Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Mental Floss

24 Fascinating Facts About the Solar System

Here are 24 out-of-this-world facts about the corner of space that’s home to Earth.

SELF

5 Questions to Ask Yourself If You Think It’s Time to Dump a Friend

Does your friendship have to end or can it change instead?

The Guardian

The Heart Rate Secret: What It Reveals About Our Health—From Sleep and Alcohol to Fight or Flight

There are more and more ways to monitor our heart rates, but what do the numbers really mean? Here is everything you need to know.

Greater Good Magazine

How Much of Your Happiness Is Under Your Control?

The researchers behind the original “happiness pie chart” share what they’ve learned in the past 15 years.

The Atlantic

How a Stroke Turned a 63-Year-Old Into a Rap Legend

The story of Dr. Rapp.

The Conversation

A Hot Bath Has Benefits Similar to Exercise

A hot bath burns calories, helps control blood sugar and keeps your blood vessels healthy. What’s not to like?

Scientific American

Why Social Media Makes People Unhappy—And Simple Ways to Fix It

Research suggests platform designs make us lose track of time spent on them and can heighten conflicts, and then we feel upset with ourselves.

BBC Worklife

The ‘Hidden Talent’ That Determines Success

In our era of globalization, your job performance may depend on your “CQ”. So what is it?

Knowable Magazine

Nature, Nurture and Randomness

More than genes and upbringing determine animal personalities: There’s a good dose of chance in the mix, too.

Atlas Obscura

The Wartime Spies Who Used Knitting as an Espionage Tool

Grandma was just making a sweater. Or was she?

BBC Culture

Why Being Creative Is Good for You

What is the key to creativity, and how does it help our mental health? Beverley D’Silva speaks to author Julia Cameron and others about ’flow’, fear and curiosity.

WIRED

How to Actually Find Good Recipes Online

So many food blogs and recipe sites are full of pretty pictures but untested recipes. Don’t worry, it’s possible to find something you’ll love to cook and eat.

Popular Collections

Curated guides to the best reads on the web

Pocket Collections

The Art of Navigating Thorny Office Politics

From bad bosses to gossipy colleagues and, of course, office refrigerator drama.

Today’s Pocket Hits

Thursday, July 31

The Cut

What If a Child Was Terrified of Food?

The rise of ARFID, a new eating disorder driven not by body image but by fear.

Punch

Are Kava and Kratom Drinks Addictive?

In detox centers and online support communities, it’s called “the little blue devil.” But its real name is less insidious: “Feel Free” is a drink sold in tiny blue bottles in gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops to people 21 years or older.

The Baffler

Winging It

For those trying to overcome their fears of flying, it’s been . . . a challenging time to say the least.

Vulture

Let Your Kids Watch TV. It’s Fine.

A no-guilt screen-time guide.

Vogue

A Writer at Juliet’s Desk, Answering the World’s Love Letters

Shakespeare’s protagonist has long received letters from lovesick strangers around the globe. This writer traveled to Verona to help reply to them.

The New Yorker

Notes on Bed Rest

I spent months limiting my movement, to protect a high-risk pregnancy. How did it change me?

The Walrus

Millennials Are Becoming Caregivers Whether They’re Ready or Not

Still under 40, many are responsible for aging parents while raising kids and managing debt.

Quanta Magazine

What Can a Cell Remember?

A small but enthusiastic group of neuroscientists is exhuming overlooked experiments and performing new ones to explore whether cells record past experiences — fundamentally challenging what memory is.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

CNET

Whole Milk Is Popular Again, but Is It Right for You? We Asked Dietitians

Dietitians share why whole milk is making a comeback and if it belongs in your fridge.

Axios

Trump’s Billion-Dollar Settlement Spree

A potential $500 million settlement with Harvard would be the largest scalp to date.

Harper's Bazaar

Audiences Don’t Want Romantic Comedies Any More—They Want Romantic Horror

A gory new genre gets at the heart of our anxieties around contemporary romance and dating

The Atlantic

Why Marriage Survives

The institution has adapted, and is showing new signs of resilience.

The Conversation

How the Internet and Its Bots Are Sabotaging Scientific Research

Bots increasingly take part in scientific studies.

Gizmodo

Scientists Unveil the Shocking Truth Behind Lightning’s Mysterious Birth

A full understanding of how lightning forms in the clouds has eluded scientists, but new research promises to solve this enduring mystery.

Romper

How to Help Teachers Most If You Don’t Have Time to Volunteer

You love your kid’s teacher and know they’re underpaid. So, how can you best support your child’s teacher if you don’t have time to volunteer during the day?

Popular Mechanics

A Tiny 29-Pound Electric Motor Just Beat Everyone in Power Density

Yasa, a small British engineering company, built an over-730-horsepower beast that weighs just under 30 pounds.

Los Angeles Times

NBC’s ‘Dateline’ Hitting the Road for a Live True Crime Show — and Maybe a New Revenue Stream

News shows and networks are looking for ways to engage fans and find new revenue sources.

The Atlantic

The Dangerous Logic of CTE Self-Diagnosis

The Midtown Manhattan shooter speculated that the condition was a cause of his mental illness. But drawing that line is premature—and risky.

Reuters

Medicaid Access and Trump Tax Cuts Dominate Early 2026 US Midterm Ads

Democrats are focusing their message around access to healthcare. Republicans are countering that the tax provisions will put more money in voters’ pockets.

PS

The Surprising Link Between Eczema and Eating Disorders — and What to Do

The link between eczema and disordered eating is more common than you might think.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

CNN

‘Ozempic Face’ May Be Driving a Cosmetic Surgery Boom

“You can only refill a deflated balloon so much, and often surgical intervention is necessary.”

CNBC

Back-to-School Shopping Is More Expensive This Year — Here’s the Breakdown

This year, parents will pay more for back-to-school essentials such as pens, pencils and backpacks.

Maclean’s

Confessions of the Working Poor

I work hard, buy quality clothes and know how to fake my way through dinner-party conversations. But behind the scenes, I’m part of a fast-growing Canadian underclass.

CNBC

While the Fed Kept Its Benchmark Unchanged, Here’s What Happened to Consumer Borrowing Rates

When it meets this week, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its key short-term interest rate at its current target range — where it has stayed for all of 2025.

The New York Times

Study May Undercut Idea That Cash Payments to Poor Families Help Child Development

Rigorous new research appears to show that monthly checks intended to help disadvantaged children did little for their well-being, adding a new element to a dispute over expanded government aid.

Vox

How to Make the Hardest Choices of Your Life

From picking a career to picking a spouse, one radical philosophical idea will guide you.

CNBC

Even Many High-Earning Americans Don’t Feel Wealthy. Here’s Why

Many high earners in the U.S. still feel broke. Between lifestyle creep, debt and social pressure, even $200,000 per year doesn’t always buy peace of mind.

The Associated Press

If You Don’t Have Diabetes, Do You Really Need a Continuous Glucose Monitor?

A quarter-size device that tracks the rise and fall of sugar in your blood is the latest source of hope — and hype — in the growing buzz around wearable health technology.

NPR

The Manhattan Gunman Believed He Had CTE. What Does That Mean?

The gunman accused of killing four people in New York City suspected he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a degenerative brain disease often associated with football players.

NPR

In a First, the Senate Confirms a New CDC Director

Susan Monarez is the first director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require Senate confirmation. She’s also the first director without a medical degree in more than 70 years.

USA TODAY

Trump’s Trade Deal With the EU: What It Means for Your Wallet

The new tariff could increase prices on goods such as cars, furniture and pharmaceuticals. Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices by 1.8% in the short term, per the Yale Budget Lab.

The Guardian

‘It Would Destroy Me’: Fear of Student Loan Default Haunts US Borrowers

The Trump administration has ended the pandemic-era pause on repayments, leaving many facing colossal debts.