Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Knowable Magazine

The Psychopathic Path to Success

Research is reframing psychopathic tendencies, an often sensationalized and maligned set of traits, and finding some positive twists.

Scientific American

Understanding the Power of Comfort Foods

The comfort food premise may be a very deliberate social construct.

The Washington Post

These Are the Most Fulfilling Jobs in America

When we looked at new data on which jobs give you the most pride or satisfaction, or serve the community best, one job took the top spot in every category.

Kiplinger

5 Financial Red Flags in Relationships

Financial warning signs are crucial to building a secure future with your partner.

Fast Company

5 Common Workplace Bullies (And How To Deal With Them)

Do you work with one of these types of bullies? Here’s how to cope.

The Hustle

The People Making Millions off Listerine Royalties

A little-known provision in a 100-year-old contract opened up the door for private investors to mint money from mouthwash sales.

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

Ghost Hunting and Interactive Art: The Weird Afterlife of Xbox Kinect

Microsoft’s motion-sensing gaming camera was released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. Artists, roboticists and more are still finding new ways to use it.

MIT Press Reader

The Dark Radiance of Atomic Bomb Literature

The more we expose ourselves to the prose of the victims, the more visibility we give them.

Teen Vogue

151 Actually-Interesting Questions to Get to Know Someone

Get ready for some silly topics.

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.

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.

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

Saturday, August 9

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.

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.

The Hollywood Reporter

Last Call for Late Night

After 70 years of tucking America into bed, it looks like the curtain is about to come down on the late night genre. What’s being lost is more than a TV tradition but a backdrop for some of America’s most memorable moments.

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.

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.

Saveur

That Chewy, Bouncy Texture You Love Has a Name

Whether in boba tea, cuttlefish, rice noodles, or cassava dough, the texture of QQ connects people across cultures and generations.

Lifehacker

Are ‘Ultra-Processed’ Foods Really That Bad for You?

They’ve been linked to heart disease and other health conditions.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

Vanity Fair

Inside the Castle of Mey, the Scottish Getaway King Charles Inherited From His Grandmother

With a scandalous history, the Castle was claimed by the Queen Mother in the 1950s, and has been a royal favorite ever since.

Parents

The Best and Worst States to Have a Baby in 2025

WalletHub looked at 31 key measures of cost and health care accessibility to put together the list.

Business Insider

Trump’s 401(K) Executive Order Marks Big Changes for Retirement Savings — and Possibly Puts Your Money at Risk

Trump’s 401(k) executive order lets retirement plans invest in private equity. Experts fear this change adds risk to retirement savings portfolios.

Discover

One Small Genetic Tweak May Stop Mosquitoes From Spreading Malaria

Mosquitoes can spread a deadly parasite that causes malaria. Learn how experts are using CRISPR to change the mosquito’s genome to stop this spread.

Reuters

American Nazis: The Aryan Freedom Network Is Riding High in Trump Era

Wearing cargo shorts, flip-flops and a baseball cap shading his eyes from the sun, Dalton Henry Stout blends in easily in rural America.

Texas Monthly

Meet the 71-Year-Old Texan Who Broke a Big Record on a Tiny Boat

The Great Loop adventure of Robert Youens and his ‘Ageless Wanderer’ captured the world.

Variety

Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Sheridan and John Krasinski Among Hitmakers Paramount Skydance Needs to Keep Happy

Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Sheridan and John Krasinski are among the biggest names with first-look deals with Paramount Skydance.

Inverse

How Star Trek Gave a Deep-Cut Character an Indiana Jones Reboot

‘Strange New Worlds’ is not giving us our father’s Roger Korby. In a new interview, Inverse catches up with Cillian O’Sullivan to get his take on what makes his character so different.

Gizmodo

NASA Told to Overhaul Its Plans to Replace the International Space Station

A new Trump administration directive seeks to radically change NASA’s vision for a continued astronaut presence in low Earth orbit.

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.

Vox

It’s Supposed to Be Yelp for Men. There Are Some Problems.

Whisper networks apps are a bad idea, and not just because they make guys mad.

Real Simple

10 Summer Flowers That Peak in Late August

Add these bold and beautiful blooms to your garden now to brighten up any boring spots for the late summer and fall. Try common favorites like hydrangea, sunflowers, and echinacea, or unique choices like lisianthus and balloon flowers.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

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.

SELF

9 Exercises for Knee Pain to Help You Move (and Feel) Better

Strengthen and stretch your way to happier joints.

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.

Kiplinger

Are You Leaving Money on the Table? Four Strategies to Free up Stuck Investments

From forgotten 401(k)s to outdated asset allocations, stuck money can hurt your retirement. Here’s what to do about it.

SELF

5 Injuries ER Doctors See All the Time—and How to Avoid Them

You might be surprised by the seemingly innocuous behaviors that cause them.

NPR

Why Short Breaks to Move Around Are Crucial for Your Creative Process

When bestselling author Kelly Corrigan’s creativity runs low or her mood turns, she doesn’t power through. Here are her tips for connecting your body to your creative process and getting unstuck.

SELF

5 Things Every ‘Conflict Avoidant’ Person Should Do Before Any Difficult Conversation

The word “conflict” usually brings to mind raised voices or awkward tension—outcomes most people would rather avoid.

Allure

Inside the World of Professional Back-Scratching

“I just want to pay someone to tickle my back.”

Cup of Jo

What’s It Like to Date While Disabled?

I always call my childhood best friend after a date. Here’s why.

The Guardian

My Scar Makes Beach Outings an Ordeal. How Can I Care Less About It?

You don’t need to love your scar to feel confident – but you can retrain your brain to care about it less.

The Conversation

Are You in a Mid-Career to Senior Job? Don’t Fear AI – You Could Have This Important Advantage

If you have decades of work experience, your skills may be exactly what’s needed to harness AI’s power, without falling into its traps.

The Conversation

Vaccines Hold Tantalizing Promise in the Fight Against Dementia

A prominent Nature study and related research raise the possibility that vaccines may have a broader role in experimental therapeutics outside the realm of infectious diseases.