Why the Super Rich Need to Stop Whining, The Data Behind ‘Status Anxiety’ and When Daydreaming Goes Bad

Good news, everybody: You no longer have to scroll for hours through your Instagram feed just to see how good all your friends have it and despair. Well, maybe you do, if things have really taken a turn for the worse. But if you think the people around you are doing that much better than you are, be sure to consider the data first.

Must Read

“Bill Gates and the New Class of Wealth Whiners“
Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax has scared a lot of very rich, old, white dudes. Bill Gates, for example, has made it clear that Warren’s tax plan is very bad, so bad he’d consider voting for Trump just to avoid it. And who could blame maligned One-Percenters like Gates: After all, Warren wants to tax their assets at a rate of six percent annually, which is A LOT of money! Then again, what happens if you actually do the math on a wealth tax? Turns out these rich whiners still get a whole lot richer. READ MORE

Goodbye, Sweet Car

Unlike a significant other, a car will never leave you (on its own volition, that is). Nor will it shout at you, or say it’s too busy to spend time with you. It may suck thousands of dollars out of your checking account, but nothing will travel as many miles with you as a lovable, old, beat-to-shit car. That’s why, for Eddie Kim, breaking up with his 13-year-old beater has been one of the most difficult choices he’s ever had to make.

Who’s Got it Better Than Me? Noooobody.

We all worry that everyone around us is happier, richer and more sexually experienced. But statistically speaking, is that truly the case? Chris Bourn crunches the very large numbers.

When Daydreaming Goes Bad

Pediatricians might suggest that daydreaming, when done in a healthy way, is good for young adults, and allows them to play out social situations safely and to develop empathy. But there’s a dark side to having one’s head in the clouds for too long: “Maladaptive daydreaming,” i.e., daydreaming so often (and so intensely) that it begins to interfere with daily life. In fact, for maladaptive dreamers, the immersive fantasy worlds they generate gradually usurp reality — and going cold-turkey is an even bigger nightmare.

I Am Disney+, Destroyer of Worlds

Disney+, which arrived to great fanfare on Tuesday, promises access to Disney’s extensive content library — including all things Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar — isn’t off to a great start. Within 24 hours, creative and formatting changes to both The Simpsons and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope have already rankled fans online. So the question has to be asked: Is Disney doomed to ruin the things we love, perhaps forever?

Let’s Get to the Core of It

Do you know where your core is? Suuuure you do. But do you really? Because our core is far more extensive than just your ab muscles. Learn how complex your core actually is, why it’s so important to even simple tasks you do every day and how you can strengthen it, here.

Half Clogged Up

Ever notice how, when you’re sick, it seems like only one nostril gets stuffed up at a time? Annoying! Weirdly, though, that’s not actually the case — you’re fully stuffed up, it just seems like it’s one-out-of-two. And that’s all thanks to how your sinuses work.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Aaaand because I don’t understand wrestling one bit, Imma let David Bixenspan explain his piece on pro wrestling’s bloody “death match”-style events, and their barbed wire and thumbtack accoutrements:

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Jeff Gross

Jeff Gross is MEL’s senior editor for social media and content marketing. His daily ICYMI column, which chronicles all things meta on the site, is the quickest way to catch up on MEL, and the funniest thing you’ll read all day. Follow him on Twitter.