• Happiness can be tough to quantify. 
• The researchers at MagnifyMoney created a state ranking of where the happiest Americans live, based on metrics determined by Oxford economists. 
• The happiest states are in the Midwest and Mountain regions. 

It might seem impossible to put happiness into numbers, but Oxford economists defined it as having good health, economic stability, and a lifestyle with good social ties and plenty of time spent outside of work.

The researchers at MagnifyMoney applied those barometers to the US to see where people are the happiest. 

To measure that, MagnifyMoney used data from sources like the US Census Bureau and Gallup to determine a health, lifestyle, and prosperity score for each state. Then they compiled a score based off those three markers. (You can read more about their methodology here.) 

States in the Midwest and Mountain regions, like Minnesota, South Dakota, and Colorado, have the happiest folks, while the South and East Coast tend to have a lower baseline happiness, the data found.

But, if you want to be happier, this doesn't mean you should move to South Dakota. You should stay put where you have tons of social connections. 

Another quick way to boost your well-being isn't to focus on making impressive jumps in your career, huge vacations, or meeting your soulmate, as Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz has reported. It's better to focus on daily routines that allow you to exercise regularly, sleep a full eight hours, and get your finances under control.

In ascending order, here's how every state ranks on happiness. Scores for each category are out of 50.

SEE ALSO: A science-backed 21-day program to be happier, healthier, and more successful

50. Louisiana

Final Score: 29.8

Health Rank: 37

Lifestyle Rank: 50

Economic Stability: 50

49. Rhode Island

Final Score: 30.8

Health Rank: 44

Lifestyle Rank: 49

Economic Stability: 39

48. West Virginia

Final Score: 30.9

Health Rank: 49

Lifestyle Rank: 46

Economic Stability: 36

As the mercury creeps up over the summer, it gets harder to do anything other than curl up inside an air-conditioned room or dive into the ocean.

If you've noticed that recent summers have felt particularly hot, you're not wrong. The past four years have been the hottest four on record around the globe, with this year tracking to be the fourth hottest year ever. Heat in 2018 has already set all kinds of records, including the hottest temperature ever measured in Africa and the hottest overnight temperature ever recorded.

Unfortunately, that trend is expected to continue.

As humans continue to pump greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, more of the heat that our world absorbs from the sun gets trapped, raising the world's average temperature and triggering other changes.

By 2050, cities in the US and around the world are expected to see a skyrocketing number of days with temperatures topping 100 degrees, and temperatures are projected to climb even higher by 2100. New York City, which has an annual average of zero days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit now, is expected to see 11 days like that per year by 2050 and 30 such days by 2100. Houston, which currently sees two days that top 100, is expected to get 30 such days by 2050 and 76 by 2100.

That heat isn't just uncomfortable. The warming has serious effects on people's physical health, mental well-being, and cognitive ability.

Here's what science tells us about how extreme heat affects the body and brain.

SEE ALSO: There's a compelling explanation for why we've never found aliens — and it could mean humanity is doomed

Heat causes heat exhaustion, which can be dangerous.

Stepping outside on a July or August day can feel like a physical blow. The longer you spend in the heat, the more serious the effects on your body can be.

First, increased body temperature can start to cause heavy sweating, clammy skin, dehydration, tiredness, headache, dizziness, nausea, cramps, and a quick, weak pulse.

Someone in this state should move to cool place, sip water, and take a cool bath or put cool wet cloths on their body. If these symptoms last longer than an hour, worsen, or if a person is vomiting, then they need medical help, according to the CDC. 

Once a person gets hot enough, they can develop heat stroke.

Once body temperature rises to 103 Farenheit or higher, a person starts to suffer from heat stroke, which can be a fatal medical emergency.

Symptoms of this include many of the signs of heat exhaustion, though a person with heat stroke may have a fast, strong pulse; feel confusion; and may be losing consciousness. They also may stop sweating.

People suffering from heat stroke need to be cooled immediately. In that situation, don't give a person anything to drink. Move them to a cool place, put cool cloths on them or put them in a cool bath, and call 911.

Extreme heat makes us dumber.

If you've ever felt like the heat puts your brain into a fog — a sensation like that in a steam room, where it's hard to breathe, much less think clearly — you're not alone.

A number of studies show that as temperatures climb, we perform more slowly and more inaccurately on cognitive tests. This phenomenon affects everyone from students taking standardized tests to office workers trying to get through the day.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Founded by former Adidas designer Justin Schneider, Wolf & Shepherd is a men's dress shoe startup that provides sneaker-like performance and comfort using a slew of innovative technologies.
• To put their comfort to the test, Schneider wore a pair of his double monk strap dress shoes to participate in the Running of the Bulls in Spain.
• The result of his experience was the creation of the Wolf & Shepherd "Toro Collection," (starting at $335) which is inspired by Spanish bulls, but features the same comfort technology as the original styles.
• I put the shoes to test in real-world conditions and they're the most comfortable dress shoes I've ever worn. They're even more comfortable than some sneakers I own.

If you had to run from a herd of bulls, what type of shoes would you choose to do it in? Lacing up the lightest, most bouncy performance running sneaker would still leave most people apprehensive and nervous, but the guy behind footwear startup Wolf & Shepherd is proving that it can be done in dress shoes.

Founded by former Adidas designer Justin Schneider, Wolf & Shepherd separates itself from other footwear brands by making dress shoes with sneaker-like comfort. Schneider put his brand's shoes to the ultimate test by strapping up a pair of double monk straps, participating in the 2018 Running of the Bulls in Paloma, Spain, and making it out alive.

Drawing inspiration from Schneider's impressive feat, Wolf & Shepherd is releasing three bull-themed shoes as part of the Toro Collection. The collection consists of the Gambit Double Monk Strap ($365), the Closer Cap Toe ($345), and the Striker Chukka Boot ($335). Each pair uses a vibrant Spanish Red leather, hand-burnished details, and elegant white leather interiors.

Since most guys don't find themselves running from angry bulls regularly, Wolf & Shepherd sent me a pair of the Gambit Double Monk Straps to put to the test under real-world conditions. In the past, I've worn Wolf & Shepherd's Gunner Drivers, Chelsea Blitz Boots, and Striker Chukka Boots, so I came with high expectations for the double monk strap shoes — and they lived up to it.

My favorite attribute about the shoes is definitely the color. Compared to other dress shoes that are a darker oxblood color, the Spanish Red leather used here is rich and vibrant. It'll catch your attention as soon as you open the box and the attention of others when you wear them.

I know the general rule with dress shoes is to go down from your true size, but that's not the case with Wolf & Shepherd. Because of the sleek lines of the toe box and the plush foam padding on the inside, you'll actually want to go a half size up. With the exception of the Gunner Drivers, I found this to be true for all the other Wolf & Shepherd shoes I own. I'm a true size 8, so a size 8.5 is the perfect fit.

Looks and sizing aside, the shoes are very comfortable. I own sneakers designed for actual sports like basketball and skateboarding that are far less comfortable than these. 

My commute to work in New York City consists of a decent amount of walking and the occasional sprint to catch a train or bus on time. I can depend on any of my Wolf & Shepherd shoes to provide all-day comfort through whatever comes my way during the work week.

The sneaker-like performance and comfort Wolf & Shepherd stands by aren't just baseless claims or a hyperbole for padded insoles; there is real innovation behind it. On the outside, Wolf & Shepherd's designs look like standard premium men's dress shoes, but on the inside you'll find soft sheepskin linings, plush memory foam insoles, a carbon fiber shank for stability and weight reduction, an HDeva heel, and laser-cut rubber outsoles.

With most pairs priced between $300 and $400, Wolf & Shepherd shoes are expensive, but well worth it. Sure, you can catch a pair of modern wingtips made from a breathable knit material if you're going after comfort, but they'll never be as sleek as a pair of Wolf & Shepherd shoes. They are the perfect balance of classy dress shoe styling with all the performance necessary for commuting and staying on your toes in the work environment.

The limited edition Toro Collection has a truly unique look, which is another reason to invest in a pair. They won't last forever, but if you pre-order a pair now, you'll receive it in time for fall.

For those in need of a stylish shoe for the summer, the brand is running a promotion on the Ringer Loafer in Honey. Right now, you can save $100 on a pair by using the discount code "SUMMERSTYLE" at checkout. The discount brings them down to a more affordable $225.

Don't be the guy who wears sneakers during his commute then switches into dress shoes in the office, or the one who suffers from painfully uncomfortable shoes all day long and comes home fishing for a foot massage. Whether you're walking for miles, standing for long periods of time, or running full speed, Wolf & Shepherd can handle your demands.

Shop the Wolf & Shepherd Toro Collection now, starting at $335.

Take a closer look at each shoe in the collection, below:

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Gambit Double Monk Strap

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Gambit Double Monk Strap, $365

The Double Monk Strap dress shoe is a truly timeless design. Instead of blending in with the many iterations on the market, the beautiful leather gives a fresh, eye-catching look.

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Closer Cap Toe

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Closer Cap Toe, $345

The Cap-Toe Oxford might be a standard dress shoe style, but this Spanish Red colorway is anything but typical. 

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Striker Chukka Boot

Wolf & Shepherd Toro Striker Chukka Boot, $335

The Wolf & Shepherd Striker takes a traditional Chukka boot style and elevates it with sleek elongated toe box and hand-burnished accents on the toe and heel. The high top design makes it the perfect shoe for fall.

• Sometimes bucket list destinations can be everything you dreamed they would be, but sometimes they're just disappointing in person.
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy, for example, is much smaller in person and overrun with tourists.
• The Blarney Stone in Blarney, Ireland, is a great place if you want a stranger's germs in your mouth.

While many people have a bucket list full of places they want to see in their lifetime, some bucket list destinations just aren't worth the hassle. From famous landmarks with overly average ratings to destinations that are simply tourist traps, there are many popular spots around the world that aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Take a look at some of the most overrated bucket list destinations that you don't need to prioritize.

Some say Stonehenge is better viewed from the nearby highway.

Stonehenge is an intriguing monument, made famous for its mysterious configuration and prehistoric age. But the exorbitant cost of the ticket doesn't add up with the distance you have to maintain from the structure, and the disappointing museum experience afterward. You're better off checking it out from the (very nearby) highway if you're in the area.

The Vatican is so packed with tour groups that enjoying the sights is difficult.

The Vatican, which is home to the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums as well as the pope, is a must-see — but a lot of people think so.

The sights are usually filled with long lines and crowds of tourists, making it hard to actually stop and take in the sights.

One Quora user called it"the most frustrating tourist trap I've ever encountered," likening her time there as getting "railroaded straight through as though you are cattle going to the slaughter." She claimed that she couldn't even enjoy the Sistine Chapel due to crowds, and that she has "never been so terrified of being trampled in my life."

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is smaller in person and overcrowded.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the primary reason people visit the city, but it has become so populated that it's hard to enjoy.

It is also surprisingly small, and pretty expensive to see.

• Signs of high intelligence, according to scientists, include being really funny and (go figure!) procrastinating a lot.
• Some of those indicators are listed on a Quora thread, "What are the common traits of highly intelligent people?"
• We rounded up 13 of those signs below — so you can see which ones describe you.

It's only human to want to know how you stack up against your peers.

That's especially true when it comes to intelligence.

Below are 13 common traits and behaviors only the smartest people display, drawn largely from a Quora thread and supported by scientific evidence. Read on and see which describe you.

SEE ALSO: 13 science-backed signs that you're smarter than average

You're not easily distracted

Frank Zhu says"people who can focus for long stretches at a time and tune out distractions" are highly intelligent. As evidence, he points to a 2013 paper published in the journal Current Biology.

The paper describes two small studies that found people with higher scores on an IQ test were slower to recognize large background movements in an image. That's likely because they focus on the most important information and filter out the rest.

You're a night owl

The smarter you are, the more you're inclined to stay up into the wee hours of the morning, according to research.

One study, published in 2009 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, looked at the link between childhood IQ and sleep habits among thousands of young adults. Sure enough, smarter individuals said they stayed up later and woke up later on both weekdays and weekends.

Another study, published in 1999 in the same journal, looked at about 400 US air force recruits and yielded similar findings.

You're highly adaptable

Several Quora users noted that intelligent people are flexible and able to thrive in different settings. As Donna F Hammett writes, intelligent people adapt by "showing what can be done regardless of the complications or restrictions placed upon them."

Recent psychological research supports this idea. Intelligence depends on being able to change your own behaviors in order to cope more effectively with your environment, or make changes to the environment you're in.

People often talk about sexual orientation, but you might not be aware that romantic orientation is also a thing.

In a society obsessed with dating shows, royal weddings, celebrity romances, and Insta-worthy proposals, it can be be hard to imagine a purely platonic existence. However, a growing number of people are identifying as "aromantic," or not interested in romance at all.

Here are a few key things you need to know about being aromantic. It's worth noting (as we will later as well) that sexuality is a spectrum and not all of these things will be true of every person who identifies as aromantic. 

A person who is aromantic experiences little or no romantic attraction to others.

Aromantic people don’t feel romantic attachment to other people. This is distinct from asexuality, which means that an individual does not experience sexual attraction.

Someone who is aromantic might also identify themselves as "aro," or "aroace" if they are both aromantic and asexual.

Being aromantic doesn’t mean someone is anti-romance, or can’t appreciate a good rom-com or well-written love song. It simply means that they have no desire to be in a romantic relationship.

However, that doesn’t mean they can’t love.

Aromanticism isn’t about lacking a capacity for love in general. Romantic love is just one flavor of love.

Aromantic people can experience as deep a love for their parents, children, pets, and themselves as someone of any other romantic orientation.

They can develop intense friendships, have nurturing and rewarding relationships with family members, and build strong bonds of love and respect with whomever they choose. Aromantic people crave intimacy, acceptance, and emotional connection as much as any other person.

The distinction here is that these platonic relationships and connections will never become romantic.

"I’m not cold or a prude. I just don’t feel any romantic feelings for anyone, and I don’t want to be in a romantic relationship. I still have a huge, sensitive heart," Brii Noelle, who identifies as aromantic, says in an interview withThe Guardian.

Aromantic people can have long-term, happy relationships with a primary partner.

Even though an aromantic person isn’t interested in coupling up in the traditional sense, some aromantic individuals do want to be in relationships.

According to theAsexual Visibility and Education Network, a "squish" is the aromantic version of a crush. They define it as "a desire for a strong platonic relationship with someone which is usually more emotionally intimate than a typical friendship."

Aromantic people might also be involved in "queerplatonic" relationships. These are platonic relationships with many of the same trappings of romantic relationships, such as intense emotional connection, commitment, and even cohabitation, according to Helloflo.

• Market research firm Morning Consult released a list of millennials' top 25 beloved brands. 
• Many of the top-rated brands were tech companies, including YouTube, Google, Netflix, and Amazon.
• Budget-friendly retailers such as Dollar Tree and Target also appeared in the ranking.

For the past decade, experts have been trying to decipher the shopping habits of millennials. 

These budget-conscious, sustainability-driven consumers have different priorities than the previous generation, which has created a big shift in brand marketing. 

Market research firm Morning Consult recently released a report that dives into the values and ethics of these shoppers to find out more about what they expect from the brands that they shop. 

As part of this, the company surveyed a pool of adults aged between 18 and 29 years old and asked them to rate over 1,000 brands based on how favorably or unfavorably they viewed them. Each brand on the list was evaluated by 12,000 consumers on average.

The results showed that overall, tech companies such as YouTube, Google, Netflix, and Amazon were most loved by millennials. 

Surprising, the top retailer was Dollar Tree, a dollar store that sells a mix of household goods, clothing, seasonal items, and a limited selection of food. 

This budget-friendly chain plays into the idea that millennial customers, who were brought up during the recession, favor a bargain over anything else. Because of this, they are often prepared to sacrifice on the shopping experience. Home Depot and Target were the only other retailers to feature in the top 25 of Morning Consult's list. 

Perhaps most surprisingly of all, Subway was the only fast-food chain to appear on the list. The company has struggled in recent years, and sales have slowed as a result. In an effort to refresh itself, the company launched a makeover effort last year, transforming certain locations and adding premium items to the menu.

Take a look at the full list below. The percentages reflect the proportion of those surveyed who view each brand favorably:

SEE ALSO: These are millennials' favorite fast food chains, according to Foursquare

21. (tie) Walt Disney

Rating: 64%

21. (tie) Subway

Rating: 64%

21. (tie) LEGO

Rating: 64%

Waxing is a pretty effective way to get rid of unwanted body hair, but that doesn’t mean it’s a pleasant experience. There’s a reason waxing scenes in movies and TV shows usually include someone screaming in pain. Whether you’re the person being waxed or the one doing the waxing, things can get pretty hairy during the whole process.

If you’ve ever been waxed before, you probably know that it typically isn’t always as terrifying as the following stories make it seem. Here are some of the most terrifying waxing horror stories users have shared on Reddit. INSIDER cannot independently verify these stories, but they do make for some cringe-worthy entertainment.

"In the end, they had to cut out the strips …"

"I have a close friend who went for a bikini wax. The beautician was completely new at this, and let the wax cool before attempting to strip it off. In the end they had to cut the strips [out of her hair], and my poor friend apparently ended up with huge purple bruises all around her nether regions for weeks. Needless to say, she massively complained and never, ever went back."— user threesquares

"The waxer had managed to stick my friend’s bum cheeks together with the wax …"

"My best friend went for her first ever Brazilian at this place we'd heard decent things about. It ended up taking over an hour because somehow the waxer had managed to stick my friend's bum cheeks together with the wax and it took three workers to clean her up. I've since been there and had the fastest, most painless waxes ever, so who knows what happened."— user rcb8

"Torn labia after a botched waxing…"

"Torn labia after a botched waxing with the dark green, hard wax they use without strips. Seven stitches. IN MY LABIA."— user milfanie

Vintage photos can tell us a lot about how things have changed over time. From air travel to amusement parks and even schools, everyday activities and environments have evolved drastically throughout history.

Some things, however, never change.

Looking at vintage photos of US National Parks shows us how well these areas have been preserved, and how they continue to provide beauty and respite to visitors year after year.

Keep scrolling to see old photos of national parks and read about their history.

National parks have largely remained the same over the years.

Yellowstone was the first national park, and established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Though the way we explore them has evolved.

Back when they were first established, national parks were a place of discovery.

Many areas within national parks were still widely unknown.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Amazon Echo and Google Home might be the most popular standalone smart home hubs, though there are a couple of others that hundreds of millions of people already have, but might not think about: the iPhone and iPad. Thanks to an Apple-created technology called HomeKit, you can control and manage a lot of great smart-home accessories through the phone or tablet you already own.

These smart accessories need to be set up through the Home app, which comes preinstalled on all of Apple's latest tech, and once they're ready, you can manage them in a couple of really cool ways. First, you can group accessories together based on where they are in your house. That way, if you get a notification on your phone that something has gone wrong, you'll know exactly where to check. 

Second, you can group multiple accessories together and control them at the same time time by creating a custom "scene." For instance, you could have a "good night" scene that dims your downstairs lights, locks the smart dead bolt on your front door, and sets your smart thermometer to a certain temperature. 

In addition to giving you control over these accessories through the Home app, HomeKit-compatible apps can also be controlled through Siri. So while you'll need an iPhone or iPad to set them up, once the accessories are a part of your "Home" they can be controlled by an Apple Watch, HomePod, or Mac (once MacOS Mojave is released this fall.)

Below are the 9 best accessories that currently support HomeKit. Apple used to require accessory makers to build a custom security chip and firmware into their tech to make it HomeKit compatible, but changed those rules last year after facing intense competition from Amazon and Google.

With those strict requirements gone, you can expect the number of smart-home accessories that support HomeKit to grow quickly, but as you can see from the list below, there's already quite a lot you can control directly from iPhone.

Check out the best smart-home accessories that support HomeKit, below:

SEE ALSO: 7 gadgets I use every day that would have blown my mind as a kid

Philips Hue Smart Bulbs

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 60W Equivalent LED Smart Bulb Starter Kit, $194.99, available at Amazon

Philips' Hue light bulbs have been my go-to recommendation for anyone looking to start their smart home. This starter kit contains a Hue Hub, which can be synced with up to 40 light bulbs, and four color ambiance bulbs, which can be changed to one of 16 million colors.

The bulbs can be set up to turn on and off on a set schedule, manually controlled through the Philips Hue or Home app, or by using your voice through Siri. You can also group multiple lights together, and tune them to custom colors to create a "scene" based on a photo (like the most beautiful sunrise you've ever seen), or your own personal taste.

Lutron Caséta Wireless In-Wall Light Dimmer

Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch (2 count) Starter Kit, $159.90, available at Amazon

If you're a little more handy, and would prefer to change your home's light switches instead of light bulbs, you should get Lutron's Caseta Starter Kit. The kit includes a hub that can control up to 50 Lutron devices, two light switches, and two remotes. 

Each switch can control up to 17 bulbs, so it's a cost-effective way to install smart lighting in rooms, like the kitchen, where multiple bulbs are typically controlled by a single switch. Bulbs connected to a Lutron switch can be turned on and off, dimmed, and brightened, so you'll be able to perfectly light each room in which they're installed.

The Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat, $229.90, available at Amazon

Ecobee's smart thermostat can not only keep your home feeling comfortable, but also pay for itself over time. The thermostat can learn your heating and cooling habits to run your HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system more efficiently.

You can control the thermostat from anywhere in the world, or raise and lower the temperature while you're home using your voice through Siri.

The biggest advantage this new version of Ecobee's thermostat has over its competition is that it comes with a room sensor, which can measure the temperature in a second part of your house. This sensor gives the thermostat two sets of temperature data to work off of to determine when to heat up or cool your house.

This is especially useful if you live in a house with two floors. The Ecobee4 can stay on one, and a room sensor can be placed on another, so you're not greeted with a too hot or too cold surprise when you climb up or down your stairs.

Binge watching has become the norm for most TV viewers.

Variety reported that Deloitte’s 2017 "Digital Democracy Survey" showed that about 73% of US consumers say they have binge-watched video content, as in they watched three or more episodes of a show in one sitting.

With all the talk about binge watching bolstered today by streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, it's easy to forget that the act of viewing back-to-back episodes of your favorite shows have been a TV staple for decades — whether the networks were throwing a marathon or we recorded or purchased the boxed DVD sets of our favorite shows.

Armed with data from the entertainment social platform TV Time and our own personal opinions, INSIDER listed the shows we most recommend that you pull up on your viewing device and marathon the hell out of.

Here are our picks for the 24 best TV shows to binge watch.

"Riverdale" (The CW)

"Riverdale," a dark and twisted take on beloved characters from Archie Comics, was a surprise smash hit when it first premiered on The CW. The series takes normal high school drama and romances but infuses it with mobsters and murder to create an intriguing show full of twists. It's easy to follow and not emotionally draining to watch. "Riverdale" is coming back for a third season in October. — Anjelica Oswald 

Where to stream: Netflix 

"The Sinner" (USA)

There's no other way I would suggest one watch "The Sinner," but to binge it. That's because the story flips so fast on you that it's impossible not to need to know the fallout right away. Prepare to have all your guesses about why a seemingly normal housewife suddenly stabs a man to death on the beach be wrong. — Jethro Nededog

Where to stream: Netflix

"Bates Motel" (A&E)

"Bates Motel" is a dark horror series serving as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." It follows a young Norman Bates and his twisted relationship with his mother as he transforms into the serial killer shown in the old film. There are various twists that will keep viewers on their toes as Norman's memory falters due to his dissociative identity disorder. — Anjelica Oswald 

Where to stream: Netflix

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 50 million students are expected to return to elementary, middle, and high school this fall. Now that's a lot of backpacks, pencils, lined paper, and granola bars to stock up on.

But what might be an annual ritual you don't think twice about can be a struggle for many parents, kids, and teachers in this country and around the world who don't have the same easy access to school supplies or nutritious, filling food options. 

Other than donating money to or volunteering with non-profit organizations, one way you can help is to support companies that are doing their part to alleviate these issues. 

As you shop for back-to-school essentials like supplies and snacks, opt for these socially conscious brands that give back to kids in need with every purchase you make. 

STATE Bags

Shop backpacks and other bags at STATE here

Read more about STATE here

STATE started after its founders noticed that the kids attending their non-profit camps were carrying their belongings in ripped trash bags. Buying one of STATE's backpacks is as much a style statement as it is a way to support students in under-funded neighborhoods: for every STATE bag purchased, the company donates a backpack filled with essential school supplies to a local student in need. Best-sellers include sleek leather and nylon bags for adults and bright, color-blocked mini variations for kids. 

Cheeky

Shop Cheeky kids' tumblers, bottles, and dinnerware at Target here

Cheeky's paper tableware and kids' products are just as fun and quirky as its name would suggest. Driven by the belief that access to nutritious food is a right, not a privilege, Cheeky wants to make lunch and dinnertime better for everyone. When you buy one item, Cheeky gives one meal to someone in need through Feeding America (for Cheeky Home products purchased) or No Kid Hungry (for Cheeky Kids products purchased). The company has donated 16 million meals since its launch in 2014. 

Yoobi

Shop Yoobi school supplies at Target and Amazon here

Buying notebooks, binders, pens, and pencil cases in preparation for a productive school year always feels good, but it feels even better when doing so with Yoobi. Yoobi partners with the Kids In Need Foundation to donate a school supply to a classroom every time you buy one of its products. We're fans of its sturdy notebooks and weekly calendar planner pads, and we're pretty sure the more than 3.5 million students Yoobi has impacted are fans, too. 

If you've used gaming platform Steam's chat feature at any point in the recent past, you've probably noticed how outdated it was. 

With apps like Discord quickly taking over and offering people an easy way to talk to and message others while playing a game, Valve had some catching up to do with its aging chat system. The voice chat had poor-quality audio, there weren't nearly as many features as Discord or other chat apps, and the design felt dated and clunky. 

But now, in an effort to compete with Discord and keep gamers on their platform, Steam has released an update to its chat app, Steam Chat. The update takes many cues from Discord, including a suspiciously similar user interface — but is it worth ditching Discord for? 

We compared the two apps to see which is better-suited for use while gaming. 

Steam's new user interface is very similar to Discord's — they look almost exactly the same

Channels are separated by voice channels (for talking to people) and text channels (for messaging) on the left side of the screen. Members of each channel, and their active status, are shown on the right side of the screen. 

On Steam, the voice and text channels are initially only temporary, and will expire unless you right click on them and choose to 'save' them, after which you can choose a name and display image for the group chat. 

Discord's interface, although it looks similar to Steam's, operates a little differently.

What was called 'group chats' in Steam are considered 'servers' in Discord. These are free to set up, and anybody can start a server. Within the server you can add additional text and voice channels, like in Steam, but you can also add categories and drag whichever voice or text channel you'd like into them. 

Voice and text channels work the same in Discord and Steam: you can join one voice channel at a time, which will allow you to talk out loud to anyone in that specific channel. However, while you're in that voice channel, you can still open and send text messages to any of the text channels in the server. The two functions of voice and text chat are simply separated instead of existing in the same channel. 

All of your active channels are shown on the left side of the screen, while the members of the current group you have open are shown on the right side. 

In addition to servers, Discord allows you to make group chats with up to 10 total members.

These are separate from servers, and are intended for just a few friends who want to chat. The voice and text chats are combined into this window — as you can see in the image, the members of the voice call are shown at the top, while the group chat's text messages are shown below that. 

However, group chats also allow video chats — something that neither Discord's servers allow, nor Steam Chat in general. 

Both chat services allow you to direct-message with just one person as well. 

They might not have won the heart of the stars of the "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette," but that doesn’t mean contestants on the popular ABC reality dating series won’t get another chance to find love.

Like a loser’s bracket of sorts for previous cast members, the rules for "Bachelor in Paradise" are simple. Find love, with anyone on the island, or go home. Naturally, there’s more drama as jealousy, drinking, and the island sun heat up the potential couples, and ABC looks to be prepping for the most drama-filled season yet.

Below, you’ll find a rundown of everything fans can expect to happen — and what we hope will happen — for the contestants in Mexico regarding who might match well, and who might bump heads.

We hope to learn more about contestants eliminated early on in the competition.

Fans aren’t too familiar with contestants such as Angela Amezcua and Astrid Loch (both eliminated within the first four weeks of Nick Viall’s season of "The Bachelor"), or Nysha Norris (eliminated on night one of Arie Luyendyk’s latest "Bachelor" season), but this season of "Paradise" gives even those that are quickly let go their chance at love.

Some of Becca’s more unknown men will also return, such as fan-favorite Joe "the Grocer" Amabile, John Graham (the Venmo co-creator and possibly the wealthiest contestant the show has ever seen), and Connor Obrochta — the latter of the trio most known for throwing the photograph of Becca and contestant Lincoln in the mansion’s pool. Now, Connor will have a whole ocean to throw things he doesn’t like into.

Paradise might be a better setting for Chris Randone.

Chris might have dazzled Becca on the current season of "The Bachelorette" by confidently winning the two singing-themed dates, but his sense of self-entitlement seemed to show right before he was eliminated in week six of the competition. With Becca spending more time with the other guys, he got jealous, declaring to Becca after fighting that she owed him "500,000 kisses."

Hopefully, Chris had some time to learn that no one owes him anything between getting eliminated and coming to "Paradise." He might not feel as confident or jealous now that everyone isn’t fighting for the same person. That, or the complete opposite will happen, and this season will be filled with ego and drama.

Will paradise prove to be too much for Annaliese?

Annaliese Puccini was eliminated early on in Arie Luyendyk’s season, but she’s well known by fans as the contestant that had a relatively tough time on both of her group dates due to her fear of dogs and bumper cars. Like Ashley Iaconetti, Puccini is known to bring the waterworks, and if she couldn’t handle group dates with dogs and bumper cars, how will she manage an island full of wild animals, nature, and tons of drama? Only time will tell. 

Politicians have alliances and rivalries in their own political parties, across the aisle, and with other leaders across the world.

But some take their allegiance to a different level. A select few enter the realm of bromance.

From rivals to best buddies, here are five of the greatest political bromances that shaped US history.

SEE ALSO: Here's what every president's signature looks like

DON'T MISS: The top 20 presidents in US history, according to historians

Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Adams and Jefferson were the original American bromance. But the two men were also political rivals from very different backgrounds.

Adams was a Federalist from Massachusetts, while Jefferson was an Anti-Federalist from Virginia. The two Founding Fathers, who would both serve as president, were pen pals and frequently wrote letters to each other over the years.

After George Washington stepped down after his second term, the two ran against each other for the presidency. Even though Adams won that race, the two men eventually put their differences aside.

Adams once wrote to Jefferson: "intimate Correspondence with you ... is one of the most agreeable Events in my Life."

And on July 4, 1826 — which happened to be the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — Adams and Jefferson both died within hours of each other. 

Sources: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Boston University, History.com

Sens. John McCain and Ted Kennedy

Two senators who put party politics aside and reached across the aisle to work on legislation were Arizona Republican John McCain and Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy.

The two men worked closely together on several issues and pieces of legislation, including immigration reform.

In his latest memoir, McCain said Kennedy "gave value no other senator had" when crafting legislation because of his outsize role in the Democratic party and because he was respected by all in the Senate.

When Kennedy passed away in 2009, McCain gave a heartfelt eulogy at his funeral. "Ted and I shared the sentiment that a fight not joined was a fight not enjoyed," McCain said.

McCain is now suffering from the same form of brain cancer as his former Senate colleague. After receiving the cancer diagnosis, McCain told CBS's "60 Minutes" that he still thinks about Kennedy a lot.

Sources: Business Insider, NPR, The New York Times, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution

Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Two Supreme Court justices with very different ideologies were actually two of the closest on the highest court in the United States.

Even though liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not a "bro", she and the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia formed a tight bond during their time on the court together despite agreeing on very few issues.

"We were best buddies," Ginsburg wrote after Scalia passed away in 2016. Both justices enjoyed opera, and Ginsburg has even said Scalia made her better as a justice.

The two celebrated New Years and vacationed together every year with their spouses, too. Ginsburg recently said that she misses Scalia very much.

Sources: Business Insider, NPR, Forward

• When it comes to their favorite foods, the royal family is a lot like us. 
• Prince George is a big fan of pizza. Kate Middleton once revealed that he even enjoys making pizza dough from scratch in his spare time. 
• Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed that the queen enjoys Special K with fruit for breakfast. 

The royal family, they're just like us! OK, so maybe not the whole get-married-in-an-epic-castle part, but when it comes to their food preferences, there's quite a lot of overlap. Here, a peek at the favorite foods they make sure to always have on hand in their cabinets. Or on speed dial for takeout. (We're talking to you, Duchess Kate.)

Kate Middleton: Indian takeout

According to an interview with BBC Radio 1, she has an affinity for curry aka Indian cuisine, which is actually quite popular in London. (Lucky for her, William likes it, too, as long as it’s not spicy because, according to the interview, he’s “not so good with spicy food.”)

Princess Charlotte: Pasta

Yep, according to her mom, Prince George’s little sis is just like every other toddler in the world—she loves pasta anything.

Prince William: A roast

When it comes to cooking, Wills admits it’s his signature dish. In a recent interview at a charity event, he revealed that he prefers chicken or steak, adding that he likes it “medium rare” and “quite alive.”

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase

According to the NRDC, America doesn't end up eating about 40% of its food. That's a lot when looked at as a hard number, but probably comes as less of a shock after the fourth week in a row that you've thrown out soggy, black lettuce from the back of the refrigerator. 

The good-ish news is that because we waste about 50% more food today than we did in 1970, it should be relatively easy to cut back on it (especially with the innovations of the last 45+ years) if we just devote a bit more effort to it. Or, if we just bought smarter products that do some of the magical life-lengthening preservation for us.

In turn, we'll save resources, refrigerator space, and more money for other things we enjoy. 

It could be as simple as a weekly "use it up" dinner, where you try to concoct a delicious Instant Pot meal of your leftovers from the week, or as low-maintenance as getting an inexpensive device to suck up the ethylene gas (which causes ripening) in your fruit and veggie drawer. It all depends on your lifestyle, budget, and what you find yourself most often wasting. 

Below are 18 kitchen tools and tricks to cut down on food waste: 

SEE ALSO: The go-to coffee-brewing equipment for baristas is surprisingly affordable

A little apple that absorbs the gas that speeds up ripening

A colorful vegetable saver that extends shelf life and contains odors

The Hutzler Onion Saver extends the shelf life of a cut onion and contains onion odors. You can get it in the shape of various fruits and vegetables so it's always easy to distinguish between them in the fridge. 

Eco-friendly, reusable food wrap

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Wake-up light alarm clocks can be seriously helpful in ensuring you wake up in the best way possible, so you can be as productive from minute one.

• That’s why we’ve chosen the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock as our top pick — because it’s fully capable of ensuring you wake up ready to go.

Waking up is no fun. We all know the feeling of being deep into our third sleep cycle of the night, only to be abruptly yanked out by a rude alarm clock. Thankfully, alarm clocks have evolved a lot over the past few years, so that the feeling of waking up cold may soon be a thing of the past.

Thanks to a ton of research into the science of sleep and how we wake up, there are a number of products on the market designed to help you get to sleep, stay asleep during the night, and then wake up easily. Most of the products on this list address that last issue, though you’ll find that many of them help you out with getting to sleep and tracking your sleep, too.

There are a few things to consider when you’re buying a light therapy alarm clock. For starters, you’ll want to consider if you’re looking for any extra features from your alarm clock. Some of them, for example, offer sleep tracking, while others double as a Bluetooth speaker. Still some others allow for you to do things like turn off the actual clock at night to keep the room nice and dark.

Here are the best wake-up light alarm clocks you can buy:

• Best wake-up light alarm clock overall: Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
• Best sleep tracker wake-up light alarm clock: Sleepace Nox
• Best light alarm clock with a speaker: iHome Zenergy
• Best for sleeping in total darkness: Lumie Bodyclock 250
• Best budget wake-up light clock: ToToBay Wake Up Light

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

SEE ALSO: The best sleep trackers you can buy

The best wake-up light alarm clock overall

Why you'll love it: The Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock is a sleek and stylish alarm clock, plus it offers plenty of wake-up options and won’t stop working in a power outage.

Philips has made a number of great light alarm clocks over the years, but perhaps the best to date is the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock. The clock is well-designed and stylish, plus it boasts a number of great features to help you both get to sleep and wake up in the morning.

When you’re trying to get to sleep, the Philips light clock will help by showing dimming sunset colors and related sounds. Then, before it’s time to wake up, it’ll gradually fade in a representation of natural light, along with one of five calming wake-up sounds, including birds, Zen garden, a gentle piano, and more.

If you’d prefer, you can even tell the device to instead fade in the FM radio, and there’s a tap to snooze feature in case it’s still not time to wake up.

Plenty of us have experienced the dread of an alarm clock failing to wake us up because of a power outage, but Philips addresses that issue too with its built-in battery that lasts eight hours before it runs out of juice.

Plenty of shoppers love the Philips light clock — after all, it has a 4.1-star average on Amazon — but it’s not perfect. For starters, it’s a little expensive, plus despite having a speaker, you can’t connect to it through Bluetooth to play music from your phone as an alarm.   

Pros: Well-designed, easy to use, plenty of wake-up options

Cons: Expensive, no Bluetooth support

Buy the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock on Amazon for $97.95 (originally $139.99)

The best sleep tracking wake-up light alarm clock

Why you'll love it: The Sleepace Nox is a pretty great light therapy alarm clock, but it also has an excellent app and sleep tracking features.

Perhaps you’re looking for a device that does a little more than simply help you get to sleep and wake up. If that’s you, then the Sleepace Nox may be for you. Not only does it work like any other light therapy alarm clock, but it can also help you track your sleep straight from the connected app.

To be clear, the Sleepace Nox doesn’t track your sleep itself out of the box, but it can work with the app. If you use the app, you’ll have to keep your phone on your bed at night so it can track your movements. The app is actually really well-designed, and it allows you to play music on the alarm’s speaker through Bluetooth. The Nox even works with Alexa, so you can use voice commands.

Of course, the main reason you’re probably considering this device is because of its wake-up light alarm. The device plays soothing natural music along with fading in natural-looking light to ensure you wake up nice and peacefully. You can customize the light to the color and tone you want, as the device supports a whopping 16 million LED colors, so it’s easy to perfect your wake-up experience.

There aren’t that many downsides to the Sleepace Nox, but it is expensive.  

Pros: Tracks sleep, works as a Bluetooth speaker, great app

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Sleepace Nox on Amazon for $119.97

The best wake-up light alarm clock with a speaker

Why you'll love it: The iHome Zenergy offers a number of great light alarm features, but it also has a pretty great Bluetooth speaker built into it.

While some of the other devices on this list double as Bluetooth speakers, most of them treat the speaker as more of a tool for the alarm than as an actual music-listening speaker. The iHome Zenergy, however, is for music specifically.

Let’s start with the alarm itself, which boasts a number of great features. For example, the light on the device is 360-degrees and allows for a range of different colors to fit your mood. The alarm comes with 10 naturally-recorded environmental and white sound noises to keep you relaxed as you go to sleep and wake up. Last but not least, the device has a USB port on the back to help you charge your device next to your bed.

Perhaps one of the best reasons to buy this device is the fact that it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, and it sounds pretty good for a device in this price range. That’s good news for those of you who want to use the speaker not just to wake you up, but also to play music for other reasons.

There are some downsides to the iHome Zenergy. For starters, while it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, the Bluetooth is sometimes a little spotty. Still, the device has an aux port, if you can’t deal with the spotty Bluetooth. On top of that, some find the range of sounds to be a little limiting.

Pros: Well-designed, has a nice speaker, USB charging

Cons: A little pricey, spotty Bluetooth

Buy the iHome Zenergy on Amazon for $89.88 (originally $94.99)

There are certain things you can only get online… and somehow, Amazon manages to not only have everything, but they also have so many products that have quickly become cult favorites. Take one look at their Movers & Shakers section, and you’ll be introduced to a world of things you didn’t know existed but now cannot live without.

Ready to put your Prime membership to good use? These products — all of which have been tried, tested, and reviewed by hundreds or even thousands of customers — could change your life.

This portable mini washing machine will wash your clothes anywhere.

If you live in an apartment or a dorm, travel a lot, or straight up hate going to the laundromat, this product is for you. For $89.99, the Mirax Portable Mini Compact Twin Tub Washing Machine & Washer Spin Cycle could solve so many of your laundry problems. Yes, this washer is tiny, but it can do up to 13 pounds total of laundry at once, and then all you have to do is hang your clothes dry. Over 70 customers have left reviews, and this product has received 4.4 out of five stars.

These patches will kill your pimples on the spot.

Nobody likes dealing with zits, but if blemishes are just something you have to live with, these patches might end up making your life a little easier. The COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch comes in a pack of 24 for less than $5, and all you have to do is use it to cover up your pimple. When the patch turns white, you remove it and replace it with a new one until your zit is gone. According to one reviewer, it makes the pimple look like it’s been Photoshopped off your face — yeah, that’s basically magic.

These glasses are perfect for when you're staring at a computer all day.

Being that so many of us have desk jobs that require us to be looking at a screen all day, it’s pretty common to end a workday with a headache, and that much screen time can be really damaging on a regular basis. Enter these GAMMA RAY Anti UV Glare Harmful Blue Light Computer Glasses. For $12.99, these glasses are meant to make that screen less damaging to your vision, and over 3,000 people have given this a 4.3 out of a five-star rating.

• I've driven three different versions of the iconic Ford Mustang in the past 12 months.
• They've ranged rom the peppy Ford Mustang EcoBoost four-cylinder to the beastly Shelby GT350.
• In the end, I liked the least powerful Ford 'Stang the best.

While the Chevy Corvette has been around since the early 1950s — that exuberant heyday of American automotive styling — the Ford Mustang, introduced in 1965, is arguably more iconic.

The mighty 'Stang has been in continuous production ever since and has recently become the world's best-selling sports car, as Ford has taken the bold two-door global. 

Ford has been having some troubles of late. This week, CEO Jim Hackett announced that it would spend $11 billion restructuring over the next three-to-five-years. It's also looking for lower profits in the 2018. But nobody expects the Mustang to go anywhere. In fact, a gas-electric hybrid could be on the way.

Over the past 12 months or so, I've been able to sample three different flavors of Mustang: the entry-level turbo four-cylinder, the sweetspot GT with a 5.0-liter V8 — and the brutal Shelby GT350, with its 5.2-liter V8 engine, dubbed "Voodoo," that can make 526 horsepower and, thanks to its flat-crank design, a sweetly aggressive exhaust note.

They're all different, all fun, and all Mustang. So which did I like best? Read on to find out.

FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

We'll go in ascending order of displacement. First up, the Mustang turbo, which I sampled in convertible trim.

Mustangs have obviously come a long way since the '60s, but the general idea remains the same: a sporty coupe.

Mustangs have always been sharp rides in hardtop or ragtop form, and the turbo is no exception.