing Fest series is landing in London this weekend, serving up some spicy concoctions for the bravest attendees
   ​
3. National Disability Independence Day: This commemorates the July 26, 1990, signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation protecting people with disabilities from discrimination (dig into the history here)
   ​

The Nice News merch collaboration with Because Weekend is all about celebrating optimism and making every day feel like the weekend. To help us spread that ethos beyond the inbox, shop our collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts here.

​

Odds & Ends

😌 A phone to keep you away from your phone
​
🥯 The scoop on Philadelphia’s lactose-free cream cheese
​
☀️ Marisa Tomei on why collagen alone might not work (and what she does instead)*
​
✍️ Noted: Advice on aging happily, per Ted Danson
​

*Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate

Quote of the Day

“Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint.”

– ROBERT FROST