Pocket Future

Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Women’s Health

How to Identify and Heal From a Toxic Relationship, According to Therapists

Plus, experts debunk the biggest myths about unhealthy relationship dynamics.

Atlas Obscura

Decoding the Design of In-Flight Seat Belts

Why we buckle up differently in cars and planes.

Afar

Charming College Towns With Off-Campus Appeal

Whether you’re touring colleges with your kids or there for extracurricular activities, these towns offer A+ fun.

Scott Young

Two Types of Growth

It’s a mistake to assume you’ll grow and improve at a steady rate.

Aeon

How to Reduce Digital Distractions: Advice From Medieval Monks

They came up with some pretty quirky tricks to stay focused, but they may have been on to something.

Nautilus

Human Emotions Are Personal Narratives

Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux on what makes our brains unique.

The Hustle

How a Real-Life Monopoly Made Monopoly the World’s Biggest Board Game

Monopoly now accounts for nearly one-third of all global board game sales, largely thanks to Hasbro’s own expansion strategy.

The Guardian

Vegetables Are Losing Their Nutrients. Can the Decline Be Reversed?

A process called biofortification puts nutrients directly into seeds and could reduce global hunger, but it’s not a magic bullet.

The Kitchn

How To Make Panna Cotta

Don’t be intimidated, it’s actually super easy.

The Conversation

To Have Better Disagreements, Change Your Words

Here are 4 ways to make your counterpart feel heard and keep the conversation going.

Stylist

What It’s Like to Get an Autism Diagnosis After Years of Being Called Difficult, Dramatic and Lazy

Sara Gibbs explores the trajectory of her life in the face of a society that perceived her quirks and exhaustion as exasperating character traits, often underestimating the pain she was in.

The Atlantic

The Case for Dating a Friend

The warmth and care of an existing friendship is a great foundation for a romantic relationship—even if it feels scary to take the leap.

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

Friday, August 8

The Guardian

Knife Throwing and Cheeseburger Spinning: The Agony and Ecstasy of Being a Viral Trickshot Video Star

Think you could throw a basketball off a 540ft dam, into a hoop – while blindfolded? Meet the talented and ludicrously patient people putting hours into the internet’s most joyful (and pointless) clips.

BBC

How ’Keep Calm and Carry On’ Became a Divisive 21st-Century Phenomenon

After a forgotten WW2 propaganda poster was discovered in 2000, it found an astounding new resonance in 21st-Century Britain – becoming an endlessly memeable template that is both cherished and mocked.

Condé Nast Traveler

16 Golden Rules That Business Travelers Swear By

People who constantly hit the road for work share what they wish they’d known from the jump.

Food52

Our 10 Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes of All Time

From crispy to chewy, we’ve collected the best of the best.

The Associated Press

The World Nearly Beat Polio. But Fake Records, an Imperfect Vaccine and Missteps Aided Its Comeback.

The World Health Organization has closed in on its bold goal of eradicating polio several times, but the paralytic virus is entrenched in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The New Yorker

The Internet Wants to Check Your I.D.

New safety rules require users to verify their identities before gaining access to sites. This spells the end of the relative anonymity that we’ve come to expect online.

Atavist

The Talented Mr. Bruseaux

He made his name in Chicago investigating race riots, solving crimes, and exposing corruption. But America’s first Black private detective was hiding secrets of his own.

The Toronto Star

What Michael Did

How does a family cope when one member — in the midst of a psychotic episode — kills another?

Bernband’s Alien Landscape Is the Perfect Place for Digital Wandering – Just Don’t Expect a Map

With distinct, discrete areas that you can visit at any time, this is not a traditional open world game, and resists gamification with the mantra ‘there’s no goal but to stroll.’

Psyche

Does Progress Seem Slower When You Constantly Check on It?

Research on how we perceive the rate of change shows how you can be strategic about goal tracking and boost your motivation.

Psyche

We’re Learning Just How Early in Life Empathy Starts to Move Us

What contagious crying, comforting hugs and other cute behaviour in infants tells us about the roots of emotional connection.

Epicurious

How to Spatchcock a Chicken, Step-by-Step

Butterfly your bird for even grilling, faster cooking, and easier carving once it’s done.

Literary Hub

Doubles, Glitches, Hallucinations, Dreams: Nine Books That Feature David Lynchian Deja Vu

Vanessa Roveto recommends Marguerite Duras, Leslie Scalapino, Joyelle McSweeney, and more.

Parents

What Parents Need to Know About Insect Bites and Encephalitis

Encephalitis cases are increasing. Here’s what parents need to know about insect bites and encephalitis.

The Marshall Project

After a Death Behind Bars, Families Struggle for Answers. This Guide Can Help.

Learn what questions to ask prison or jail officials, how to request key records and what to consider if you’re thinking about legal action.

Popular Mechanics

A Company Says It Can Predict Your Baby’s IQ Before Birth. But Where’s the Science?

The company released white paper that details how it’ll be able to screen embryos for the likelihood of 17 different diseases. But it only mentioned its IQ predictions on social media.

CNBC

What Private Assets in 401(K) Plans Mean for Investors: ‘You’re Only Asking for Trouble,’ One Advisor Says

Millions of investors may soon have access to private assets in their 401(k) or other workplace retirement plans. What to know about the risks and rewards.