If you're attending a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow and you're not cooking, that means by default you'll be aiding in the cleanup efforts. And if you want to make the process easier (and faster), consider taking a cue from professional kitchens and setting up a dish bin station, complete with different bins for different tableware and a small trash can for food scraps. Here's how to set it up.
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To get a pulse on habitat health in Washington, conservationists are collecting "Yelp reviews" from birds
How Engaging in "We Mode" May Improve Your Well-Being
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How often do you engage in "we mode"? While you may not have heard of the term, if you've ever attended a yoga class, baseball game, or concert, you've likely already participated in it. Also called physiological synchrony or "collective joy," it refers to the feeling we get from connecting with others through activities that incite positive emotions. We often experience "we mode" accidentally, but we can also cultivate it intentionally to bring more happiness into our lives. One recent study fitted some soccer game attendees with sensors to track their heart rates during an exciting pregame ritual. The authors found high levels of "emotional synchrony" among fans, even those who were not physically engaging in the ritual themselves. Co-author Dimitris Xygalatas told ABC News that group activities like this, which involve meeting and bonding with others, are crucial to psychological well-being. "There's a fundamental need for synchrony," he said. Here's how you can partake in it in your own life, according to health psychologist Kelly McGonigal: Try to attend in-person group activities that encourage you to move your body and make noise, perhaps via dancing, singing, or clapping. Then, while you're there, release any embarrassment you may feel. "You've got to do the wave at the sporting event," she said. "If you're at a group exercise class, and your instructor is like, 'Can I get a whoop, whoop?' You gotta whoop, whoop."
Together With FinanceBuzz
Avoid the Holiday Interest Trap
Between gifts, travel, and holiday gatherings, finances can be tight this time of year. But getting a new 0% intro APR credit card can help — if you have outstanding credit card debt, a no-interest card could ease the pressure while you pay down your balances. On top of all that, this top credit card identified by the FinanceBuzz experts offers an insane 5% cash-back perk that gets matched after your first year. That's up to 10% back on qualifying purchases — just in time for the holidays. Click below to see what all the hype is about.
Deep Brain Stimulation Successfully Treated Half of Depression Patients in New Trial
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A small trial led by researchers out of China and the U.K. has turned up some promising news for people experiencing anxiety or depression. Half of participants with treatment-resistant severe depression saw clinical improvement after undergoing deep brain stimulation, or DBS, and more than a third experienced an almost total elimination of their symptoms. The technique involves thin electrodes being implanted deep into the brain that transmit mild electrical pulses to correct aberrant activity. It's been used in recent years to treat a range of conditions, including — with noted success — Parkinson's disease. The study also identified a "telltale" signature of brain activity that predicted how well individual patients responded to the treatment, a breakthrough that could be used in the future to personalize treatment for those most likely to benefit, per a news release from the University of Cambridge. Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental health problems worldwide, and according to Stanford Medicine, at least 10% of Americans will be affected by it at some point in their lives. Antidepressants and cognitive therapies help many patients, but there are still high rates of treatment resistance: Current methods fail for between 3 and 5 people. Learn more about how deep brain stimulation may help.
Humanity
Gifted Savings Wants Every High Schooler to Graduate With an Investment Portfolio
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How many high schoolers have investment portfolios? In Athens, Georgia, the answer is a lot: Every eligible high school senior in the Clarke County School District has the opportunity to receive $1,000 worth of pre-determined, diversified investments. That's thanks to Gifted Savings, a nonprofit that helps give young adults the tools for long-term financial success. The org doesn't blindly hand seniors the investments — it also teaches them what to do with the money. Through a series of weekly lessons, students learn the basics of saving and investing while tracking how their portfolios fluctuate in real time. Then once they turn 18 and graduate, they gain access to their funds, "just as they're putting decisions about college, careers, and money into motion," Gifted Savings explains on its website. Two other high school pilot programs have been rolled out across the country so far, along with one adult program. And in Athens, a city with a high poverty rate, it's been a success: 90% of eligible students are currently enrolled and regularly use the program. "We also saw that their confidence in their knowledge of investing significantly increased, and also how they view their influence over the direction of their lives," Gifted Savings Executive Director Josh Landay said at TEDNext2025, per Good Good Good.
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This new device allowed a person with ALS to use his brain implant to control an iPad by thought (read more)
Giant Amazon River turtle hatchlings were released in a Brazilian reserve: Have a look (read more)
Something We Love
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Inspiring Story
From law enforcement to laundry
After retiring from his role as a canine police officer in Frederick, Maryland, Wade Milyard wanted to continue helping people. So the 45-year-old built Fresh Step Laundry, a free fluff and fold service for unhoused individuals that Milyard now runs out of his bus. "If having clean clothes can help them just a little bit, then my mission is fulfilled," he said.
Photo of the Day
Daniel Wagner/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Saxony Academy of German Bakers is already hard at work kneading dough in preparation for the 30th annual Dresden Stollen Festival, taking place Dec. 6. Held in Dresden, Germany, the event is, as you may have guessed, all about stollen, a Christmas bread coated with powdered sugar that incorporates fruit, nuts, and spices. The festival includes a parade that will march through the city's historic old town and conclude with the ceremonial cutting of a giant stollen.
Babbel's Black Friday Deal Is Too Good to Wait on
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Odds & Ends
🏠 Why one woman is bedazzling her entire house 🧀 Cheese plates that double as works of art 🤨 How to get thicker, fuller-looking brows* 🍗 Food discounts and freebies to claim on Thanksgiving *Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate
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