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The amount of money that the film “Sinners” made is worth discussing. But the chatter about it—and other new movies—is h...
07/22/2025

The amount of money that the film “Sinners” made is worth discussing. But the chatter about it—and other new movies—is heading in the wrong direction, David Sims wrote in April:

Some people’s charisma seems to set them apart from the crowd. But although the idea of being more charismatic certainly...
07/22/2025

Some people’s charisma seems to set them apart from the crowd. But although the idea of being more charismatic certainly seems appealing, Arthur C. Brooks writes, this elusive “rizz” can be both a divine gift and a false friend.
https://theatln.tc/K6gv2dHZ

Charisma has been characterized as a combination of two traits: influence and affability. Whereas influence is judged based on qualities such as one’s presence in a room, people see affability in traits associated with the ability to make other people feel comfortable and at ease. “You will not be surprised to learn that charisma and professional success are strongly associated,” Brooks explains. “Researchers following people’s careers find that charisma early in life predicts a higher income 15 years later, as well as the managerial level a person achieves and the number of subordinates they have.”

But this is only to a point: Researchers have also found that extremely charismatic leaders tend to be less effective, in part because they may be strong on imparting a vision but weak on implementing it.

Some charisma, no doubt, is innate—and here, “extroverts have the advantage because they tend to be high in influence and affability,” Brooks writes. Yet there is also ample research to suggest that charisma can be cultivated—it might just take some practice. Last year, for instance, three Israeli researchers created a virtual-reality device called the “Charismulator” to help people develop a more appealing communication style, both verbal and nonverbal. “Subjects who trained for only a few minutes with the device were judged by others to have 17 percent more ‘general charisma’ than they’d had before the intervention,” Brooks explains.

But even if you can become more charismatic, does possessing this trait indeed make you happier? Brooks offers advice for how you can be charismatic without worrying about the impression you’re making on others.

🎨: Jan Buchczik

A world built for cars has made life much harder for grown-ups, Stephanie H. Murray wrote in 2024. https://theatln.tc/oL...
07/22/2025

A world built for cars has made life much harder for grown-ups, Stephanie H. Murray wrote in 2024. https://theatln.tc/oLc0KOA8

🎨 :Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Giuseppe Ramos / Getty

In recent Supreme Court terms, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson “have issued defiant dis...
07/22/2025

In recent Supreme Court terms, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson “have issued defiant dissents that push back against a seemingly endless cascade of conservative opinions,” Aziz Huq writes. Such a “candid expression of distrust” is a “dramatic change in the way that dissents work.” https://theatln.tc/Woj9QWDf

“Whatever their differences, the three liberals agree on an overarching theme,” Huq argues: “They no longer see the Court playing by the old game of constitutional law.”

🎨: The Atlantic. Sources: Chip Somodevilla / Getty; Drew Angerer / Getty; Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP.

Donald Trump has launched a frontal assault on the journalism business, Paul Farhi argues—and so far, he’s winning.
07/22/2025

Donald Trump has launched a frontal assault on the journalism business, Paul Farhi argues—and so far, he’s winning.

For decades, “CBS set the standard for long-form television reporting,” David A. Graham argues. But now, the network’s “...
07/22/2025

For decades, “CBS set the standard for long-form television reporting,” David A. Graham argues. But now, the network’s “ownership seems determined to demolish this legacy.” https://theatln.tc/P60detEl

On Thursday, CBS announced plans to end “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” when the host’s contract ends next May. “Late-night personalities come and go, but usually that happens when their ratings sag,” Graham explains. “Colbert, however, has consistently led competitors in his time slot.” Although CBS said this was “purely a financial decision,” Graham continues, the network has “made a series of decisions capitulating to President Donald Trump, and the surprise choice to allow Colbert—a consistent, prominent Trump critic—to walk seems like part of that pattern.”

This in part began in 2016 when Sumner Redstone—the owner of CBS’s parent company, Paramount—surrendered control to his daughter, Shari Redstone. She then struck a deal to merge Paramount with Skydance in 2024—but the deal requires federal approval. Also in 2024, Trump sued CBS for its alleged improper editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. “He demanded $20 billion,” Graham explains, “a sum that was preposterous especially because—as most First Amendment lawyers agreed—the suit had no merit.” But he also had leverage: In winning the election, Trump had a role in “approving the proposed Skydance-Paramount merger.”

Earlier this month, CBS agreed to a $16 million settlement to end Trump’s lawsuit. “The agreement doesn’t pay Trump directly,” Graham writes, “but the network agreed to pay legal fees for him and a co-plaintiff, and to contribute to Trump’s future presidential library.” As for Colbert’s departure, “one wonders how his salary compares to the money spent to settle a dubious lawsuit.”

The recent experience of Columbia University offers a warning for CBS, Graham argues. What happened there “is the same thing Trump has done to many other adversaries: If you give him an inch, he’ll take a yard, and immediately scheme to grab a mile, too. Institutions that are willing to sacrifice their values for the government’s favor are likely to end up with neither.”

Six months into his second term, personal gain and petty retribution seem to be Donald Trump’s only goals for his presid...
07/21/2025

Six months into his second term, personal gain and petty retribution seem to be Donald Trump’s only goals for his presidency, Tom Nichols argues in The Atlantic Daily.

Over the next four years, some $45 billion will be spent on ICE detention centers, which may hold mainly people who have...
07/21/2025

Over the next four years, some $45 billion will be spent on ICE detention centers, which may hold mainly people who have never been convicted of any crime, Eric Schlosser argues.

Certain modern animals have sun problems that natural selection can’t easily solve. For these animals, people have come ...
07/21/2025

Certain modern animals have sun problems that natural selection can’t easily solve. For these animals, people have come up with a shorter-term solution: sunscreen. Katherine J. Wu reports:

A novel from Taffy Brodesser-Akner tells the story of one American family burdened by their own wealth, Adelle Waldman w...
07/21/2025

A novel from Taffy Brodesser-Akner tells the story of one American family burdened by their own wealth, Adelle Waldman wrote in 2024:

Airlines have once again wrung a new social class from air travel: those who fly premium economy. In 2022, Mac Schwerin ...
07/21/2025

Airlines have once again wrung a new social class from air travel: those who fly premium economy. In 2022, Mac Schwerin reported on why we’re so enticed by marginal luxury.https://theatln.tc/NMe9pPp2

Though not as plush as a business-class berth, premium economy (which goes by different names depending on the airline) delivers various creature comforts—a few extra inches of legroom, or a toiletry kit with Malin+Goetz products, or a “chef-inspired” meal with craft beer, to name a few perks across carriers. In 2008, Schwerin explained, rising fuel costs and sagging demand prompted airlines to decouple standard amenities from economy tickets in order to keep their prices competitive. Carriers originally designed premium economy to catch the bruised egos of former business-class fliers when the corporate world began to earnestly self-audit and downgrade employee travel budgets. ⁠
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The confluence of pandemic exhaustion, discretionary income, and a “screw it” attitude toward purchasing small luxuries creates the perfect environment for low-stakes indulgence, Schwerin argued. Airlines understand that “humans can have short memories,” he wrote. If they create enough distance between the initial ticket purchase and the option to upgrade, passengers are more likely to think of the latter as a stand-alone cost. “Despite what travelers may know about seat-upgrade marketing tactics, many still think the extra spend is worth it,” Schwerin continued. “And perception is reality. Airlines, it turns out, have figured out how to bank on that fact.” ⁠
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🎨: Alex Cochran

“If people on the left are repelled by this movie, it’s for the same reasons people on the right feel so obligated to se...
07/21/2025

“If people on the left are repelled by this movie, it’s for the same reasons people on the right feel so obligated to see it,” Elaine Godfrey wrote in 2023:

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