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A new study shows that America is a lot less racist than people think

via World Values Survey

As Americans, it is nearly impossible to escape the endless stories of racism in the news. We live in a country that was born on the backs of slaves and is still a place where real equality is still an elusive dream. Racism is an undeniable part of our society, but how does America compare to the rest of the world?

According to a 2020 study by the World Values Survey, Americans are among the most tolerant people in the world.

The World Value Survey is a global network of scientists and researchers based in Sweden who study changing values and their impact on social and political life. The group's researchers asked participants in more than 80 countries what kind of person they'd want as a neighbor.

Those who responded that they wouldn't want "people of a different race" were deemed racially intolerant. The map below depicts how the 80 countries responded to the question. The countries that are blue are the most tolerant. Countries marked red are the least.

To see a larger version click here.

The good news is that even though America has problems with race, it's actually better than a lot of places. America, along with most of South America, Australia, and Europe are among the most tolerant places on the planet.

The map shows that Eastern Europe and Asia are less tolerant than America with The Middle East and North Africa ranking among the least tolerant areas of the globe. It appears as though much of Africa was not polled, so it's unclear how those countries rank in comparison.

America takes pride in its attempt to be a diverse, inclusive melting pot and is constantly at war with itself for falling short of that goal. Even though we are one of the most tolerant places on Earth, most of us believe that we can and should do better. But, as the map shows, even as a society that struggles with tolerance, we've come a lot farther than most.

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Health

We asked people what they really enjoy that others can't understand. One answer dominated.

Interestingly, research shows that these people are particularly unlikely to be neurotic.

Canva

Some people really enjoy being alone.

We recently asked our Upworthy audience on Facebook, "What's something that you really enjoy that other people can't seem to understand?" and over 1,700 people weighed in. Some people shared things like housework, cleaning and laundry, which a lot of people see as chores. Others shared different puzzles or forms of art they like doing, and still others shared things like long car rides or grocery shopping.

But one answer dominated the list of responses. It came in various wordings, but by far the most common answer to the question was "silent solitude." Here are a few examples:

"Feeling perfectly content, when I’m all alone."

"Being home. Alone. In silence."

"That I enjoy being alone and my soul is at peace in the silence. I don't need to be around others to feel content, and it takes me days to recharge from being overstimulated after having an eventful day surrounded by others."

"Enjoying your own company. Being alone isn’t isolating oneself. It’s intentional peace and healthy… especially for deep feelers/thinkers."

Spending time by ourselves is something some of us relish, while some of us hate being alone. Naturally, this points to the common theory of introversion vs. extraversion, but in some ways, that's overly simplistic. Even the most peopley people among us can enjoy some quality alone time, and not all introverts see time alone as truly enjoyable. (It might be necessary for an introvert's well-being, but not necessarily something they truly revel in.)

Interesting, studies have found that people who enjoy being alone are not any more or less extraverted than those who don't, though they do tend to be less "sociable." They are also less likely to be neurotic (tense, moody, worrying types) than the generally population and more likely to be open-minded. Those characteristics are the opposite of what social norms often tell us about people who want to be alone.

"If our stereotypes about people who like being alone were true, then we should find that they are neurotic and closed-minded. In fact, just the opposite is true," writes Bella DePaulo, PhD.

There may be lots of reasons some people like to spend time by themselves while others don't. We are naturally social creatures and need social interaction, but some of us find ourselves overstimulated by being around other people all the time. On the flip side, some people find being alone not just unenjoyable, but extremely uncomfortable, which can be a problem.

"Ideally, we should be comfortable with ourselves, alone or with others," writes psychologist Tara Well Ph.D.. "If you are uncomfortable being alone, it means you are uncomfortable being with yourself without distraction, engagement, or affirmation from others. This can be a liability in life. If you cannot be alone, you may stay in situations or make life choices that aren’t good for you in the long run, like staying in a job or a relationship, mainly because you can’t tolerate being alone while transitioning to a better situation."

Dr. Well also points out that people can make the most of their alone time, even if it's not something they naturally enjoy. One way is to make it purposeful, setting aside a little time daily to write in a journal, meditate, go for a walk or otherwise engage your mind and body in some form of reflection. Another is to pay attention to self-judgments that might make alone time uncomfortable and challenge them with some compassionate confrontation and counteraction with positive thoughts about yourself.

Alone time can be refreshing and rewarding, especially if it's something you naturally crave. Some people even like to take themselves out on dates or enjoy traveling by themselves. That kind of self-care can be just as important as connecting with others for our overall health and well-being. Being alone doesn't mean being a loner and it doesn't mean being lonely. Some of us genuinely like having quality time with ourselves, whether it makes sense to other people or not.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Love Stories

Couple ditches the fancy wedding videographer and films on a retro camera instead

No wonder they called this the "best decision."

@davvvisss/TikTok

Inexpensive AND incredibly fun? We're sold.

Virtually every aspect of wedding planning can easily become a huge stress when you’re subjecting yourself to arbitrary obligations. This is why we always love a love story where couples march to the beat of their own drum, and clearly have a great time doing it. This is one of those stories.

Twenty-nine year old bride Davis Bourgeois Pepke recently racked up millions of views after sharing footage from her wedding, which just so happened to be filmed entirely on a home video camera from 2002 offered to them by a friend, rather than shot by a fancy videographer. Pepke tells Upworthy that she and her fiancé that they didn't budget for a videographer, and found the camcorder to be a "great alternative." Plus, they loved the idea of being able to edit it ourselves and have hours of footage to cherish forever."

On the day, they chose a designated person to capture the "big moments," and the rest would be "up for grabs for whoever." They also put disposables on each table with tape that said "USE FLASH" and got an additional 300 photos from their guests POV in addition to professional photos. Pretty genius.

In the video, which Pepke captioned "POV, you don't hire a videographer and instead pass around your home video camera," the video. Best decision,” we see what looks like a rip-roaring good time between her family and friends on the big day, not at all filmed in the very aesthetic, Instagram-worthy way that you’d normally expect from a professional.

Watch:

@davvvisss Best decision passing around a video camera from 2006 at our wedding. I can’t wait to edit all of this footage together. HIGHLY recommend. #weddingtheme #weddingtiktok #weddingvideo #bride ♬ Im In Love Im Obsessed Rihanna x Casa Di Remix - CasaDi

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with opting for dreamy, aspirational vibes, if that’s what you truly want, but clearly there’s a wonderful charm to be had in the DIY approach. Not to mention it’s a fraction of the price…no wonder other birds were fully on board with this idea.

“This is such a creative wedding idea. I’m not hiring a videographer so I want to do this now as a 2025 bride!” one viewer wrote.

“Girl when I found out how much they were charging for an over-edited 10 minute vid I RAN to Amazon for a camcorder and a tripod,” added another.

Pepke shared that she and her partner "laughed and cried all over," looking back at the footage, especially all the hilarious moments on the dance floor.

“The way it was captured feels like an episode of The Office...zooming in on different people's expressions. Having it filmed this way was my favorite decision from our wedding,” she said. She’s not wrong, I was lowkey waiting for Michael Scott to crash the party at any moment.

"It felt like we got to see the behind-the-scenes at the wedding and it equally focused on our guests as much as us...I also noticed it made people feel more comfortable, not having a professional videographer, and they were 'themselves' and felt more willing to talk to the camera,” she added, saying that she hoped other couples would give it a try.

Still, a few others who had attempted this approach shared their own not-so-great experience. As one person shared, “I did this at my wedding and ended up having an hour of drunk conversation from the view of a cocktail table and no major moments captured. 😂 thankfully we had both professional and home video.”

To this point, an actual photographer and videographer chimed in, advising anyone who’d like to follow in Pepke’s footsteps to “make sure your friend group will match the energy of [your] video and that they’re going to be attentive to those moments.” Sage wisdom, indeed.

While having the fairytale, picture-perfect wedding is some people’s dream, there’s something to be said in also capturing what’s authentically and real on the big day as well. These silly, awkward, imperfect moments will take up so much of your life, universe willing, and deserve to be celebrated too.

Oh, and if you plan to go this route, Pepke advises to get a mic to capture audio, as well as a designated person to oversee the process and help guests and whatnot. She was even kind enough to share a link to the actual camera she used, which can be found here.

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Family

Busy mom overcome with emotion when elderly man says the perfect thing to her

He chose positivity and it made all the difference.

via Canva/Photos

A happy mother and her smiling child.

Parents of newborns know they are in the middle of a joyous and stressful era. But far too often, the people they run into choose to frame things negatively when talking to them about their young child. They’ll say things like, “Don’t worry, it gets better” or “Boy, do you have your hands full.”

That’s why Steph Morrison's video on TikTok touched so many hearts. It’s about the fantastic things that can happen when people choose to see things in a positive light instead of a negative one.

“The sweetest thing just happened,” Morrison begins in her video. “I was just finishing my walk and we were just pulling down our street and this old man, he stopped so we could walk by because we’ve got the double-wide stroller that takes up the whole space, and he goes ‘Wow! You’re going to have a lot of fun.’"

The comment blindsided Morrison because it reframed how she looks at being a parent.

@_stephmorrison_
I never would have guessed what the man would say nor did I ever predict tears would roll down my face like they did. Thankful for this sweet glimmer from God 🫶🏼✨ #momspiration #momsoftiktok #momsover30 #quotesforyou #momquotes #postpartumjourney #postpartumlife #happywords #happinessbegins #creatorsearchinsights

“I don’t know why I’m getting emotional telling you now. But most people say, ‘You’ve got your hands full’ and it’s my biggest pet peeve, but he was so sweet and I could, like, see the memories flash through his eyeballs as he said that to me: ‘You’re going to have a lot of fun.’”

“Like, dang! That’s the type of vibe and energy I’m going to bring to motherhood,” she continued. “I was having a really great time with the kids already, so I don’t know why I’m crying while telling you this. But if you’re a mother out there, I hope you’re having a lot of fun, too, because why not?”

Everyone knows that parenting can be hard. But it’s also filled with joy, laughter, hope, possibilities and new experiences. The elderly man’s comments were a great reminder to Morrison and her followers to focus on the joy and possibilities of being a parent instead of the challenges and hard work.

The video struck a chord with mothers in the comments who shared similar experiences.

“An older man in the grocery store stopped me when my son was 8 months old and said, ‘Young enough to still talk to the angels, put in a good word for me!’” Rachel wrote. “My only son is 7 months old. I can’t have any more kids due to life-threatening complications at birth. The other day, a man said to me, ‘He gets to have you all to himself. Isn’t that so special?’” Happy_Gilmoree added.

CaitlinPrice25 hit the nail on the head. “Society makes us feel like kids are a burden,” she wrote. “Just a little change of perspective can make all the difference.”

A positive mindset can make life much easier for parents, but it’s also great for their children. Children look to their parents and model their behavior; those with a positive attitude are likely to raise happy, optimistic children. “A mother’s ability to model positivity becomes a powerful tool in shaping a child’s character, fostering qualities such as kindness, compassion, and a positive outlook on life,” The Motherhood Center in Houston, Texas, writes.

The story also reminds everyone, whether they are parents or not, of the importance of leading with positivity when dealing with others. The man could have said something cliché such as “I hope you’re getting enough sleep,” but instead, he reminded Morrison of the joy of parenting, and she made his remark her north star. That’s the power of positivity.

This article originally appeared last year.

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