The gist: If you've ever heard someone say they're “mogging” someone else and had absolutely no idea what they meant, you're not alone.

Collins Dictionary has named “mogging” its 2026 Word of the Year, after recording a 210% increase in usage.

The term means outshining or outperforming someone, particularly when it comes to appearance, confidence or status.

It originated in bodybuilding culture, where it was associated with the idea of being the most dominant or impressive person in a group.

But Gen Z and Gen Alpha have since adopted it as playful internet slang.

Someone might say their friend's outfit is “mogging” everyone else's, or that one celebrity completely “mogged” another on the red carpet.

Collins also highlighted several other expressions, including bixie, a haircut somewhere between a bob and a pixie, and fricy, which describes food that's both fruity and spicy.

Why it matters: Internet culture is changing the English language faster than traditional dictionaries can keep up.

Expressions that start in niche online communities can spread through TikTok, memes and everyday conversations before eventually becoming part of mainstream vocabulary.

And while some of these words disappear almost as quickly as they arrive, others become permanent additions to the way we communicate.

The interesting part is that mogging reflects something familiar about social media: our tendency to compare ourselves with everyone around us.

Apparently, even the dictionary is getting mogged by Gen Z.

Go deeper: https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/collins-word-of-the-year-2026-a-year-of-being-outdone/

The gist: Have you ever noticed that the same food can taste different when it's hot versus cold?

It turns out there's an interesting scientific question behind that experience, particularly when it comes to salt.

Florida State University neuroscientist Roberto Vincis has received a $2.55 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how temperature influences the way the brain processes salty tastes.

The research will examine how temperature affects neural activity associated with salt perception.

Through behavioural experiments and neural recordings, Vincis hopes to better understand how temperature and taste interact.

But there's an important distinction: scientists aren't announcing a breakthrough just yet. The grant will fund research intended to answer these questions.

Why it matters: Most of us consume salt without thinking much about how our brains actually perceive it.

But understanding how temperature influences salt perception could have implications beyond making food taste better.

Excess sodium consumption is a major public health concern, associated with increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

One of the project's stated goals is to help inform future strategies for reducing excess dietary salt.

If scientists can better understand the mechanisms behind salty tastes, that knowledge could eventually contribute to approaches that make lower-sodium foods more appealing.

The research is still at an early stage, so it remains to be seen what practical applications might emerge.

Your taste buds might have more opinions about temperature than you realize.

Go deeper: https://icon.fsu.edu/node/408

The gist: Forget judging a coffee shop by its beans, latte art or interior design.

Apparently, we're judging the syrup bottles now.

A November 3 report from Eater explores a growing debate in specialty coffee culture: is using store-bought flavoured syrup a sign that a café isn't trying hard enough?

On social media, some customers have started treating familiar bottled syrup brands, including Torani and Monin, as red flags.

Their argument? If you're paying $8 or more for a specialty latte, you might expect something more original than a flavour you could easily recreate at home.

In response, independent coffee shops are experimenting with house-made syrups and increasingly elaborate drinks.

Think maple rosemary, caramelized banana or honey cornbread lattes with ube cream toppings.

Some cafés say customers now specifically ask whether their syrups are made in-house.

But not everyone agrees that homemade automatically means better.

Making syrups from scratch requires additional labour, ingredients and preparation time, and some café owners believe the backlash against bottled products is partly driven by social media trends.

Why it matters: Coffee culture is changing.

For years, specialty coffee emphasized carefully sourced beans, brewing techniques and minimalist drinks.

Now, creativity and unusual flavour combinations are becoming another way for independent cafés to distinguish themselves.

It also raises an interesting question about how we judge quality.

Does something taste better because it's handmade, or does knowing it's handmade change how we experience it?

Turns out, even your vanilla latte can come with a side of snobbery.

Go deeper: https://www.eater.com/dining-out/997706/house-made-syrup-coffee-shop-trend-torani-monin-backlash

Idiosyncratic id-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-ik | adjective

Definition: Having distinctive or unusual characteristics that are particular to an individual, group or thing.

In a sentence: Her apartment had an idiosyncratic style, mixing vintage furniture, colourful artwork and souvenirs from her travels.

Why it's worth knowing: Idiosyncratic is a more interesting way to describe something distinctive, unconventional or uniquely personal.

It doesn't necessarily mean strange or bad. In fact, it's often the unusual details that make something memorable.

We save things we like all the time.

Restaurant recommendations. Interior design photos. Outfits. Websites. Book covers. Travel destinations.

But most of us never examine what those saved things have in common.

Create a folder called Taste References and save ten examples of something you genuinely love.

Then look for patterns.

Maybe you consistently prefer warm lighting over bright spaces, simple typography over elaborate design, or restaurants that feel lively rather than formal.

The useful part isn't collecting more inspiration. It's identifying the specific details behind your preferences.

Once you can explain what you like, it becomes easier to make decisions, communicate your ideas and recognize when something is right for you.

Good taste becomes more useful when you can explain it.

COPY AND PASTE:

I want to better understand my personal taste in [FASHION / INTERIORS / DESIGN / FOOD / TRAVEL / OTHER].

I'm going to give you 5–10 examples of things I genuinely love, along with what I like about each one.

Analyze my examples and help me identify:
1. The recurring characteristics, details and qualities that connect them.
2. Three to five words that accurately describe my preferences.
3. Any surprising patterns or contradictions.
4. The difference between what I genuinely like and what I might simply be drawn to because it's trendy.
5. A practical set of guidelines I can use when making future choices.

Don't force my preferences into a popular aesthetic category. Focus on the actual examples I provide.

Ask follow-up questions if you need more information.

One thing you didn’t know you wanted to know.

Ever heard a song that didn't impress you at first, only to become obsessed with it a week later?

Psychologists have studied a phenomenon called the mere-exposure effect.

The basic idea is that repeated exposure to something can increase how positively we feel about it.

In a classic 1968 study, psychologist Robert Zajonc explored how familiarity influences people's preferences.

Participants were shown unfamiliar stimuli, including made-up words and symbols, at different frequencies.

In general, items encountered more often tended to receive more favourable ratings.

Researchers have since studied the effect across areas including music, advertising and social perception.

Of course, repetition doesn't guarantee affection. Sometimes hearing the same song too many times makes you dislike it.

But the research suggests our preferences aren't always as independent as we imagine.

Familiarity itself can influence what feels appealing.

Sometimes you don't love something because it's familiar. Sometimes it becomes familiar, and then you start to love it.

Go deeper: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0025848