Pocket-Worthy Reads

Stories to fuel your mind

Allure

How to Lucid Dream (and Enjoy It), According to Experts

Contrary to what TikTok says, it doesn't have to be scary.

Popular Science

Quantum Computers Can’t Teleport Things—Yet

It’s almost impossible to simulate a good wormhole without more qubits.

Smithsonian Magazine

An Evolutionary Timeline of Homo Sapiens

Scientists share the findings that helped them pinpoint key moments in the rise of our species.

Scott Young

The Art of Unlearning

We must let go of something we thought we understood to make way for a new understanding.

Fatherly

How To Give Constructive Criticism That’s Actually Constructive

Go easy on the compliment sandwich, and other tips to help you become a go-to advice giver.

The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

The Good Luck of Your Bad Luck

Marcus Aurelius on the Stoic strategy for weathering life’s waves and turning suffering into strength.

BBC Future

Why Some People Can Deal With The Cold

A gene mutation that allowed our ancestors to venture north might also give some of us a competitive sporting advantage.

Atlas Obscura

The Brief, Baffling Life of an Accidental New York Neighborhood

Welcome to Haberman, Queens: Population 0.

Stylist

How to Identify the 4 Subtle Steps a Narcissist Takes Before Invading Your Life

How to recognize even the most subtle and covert phases of narcissistic control, according to a psychologist.

The Guardian

How to Spot a Liar: 10 Essential Tells – From Random Laughter to Copycat Gestures

An ex-FBI agent, a psychologist and a fraud investigator share their best tips for detecting dishonesty.

MIT Press Reader

Alphonse Bertillon and the Troubling Pursuit of Human Metrics

To measure was to apprehend and be made accountable, and nowhere was this more resonant than in the identification and classification of criminals.

Vogue

The Best Places in the World to Travel Solo

Relish the opportunity to adventure alone.

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

Sunday, July 27

The Guardian

How Video Games Are Keeping Romance Alive – One Level at a Time

Some are using Final Fantasy and GTA Online as dating sites and long-time lovers are finding comfort and connection through Resident Evil. Could video games be the ultimate relationship tool?

Slate

The Rise of the One-Day Overseas Vacation

In the age of remote work, Instagram reels, and shrinking PTO, the one-day international trip is becoming both absurd and strangely relatable.

NBC News

The Deadliest Extreme Weather Event Is Not What You Think It Is

Nationally, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than any other weather event, including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

The Associated Press

Photos Show a Filipino Couple Walking Down a Flooded Aisle on Their Wedding Day

Jade Rick Verdillo and Jamaica Aguilar were determined to walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

The New Yorker

Mary Had Schizophrenia—Then Suddenly She Didn’t

Some psychiatric patients may actually have treatable autoimmune conditions. But what happens to the newly sane?

Esquire

What I Didn’t Understand About My Autistic Son, and What I’m Learning Now That He’s an Adult

I have opened my heart and my mind to Sam, and he’s brought both of us to the place we so desperately need to be.

Vox

Why Your Energy Bill Is Suddenly So Much More Expensive

And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

The Guardian

Why Are Thailand and Cambodia Engaged in a Border Conflict?

Territory mapped during France’s colonial rule is behind clash that has exposed tensions between the countries.

Recommended Reads

Curated by Pocket

SELF

5 High-Protein Vegan and Vegetarian Breakfasts to Power Your Morning

Eating plant-based may be good for the environment (not to mention you!), but it can make it tougher to get enough of certain nutrients from food alone, including one key macro: protein.

The Cut

All I Wanted Was to Be the Popular Girl. My Teen Doesn’t Care About That.

How my 14-year-old daughter taught me to butt out and let her be.

The Hustle

The Only State Without a Walgreens Pharmacy

Many independent pharmacies are in turmoil throughout the US. But a unique law has made North Dakota a haven for mom-and-pop operators.

BBC

Tracee Ellis Ross’ Top Tips for Travelling Solo

The Black-ish actor is her own favourite travel companion. Here are her top tips for taking on the world one destination at a time, all on your own. When Tracee Ellis Ross needs to unwind, she books a trip with her favourite travel companion: herself.

POLITICO Europe

Inside the Wild World of Britain’s Private Spies

Lucrative, freewheeling — and largely unregulated — private intelligence and security firms are booming in the land of James Bond and John le Carré.

NPR

Dear Life Kit: My Friend Says Ugly Things About Her Body and It Makes Me Anxious

Body-acceptance advocate Katie Sturino and Ronald Young Jr., host of the podcast Weight for It, answer listener questions about body image, weight loss drugs and bullying.

HuffPost

These 8 Common Habits Could Increase Your Risk of Dementia

These common daily behaviors can impact your cognitive health – and take a toll on your overall health, too.

Real Simple

This Shrub Is Ideal for Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard—and It’s So Easy to Grow

This charming shrub will bring all the pollinators to your yard, and it’ll look good while doing it.

Inc. Magazine

How HR Uses AI to Stay Human

A postcard from tomorrow’s workplace: how leaders balance technology and human connection.

Capital B

Black Women Fight for Life in Houston’s Most Toxic — and Gentrifying — Neighborhood

In Settegast, where the average person dies before retirement age, Black women battle environmental racism and a record increase in cost of living.

Martha Stewart

9 Potted Plants That Thrive on a Shaded Porch, According to Gardening Experts

You don’t need full sun to grow beautiful plants. These varieties can thrive even when grown in containers on a shady porch.

Time

How the Fantastic Four Shaped the Future of Superheroes

The new Fantastic Four movie marks the return to prominence of four influential superheroes.

Life Hacks

Tips for better living

Kiplinger

Are You an Auto Theft Target? Discover the Clues

Thieves seized over 850,000 cars last year. See which models, states and behaviors draw the eyes of opportunists.

NPR

Home Sales Are Down. So Why Are Prices at an All-Time High?

Those with equity in a home can trade up more easily, while many first-time homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines.

Fast Company

How to Go From Quiet to Commanding

An executive coach offers introverts five tips for sounding more confident. You’re smart, capable, and consistently deliver results. But in meetings, your voice disappears.

The Week

How Will the New Tax Deductions on Auto Loans Work?

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited.

Time

What to Say to Someone With Cancer 

Some well-meaning phrases don’t always go over well.

The Guardian

‘Old People Are Capable of More’: Meet the Female Weightlifters in Their 70s and 80s

Forget the stereotype of the frail old woman who needs help carrying groceries – fitness mavens like Joan MacDonald show you can strength train at any age.

USA TODAY

Estate Sales Are Booming. Thank Gen Z

Environmentally-conscious young people are heading to estate sales for low cost, well-made products.

USA TODAY

Young People Always Worry About Social Security. Older People Are Joining Them.

Americans are worrying more about Social Security, and the Trump administration may be partly to blame.  In an AARP survey released July 22, only 36% of Americans voiced confidence in the future of the retirement trust fund, down from 43% in 2020.

NPR

Doctors Urge FDA to Remove Black Box Warning on Hormone Therapy for Menopause

The FDA may remove the warning labels on hormone replacement therapies used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Doctors say the warning is scaring people who could benefit from these treatments.

NPR

You Can’t Outrun a Bad Diet. Food Not Lack of Exercise Fuels Obesity, Study Finds

One explanation for the rise in obesity in industrialized countries is that people burn fewer calories than people in countries where obesity is rare. A major study finds that’s not the case.

Axios

Social Security Recipients Set to Face an $18,000 Benefit Cut in Just Seven Years

Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the “big, beautiful bill,” per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

NPR

What Borrowers Should Know About Student Loan Changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill

If you’re a federal student loan borrower or about to become one, your head may be spinning.