Spooky season is officially here, and a new survey ranked how much each state actually loves Halloween.
Turns out the most obsessed trick-or-treaters live in… Delaware, Idaho, and North Dakota. Those three scored a 4.2 out of 5 on the Halloween Spirit Scale, which basically means their houses are covered in fake cobwebs and 12-foot skeletons before October even starts.
Nipping at their heels are Alabama, California, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. So if you live there, expect to see entire neighborhoods that look like Tim Burton movie sets and parents competing for “Most Over-the-Top Front Yard” like it’s the Olympics.
But not everyone’s feeling the spooky spirit. Arizona landed dead last. Maybe it’s hard to get in the Halloween mood when it’s 102 degrees outside and your Snickers melts before it hits the candy bucket.
Wisconsin, Montana, Hawaii, South Carolina, Nebraska, Virginia, Alaska, North Carolina, and Georgia also didn’t exactly scream “boo” with enthusiasm.
Now, let’s talk candy, because Halloween isn’t Halloween without it. The average American household buys 4.5 bags of candy every year, and nearly half of us go straight for the party size bags. Altogether, 132 million households stockpile about 745.8 million pounds of candy every Halloween season.
So whether your state goes full haunted house or barely carves a pumpkin, one thing’s clear: America runs on sugar, costumes, and a little bit of chaos. And for some of us, spooky season doesn’t end…it just hibernates until next August.
Hallmark loves to tell us we’re “older and wiser” every year. Cute. But according to science, your brain is basically on a rollercoaster: it climbs, it peaks, and then… it nosedives.
A new study in the journal Intelligence found that the human brain hits peak performance between ages 55 and 60. That’s when your life experience, judgment, and wisdom finally outweigh the fact that you just Googled “how to Google.”
Here’s the ride in a nutshell:
Fluid intelligence (reasoning, memory, mental speed) maxes out in your early 20s. So yes, you peaked at Mario Kart in college. It’s been downhill ever since.
Crystallized intelligence (all that random trivia you collect over the years) just keeps building. By your 50s, you’re basically a lesser-Wikipedia… with back pain.
Personality traits like patience and emotional stability improve as you get older.
Moral reasoning sharpens with age, meaning you actually know right from wrong. Too bad it arrives decades after you needed it in your 20s.
Financial literacy keeps improving into your 60s. That’s right around the time you finally pay off your student loans.
Cognitive flexibility and empathy start to fade with age, so if your parents can’t figure out TikTok or don’t care about your vibe check, cut them some slack.
So yes, the sweet spot is late 50s. You’re wise, savvy, and make solid decisions… basically the Yoda years of your brain. But after that, it’s a slow slide into “What’s my password again?” territory.
The researchers say this mental peak matters most for business and politics. Which is science’s polite way of hinting that maybe, just maybe, 80-year-old senators shouldn’t be the ones steering the ship.
If you’ve ever wondered how much money the world’s biggest athletes are pulling in, the 2025 rankings just dropped, and the numbers are jaw-dropping.
Spoiler alert: Cristiano Ronaldo is still living that gold-plated lifestyle at the very top.
The soccer superstar takes the crown as the highest-paid athlete of 2025 with a staggering $275 million paycheck. Yes, that’s a quarter of a billion dollars in one year. He’s not just kicking goals on the field, he’s cashing in on global endorsements, sponsorships, and the sheer fact that his name is basically a brand.
Right behind him is NBA sharpshooter Stephen Curry, who secured the #2 spot with $156 million. Not bad for a guy who turned three-pointers into an art form. And rounding out the top three is heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who punched his way to $146 million.
Here’s the full Top 10 list of sports money kings in 2025:
Cristiano Ronaldo – $275 million
Stephen Curry – $156 million
Tyson Fury – $146 million
Dak Prescott – $137 million
Lionel Messi – $135 million
LeBron James – $133.8 million
Juan Soto – $114 million
Karim Benzema – $104 million
Shohei Ohtani – $102.5 million
Kevin Durant – $101.4 million
What’s wild is how varied this list is. You’ve got athletes from soccer, basketball, baseball, football, and even boxing all cashing in huge. It’s proof that if you’re elite in your sport and marketable off the field, the checks will keep rolling in.
Also worth noting: both Messi and LeBron may be closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, but they’re still sitting comfortably in the top six.
Legends don’t just fade, they keep cashing those endorsement deals. Meanwhile, Juan Soto is one of the youngest on the list, showing baseball still has the power to mint mega-stars.
At the end of the day, these numbers are so massive they almost don’t feel real. But whether it’s Ronaldo’s global empire, Curry’s sneaker legacy, or Fury’s pay-per-view paydays, the takeaway is simple: sports are not just games, they’re billion-dollar businesses.
Hollywood star Anna Kendrick may have had a real-life cryptid moment in Scotland.
While visiting the set of “The Traitors” earlier this year, Kendrick says she experienced something straight out of a Scottish legend.
According to the actress, her trip included a stop at Loch Ness, the famous body of water linked to one of the world’s best-known mysteries. Kendrick described herself as a skeptic, lumping Nessie in with UFOs and Bigfoot. But that didn’t stop her from feeling like she was part of the myth for a second.
“The trip was incredible, we went all round Scotland. We went to Loch Ness. And I’m a card-carrying skeptic. It’s like UFOs and Bigfoot, what are we talking about?” Kendrick told reporters.
Then she dropped the moment that sent fans buzzing.
“There was a thing and it came out of the water and it looked right at me. It might have actually just been one suspicious ripple. But I’m telling you there was something. I felt it.”
Kendrick didn’t say whether she snapped a photo, but her playful confession is already making the rounds online. Social media users are joking that she should call Charlie Sheen, who once famously claimed he was hunting mythical creatures himself.
Whether it was Nessie or just a wave, Kendrick’s story fits neatly into the Loch Ness legend, which dates back to the 6th century but really took off in the 1930s after a famous (and later debunked) photo of the “monster” hit newspapers. Sightings have continued ever since, despite decades of scientific surveys finding no hard evidence.
Still, the myth endures, and Kendrick’s experience adds one more name to the long list of believers—or at least curious witnesses. Even skeptics like her can’t resist the magic of Loch Ness.
If waiting in line gives you flashbacks to the DMV or makes your blood pressure spike, here’s some science-y good news: being forced to wait might actually be great for your brain.
A new study suggests that learning to tolerate delays can boost self-control, reduce impulsive decision-making, and even make you happier—if you play your cards right.
Sure, no one likes waiting. If you surveyed 100 people, maybe two would say they enjoy it—and one of them might be lying. But researchers say reframing how we experience those inevitable pauses in life can make a surprising difference.
Here’s how waiting works in your favor:
It sharpens your self-control. Waiting is basically a workout for your patience muscles. The more you practice staying calm during delays, the better you get at regulating your emotions and avoiding snap judgments. Think of it like mental resistance training—minus the gym membership.
It helps you avoid impulsive choices. Ever fired off an email and instantly regretted it? Or bought something online that you didn’t need but really wanted for 30 seconds? Pausing before you act—whether it’s a purchase or a reply—gives your brain a chance to cool off. Waiting, in this case, is like putting your decision-making on ice until the emotional heat dies down.
It can actually be fun (really). Anticipation is a powerful drug. Sometimes, the countdown to a vacation or event is more exciting than the thing itself. Psychologists call this “savoring,” and it’s a big part of why waiting can be enjoyable. Make a game out of it, build suspense, or just let yourself enjoy the buildup.
Instead of seeing waiting as dead time or a personal affront, try thinking of it as a brain break. Take a breath, zone out, or reflect. It’s a rare excuse to slow down without guilt—and your brain might just thank you for it.
So the next time you’re stuck behind someone writing a check in the grocery line (who still does that?!), try to channel your inner zen. Or at least remember: science says you’re doing something good for your mental health.
How much do Americans hate sitting on hold with customer support?
A poll found over a quarter of us would rather do our taxes, go to the dentist, or stand in line at the DMV. (We’re not sure we buy it, but over one in five also said they’d rather spend a night in jail or shave their head.)
Only 46% of customer service issues actually get resolved. It takes an average of three attempts and 90 minutes on hold to make it happen.
Here are the five most annoying things that can happen when dealing with customer support:
1. Having to repeat details when you’re transferred or get disconnected.
2. Having to call or email multiple times to solve a problem.
3. Only having one option to reach out. Like you have to call, no emails.
4. Not being able to reach a real person quickly and easily.
5. Terrible hold music.
A few more that made the top ten include: A bad connection, or having a hard time hearing them… not being able to resolve an issue online… and too many button options, like “To talk to a customer service rep, press 9.”
Taylor Swift is famous for tearing guys down in her music. But on the new album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, she’s building them up. And I mean seriously up.
There’s a track called “Wood,” and it’s, well, exactly what it sounds like—a passionate ode to Travis Kelce’s equipment. And the lyrics? Let’s just say subtlety has left the stadium.
Take this verse:
“Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me and opened my eyes / Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see / His love was the key that opened my thighs.”
Then there’s this one:
“Girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet, mm / To know a hard rock is on the way / And baby, I’ll admit, I’ve been a little superstitious / The curse on me was broken by your magic wand.”
And if that wasn’t enough, she seals the deal with, “Seems to be that you and me, we make our own luck / New Heights of manhood / I ain’t gotta knock on wood.”
At this point, Taylor could probably just name the song “Travis’ Penis” and call it a day.
But Swifties aren’t stopping there. The fandom’s detective squad thinks they’ve uncovered even more evidence about, um, the scale of Travis’s influence. “Wood” clocks in at exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds—230 millimeters, for those doing the math, is nine inches. Oh, and it’s track number nine on the album. Coincidence? Her fans think not.
Naturally, the internet has thoughts. X (formerly Twitter) exploded with reactions ranging from laughter to outright admiration. One viral post joked, “‘Wood’ joining the list of Taylor Swift songs played at every wedding for the rest of time makes me so happy.”
Even Nicki Minaj chimed in, tweeting that the track was “EXACTLY what I needed tonight.” Same, Nicki. Same.
Whether or not Taylor meant to confirm what we all suspect, The Life of a Showgirl proves one thing for sure: no one teases a mystery—or a metaphor—quite like Taylor Swift.
Green poop, Princess Leia’s bikini, and Justin Bieber’s ‘baby’ maker. Here’s what was in the news 10 years ago this week.
Burger King’s Halloween Whopper was turning people’s poop green
Spookiest fast food item ever? Health experts told people not to worry. Food coloring in the Whopper’s black bun was the likely culprit. The festive fecal fiasco even inspired its own couple’s costume that year.
Justin Bieber stepped out onto a balcony fully naked
He was vacationing in Bora Bora with British model Jayde Pierce when the paparazzi caught him stepping out in his birthday suit. Fans were impressed with what he was packing. Justin’s dad even decided to (oddly) weigh in, tweeting, “What do you feed that thing. #proud daddy.” 👀
The weirdest stuff people ever got trick-or-treating
A BuzzFeed list went viral after readers were asked to name the weirdest thing they (or their kid) ever got while trick-or-treating. Answers included “potato salad in a plastic bag,” “condoms,” and “a pack of cigarettes.” Good job, America.
The skimpy, metallic wardrobe item from “Return of the Jedi”fetched $96k at an auction of Hollywood memorabilia. It turned out to be a pretty solid investment, selling again in 2024 for $175,000.
Steve Irwin’s daughter – just 17 at the time – broke down in tears at the end of her contemporary dance routine with partner Derek Hough. Her little brother Robert Irwin was in the audience. A decade later, he’d appear on the show as well. His shirtless routine prompted Chippendales to offer him a contract.
A study found these states are the most “normal”
“Business Insider“ used 40 different metrics to rank all 50 states according to how “normal” they are. Most Normal: Indiana, Missouri, Oregon, North Carolina, and Michigan. Weirdest: Hawaii, Alaska, California, New York, and Utah.
First woman to announce MLB postseason game
ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza (sitting alongside John Kruk and Dan Shulman) became the first woman to ever call a nationally televised postseason game. The Astros beat the Yankees 3-0 in that one, but the Kansas City Royals would go on to become World Series champs a few weeks later, beating the New York Mets in five games.
An NBA player drove 95 miles to fight an NBA coach
Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes reportedly found out Knicks coach (and former Lakers teammate) Derek Fisher was shtupping his wife. Media outlets reported that Barnes drove 95 miles from Santa Barbara to kick Fisher out of his home. Cops were called, but Fisher was gone by the time they got there and no one pressed charges.
4 in 5 people said they’d rather work in solitude
80% of people polled said they preferred working alone because they felt their office work environment was “hostile” or “unhelpful.” COVID would eventually hold their feet to the fire on that one five years later.
“Boob Spelled Backwards Is Boob”
It was like “We Are the World” for boobies! A ton of big stars pitched in on a charity single called “Boob Spelled Backwards Is Boob“ for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. San Francisco DJ Mike Nelson was behind the project – his wife Christi was battling breast cancer, and their eight-year-old son wrote the lyrics.
Featured artists included Florence Welch, Noel Gallagher, Hozier, Michael Franti, Graham Nash, The Grateful Dead, and more. Christi kept fans updated and inspired during her decade-long cancer battle. (Her family got another 10 amazing years with her! Sadly, she passed away in Sept 2025.)
George Lucas gave the world Star Wars, lightsabers, and Darth Vader’s iconic breathing, but even die-hard fans admit his dialogue could be… let’s say clunky.
Mark Hamill just reminded everyone of that fact by revealing one line from the original film that he flat-out dreaded saying—and is still grateful never made it to the screen.
The scene was supposed to happen as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo approached the Death Star in the Millennium Falcon. Han was ready to turn back, but Luke had other ideas. Lucas’s original dialogue for Luke went like this:
“But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilea or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed toward a large-scale assault.”
Yes, that’s one sentence.
Hamill explained that while the line technically made sense, there was no natural way to deliver it. He said, “As a sentence, it makes sense. But to make it sound like it’s an original thought that just occurred to you and deliver it in a spontaneous way is really, really hard.”
Luckily, the line was cut before filming. Imagine Luke Skywalker trying to sound inspiring while rattling off what basically sounds like a military textbook footnote.
This moment isn’t unique in the galaxy far, far away. Fans often joke about Lucas’s dialogue, pointing to lines like Anakin Skywalker’s infamous “I don’t like sand” speech in the prequels. But Hamill’s story is a reminder that sometimes the best edits in Hollywood aren’t about flashy effects or reshoots—they’re about knowing when not to force actors into a word salad.
In the end, Luke Skywalker’s journey still became one of cinema’s most beloved arcs, without a detour through Aquilea and Sullust. And Hamill? He’s still thanking the Force for sparing him that verbal obstacle course.
British actors Anthony Daniels, Alec Guinness and American Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Written, directed and produced by Georges Lucas. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
