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Welcome to the September issue of The Highlight

Vox

31 August 2026 at 19:04

A fledgling “loneliness economy” is booming on the back of warnings about just how bad loneliness can be for us — “comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,” as one often-cited comparison puts it. But can we really spend our way out of loneliness? In this month’s Highlight cover story, Allie Volpe breaks down the false promise of startups promising to banish loneliness (for a price), the real symptom they may be concealing, and a better way to bring people together. Also in this issue: How to know your true self. The ocean’s under-explored “twilight zone.” Making friends by lying to them. And why is it so hard to donate a brain?

You’re a people pleaser? Here’s how to not lose yourself.

By Shayla Love

Can you spend your way out of loneliness?

By Allie Volpe

Inside a quest to learn about the ocean’s mysterious “deep reefs”

By Byrd Pinkerton

Coming September 1

Why is it so hard to give away my dad’s brain?

By Courtney E. Matin

Coming September 2

How to make friends by lying to them

By Constance Grady

Coming September 2

Welcome to the August issue of The Highlight

Vox

By: Vox Staff

3 August 2026 at 16:11

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have been wildly successful. But as popular as they are, Americans still have very negative feelings about the people using them. In this month’s Highlight cover story, Dylan Scott explains why ‘Ozempic stigma’ hasn’t gone away, how it’s impacting GLP-1 users, and whether it could begin to fade as more and more people take the drugs. Also in this issue: How to tolerate uncertainty. What rent freezes could mean for renters. Good news about declining road deaths. And the coming AI wealth boom.