In our July edition:

Combating AI delusions, “wreck the hoose juice,” and the literal cost of happiness.

A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR

Thank you for opening this email and supporting our long-form reporting. You don't have to call yourself a hero — that's my job. (You're a good person. I see you.)

Appropriately, a hero's bounty awaits below, highlighted by a chilling (yet somehow hopeful) view on chatbot-induced psychosis and a look into the unlikely successes of one of this planet's strangest alcohol brands. —BB

An illustration of a comfortable office chair — the kind you may see in a therapist's office

Katherine INVESTIGATED...

What happens when AI breaks your brain?

Meet a team taking on a daunting task: aiding people with AI-fueled delusions.

As a mental health epidemic grows, the work mounts for Canada's Human Line Project, an AI psychosis support group that's triaging new members every week.

Dive in | 4 min read

Illustration of a wine bottle with a yellow label and cap

KATHERINE ALSO ASKED...

How is this weird wine bucking trends?

Booze sales everywhere are in free fall. Not for this monk-made hooligan juice.

Buckfast has a past so wild, the pope was almost called in to reel in the social ills it was blamed for. The tonic wine's present is, business-wise, going kinda great somehow.

Dive in | 5 min read

An editorial illustration with money and smiley faces interspersed

In case you missed it, KATHERINE (WHO APPARENTLY DOESN'T SLEEP) WONDERED...

How much money does happiness cost in 2026?

In 2010, two researchers made global headlines with their finding that happiness levels plateau after you earn $75k. But in the ensuing 16 years, life has gotten a lot more expensive. So we wanted to ask around: Where's the threshold today?

Dive in | 2 min read

Finally, ALI VISITS THE SWIFTIE eCONOMY...

You don't have to be happy for Taylor and Travis, but perhaps you'll have a soft spot for these Etsy sellers?

Before you get too annoyed by the wall-to-wall Swift/Kelce wedding coverage that'll seemingly consume every screen in the western world this weekend, there's an economic bright spot you can zero in on instead: we found some crafty entrepreneurs making a living hawking their own Swift-adjacent merch.

Dive in | 5 min read

FREE RESOURCE:

12 ways to build wealth beyond your paycheck

We'll have more long-form stories for you on August 1. Until then, you'll just have to settle for us being in your inbox every weekday. See you tomorrow.

Today's email was brought to you by Katherine Laidlaw, Sara Friedman, and Ben Berkley, with artwork by Olivia Heller.

SPECIAL: The strangest of all alcohols