The Wonder Reader
Welcome to The Wonder Reader, a weekly guide to the new and classic Atlantic stories that will fascinate and delight you. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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Paul Popper / Popperfoto / Getty The Decline of Strict Etiquette
As social norms relax, new behaviors can pop up to take their place.
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Liana Finck Finding Happiness in Middle Age
That period of life can yield a singular form of satisfaction, our writers argue.
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Westend61 / Getty A Do-Nothing Day Makes Life Better
Lounging around can free up time for things beyond your to-do list.
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Peter Garritano for The Atlantic What Air Travel Reveals About Humans
Airports are good places to watch people being themselves.
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Adam Maida / The Atlantic Can Low Expectations Make You Happy?
The case for appreciating what’s in front of you
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Oliver Munday Why We Lose Our Friends as We Age
The act of choosing friendships is what gives them value.
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Concept by Delcan & Co; photograph by The … Your Lying Mind
We’re hardwired to delude ourselves, science suggests. What can we do about it?
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primo-piano / Getty Why Americans Love Coffee So Much
The beverage is capitalism’s favorite drug.
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Natalie Andrewson Why Do We Sleep?
Sleep is both a need and a ritual.
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Illustration by Chloe Scheffe; Annie Spratt / Unsplash Why You Already Forgot That Book Plot
It’s not all the internet’s fault.
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Carl Court / Getty What Snow Days Mean to Adults
An ode to a natural gift that could melt away
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Hugh Thompson / Katie Martin / The Atlantic Why Are We Awkward?
The science behind our most graceless moments
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Justin Fantl Why We Buy What We Do
How our brains get tricked into spending money
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NASA / ESA / Hubble Heritage Team How Vast Is the Cosmos, Really?
Life is an accident of space and time.
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Harold M. Lambert / Getty Why We Eat Together
Human food rituals are unique to our species.
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Tom Kelley / Getty Everything We Know About Dreams
And everything we don’t know
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Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters The Secrets of Language
Human speech is full of little magic tricks.
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Balarama Heller Ghost Stories for Nonbelievers
“Fear is a condiment, like Cayenne pepper; a little is an excellent relish.”
