Fonseca Trending 10/22/21
The Most Stressful Age Is . . . 36
If you asked the average American what the most stressful age of their lives was, they'd probably say . . . however old they are right now. But there is an actual answer, according to research. A new study found the average American feels the most stressed at 36. They didn't explain how they got that number . . . so we're assuming it was just the average response from a poll. But it makes sense: People are really drilling into "adulting" by that age with a mortgage, family, and career . . . and their 30s may be the decade they have the least amount of free time. There's some good news though. Nearly two-thirds of people say they're better at managing stress than they were 10 years ago . . . although 18% of people say they feel stress "all the time." People say "sleep problems" is the #1 thing that tips them off that they're stressed. Headaches are #2, followed by food cravings, high blood pressure, and brain fog.
Alec Baldwin Accidentally Killed a Cinematographer When His Prop Gun Misfired
One person was killed and another was seriously injured, after a prop gun misfired on the set of an ALEC BALDWIN movie. And it was Alec himself who fired the shot. The movie is called "Rust", and it was shooting at a ranch in New Mexico when the accident occurred. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza was rushed to the hospital, where he was in critical condition as of last night. Not much else is known at this point, except that the gun was supposedly loaded with blanks A local newspaper reported that Baldwin was seen outside the sheriff's office in tears, and attempts to get a comment from him were unsuccessful.
A&W Is Selling a "3/9-Pound" Burger, Because Americans Are Bad at Math
Here's an interesting marketing strategy. A&W is trying to get more people into their restaurants by INSULTING our intelligence. Back in the '80s, they tried to compete with the McDonald's Quarter Pounder by selling a THIRD-pound burger for the same price. But it failed, because people were confused by fractions . . . and thought a quarter pound was BIGGER than a third of a pound. So now A&W is bringing that burger back, but changing the name. Instead of a "Third-Pounder," they're calling it a 'THREE-NINTHS" pound burger. Obviously the whole thing is tongue-in-cheek. But they're hoping the bigger numbers will make people understand it's larger than a Quarter Pounder, not smaller.
The Average Person Has Saved 252 Hours by Not Commuting During the Pandemic
A poll earlier this week found that "sitting in traffic" is the #1 thing we're annoyed about coming back now that things are opening back up. Now a separate survey looked at how much time we SAVED by not having to commute. The average employee has saved 252 HOURS by working from home and not having to drive into work every day.
80% of people say that extra time has helped them accomplish more things. The top things we've been able to do are exercise more, get chores done, and learn new skills.
If Scary Stories Don't Scare You, You Might Have "Mind Blindness"
We're coming up on the spookiest week of the year, but it turns out some people are easier to scare than others. A recent studyfound that scary stories just don't work on some of us . . . and it has to do with something called MIND BLINDNESS. The clinical term is aphantasia. (ay-fan-TAY-zee-uh) It's when someone can't really picture things in their head. So telling them a scary story and setting the scene just doesn't work that well. Up to 1 in 20 people have it.
Researchers recently told people scary stories . . . half had "mind blindness," and half didn't. And they basically proved it's true. The scary stories didn't work on them, but scary IMAGES did. So it wasn't because they had a higher scare threshold in general. The stories just didn't paint a picture.
A Third of Us Have Ghosted Someone Before
If you're no longer happy in a relationship, it's healthy to talk it out . . . and sever ties if necessary. But if that seems hard, you could just do what everyone else does . . . and GHOST THEM. In a new poll of more than 7,000 American adults, 17% admit to having ghosted someone they've dated. 19% admit to ghosting a friend. And 10% have ghosted a family member. 57% claim they've never ghosted someone . . . and 8% don't know if they have. On the other side of things, 19% of people say THEY'VE been ghosted by someone they were dating . . . 25% have been ghosted by a friend . . . and 12% have been ghosted by a family member. 46% of people claim they've never been ghosted.
And not surprisingly, Millennials and Gen Z are far more likely to have ghosted someone . . . and BEEN ghosted . . . than people 55 and older.
The Worst Halloween Candies for Your Teeth . . . According to Dentists
Halloween is next weekend, so consider this fair warning. We have a list of the worst candies for your teeth, according to dentists . . . 1. Gummies. It's because they take a while to chew, and pieces can get lodged between your teeth. 2. Caramel candies. They're sticky, take a long time to dissolve, and can be hard to brush away at the end of the night. 3. Starburst and Now and Laters. They're tacky so they can pull on fillings and crowns. 4. Lollipops. They're eaten slowly, so sugar is in contact with your teeth for a longer period of time. 5. Pixy Stix or Wonka Fun Dip. Sour powder candies are incredibly acidic, which messes with the pH of your mouth and can damage your tooth enamel.
For what it's worth, the dentists said two Halloween treats weren't so bad: Regular old chocolate, which dissolves quickly and can be brushed away easily . . . and caramel apples, because the crisp apples help clean the surfaces of your teeth.
Today's Showbiz Highlights
1. A cinematographer was killed on a movie set when ALEC BALDWIN's prop gun misfired. The movie's director was also injured, and rushed to the hospital. It's not clear exactly what happened. The gun was loaded with blanks. 2. DR. PHIL is being sued by a woman who claims she was sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by a facility for troubled teens that he recommended her parents send her to. She was a guest on his show in 2019. 3. SIMONE BILES is on a gymnastics tour, but she's still not completely sure of herself, so she's not doing twists. But she's getting help through a health and telemedicine app called Cerebral. 4. Nancy's house from the first two "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movies is up for sale. It's located in Los Angeles and is listed for $3.25 million. Offers are being accepted until midnight on Halloween. 5. "Home Alone" has received the full LEGO treatment. The 3,955-piece set includes the McCallister house, Kevin's booby trap rooms, treehouse, and the WetBandits' van. There are also 5 minifigures: Kevin, his mom, the elderly neighbor, and Harry and Marv. 6. Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas begins tonight with "You, Me & the Christmas Trees", a movie that reunites "Wonder Years" cast members Danica McKellar and Jason Hervey. There will be 41 new holiday films in all this year. 7. DAVE CHAPPELLE is willing to have a dialog with people at Netflix who are upset about the trans comments in his latest special. And Netflix is reportedly considering placing a content warning in front of the special. 8. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE singer GERARD WAY said the song "Welcome to the Black Parade" almost didn't make it onto the "Black Parade" album. Quote, "Well, it was the hardest one to finish . . . It ended up becoming deconstructed and kind of broken in order to rebuild it into something better." 9. COLE SWINDELL answered some rapid fire questions on the Dale Earnhardt Jr. podcast. We found out he's a Cole Trickle racing fan, his favorite old school country song is "Neon Moon" . . . and his most embarrassing stage moment was tripping over the lights at a Joe's Bar show in Chicago.