Friday’s issue covers personal growth, time travel, and whatever object best explains an entire generation. Tod Perry starts with the surprisingly practical idea of a “quiet ego,” then we see historical figures reimagined for today and watch Gen X build a self-portrait out of pop culture and dead technology. Weekend achieved.
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Having a ‘quiet ego’ is a proven key to happiness and success. Here are 4 steps to developing one. | ||
Letting go can strengthen the best part of the self. | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
It’s easy to equate success with a big ego because we often see accomplished people in the public eye with large personalities. Whether it’s a loud-mouthed captain of industry, an attention-seeking athlete, or an actor who loves their own press, we see countless examples in the headlines every day. | ||
However, a landmark study by psychologist and researcher Heidi A. Wayment and her colleagues found that people who have a “quiet ego” are much better at cultivating productivity, growth, and positive self-esteem. A big reason people with a quiet ego achieve their goals is that a loud ego distracts from the task at hand. People with loud egos spend a lot of time pushing their own way, getting defensive when challenged, and going to great lengths to show themselves in a positive light, which can greatly hinder their progress. | ||
Simply put: a big ego can get in the way of achieving a goal. | ||
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When two modern-day prophets shine a light on the issues of our day, they incur the wrath of an authoritarian President. On the run, they become symbols for a movement. Lines are drawn in a battle for the soul of the country. Find out why this timely political/spiritual thriller is making waves.
We were NOT READY for the finished product! Nice work.
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Artist shows us what famous historical figures would look like in the modern world | ||
The transformations are fascinating. | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
One of the major reasons we feel disassociated from history is that it can be hard to relate to people who lived hundreds, let alone thousands, of years ago. Artist Becca Saladin is bridging that gap by creating modern-looking pictures of historical figures that show us what they’d look like today. | ||
“History isn’t just a series of stories, it was real people with real feelings. I think the work brings people a step closer to that,” she said according to Buzzfeed. | ||
Saladin has always loved archaeology and always wished to see what historical events actually looked like. She uses her digital art skills to do exactly that. | ||
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An Upworthiest Quiz
Which obsolete object gives you the strongest nostalgia hit?
Yesterday's Results
Yesterday we asked: Monkees band member Michael Nesmith’s mother invented a household-name product and later sold the company for nearly $50 million. What was it? Over 50% of you knew the answer was Liquid Paper.
Why did we ask this? We were going to run a story on the Monkees, but we bumped it to next week and decided to leave this quiz.
Liquid Paper (51.0%) 🏆
Tupperware (21.9%)
Post-it Notes (16.7%)
Silly Putty (10.4%)
Upworthiest reader, Revhyder, knows the backstory. “She originally put it in nail polish bottles.” Bette Nesmith Graham, a Dallas bank secretary, started mixing it in her kitchen in the 1950s and sold it as Mistake Out before it became Liquid Paper.
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People try to explain Gen X using only a band, a movie, a TV show, and an obsolete object | ||
There are a lot of John Hughes movies on these lists. | ||
By Cecily Knobler | ||
How to sum up a generation? It seems impossible to do, but someone on Threads found a clever way to ask what makes Gen X so Gen X. He asked followers to describe Gen X using only bands, movies, TV shows, and one wildcard object. | ||
The curious party is Matty Stratton (@mattstratton on Threads), a man who describes himself as a ’90s alternative and punk-loving “Gen X dad” from Chicago in a pinned post. His profile picture shows off his red-and-black punk-rock hair. He asks his followers: | ||
“You have to explain Gen X to a 20-year-old using only: | ||
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