Leave appearances alone

“You’ve gained weight”

If someone hasn’t asked you for your opinion on their weight gain or loss, then chances are your constructive input will fall on deaf ears. You have no idea if the change is due to stress, medication, sickness, pregnancy, life change or something more personal.

Likely they already know their body isn’t how it used to be. Calling attention to it will only create feelings of embarrassment or insecurity.

Being right can wait

“I told you so”

Perhaps you tried telling them, and you were even completely correct. But “I told you so” is a sentence that, once things have fallen apart, typically just illustrates how right you are to someone who is already suffering the consequences of their actions.

There will be a time to talk about what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. Right now, most people don’t need a lecture. They need help.

Don’t judge the reaction

“You’re too sensitive”

If someone says something hurt their feelings, telling them they’re too sensitive doesn’t fix the problem. Different people can experience the same comment differently; you don’t get to dictate how someone else feels. You can argue with how they interpreted it, but not how they reacted. Telling someone they are too sensitive usually ends the conversation rather than discussing what hurt their feelings.

The bright side can hurt

“At least…”

Someone says something upsetting, and our knee-jerk reaction is to find the silver lining. “You still have another kid.” “You still have a job.” “At least it’s not x, y, or z.” While most people say these things to try and help, it can make someone feel like their hurt or disappointment isn’t valid. Just because something isn’t the worst thing that could happen to you doesn’t mean you aren’t truly upset about it.

Some questions go too far

“Why aren’t you married yet?”

Questions about relationships may seem innocent enough, especially around relatives at gatherings. However, they can involve someone’s personal situation you may have no knowledge of.

They may have gone through a bad divorce, may be finding it difficult to meet someone, might not want to get married, or just don’t want to talk about their love life. The same goes for asking newlyweds when they plan on having kids. Just because you’re curious doesn’t mean you’re entitled to that information.

Not quite a compliment

“You look tired”

Though typically intended to show concern, what most people hear when someone comments on their appearance is, “You look horrible today.” Maybe they didn’t get enough sleep last night, maybe they have a bad situation going on, or maybe they just happen to look like their normal self.

Regardless, telling someone that they look bad is almost never going to make their day better. If you truly care about someone, it’s much kinder to ask them how they’re doing than to tell them how tired they look.

Two useless words

“Calm down”

There are few things that will anger someone more than telling them to calm down. When someone is already worked up, a demand to calm down can feel demeaning. It implies that their emotional reaction is the problem instead of whatever made them react. Telling someone to calm down can even make them angrier because they feel like they have to justify their emotion.

Pain isn’t a competition

“Other people have it worse”

Almost every bad situation can be compared to something worse. It doesn’t erase the pain that the original person felt. Losing your job doesn’t make you okay because someone lost their house. Heartbreak still hurts even though someone had a worse tragedy. Comparisons of suffering almost never give someone perspective on their situation. It makes them feel guilty about having completely valid feelings.

Watch the absolutes

“You always…” or “You never…”

Absolute statements make conflict over one behavior feel like an assault on someone’s entire being. “You never listen” or “You always ruin everything” also allows the other person to easily invalidate you: they just have to think of one time when you weren’t speaking literally.

Talking about the behavior itself (what happened, why you were bothered, and what you’d like to be different) almost always leads to a more productive conversation.

Humor doesn’t erase it

“It was just a joke”

Humor isn’t a free pass for what you say. If you insult someone, joke about a known weakness or insecurity, or divulge private information about them, telling them they shouldn’t be offended likely won’t go over well.

Everyone tells a bad joke now and then, and it doesn’t make them a bad person. What matters is what you do next. Apologizing that you crossed a line will typically show much more maturity than telling someone they should have laughed.

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Quiet disbelief

“If you say so” can be entirely benign. It’s all in the tone. Used sarcastically, it lets someone dismiss what you’re telling them without having to discuss it. You relay an event that occurred, explain an achievement you earned, or voice an opinion you hold. They reply as if they don’t fully believe you.

Left off the list

“I forgot to invite you” can be convincing the first time. But if they keep forgetting many times, the excuse is no longer believable. Maybe you’re always the last to know about get-togethers, group lunches, or weekend plans. Sometimes, instead of blatantly telling you they don’t want you there, a person will just leave you off the list and provide a cute explanation.

Conversation over

There are few things more dismissive than hearing “whatever.” We all utter it when we’re angry sometimes, but when you’re speaking your feelings or explaining something and the other person throws “whatever” in your face, they’re taking it up a notch. They’re communicating that they’re not going to pay you any mind, instead of trying to counter your argument or politely disagree.

Talking down

“You wouldn’t understand” can sometimes be used harmlessly, but can also be said as a way of making someone feel inferior. Rather than take the time to explain something to you or let you in on the conversation, they declare that you wouldn’t be able to understand.

Zero interest

“I don’t care” may seem innocuous when debating between Chinese or Thai food. It’s another thing entirely when you’re talking about something meaningful to you.

They may not care about every topic that interests you (and no one should be expected to), but people who care about you generally make some effort to listen because you care about it.

Not impressed

You share some positive news and get a flat “good for you.” The words should be congratulatory, but the way they are said can leave you feeling like they mean just the opposite. If a person truly cares for you, they will usually display some excitement when something significant goes well for you.

If your successes are met with a cold response, no probing questions, or an attempt to change the subject right away, resentment could be lurking just beneath the courteous words.

Turning it on you

Saying that something offended you or upset you and being met with “you’re too sensitive” shifts the attention off of what happened and on to how you responded. You may have overreacted, but saying you’re too sensitive doesn’t solve the problem. Someone who doesn’t like you may say that to you to divert the fact that they were behaving too harshly.

Brace yourself

“No offense, but” has gotten such a bad rap because offensive things often come after it. Sometimes people legitimately have to deliver harsh criticism, but others say it to give themselves preemptive permission to insult you. They know what they’re about to say will offend you, but they say it anyway with a disclaimer first.

Truth as a weapon

“I’m just being honest” sounds logical, but notice what phrase follows those four words. Sometimes people justify being rude about your looks, choices, smarts, or personality under the guise of honesty. If they don’t care how their honesty makes you feel, that’s not really being honest; that’s just being cruel.

A hint of envy

You tell them about your vacation, new job/promotion, new house, happy relationship, or another positive occurrence and they say, “Must be nice.” Sure it is, but hearing this over and over can make feeling happy about your accomplishments something you should feel guilty about. Instead of congratulating you, they stack their life up against yours.

Behind the laugh

“I was only joking” is such an easy way out when someone’s joke has crossed the line. Light teasing can occur between friends, but there’s a fine line between laughing with someone and always joking at someone’s expense. People may tease you about your insecurities, faults, looks, weight, or private life and then make you feel guilty for not laughing along.

So predictable

“That’s so you” can be said lovingly between friends. But know that it can also have a bite that stings. However, if someone is using this phrase every time you mess up, forget something, make a bad choice, or have an embarrassing moment, they’re defining your whole character by one mistake.

Here it comes

“Don’t take this personally” often signals that you will be receiving something that is very personal. Sometimes it’s valid and work-related, when something really does not concern you as a person. Other times it’s a preface to remarks about your character, competence, looks, or behavior.

Not their concern

“That’s not my problem” sometimes helps to create healthy boundaries. You can’t fix everyone’s problems all the time. But, context is important. If someone utters those words even when you’re only asking them to listen or understand (and not trying to get them to do anything about it), then they’re sending a message of intentional cruelty.

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Timing matters

Consuming a heavy meal just before lying down can cause sleep discomfort, especially if you’re susceptible to heartburn or reflux. When possible, eat your largest meal about 2–3 hours before bed. This allows time for digestion to occur while you’re still upright.

The strength saver

Muscle maintenance is something to pay attention to as you age because we start to lose muscle mass throughout adulthood. Instead of trying to eat most of your protein in one meal, try spacing foods that contain protein throughout the day.

Fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, tofu, beans and lentils, or some other source of protein can be great for dinner. If you’ve kept your meals light throughout the day, consider a protein-packed night snack as well.

A nightly investment

Calcium needs may become even more critical after menopause for women as estrogen levels decrease and bone loss may increase. Dinner is also another chance to fit in calcium-rich foods like yogurt or milk and calcium-set tofu or a calcium-fortified version.

Remember, you don’t have to eat calcium at night per se. It’s a good habit before bedtime to see if you remembered to eat healthy foods with calcium throughout the day instead of always neglecting them.

Hunger has a better answer

Having a bedtime snack doesn’t always spell disaster. Instead, it’s problematic when your little something becomes a nightly feast of chips, cookies, or oversized portions consumed in front of the television. If you find yourself legitimately hungry, reach for something small that offers beneficial nutrition.

Try plain yogurt with fruit, a banana with nut butter, or whole-grain crackers with cheese. Adding protein or healthy fat to a carbohydrate source that includes fiber can also help make a snack more filling than sweets by themselves.

The hidden sleep thief

Caffeine can stay in your system for hours. Coffee is not the only source of caffeine. Tea, cola, energy drinks, and chocolate can also be sources. Humans vary dramatically in sensitivity.

The afternoon coffee that has no effect on one woman can drive another to delirium late at night. If you find yourself unable to fall asleep lately, try pushing back the time of your last caffeinated beverage earlier in the day.

There’s a sweet spot

Fluid intake is important throughout life, and thirst sometimes diminishes with aging. On the other hand, trying to drink all the fluid you missed during the day just before going to bed is probably not wise, either.

Drinking many big glasses right before trying to sleep can leave you frequently waking up to use the bathroom. It’s better to drink throughout the day, and have a small amount if you’re thirsty at night.

The nightcap problem

Even though a glass of wine may help you fall asleep, alcohol does not guarantee improved sleep. Alcohol can disrupt sleep later in the night, and it can exacerbate snoring or sleep apnea in some people.

It also packs extra calories and offers little nutritional value. Alcohol can interact with medications as well. If you’re a woman who drinks, there’s no reason to hold off drinking until nightfall just because you think it will help you sleep.

One thing your plate needs

Dinner is one meal where it’s easy to observe if vegetables, fruit, beans, or whole grains have been neglected throughout the day. Fiber-rich foods like these provide fiber as well as vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. Fiber becomes even more important because digestion may change as you age, and fiber-rich eating patterns are linked with heart and metabolic health.

Don’t feel like you need to eat a special detox food before bed. Regular dinner with veggies or a serving of fruit and your evening snack will do much more good.

The couch trap

Watching TV and munching straight out of a huge bag or box is a great way to lose count of how much you’re eating. Serve yourself a sensible portion on a plate or in a bowl if you’re going to treat yourself in the evening and enjoy it.

This isn’t about depriving yourself of dessert after the age of 50. It’s about recognizing the difference between true hunger (or a mindful indulgence) and eating just because there’s food available.

Tomorrow starts tonight

One of the most helpful nutrition habits takes place before tomorrow even starts. Take a minute to plan for breakfast if your mornings are rushed. Setting oatmeal soaking out, washing fruit, boiling eggs, or just deciding what you’ll eat keeps breakfast from defaulting to whatever is fastest.

After 50, making sure you regularly get enough protein, fiber, and nutrient-dense foods is important FAR beyond obsessing about individual superfoods. Nighttime prep lets you easily eat those healthy foods tomorrow.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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After everyone goes to bed

Some people happen to be more alert at a time when everyone else is preparing for bed. Research has shown correlations between delayed sleep times and some metrics of intelligence. However, staying up late doesn’t automatically make you smarter.

Nighttime also allows for uninterrupted hours of reading, writing, creating, or contemplating. However, you shouldn’t mistake intelligence for a lack of sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation actually affects your ability to concentrate, remember, and make decisions.

When nobody’s listening

Sometimes when you’re alone, you find yourself muttering away to yourself. Self-talk isn’t necessarily strange or bad; in fact, it can help you think more clearly, stay focused, and understand complex problems. It can externalize the steps you need to take to solve a problem and make information easier to digest than if you only used your internal voice.

Talking to yourself doesn’t always mean you’re smart, but if you do it with intention, it can be a useful tool to help you think things through.

No company required

To some people, a free weekend with no social plans sounds awful. To others, it sounds perfect. Spending time alone can allow you to pursue your interests without interruption, contemplate life’s events, or dive headfirst into a task.

Research has also shown that intelligence and enjoyment of regular social interaction are linked in fascinating ways. Though that doesn’t imply smart people hate others. It just means that craving companionship all the time is not necessarily the only indicator of a vital, sharp mind.

Order isn’t always necessary

You may feel like your desk is a mess to everyone else, but you know where everything is. Studies have shown that messy desks can actually lead people to make more unconventional or creative decisions.

If you’re really focused on writing, designing, researching or figuring something out, you may just not care about being super organized.

Never taking it at face value

You listen to someone give an explanation that everyone else seems content with. But something inside you rebels, and you instantly want to learn more. Where did they get that information? Does the evidence support it? Is there another explanation? Curiosity is intimately tied to learning.

Curious people keep searching where everyone else is content with accepting answers. Questioning everything can sometimes irritate those around you. But refusing to believe something automatically is also critical thinking.

Three difficult words

Saying “I was wrong” can be incredibly hard to do. But admitting an error and revising your stance when new evidence shows you’re mistaken demands intellectual flexibility.

Smart people don’t always stick up for an argument just because they once believed in it. They can divorce their ego from the facts presented to them. Acknowledging when you don’t know something also demonstrates that you know the limits of your knowledge and allows you to find out the answer.

When your mind wanders off

You look out the window one minute, and suddenly you’re mentally outlining a business plan, replaying last week’s fight with your friend, or creating a wholly fabricated situation. Daydreaming might seem like purposeless time-wasting, but research suggests that mind-wandering can give your brain time to form links between ideas, contemplate the future, and rethink unsolved problems.

Mind wandering has even been associated with creativity in some studies. Useful daydreaming isn’t just spacing out all the time. It involves giving your mind enough leeway to stumble upon the occasional surprise.

Down the rabbit hole

You look up one tiny bit of information and two hours later you know vastly more about Renaissance Fairs, extinct dialects, exotic seafood or electromagnetism than you ever wanted to know. Curious people often learn new things just for the sake of learning them. It doesn’t always have to have a clearly defined purpose.

Ask one question, and it leads to another question. Finding the answer is the reward. Random hobbies like these can also open your mind to concepts you may never have learned in fields unrelated to whatever you’re looking into.

Laughing at the uncomfortable

When you laugh at a dark joke, there might be more going on in your head than just appreciating an inappropriate joke. Research shows that participants who understood and appreciated black humor scored higher on certain verbal and nonverbal intelligence measures.

Dark humor often makes the brain work to identify contradiction, emotional conflict, and double meanings all at once. That doesn’t mean someone who enjoys gallows humor is automatically smart, but appreciating complex humor can take some high-level mental gymnastics.

Creating shortcuts

You might make up your own method of performing normal tasks rather than doing them the standard way. Maybe you develop a quicker method of organizing items for work, find an easier way to do a math problem, or merge a couple steps together.

Looking for shortcuts can be a sign of flexible problem solving. Instead of memorizing how something is always done, you question if there is a better way to achieve that outcome.

Knowing how to say it differently

You may describe a complex concept to your coworker one way and to your child another. Simplifying a complicated explanation without changing its meaning necessitates flexibility. You must know what information is necessary, gauge what your listener knows, and then reinterpret the concept using familiar terms. Mental flexibility can be hard to see because sometimes the truest test of understanding something is simplifying it.

Your own toughest opponent

Sometimes before you reach a decision, you’ll find yourself mentally debating against your own position. You get ready to make up your mind, and your brain comes up with another reason why you could be wrong. Taken to extremes, this becomes negative overanalysis. Moderately, however, listing reasons against your potential decision is a useful reasoning technique.

Rather than seeking only evidence that supports what you already think, you’re challenging your own beliefs, and sometimes finding that the case against your initial position is much more convincing.

Waiting before you begin

Sometimes waiting to jump into something right away is the wisest thing to do. Taking a break from working on a problem can allow other options to percolate up to the surface before you decide to go with the easy answer. Studies into creative problem solving have even indicated that some procrastination can buy you an incubation period where your brain works on a problem behind the scenes.

There is a difference between delaying wisely and just plain blowing something off. If you’re waiting because you know there are better options out there for you to explore, that can be beneficial. If you wait until ten minutes before it’s due because you spent all afternoon watching YouTube videos, then that’s just plain procrastination.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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The conversation hijacker

Some people have a way of turning every conversation into something about themselves. You tell them something happy, they top your story. You tell them something bad happened, and you end up consoling them. They ask you hardly any questions or seem interested in your life. Conversations with them go from feeling like two people to audience-and-performer.

The constant taker

Some people gladly take your assistance, attention, advice, and favors but disappear when you need them. Healthy relationships don’t need to be 50/50 every single day, but there should be some reciprocity overall. If you’re always the one putting forth the effort, you’ll eventually have to question why you’re trying so hard to keep a one-sided relationship going.

The endless critic

Criticism can be constructive, but some people try to pick apart everything you do. They’ll find fault with how you look, what you decide to do, where you work, who you love, or even the things that make you happy. Eventually, trying to be around someone like that will have you questioning yourself.

There are instances when people who care about you disagree with you, but they shouldn’t make you feel inferior just to feel superior.

The drama magnet

There’s always another fight or feud, betrayal, or crisis with this person. Initially, you feel sympathetic and want to help. But then you realize they are the common thread in most of these situations.

Having someone constantly drag you through their problems can get tiring when they don’t care to change the behavior that causes them.

The boundary pusher

You say no, they keep asking. You say something makes you uncomfortable, they laugh it off. You ask them for privacy, they don’t listen.

Someone doesn’t have to respect every boundary you establish, but they should respect sensible ones. Someone who constantly pushes your boundaries is proving that getting their way is more important than your feelings.

The jealous competitor

Friendly competition can be healthy, but some people subtly make everything a competition. You get a promotion, and they feel like reminding you of their salary. You go on vacation, and they’re compelled to tell you about somewhere better. You share good news, and they seem bothered by it. An uplifting person doesn’t have to one-up you each time something great happens.

The serial excuse-maker

We all make mistakes sometimes. But some people have excuses for everything. Nothing they do is ever their fault. It’s always their boss, their boyfriend/girlfriend, growing up poor, their bad luck, or someone else being inconsiderate.

When they apologize, it means nothing because they continue to do the same thing over and over. When you can’t blame yourself for your actions, you end up making others blame themselves for yours.

The casual liar

Trust is hard to maintain when someone frequently changes their stories, omits key facts, or tells petty lies. Fibbing about small stuff can lead to larger issues. You find yourself not knowing what to believe. You shouldn’t have to question someone or wonder which story is real all the time. When trust is gone, it can take more effort to sustain a relationship than it’s worth.

The confidence crusher

Insults can be masked as jokes, or they can be said, followed by the offender telling you that you’re too sensitive. Offenders will point out your insecurities to others, joke about how you look or say things, and then constantly remind you of past mistakes.

Teasing can be playful, but harassing someone over the same thing until they feel awful about themselves isn’t considerate. If someone makes you feel awful about yourself on a regular basis, you might want to consider distancing yourself over forgiveness.

The repeat offender

The most draining person to deal with is the person who always says they’ll change, but never actually does. You’ve heard the explanation, accepted the apology, and given them another chance, maybe even several chances. But then, once again, you find yourself having this very same conversation.

People can improve themselves, but excuses are not improvement. There comes a time when someone’s actions speak louder than their promises.

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Praise with a sting

When they compliment you, you end up feeling worse than before they spoke. They’ll say things like “You’re so courageous for wearing that” or congratulate you but throw one of your weaknesses back in your face.

Some people just speak thoughtlessly, so let one bad compliment slide. If the same person regularly veils insults in compliments, their niceties might be their way of expressing hostility.

When you start winning

Pay attention to how they react when something truly wonderful occurs for you. If someone cares about you, they may have issues of their own and still muster up a smile when you get that promotion or start dating that special someone or even reach a milestone.

The bitter person may become withdrawn, downplay what you’ve done, or instantly point out why it’s not that big of a deal. Other times, they’ll hastily change the subject to something they’ve done.

Always the punchline

Friendly teasing is common in many healthy relationships. But there’s a line between laughing with someone and laughing at them all the time. If they joke about your looks, intelligence, love life, or insecurities, humor might be masking contempt.

Often the best indicator is when you ask them to please stop. Most caring people will change course; anyone who likes to provoke you might just accuse you of being too sensitive.

Nothing stays buried

We all make mistakes, but your mistakes somehow seem to never go away. Someone will remind you of that stupid thing you did years ago, bring up past failures when you’re arguing about something totally different, or remind other people of mistakes you would just rather forget.

That doesn’t mean friends can’t say things that hurt you. Bringing up something that has been settled, however, over and over can turn into a tactic to keep you down.

Somehow, you missed out

You’re technically a part of the group, but you always find out about events after they occur. The invites come at the last minute, decisions are made without you, or no one remembers asking you because everyone “knew you wouldn’t want to go.”

There’s always a reasonable excuse, and you can’t really question it. Skipping one event isn’t a big deal, but regularly being the only person not invited can say a lot more.

They know where it hurts

Intimate relationships demand vulnerability. You share your insecurities, fears, family issues, and embarrassing stories with people you trust because you believe they will keep those secrets. A person who harbors resentment against you will likely use that information at some point, possibly during a conflict or under the guise of humor.

They know exactly what will wound you because you explained it to them once. Weaponizing private information is a grave red flag whether or not it’s motivated by hatred.

Keeping score

Pretty much anything you do becomes something they have to one-up. Talk about a promotion? They analyze their pay scale. Buy something you love? They have something fancier they’re looking at.

Weddings, vacations, fitness goals, and parenthood can all become contests. It’s healthy to want to compete with your friends every once in a while, but if they’re one-upping you all the time, they might have an issue seeing you happy.

A different face in public

In front of others, they can be your number one fan. You’ll get hugs, compliments, and hear about how wonderful your relationship is. But when you’re alone with them, the affection goes away, and they act cold, insulting, or judgmental.

Not only is this confusing by itself, but everyone else sees someone who seems to love you. If they only show affection when others are around, they may care more about how things look than the relationship itself.

Bad news gets attention

When things are going well for you, your victories are met with little more than a nod of acknowledgment, but let something bad happen, and suddenly they can’t get enough. A break-up, office error, or embarrassing incident is met with questions, texts, and demands to know every minute detail.

They might claim concern, but there’s an excitement there that isn’t present when you’re living your best life. Sure, friends care when you’re going through a rough patch, but they tend to care more about making you feel better than going over and over the most embarrassing parts.

Doubt disguised as concern

Sure, some pieces of caution are exactly what a caring friend would say. Someone can simply shoot down your dreams by asking questions whenever you get excited about something. “Do you know if you’re ready for that?” “Won’t that be dangerous?” “I don’t want you to look stupid.”

Sure, some pieces of caution are exactly what a caring friend would say. But if you notice that their comments make you question yourself every time you’re expanding and thriving, their support may be worth questioning.

Trust the aftermath

Sometimes, there isn’t a singular event you can recall. You just realize that you often feel bad about yourself after you’ve been around them. Maybe you suddenly feel insecure about how you look or find yourself obsessing over something stupid you said or wondering if they think you’re good enough.

Your feelings aren’t evidence that someone secretly hates you, but you shouldn’t continually feel bad after interacting with them. Notice someone’s general pattern of behavior toward you and don’t just look at how frequently they smile and say they’re your friend.

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Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut once comfortably sat between fast-food prices and a casual dining experience. When you pay full price on the regular menu, that value can be hard to find these days, especially when there are fast-casual or carryout alternatives that undercut Pizza Hut’s prices

The real red flag is sales. Pizza Hut’s U. S. comparable-store sales have fallen for 10 straight quarters. In the first half of 2026 alone, roughly 250 poor-performing U. S. locations were shut down. That’s far beyond anecdotal complaints about pricey pepperoni.

Papa Johns

Papa Johns has long tried to set itself apart from discount pizza, focusing on ingredients and quality. It’s tough to do that when people need to stretch their dollar menu. Comparable sales in North America fell 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026 as inflation-fatigued customers traded down to smaller pizzas and skipped add-ons like sides and desserts.

Improving value perception was part of management’s plan to turn things around. Basically, customers still want pizza; they’re just less interested in ordering a pricey meal around it.

MOD Pizza

MOD Pizza elevated personalized pizzas to something that felt like an inexpensive substitution for dining out. However, fast-casual chains have experienced the same swelling labor costs and food and operating expenses as everyone else.

Consumers have also grown savvier about what they pay for. MOD’s troubles started turning heads: 70 locations shuttered throughout 2024, leaving the brand with 482 stores in the U.S. at the end of last year.

Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza has encountered very similar problems as MOD. The chain has built its business on made- to-order pizzas with highly customized toppings. But customers now have to determine if that’s worth spending more than a traditional carryout pizza price. Blaze Pizza’s revenue dropped 9.6% last year. The chain closed down 43 restaurants in 2024 and had almost 60 fewer locations lesser than it had at the end of 2020.

Papa Murphy

While Papa Murphy’s is different in that it sells uncooked pizzas for customers to bake at home, that uniqueness hasn’t shielded it from the pizza slowdown. Sales at Papa Murphy’s U.S. locations fell 3% in 2025.

It was one of six of the nation’s 10 largest fast-casual pizza brands to report a sales decline in 2025. The issue is glaring when diners can compare the price of a carry-out pizza to what they can get at the grocery store or a discounted hot pizza at another chain.

Pieology

Pieology has suffered even worse. The build-your-own pizza chain finds itself in direct competition with MOD and Blaze in the overcrowded fast-casual restaurant segment, where diners are spending money on customization and convenience instead of just trying to get the biggest slice of pizza for their dollar. Pieology’s sales have plunged by a massive 26.5% in 2025.

Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese was struggling before the pandemic hit, but closures during COVID-19 forced its parent company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020.

It emerged from bankruptcy later that year after shedding about $705 million in debt and has pumped money into remodeling its restaurants since. The chain can also still be an expensive pizza option because you’re also paying for an entertainment experience.

Marco’s Pizza

Marco’s Pizza has grown quickly in recent years, but it hasn’t been completely immune to the slowdown plaguing the industry. Sales at Marco’s slipped 2.4% in 2025. This isn’t necessarily due to customers suddenly developing distaste for the chain’s pizza. Americans have just become more savvy shoppers when it comes to judging what they perceive as a worthwhile deal.

When Domino’s is consistently bombarding customers with heavily discounted pizza offers and other competitors are offering value bundles left and right, there’s no reason to buy something at full menu price when there’s likely a nice coupon just a few mouse clicks away.

California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen doesn’t compete with a $7 carryout pizza. It sells a dining-room experience and pricier food. However, it also leaves the chain susceptible should consumers become convinced restaurant pizza isn’t worth restaurant prices.

CPK has been through its share of drama lately, including its 2020 bankruptcy, closed locations, and a new owner announced in 2025. Its next challenge is persuading customers that a higher-end pizza experience is worth paying extra for when independent restaurants, fast casual, and inexpensive carryout are also vying for share of the dinner budget.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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The disappearing Canadian dream

It’s increasingly difficult for Canadians to find a stable job, buy an affordable home, and work their way into financial security. Home prices and rents have spiked in recent years, especially in Canada’s largest cities. But housing supply is struggling to keep pace.

First-time homebuyers are not the only Canadians affected. Adult children are staying in their family homes longer, couples delay purchasing homes and starting families, and renters may struggle to afford the rising costs associated with their current home.

Some Canadians have moved further away from large employment hubs in search of lower housing costs. This, however, often results in increased transportation costs and lengthy commutes.

The everyday squeeze

Even Canadian families who aren’t stretching to buy a home can still feel stretched. Housing costs, including rent if you’re renting, eat up a big chunk of the typical household budget. So do groceries, transportation, utilities, insurance, and other essentials. There’s less left over for dining out, vacations, entertainment, and savings. And that leaves Canadians very little room to absorb an unexpected car repair or dental work.

The paradox is that while Canada is a rich country, some middle-income Canadians don’t feel very wealthy. Once they pay their monthly bills, they have few assets left over.

Waiting for care

Canada has universal healthcare coverage, meaning most medically necessary hospital and physician services aren’t something Canadians receive a bill for after receiving treatment. Accessing that front door can prove difficult, though.

Roughly 5.7 million Canadian adults lacked a regular healthcare provider in 2024, CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information) reported. Without a family doctor or nurse practitioner, Canadians may turn to walk-in clinics, virtual care services, or emergency departments to receive care for issues that would otherwise be addressed by a primary care provider.

It’s not that universal health care has fallen off the face of the earth. It’s that having health care doesn’t always mean you can see the right person at the right time.

Immigration concerns

Canada has an international identity as one of the most immigration-friendly nations among Western countries. While that certainly hasn’t disappeared and plenty of Canadians appreciate the economic and social contributions of immigration, there’s been an increasing debate around whether our population growth has been supported by proportionate investment in housing, doctors, schools, transit and other infrastructure.

For example, in a Canadian survey in November 2025, 47% of Canadians thought there were too many immigrants coming to Canada, up from 22% in March 2023. In August 2025, 63% thought immigration had caused too much pressure on public services, and 56% thought it had caused too much pressure on local housing prices.

For ordinary residents, these concerns may feel painfully tangible: if their city is adding thousands of new residents without building enough apartments, clinics or transit capacity, there isn’t enough to go around and everyone is competing with each other.

An economy losing momentum

Canada is a wealthy country, but it has weak productivity growth. Productivity, broadly speaking, measures how much value workers create for every hour worked. Growth in productivity allows businesses, at least in theory, to pay workers more without raising prices and allows living standards to increase over time. Without it, living standards are more difficult to improve.

According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Canada’s performance on labour productivity has been lacklustre. Weak investment is part of the reason. Canada also faces a host of other structural challenges.

Weak productivity can translate into wages that feel like they don’t go as far, fewer sectors with highly productive industries where you can land a good-paying job, and frustration that working harder doesn’t seem to increase your standard of living as it did for your parents.

The debt underneath

A family can own a million-dollar home and feel like they’re living paycheck to paycheck. Owning a valuable asset isn’t the same as having cash to spend in day-to-day living. If that million-dollar home still has a six-figure mortgage attached to it, higher interest rates will eat into budgets.

Canada’s inflated housing market has fueled generations of Canadians to rack up debt. Those higher interest rates will become glaringly obvious when those mortgages renew.

Nature is fighting back

Canada’s forests, lakes and majestic wilderness are cited as many of the country’s top attractions. But living so close to nature comes with risks. Wildfires can cause entire towns to evacuate, create haze hundreds of kilometres away, and disrupt transportation, tourism and businesses.

Floods and other severe weather can damage property and infrastructure. Repeated fires also raise questions about the future of rebuilding and insurance.

Climate risk isn’t just an environmental concern. It affects where Canadians can live safely, what governments should spend on infrastructure, and how communities plan for emergencies.

Addiction crisis on the streets

Canada’s toxic drug and overdose crisis is one of the country’s most painful social problems. Drugs like opioids, especially an unpredictable illicit supply involving fentanyl, have driven tens of thousands of deaths nationwide over the last decade. While visible on parts of city streets like those in Vancouver, the crisis is neither isolated nor provincial.

Families have lost kids, parents and siblings. Emergency services, hospitals and community groups are stretched to the limit. Public drug use and related disorder have overwhelmed some downtown communities, too, sparking intense debate over how to address treatment, harm reduction, policing and public safety.

Getting around

Canada’s enormous size is part of its identity. Getting between Canadian cities, however, can be expensive and sometimes unexpectedly difficult. Passenger rail service is sparse outside major corridors, and many communities are cut off without cars or airplane access.

Long commutes and crowded buses or trains are daily annoyances even in Canada’s expanding metro areas. Visitors might be surprised that two major Canadian cities can be geographically close yet have so few fast transit options between them.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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Conditional love

Love, compliments, and hugs were earned, not given. They were doled out when you made your parent look good, got straight A’s on your report card, or simply kept their delicate ego happy. But the second you fell behind, challenged them, or failed to execute some minuscule detail to their exacting standards, you were cut off.

Withholding love and replacing it with ice, shame, or periods of silent treatment taught you your worth as a human being was measured by your usefulness and performance.

Rigid roles

Much of the energy in a narcissistic household centers around division. Children are often split into rigid, unnatural roles to better enable the parent to dictate interactions with them.

You were likely framed as the Golden Child who could do no wrong if they bowed to the parent’s ego, the Scapegoat through whom all blame was placed, or the Lost Child who survived through complete emotional disappearances. Attempting to break out of your assigned role was usually met with fierce familial backlash.

Role reversal

Rather than being parented and protected, you were placed in the position of having to protect your parent from his fragile ego, volatile rages or personal crises. You became your parent’s therapist, confidant, or emotional punching bag as you internalized their adult worries long before you were emotionally equipped to handle them.

Learning at such an early age to take care of their needs, you denied your own and created a life pattern of putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own.

Hijacked success

When you reached a significant accomplishment, your parent rushed into the spotlight to take all the credit, loudly praising how they made it happen. However, if your accomplishments gained too much attention or provided you with true financial/emotional freedom, they undermined your success, belittled your efforts, or tried to outshine you.

To a narcissistic parent, a child’s success is either all about them or something to tear down.

Chronic gaslighting

Every time you tried to confront old abusive behavior or hold a boundary, your parent denied it or gaslit you into silence by saying things like “That didn’t happen” or “You are lying.”

Gaslighting became such a frequent emotional abuse tactic from your parent that you learned to distrust your brain, memory, and emotions. You became an adult who always fact-checks yourself, questions your instincts, and looks for outside validation before believing your own experiences.

Boundary erasure

Whenever you tried to set basic boundaries for yourself (asking for physical privacy, locking your door, saying no to a request, making your own decisions), it was perceived as a personal attack inflicted directly upon them.

Narcissistic parents see their children as property, not as separate people with their own rights. Limit-setting resulted in volcanic rage, being made to feel guilty, or continued subtle intrusions into your life.

Polished facade

Your family ran on a stark double standard in which appearances were paramount and inner wellbeing irrelevant. To grandparents, community members, and relatives, your mother or father portrayed a wholesome image of a loving, accepting, and ideal family life.

Inside, it was ruthless, judgmental, and chaotic, and you were strongly conditioned to keep these damaging family dynamics private no matter what to maintain your parent’s reputation.

Inner critic

Your parent’s approval was unstable/unpredictable, so you took on their harsh voice as your own inner voice. As an adult, you have a very strong inner critic that lectures you to be a perfectionist in all aspects: your work, relationships, and how you look.

You probably struggle with chronic people-pleasing, fear of disappointing others, and feel like you’re never enough.

Triangulated drama

Open, honest, and authentic communication didn’t happen in your family. Your parent communicated with other family members about you behind your back, relayed messages when it suited them or triangulated between siblings to play one against another.

You grew up with everyone whispering and competing for their approval.

Dismissed feelings

Whenever you cried or showed emotion because you were sad, mad, or scared, someone shut you down or made fun of you. You were constantly told you were “too sensitive”, “dramatic,” or seeking attention just for feeling normal emotions.

Years of having your feelings invalidated trained you to suppress your emotions. As an adult, you may have trouble regulating your emotions or feeling numb and not knowing what you feel.

Constant hyper-vigilance

Living in fear that your parent could explode at any moment trained your nervous system to be on high alert at all times.

You watched their voice, feet pacing at the door, and twitch of their eyebrows to see when you would be in the line of fire. Now, as an adult, you find yourself scanning every room, text message, and coworker’s mood.

Traditional goldfish bowls

Despite being iconic, keeping goldfish in small fishbowls is illegal throughout Rome, Italy. Authorities outlawed them based on animal welfare laws that focus on the round bowl’s insufficient surface area. The bowls cause fish to essentially suffocate from lack of oxygen over time, and swim around blindly from unnatural refraction.

In Canada: Canada has no national prohibition against traditional goldfish bowls. However, fish kept in distressing conditions may still be subjected to animal-welfare laws.

Infant walkers with wheels

Widely used in nurseries around the world, wheeled baby walkers were banned entirely in Canada back in 2004. Regulators determined that walkers led to severe injuries, primarily when babies rolled themselves down stairs or over to kitchen ranges, and prohibited sales, imports, or resales of walkers.

Incandescent light bulbs

If you still have that old box of 40- to 100-watt general service incandescent light bulbs in your garage, they’re now banned for sale and manufacturing throughout the United States (along with the rest of the EU and UK). New federal energy efficiency standards require bulbs to produce a minimum of 45 lumens per watt, effectively eliminating standard incandescent bulbs in favor of LEDs.

In Canada: Canada too has federal energy-efficiency regulations that cover general-service incandescent bulbs. General-service incandescent lamps made on or after January 1, 2026 will need to have efficacies of at least 45 lumens per watt.

Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs

This classic European chocolate, a hard chocolate shell filled with a plastic capsule toy inside, is illegal in America. The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act bans embedding “non-nutritive objects” entirely inside food due to choking hazards. The Kinder Joy eggs sold in America contain two separated halves in order to circumvent this law.

In Canada: The Kinder Surprise eggs with a toy capsule encased in chocolate can be legally sold in Canada.

Synthetic lacy lingerie

Pure synthetic lace underwear may not be manufactured, sold or imported into Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan per Eurasian Customs Union rules. Underwear which touches skin must contain at least 6% natural cotton fibers to allow breathability and hygiene. 100% synthetic lace is therefore considered illegal.

In Canada: Canada does not have a national standard banning any percentage of synthetic fibres for underwear. Clothing items must still meet Canada’s labelling and product-safety regulations.

Mercury fever thermometers

Vintage glass thermometers hiding in your parents’ medicine cabinet are filled with elemental mercury. Sales of these thermometers have been prohibited in many states within the U.S. and throughout the EU because of the risk they pose to the environment and their toxicological effects if broken.

In Canada: Canada’s stance on mercury fever thermometers is equally strict. Mercury fever thermometers cannot be manufactured or imported.

Rainwater harvesting barrels (without permits)

Did you know collecting rainwater runoff from your roof into large homemade barrels is illegal in some U.S.  states? The western U.S. takes water rights very seriously.

Colorado and Utah claim rainwater belongs to designated watersheds. Homemade small barrel catchments are becoming permissible, but large barrel catchments without permits are still illegal.

In Canada: There is no national Canadian ban on residential rain barrels. Restrictions may vary provincially or municipally regarding larger-scale collection, plumbing integration, and usage of collected water.

Certain unpasteurized (raw) milk cheeses

That tasty wheel of French raw milk cheese (like young camembert, Reblochon or Brie de Meaux) you may have purchased during your travels through Europe is illegal for import/sale in the US unless it is aged a minimum of 60 days at above 35° F, according to FDA guidelines on dangerous bacteria.

In Canada: Canada regulates the sale of raw-milk cheeses as well. Cheeses made with raw milk must typically be aged at least 60 days.

Antique ivory trinkets or jewelry

Ownership of heirloom jewelry, scrimshaw, carved statues or musical instruments that contain elephant ivory may be restricted worldwide by CITES laws (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Within the U. S. and Britain, trading ivory internationally or transporting it through customs without very specific legal documentation showing it was acquired before environmental laws is a federal offense.

In Canada: Canada tightly controls the import, export, and trade of elephant ivory. Exceptions are limited and require permits.

Large commercial lawn fertilizer (high-phosphorus)

Many states across the U.S. (such as New York, Michigan, and Florida) prohibit homeowners from purchasing or using lawn fertilizers with phosphorus in them unless they are laying down a new lawn. Phosphorus washes into lakes and rivers where it can cause deadly algae blooms.

In Canada: Canada has no overarching federal ban on lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus, but provinces and municipalities may have restrictions due to concerns over phosphorus running off into lakes and streams.

Old refrigerators using Freon (R-12 Refrigerant)

Refrigerators made before the mid-1990s utilize chlorofluorocarbon compounds such as R-12 for refrigeration. It is not illegal to own a working vintage refrigerator. However, the sale, purchase, or release (such as during repair) of R-12 to the atmosphere is illegal throughout the world under international environmental agreements.

In Canada: Canada has strict controls on ozone-depleting refrigerants like CFCs, and it is against the law to release refrigerant while servicing equipment or disposing of units.

Heavy windshield accessories (hanging ornaments)

It’s illegal to hang items such as oversized air fresheners, fuzzy dice, or graduation tassels from your rear-view mirror in several U. S. states (like Minnesota, California, Illinois) under strict “Vision must not be obstructed” vehicle codes.

In Canada: There is no federal prohibition against hanging fuzzy dice or air fresheners from rear-view mirrors in Canada, as traffic regulations are provincial. However, provincial traffic laws prohibit obstruction of the driver’s clear view through the windshield, so an excessively large hanging object could still get you in trouble.

Haggis containing sheep lungs

Did you know that if you imported the Scottish delicacy of traditional haggis, you now have a banned food item in the United States? The USDA made it illegal to sell or import animal lungs used for human consumption back in 1971 due to fear that fluids from the stomach or pathogens could come into contact with the organ meat during preparation.

In Canada: Traditional imported Scottish haggis cannot be brought into Canada. The CFIA and Health Canada do not allow importation or sale of lungs from mammals for human consumption.

Single-use plastic grocery bags

Single-use plastic grocery bags or thin plastic checkout bags are banned for distribution in retail stores throughout Canada, New Zealand, and some states in the United States (such as New York and California), where consumers use reusable bags or paper bags instead.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

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