• Everyone has heard of a favorite hangover cure, but people still often find themselves searching for something that'll actually work to cure a hangover.
• That's partially because many hangover cures are myths.
• In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we explore the truth behind the myths.

Everyone's heard some version of a hangover cure.

Some people swear that remembering to chug water before bed will cure a hangover. Others have more elaborate routines, involving various types of food, drink, or physical activity.

The problem with trying to find a hangover cure is that many aspects of what causes a hangover are still a mystery to science. But that doesn't mean every hangover cure is bunk.

From what we can tell, hangovers are at least partially — perhaps mostly— caused by the byproducts our bodies create when we break down alcohol. We know that people whose blood alcohol content spikes quickly suffer more severe hangovers, meaning that doing a bunch of shots is likely to send you down a dark and painful road. And we know that the more people drink, the worse the hangover they suffer after.

Unfortunately, this also means that a lot of hangover "cures" are myths. Some of them might help you feel slightly better, but the degree to which they are a cure is questionable.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day are some of the most common myths — and the truth behind them.

SEE ALSO: How playing video games affects your body and brain

Myth: Hangovers happen because you're dehydrated — chug a glass of water before bed and you'll be fine.

Truth: Drinking dehydrates you, and that dehydration usually accompanies a hangover but probably isn't responsible for it.

Most hangover symptoms come from the breakdown of alcohol, not dehydration. And while we need water in our bodies to break down alcohol, we still won't feel better until our systems have dealt with the byproducts of that process.

That said, no one wants to be dehydrated and hungover at the same time. So if you feel thirsty, chug away.

Myth: Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.

Truth: This isn't entirely false, but that's not because the order you drink things changes the way your body processes them.

Alcohol is alcohol, and too much of it will make anyone feel sick.

That said, people who switch from beer to mixed drinks or straight whiskey may be less likely likely to monitor their alcohol consumption and thus drink more.

Plus, at least one small study indicates your body metabolizes carbonated drinks like beer and mixed drinks faster than higher-concentration alcohol (like a shot of whiskey). Adding liquor to a stomach-full of beer could, in theory, create a sort of mixed drink that would metabolize faster than one or the other on its own.

But in general, the biggest effect here probably comes from being less careful with liquor after a few beers.

Myth: You can cure a hangover with 'hair of the dog.'

Truth: Having a drink the morning after a session can make you feel better, but it's not curing your hangover — it's prolonging it.

Your body prefers to deal with ethanol instead of the painful byproducts created by breaking alcohol down, so if you give it more alcohol, it can temporarily take away the pain of breaking down alcohol's byproducts.

But really, that's just putting off the pain. Your body still has to break down those byproducts, which means the pain may come back even worse later.

Some researchers think this "hair of the dog" effect is why hangovers may be a risk factor for alcoholism instead of a natural deterrent to becoming an alcoholic. Studies show that alcoholics get some of the most severe hangovers around.

• After years of struggling, Abercrombie & Fitch reported positive sales growth at its namesake brand in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• This growth was driven by greater investment in stores, marketing, and omnichannel experiences.
• We compared our experience of shopping online at Abercrombie in May 2017 versus today.

Abercrombie & Fitch is on its way to becoming cool again. 

Abercrombie & Fitch, which also owns successful sister brand Hollister, reported positive same-store sales growth for the first time in six years during the third quarter of 2017. While this 4% increase was thanks to strong growth at Hollister, the Abercrombie brand itself showed signs of improvement. 

During the fourth quarter of 2017, Abercrombie finally had its comeback, reporting an impressive 5% increase in same-store sales. 

On Thursday, credit-ratings agency Moody's raised its rating for the company.

"The upgrade reflects the 2017 recovery in both the Hollister and Abercrombie brands and Moody's expectation
that operating performance will remain solid," Moody's wrote in a note to clients. 

Abercrombie has been working hard to execute a comeback by investing in stores, closing unprofitable locations, improving its product assortment, and working on its marketing strategy. 

In the past, it was accused of losing relevance with customers who grew tired of oversexualized ads and shopping in its nearly pitch-black stores with booming music and air that was thick with the smell of cologne.

In May 2017, Business Insider's Kate Taylor checked out the experience of shopping online at Abercrombie. We compared that to the shopping experience now that its sales are on the upswing:

SEE ALSO: Abercrombie & Fitch is closing 60 stores this year

Back in May, discounts were the flavor of the month. Almost every item on the website was posted with a 40% to 60% discount.

One skirt was being sold for $10, an 80% discount off its original price. Heavy discounting usually signals that a retailer is looking to get rid of excess inventory.

The price point on dresses and jumpsuits today is similar to what we saw in May 2017, but there's considerably less clothing on sale.

• Hawkeye, one of the first Avengers, isn't in any of the "Infinity War" trailers, and he isn't on the poster, either.
• Fans are speculating what his absence means, and it's hilarious. 

Hawkeye is the forgotten Avenger, even when he's on screen. 

Despite the fact that Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner, has been with the Avengers team since 2012's "The Avengers," his character is not featured in the trailers or the poster for "Avengers: Infinity War." In fact, Teen Groot has more screen time and poster space than him. That's quite a blow. 

Marvel fans are having fun with his absence, making jokes about his whereabouts on Twitter.

Some assume he dies in "Infinity War" and this is an attempt to keep that quiet, while others assume he's just taking care of his wife and kids.

Here are some of the best Hawkeye tweets:

SEE ALSO: Poor Hawkeye isn't in any of the 'Avengers: Infinity War' trailers or on the poster, which makes a recent Instagram post from Jeremy Renner even sadder

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

• Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing announced his retirement on Friday, at 89 years old.
• Li is the 23rd richest person in the world with a estimated net worth of $35.4 billion
• Often called "Superman," he has an incredible "rags-to-riches" story that saw him go from impoverished in southern China to building a conglomerate that spans across 50 countries and 323,000 employees.

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing announced on Friday that he would be retiring from running CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, the two massive conglomerates that he built in Asia's most famous rags-to-riches story.

While he is no longer the richest man in Asia, the 89-year-old still ranks as the 23rd richest person in the world with a current estimated net worth of $35.4 billion.

Li is retiring weeks shy of his 90th birthday, but it is unlikely that the famously active mogul will rest for long. He has said he plans to work on his charitable foundation, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and has pledged one third of his wealth to philanthropy. 

His 53-year-old son, Victor Li, will take over the conglomerate, which has 323,000 employees, operations in 50 countries, and investments ranging from property and technology to energy. 

Often called "Superman" and Asia's answer to Warren Buffet by the media, Li has an incredible and inspiring life story. He went from dropping out of school as a child to support his family to becoming the first person of Chinese origin to buy one of the British-built Hong Kong companies that dominated the city since its colonial days. 

Christi Danner contributed reporting to an earlier version of this story.

SEE ALSO: I stayed at New York’s most iconic luxury hotel that charges up to $50,000 a night and was once owned by Donald Trump

Li Ka-shing was saddled with financial responsibility from a young age. After his family fled to Hong Kong from southern China during WWII, his father died of tuberculosis. He had to leave school before the age of 16 to work in a plastics factory.

Source: Business Insider

For almost four years during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, he sent 90% of his pay to his mother. Li worked hard from a young age, often working 16 hours a day, seven days a week, a pace that he says he continues to keep up even at 89 years old.

Source: Forbes

Li eventually became the factory's top salesman and was promoted to be the factory manager at 18.

Source: Forbes

The new "Avengers: Infinity War" trailer dropped Friday, and it teases plenty of action and peril for the characters we have come to love (or hate) for the past 10 years.

Beloved characters like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America face dire situations as the villain Thanos terrorizes the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. But it's not all doom and gloom. The trailer teases much-anticipated reunions, like Bruce Banner and Black Widow; and meetings, like Doctor Strange and Spider-Man, and Iron Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

For most viewers, the trailer will be a riveting tease at the blockbuster, but more eagle-eyed fans may notice a few key details.

For those confused as to what the glowing stones are that are so prominent in the trailer and what they mean for the fate of our heroes, we have you covered. And what's up with Spider-Man's new suit?

We broke down the trailer to highlight those details and more, both the hidden and the not-so-hidden — and what it all means.

Below are key details you may have missed in the "Avengers: Infinity War" trailer:

SEE ALSO: 'Avengers: Infinity War' advance tickets are now on sale — get them while you can

Thanos is after the Infinity Stones.

To understand what's going on in the new trailer, you have to understand what Infinity Stones are. The big bad guy of the movie, Thanos, wants to "wipe out half the universe," as his adopted daughter Gamora says in the beginning of the trailer. To do that, he has to acquire six Infinity Stones, which are immensely powerful, reality-bending stones that give the user unimaginable power when collected into one glove, called in the comic books the Infinity Gauntlet. 

So, where exactly are these stones? Well, it looks like Thanos has the blue space stone...

The space stone was last seen aboard that giant space ship we see Thor and his pals escaping the planet Sakaar in at the end of "Thor: Ragnarok." It's inside the Tesseract, that glowing-blue cube we see in "The Avengers" — until "Infinity War," when Thanos seems to get his hands on it, as evidenced by the above and previous photos. Recall that an even larger ship finds Thor and his friends at the end of "Rangarok." That's probably Thanos.

...and Loki probably helps him get it because he's the worst.

This is Loki with some of Thanos' minions, known as the Black Order. They are standing among rubble that could be the aforementioned ship Thor and friends are on at the end of "Ragnarok." If Thanos attacks, it would make sense for this to be where the devious Loki betrays his brother Thor (again), and hands the space stone over to Thanos.

• There is a lot to learn from looking at the cultural differences between Chinese and American parenting styles. 
• For example, Chinese parents coach their children into learning new skills, whereas American parents are inclined to wait until the child shows initiative.
• As her son grows older and experiences more, author Yan Mei knows that her cultural values and parenting strategies will grow and change as well.

My son was born in the US to a Chinese mother and a British father. He may speak fluent Mandarin, use chopsticks, say "lift" instead of "elevator," and enjoy Weetabix and crumpets at breakfast, but he calls New York home.

There's much more to multicultural parenting than language and food. In the past five years, I've gobbled up reams of parenting books, but I don't believe that there is such a thing as the perfect parent. We can't choose our parents, but we can choose what kind of parents we want to be, regardless of our cultural background.

Here are four major differences I've noticed between how Chinese parents and American parents raise their kids:

SEE ALSO: 20 things only Americans say

Americans parents are perennial cheerleaders for their kids in a way Chinese parents often are not

I used to roll my eyes when American parents lauded their children, exclaiming, "Good job!" or "You're great — I'm so proud of you!" Chinese parents drill into their little ones the philosophy that "Modesty leads to progress, and conceit makes one drop behind" (谦虚使人进步, 骄傲使人落后).

Instead of praise, I remember my dad often said to me, "You can do even better next time if you work harder." I wondered why Americans acted like their kids' cheerleaders.

That changed when I read Amanda Ripley's " The Smartest Kids in the World, And How They Got That Way. " Ripley explains that back in the 1980s and '90s, "American parents and teachers had been bombarded by claims that children's self-esteem needed to be protected from competition (and reality) in order for them to succeed." Now I see that the self-esteem movement was a quintessentially American phenomenon.

Since then, research has instead pointed out that it's better for parents to applaud children's effort (rather than their talents). I've been using these praise strategies with my son, and his response makes me chuckle: "Yes, because I've worked really hard and used my brain."

Chinese parents take the lead, while Americans let their kids call more of the shots

One of my first insights into the different parenting strategies between American and Chinese cultures came at an unexpected milestone in my son's life: potty training.

I started potty-training my son when he was 10 months old. In China, potty training is a parent-led job: The child is held over a potty, and a parent whistles or makes a "shh" sound. "Kids eventually associate the sounds with 'need to go,'" my mother claimed. "It's quick to learn. You were potty trained just after 1."

Well, it's safe to say that all my child's daycare friends were happily in diapers at that age. "Follow your child's lead," many American parents said. Our pediatrician also assured me starting potty training after age 3 was absolutely normal for a boy.

This disparity was demonstrative of a larger trend in parenting culture. Americans try to respect children's individuality and natural signs of interest, while Chinese parents tend to coach as early as possible and push kids to get on with it.

Chinese parents have great expectations for their children's achievement

"Parents can't always tell kids what to do, right?" my son asked recently asked me. We were discussing our favorite short films after returning from the New York International Children's Film Festival.

"I can now, but who knows in 10 years?" I said to myself.

Confucian culture emphasizes one's importance to the family, society, and other people, so Chinese parents often project their hopes and decisions onto the next generation. Almost every child growing up in a Chinese family heard their parents say, "I do it all for you!"

a tragic story of an immigrant family that puts a spotlight on this traditional Chinese parent-child relationship.

"Even though I know maybe in reality he would not be a football player. But it was just the way I shattered his dream when he was small ... and I know for sure, there are other Chinese parents who are doing the same to their children right now. And I don't want that to happen," Li said.

• Home decor is usually a matter of personal taste, but there are a few instances where "ugly" is undisputed.
• @pleasehatethesethings is an Instagram account that documents the most epic fails in design and home decor.
• Some of the worst offenses are a blood-red bathtub, carpeted walls and ceilings, and a shower head that sprays the toilet.

Home decor is usually a matter of personal taste, but there are a few instances where "ugly" is undisputed.

The Instagram user @pleasehatethesethings is keeping tabs for the rest of us with an ongoing catalog of "Absurd, ill conceived & just plain stupid things in home decor." 

Dina Holland is an interior designer based outside of Boston and her alternate social media account has taken off. Apparently people hate the same things she does — horrendous houses with humorous design flaws. Her account now has over 16,000 followers.

Holland's business account — @honeyandfritz— showcases work from Dina Holland Interiors. She said the origin of @pleasehatethesethings came from posting photos of designs she didn't like on her business account.

"Then people started messaging me the things they hate and I kept posting it to share," Holland told Business Insider. "It was going on for days and one of my followers was like, 'You need to make a whole other account for this.'"

Holland said the reaction has been mostly positive: "People think it's funny."

Holland previously told Architectural Digest these design disasters happen because "a lot of younger designers don't have the confidence to go in and say, 'No, that's not the right look.'"

From misplaced toilets to poor carpeting decisions, the design faux pas Holland highlights on her Instagram page all have one thing in common: They look terrible.

Below are some of the funniest design flaws featured on @pleasehatethesethings:

SEE ALSO: The way Trump decorates the Oval Office could influence design trends across the entire US

DON'T MISS: Shoppers are dropping hundreds of dollars on 'ugly' clothes — here are some of the worst examples

The color scheme may be harsh on the eyes, but at least there is knit carpeting for when you decide to walk on the ceiling.

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Live. Laugh. Love. Garlic. All good wall-pasted quotes need a smelly clove.

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No word if this room, complete with purple carpeted walls, belonged to a Prince superfan.

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• Costco is one of the largest pizza retailers in the country.
• A slice costs $1.99, and a full pizza costs $9.95. 
• It's a decent pizza considering the context — and the deal alone makes it more than worth it. 

Costco is one of the largest pizza chains in the US.

Yup, you read that right — with over 700 locations and, therefore, food courts, Costco is considered the 14th largest pizza chain in the country. It's technically bigger than California Pizza Kitchen and nearly as large as CiCi's. 

That's an impressive feat for a retailer that also sells coffins, cars, safari vacation packages, and gallon jugs of peanut butter all under the same roof. With that in mind, we decided to head over to the nearest Costco to see just how good the pizza is — is it really worth the visit?

SEE ALSO: What the FDA-recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories looks like at every major fast-food chain

Costco is a veritable land of plenty — and its food court reflects that. While its faded signs and dated '80s food photography aren't much to look at, it may end up being one of the best lunch deals around.

It serves a strangely wide selection of food, from barbecue pork sandwiches to smoothies. In 2011, the chain sold 100 million hot dogs— four times as many sold by the entirety of Major Baseball League stadiums that year.

But we're here for the pizza.

The price point, like the rest of the menu, is extremely attractive: $1.99 for a slice, and a bargain-basement $9.95 for an 18" wide pizza. That's ... insane.

There are three pizza types to choose from: cheese, pepperoni, or "combo," which is essentially a supreme pizza. Whether you buy it by the slice or by the pie, the process is incredibly quick. Obviously, the chain has slices ready and waiting under heat lamps, and the baking process is streamlined so that the wait is minimal for a freshly baked pizza.

Plus, Costco members can call ahead and place an order to pick up. 

But the question remains: how is the pizza?

First of all, the slices are enormous. Gargantuan. They fill up an entire normal-sized paper plate — they practically have their own zip code. If anything, they're unwieldy because of the size.

The size also plays into the floppiness of the slice — there's no way something that wide and flat can be structurally sound, no matter how crispy the crust is. And we're not saying it's crispy; it's rather doughy, although it's important to note that it's not soggy. It's just a more flexible, chewy crust. 

• Costco, the member's-only warehouse store, sells more than just bulk cereal.
• It also sells a variety of underwear and accessories, which men rave about.

You'd never guess that the place where you can buy 30 packs of toilet paper and breakfast cereal by the cubic foot would also be the place where you could get all your undergarment shopping done.

But it is.

Costco is secretly one of the best places for men to get every single undergarment they need. You'll find quality socks, undershirts, belts, and even underwear — all by Costco's Kirkland Signature private label. 

It's all in the high-quality manufacturers Costco sources from and the exacting standards they hold for the products that carry the Signature label.

Unfortunately, it's a bit of a mystery who exactly manufactures these products, as both retailers and manufacturers prefer to keep mum about the relationships. If you can live with the uncertainty, then the rewards are plentiful — as are the steals, since the items are quite a bit cheaper than their name-brand counterparts.

Socks

My favorite winter socks, the Kirkland Signature Men's Outdoor Trail Sock, is one of the best steals in all of men's sockdom. A four-pack of the merino wool blend socks is a mere $12 — an incredibly small amount of money for wool socks of this quality.

I've bought many over the years, and exactly zero have failed me so far. They're warm, soft, and, most importantly, comfortable.

Buying a comparable pair from an established wool sock brand like Smartwool would have cost $19 for one pair. Unfortunately, the socks are so popular, this year's run is already sold out, and the resellers are offering the socks for as much as double the retail price. It's worth keeping an eye out when they return in September.

Belts

Another of my favorite items from Costco is the Kirkland Signature Men's Leather Belt. Though it costs a mere $18, the belt is made with Italian full-grain leather, which is the absolute best type of leather you can buy for a belt. The belt has lasted me years and still looks just as great as it did on day one. It's the perfect size, weight, and color, and I have every confidence it will last me years and years to come.

A comparable full-grain belt might cost anywhere from $50 to $100. Another steal from the bulk giant.

Undershirts

Guys swear by the Kirkland Signature Men's Crew Neck Tee undershirts and, from my personal experience, it's easy to see why. The shirts are luxurious and thick, bucking the trend of off-brand clothing being weaker or thinner than their counterparts. They'll last quite a long while.

It's $19 for a six-pack, which might be a bit more expensive than undershirts you'd find at Walmart or Target, but the quality is much better, and the cotton is thicker.

Underwear

Though I have no personal experience with the buy-it-in-bulk chain's Men's Pima Boxer Briefs, many guysclaim they're some of the softest and durable they've worn. More importantly, they claim the underwear's Pima cotton-spandex blend allows it to keep its shape and not ride up, which is one of the most important things to consider when buying cheap(er) underwear. 

About $13 gets you four pairs, which is much cheaper than department stores or mall brands.

SEE ALSO: I ordered the same items from Amazon and Walmart to see which site does it better — and they both had major flaws

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The rise and fall of Hooters Air — the airline that lost the 'breastaurant' $40 million

• Kids on airplanes has become a controversial topic of late.
• With each new report surrounding a disruptive child on an airplane, the debate continues: How should airlines, parents, and flight attendants deal with the situation?
• We asked some flight attendants to weigh in.

How airlines, parents, and crew handle disruptive kids is a mounting and divisive issue, Business Insider's transportation reporter Mark Matousek reports.

In February, a YouTube video of a toddler screaming, climbing on a chair, and running through the aisles during an eight-hour flight surfaced. Commenters' reactions were deeply split between criticism towards and sympathy for the child and his parents.

In March, a video shared on social media shows a man and his young daughter getting kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight after the child reportedly threw a tantrum during boarding. Southwest airlines said the family was placed on the next flight after "a conversation escalated onboard" between the crew and the passenger. Other passengers and some on social media have criticized the crew and Southwest for how they handled the incident.

As Matousek reports, the idea of airlines introducing "child-free zones" is gaining traction. More than half of the 4,000 travelers Airfarewatchdog surveyed in 2017 said families with children under 10 years old should be required to sit in a separate section of the plane.

Since playing the blame game rarely leads to real solutions, we asked flight attendants to weigh in on what they think airlines, parents, and flight attendants can do when kids are being disruptive. They had a few thoughts:

There isn't a whole lot the airline can do to stop the disruption

"Airlines can't handle disruptive children. Besides advising the parent that the kids need to talk quieter, sit down, or not kick the seat in front of them, there's really nothing we can do."

Flight attendants can sometimes compensate nearby passengers

"I'm not sure there's much that can be done with a fussy, over-tired toddler. I've seen it in action, and it's very difficult for everyone around. I give free drinks when I can, but not everyone drinks liquor."

"If a passenger is uncomfortable throughout their flight, they should definitely tell the flight attendants to see if they can be accommodated."

"Ask to change seats if there are any, use ear plugs, drink a lot of vodka. Crew can help to a certain extent."

Tell the airline

"If the flight is full and they can't change your seat, I would reach out to the airline and explain the situation to see if they will provide credit for their next flight."

Let the parents handle the situation

"Parents should always have entertainment and food for kids."

Parents should come prepared

"As an uncle who just traveled with his two-month-old nephew, the best strategy to flying with a baby is to get them fed and sleeping before the plane takes off and to make sure you have a pacifier to help pop their ears."

As should passengers

"Passengers should put on their earphones, listen to music, or watch a movie."

"This is why you should always bring earplugs and an eye mask! There's not a whole lot flight attendants can do besides politely tell the parent that their child needs to sit down or lower their voice. Parents have it hard flying with kids, especially on long flights."

Child-free zones probably won't work

"Whether you have a child-free zone on the aircraft or not, you're still in the same metal tube in the sky. There will never be an enclosed area due to security reasons."

And they may not be fair

"Parents shouldn't feel segregated for having children, and they're not the issue — the people who are bothered by the children tend to become more disruptive then the child."

Ultimately, everyone needs to be patient

"We all need to be patient with each other. Who can control a screaming child?"

"Babies cry — its a part of life. And sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. Give those mamas and papas a break."

SEE ALSO: A day in the life of a United Airlines flight attendant, who woke up before 3 a.m. and ran circles around me for 9 hours

DON'T MISS: Inside the intensive, two-month training all Delta flight attendants must attend that's harder to get into than Harvard

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Banning laptops from plane cabins could make flying more dangerous — here's why

• The first Costco store opened in the US in 1976.
• Since then, it has expanded to Europe, Australasia, and Asia.  
• We compared the experience of shopping in its stores in Japan versus the US.

A love of Costco transcends all geographical borders.

While America created the Costco phenomenon, its operations now extend far beyond the confines of this country and into Australasia, Europe, and Asia. 

Costco opened its first Japan location in 1999 and since then has grown its presence to 26 stores, which span the breadth of the country. 

The Japanese arm of the business is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco US. While it stocks several US brands and Costco private-label products, there are some big differences between the experiences of shopping in both locations. 

Find out how different the two stores are below:

SEE ALSO: People are obsessed with booking their vacations through Costco — and now there are even more benefits

From the outside, the warehouse-style layout of this Costco store in Tokoname, Japan, looks similar to Costco in the US.

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One of the biggest bonuses about shopping in Costco Japan is that its stores are open seven days a week, 364 days a year. It closes on January 1. US stores, on the other hand, are closed for major national holidays. Inside, walls of bulk-sized products line the store ...

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... which is exactly what you might see in the US.

• "Invisible PA" company ibLE offers pay-as-you-go remote PAs at £35 an hour.
• The PAs are paid around £45,000 a year and can work from anywhere in the world.
• Co-founder Emma Hatto told Business Insider it's a "lucrative" career — and a day can involve anything from planning a celebrity bash to simply answering a few emails.

Gone are the days of the desk-bound, dedicated secretary who sits outside your office screening your calls and fetching your coffee.

Now, it's all about having a flexible personal assistant, or PA — and sometimes you'll never even see them.

Emma Hatto, co-founder of "invisible PA" company ibLE and a former PA herself, told Business Insider that there are countless benefits of using a remote PA.

With ibLE, online signup involves a one-off fee of £250, then the use of a PA is £35 an hour, billed in five-minute increments so no time is wasted.

"Once you’re registered online, you then get assigned a PA based on your profile — what your business is, or if you’re a private person what you think you need, then we’ll look at who the best PA is for you," she said.

Each PA has a maximum of three clients to make sure they're readily available. However, as it's a pay-as-you-go service, clients only pay for what they use. According to Hatto, this means you can have a PA for a year, but only use them for six months in different blocks of time throughout.

"That PA will always stay there. They’ll learn about your business, learn about you, learn what you like so you’ll never have to go away from that one person," she said.

"There are a lot of small businesses out there that need support from someone, so it's good for them as it's cheaper," she said. "They don't have to worry about bringing someone onto the payroll."

She added that at the moment, the company is working with a lot of tech startups who "need to look lean because they’re going after investments so they don’t want to have that person on their payroll."

IbLE also works with private individuals "that have a busy life," and the remote PA can provide support without them needing to hire someone full-time.

"It can just be business tasks like time management, email management, doing presentations, reports, that sort of stuff, to more of the kind of concierge-style stuff," she explained.

And she stressed that it doesn't necessarily have to be remote working.

"If you want somebody to come to your house or you want somebody to come to your office once a week, or you want someone to come help with an event, we will have people who are available to come to you," she said. "It just means they’re not sat at desks taking up space all day every day."

Dedicated, pay-as-you-go service

It's not the only company tapping into the remote PA trend. 

Last year, Business Insider spoke to You Need a PA, a company providing the rich and famous — from Suki Waterhouse to Nick Grimshaw — with personal assistants in London for £45 an hour or £350 a day.

However, according to Hatto, other companies don't always provide a dedicated PA.

"Al ot of our competitors might have 18-20 clients each which is quite alot," she said. "You can’t really give someone a dedicated service.

She added that the majority of PAs at other companies don't have the same experience or are new graduates, while ibLE is focused on "impeccable service." 

"You need to have experienced people working on it for sure," she said.

It's a pretty appealing offer for the PAs, too

According to Hatto, a PA working fulltime hours — six or seven a day — is earning around £45,000.

"These people are 60k PAs in a normal job, so we’re saying you’re getting a 60k PA for £35 an hour, which is not very much," she said.

"However, we want to pay them well because we want to make sure we get the good ones. A lot of them could probably go out themselves and get paid a little bit more, but they’re not having to market [themselves] and do the business development, and that’s the hardest part for people that don’t know how to do that.

"We’re a platform to enable them to get the business, because once the client’s there and they’re attached to them it means they have the relationship themselves."

Hatto and business partner Georgie Bale, also a former PA, also own a recruitment company called BOWER, which comes in handy.

"A lot of them come from that," she said. "The recruitment business feeds quite nicely into ibLE, from the candidate side but also from the client side."

She added that the majority of ibLE's PAs are mums who "have decided to go back to work but they don’t want to be in the city or they don’t want to be working fulltime hours.

"As a PA, it’s really hard to get a job if you’re not able to be in an office day-to-day.

"[Remote working] means they can get up and do a school run, be online, do a school run again, and they can put the kids to bed and be back online in the evening."

It's also popular with yoga instructors.

According to Hatto: "As a career path, it’s quite lucrative, especially if you've [just] come out of full time work, some people just don’t want to be in the city all the time any more."

Landing the job involves a rigorous testing process

"For our recruitment business we do alot of testing," Hatto said. "We have a diary management test we’ve built, [and] we’ve got gamification testing, so you download an app and play games and about logic, attention to detail, and all those sorts of skill sets. They have to be over a certain level to be even considered as a PA."

Then, the company do face-to-face interviews. If candidates are successful, Hatto and Bale will use them on a trial basis as PAs themselves.

"I have one at the moment," Hatto said. "My birthday party was in Ibiza last year and I gave her the whole thing [to organise.] It was the best birthday I've ever had."

"I wanted to know that if I gave that to the hands of the PA what I’d get from them, so it was really good to test that."

She added that the PAs all have to have at least eight years of experience, so "they've all pretty much seen most things and are able to deal with it."

"We do ask them to do background checks, stuff like that, to check they’re who they say they are," she added.

"Confidentiality is key so that’s something we take really seriously."

Every day is different...

It may sound (and look) like fun, but it's not always glamorous work.

"A lot of it would be emails," Hatto said. "The majority of them communicate over Whatsapp, so it’s a quick message in the morning — 'How’s your day looking? Can I do anything for you today?'

"The ones that are checking inboxes and stuff, it will be alot of inbox management at the beginning of the day, checking the diary, arranging meetings."

However, the tasks can vary depending on what the client is looking for.

"Some could be out personal shopping, some could be going to look at event spaces, some could be putting together a presentation. It’s such a variety of tasks. Some do social media management and stuff like that."

The company has a ticketing partner as well as an HR partner and a virtual finance director, so experts are on hand for any advice a client may need.

She added that there's "not much we would say no to" — and some requests are certainly more extravagant.

"We had a new watch brand that was released, and one of the PAs did the launch party with lots of A-list celebrities on that list," she said.

She added: "We’ve had some weird requests on people being stuck in various places in the world when they’ve gone away for personal holidays, and needed help finding their passport or their keys and everything else that comes with it.

"People do lean on [the PAs] quite heavily... there are lots of weird and wonderful things they get asked to do."

...and you're always on the move

Days are pretty varied for Hatto, too.

She's based at IbLE's office in Victoria.

Here's a peek inside.

However, she often finds herself working out of the Devonshire Club in the City and is "always on the move."

This involves a lot of travel for fun, too.

"That is the one of the benefits of this — you can work from anywhere," she said. "I was in Verbier last week and they’ve got a co-working space there now."

She added that a lot of what she's learned came from being a PA herself.

"For me it was a good fast track to learning how to run a business, that’s what I used it for," she said. "I didn’t go to university, came out the other side and thought 'What am I going to do?'

"The PA world seemed like an obvious route."

SEE ALSO: Meet the pay-as-you-go PAs who get super-rich clients into Eton, charter choppers to Glastonbury, and ghost-proof mansions

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside London's Harry Potter-style bar where you mix your own cocktails in a cauldron and pour beers using a magic wand

St. Patrick's Day is here, and that means another one of Google's annual customized holiday doodles.

Every March 17 since 2000 (save for the year 2003), Google's homepage has displayed different variations of its logo celebrating Irish culture with shamrocks and Celtic designs. This year's St. Patrick's Day Doodle features a design by Irish artist Ross Stewart with a picturesque Irish countryside scene and "Google" spelled out in stones next to a river bank. 

In honor of today's festivities, we've rounded up every St. Patrick's Day doodle featured on Google's website since 2000. Have a scroll and find your favorite.

Read more about the holiday: Everywhere from New York to Egypt celebrates St. Patrick's Day — see the photos of raucous celebrations around the world

2000

2001

2002

Irish and Gaelic descendants have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day for over 1,000 years. The holiday, which falls on the anniversary of St. Patrick's death, is accompanied by parades, drinking beer, and eating traditional foods like corned beef and cabbage or shepherd's pie. More than 100 parades are held across the United States including the largest ones in New York City, Chicago and Scranton.

Although the US is home to some of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations, festivities take place around the world from Ireland to Australia. 

Here is a breakdown of St. Patrick's Day by the numbers:

Source: WalletHub

Source: WalletHub

Chicago started dyeing its river green in 1962. The first year used 100 pounds of dye.

Source: RewardExpert

• Tiger Woods and his ex-wife, former Swedish model Elin Nordegren, divorced in 2010 after six years of marriage.
• In 2011, Nordegren purchased property in North Palm Beach, Florida, and custom built a mansion.
• The 11-bedroom mansion is now listed for $49.5 million.

Tiger Woods' ex-wife Elin Nordegren, who was married to the pro golfer for six years, has placed her 11-bedroom Florida mansion on the market for $49.5 million. Woods and 38-year-old Nordegren divorced in 2010.

The property was purchased by Nordegren in 2011 for $12.25 million, and the custom-built mansion was completed in 2014.

The 23,176 square-foot oceanfront home is in Seminole Landing — a private, gated community in North Palm Beach, Florida. The property comes with 11 bedrooms, 15 full baths, a guest house, and a four-car garage.

Other perks inside include a wine cellar, theater, fitness center, a catering kitchen, and a three-story Swarovski crystal chandelier. The home is inspired by British West Indies architectural design, and if the beach doesn't impress, there's also a swimming pool equipped with a waterslide and spa, lounge areas with fire pits, a half basketball court, and a putting green.

The listing is held by Cristina Condon and Todd Peter of Sotheby's International Realty.

Keep scrolling for a full tour of the mansion.

SEE ALSO: An elite networking group that counts professional athletes and fashion executives as members is turning an island off Finland into the next Soho House

DON'T MISS: Nobody wants to buy Warren Buffett's $11 million Southern California vacation home — take a look inside

In total the mansion is 25,878 square feet.

The home sits on 1.4 acres of land.

The design was inspired by British West Indies architectural design.

• Mermaids, beer historians, and cat café owners all make a living from unusual and cool jobs.

• Some gigs involve inherently interesting activities, like finding Spanish coins and traveling the country visiting breweries.

• Business Insider spoke with a number of people who have particularly interesting jobs.

Cool jobs may seem hard to come by sometimes, but they're definitely out there.

Some jobs, like mermaid and treasure hunter, are so interesting that they almost sound far-fetched.

But Business Insider found that's it's more than possible to make a living doing things that you love.

Here's a look at how six people came by some of the most incredible jobs out there and what their lives entail:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

Paisley Easton was introduced to the world of mermaids by a high school friend

Paisley Easton has always loved the water.

"I'm not a swimmer per se, but growing up we were always going to the pool and water parks," she said.

Now, she spends part of her work days underwater, working as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida. A high school classmate who she attended college with first clued her in to the world of Weeki Wachee's mermaids.

"As we were sitting in a college class, she told me, 'Oh I just wish I could be a mermaid forever,'" she told Business Insider. "Obviously, she's there getting her education to move onto something else, but you could tell that she really loved the job by that comment."

Prospective mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida have to undergo a number of tests before they earn their tails

Easton had visited the tourist attraction as a kid, but that conversation was what sparked her interest. Typically, prospective mermaids audition in groups of 60, but Easton's friend snagged her a private audition.

To make the cut, Easton had to swim 400 yards in 16 minutes, try out some underwater moves, and do breath exercises.

"I had to take a breath, hold, and smile and wave at the windows so they could watch how comfortable I was," she said. "You've got to make sure that your face just looks calm and relaxed and not scrunched up. And you've got to keep your eyes open."

Easton said the mermaid performances have brought out her more outgoing side

Easton ended up getting the gig. Along with the other new mermaids, she trained to swim relying on her arms, keeping her legs straight and her ankles together.

Wearing the costume fish tail actually makes swimming easier, Easton said, because it keeps your legs together for you. The mermaids perform three shows a day, but Easton said swimming before an audience isn't too stressful, and the job has brought out her more outgoing side.

• About 17.2 million cars were sold in 2017, according to data from Kelley Blue Book.
• Compact and mid-size crossover SUVs accounted for nearly 40% of all sales.
• Among the top-selling SUVs were the Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue, and Honda CR-V.

There were about 17.2 million cars and trucks sold last year, according to a report by Kelley Blue Book.

Though the total number of car sales is down 1.8% from 2016, the report shows that people are continuing to favor SUVs and trucks over sedans. In fact, compact and mid-size crossover SUVs combined accounted for about 40% of all car sales in 2017. Some of the top selling crossover SUVs include the Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue, and Honda CR-V — over 350,000 of each was sold in 2017 alone.

Out of all the SUVs sold in 2017, here are the best sellers according to KBB:

SEE ALSO: Ford is cutting back on sedans to build more SUVs — and it could mean a boom for its business

12. Jeep Cherokee: 169,882 sold during 2017. Down -14.9% over 2016.

11. Subaru Forester: 177,563. -0.6%.

10. Subaru Outback: 188,886. +3.3%.

• Frequent social media use and screen time have been portrayed as universally bad for our health.
  
• However, a lot of research on this phenomenon has been characterized by poorly done studies and bad science.
  
• The vast majority of evidence suggests that our smartphones are not uniformly harmful, and in some cases, they may be a force for good.

True story: I once walked headfirst into a pole on my way home from work.

I can't blame the darkness (the sun had only just begun to set), and I can't blame my vision (I'd recently gotten new glasses). But I can blame my iPhone, whose vibration had lured me into staring at its crisp bright screen. The text I was responding to was not worth the heart-shaped bruise that I shamefully covered in makeup the next day.

Until my ridiculous injury, I had laughed at stories about the dangers of "walking while texting." I'd eye-rolled at reports of painful "iPhone neck" from leaning over tiny screens. And I'd never taken the idea of social media addiction seriously.

But that evening, I started to wonder if maybe our generation was screwed— and maybe our smartphones were to blame.

So I did some digging: I pored over scientific studies and talked to researchers who specialize in psychology, sociology, addiction, and statistics. A few experts were emphatic that social media addiction is real and should be added to the DSM IV, long considered the diagnostic bible for psychologists. Others hedged their bets and said more studies were needed.

But the conclusion I gathered was the opposite of what I've been hearing in the news. Social media and smartphones are not ruining our brains, nor will either become the downfall of a generation.

The vast majority of the large and well-designed statistical studies on smartphones and the brain actually suggest these technologies are having little to no effect on our health and well-being. And in some cases, the availability of social media and phones may be a power for good.

'The lowest quality of evidence you could give that people wouldn't laugh you out of the room'

Most of the headlines about social media — the ones that warn us about smartphones destroying a generation, ruining our posture and mood, and eroding our brains— are simply "a projection of our own fears," Andrew Przybylski, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, told Business Insider.

That's because most existing studies on social media's effects suffer from the same problems that have plagued the social science field for decades.

For one thing, many of the studies are too small to carry a lot of statistical power, Przybylski said. Researchers also often go into a study with an agenda or hypothesis that they hope their study will support.

Take, for example, the claim that because teen depression and iPhone ownership have been rising at the same time, they must be connected. This is a classic example of correlation, not causation: our phones are not necessarily to blame for cases of depression.

Przybylski has attempted to replicate some of the studies that suggested there's a strong tie between social media use and depression. When he used larger sets of people in a more well-controlled environment, he failed to find the same results. Instead, he's found either no link or a very, very small one.

"People are making expansive claims about the link between well-being and tech use, but if this was displayed on a Venn diagram, the circles would overlap one quarter of one percent," Przybylski said. "It is literally the lowest quality of evidence that you could give that people wouldn't laugh you out of the room."

Last year, Przybylski co-authored a study published in the journal Psychological Science in which he examined the effect of screen-time on a sample of more than 120,000 British adolescents. The researchers asked teens how much time they spent streaming, gaming, and using their smartphones and computers. After running the data through a series of statistical analyses, it became clear to Przybylski that screen-time isn't harmful for the vast majority of teens. In fact, it's sometimes helpful — especially when teens are using it for two to four hours per day.

"Overall, the evidence indicated that moderate use of digital technology is not intrinsically harmful and may be advantageous in a connected world," Przybylski wrote in the paper.

Even when it came to those positive results, however, Przybylski said the significance of the effects they observed was tiny.

"If you're a parent and you have limited resources, the question becomes: which hill are you going to die on? Where do you want to put your limited resources? Do you want to put it into making sure your kid has breakfast or gets a full night's sleep? Because for those activities the effects are three times larger than they would be for screen-time," Przybylski said.

Seeing problems everywhere

Many parents fear that using social media is universally bad for teens. They get distracted by text messages during class; they miss out on family time because they're texting at the dinner table; they scroll through Instagram instead of going to sleep.

Once you see a few examples of phone-obsessed behavior — a whole family staring silently at their phones while eating a restaurant, say — you tend to notice it more wherever you go.

This may be partially a result of the phenomenon known as confirmation bias. Essentially, you see one event that supports an idea you already have, then because you are hyper-aware of these types of activities, you find more examples that appear to confirm that idea.

It's a bit like when you begin shopping for a certain kind of car — a Honda Civic, let's say — then suddenly notice that everyone appears to be driving a Honda Civic. In reality, that model hasn't gotten more popular overnight; you're simply primed to notice them.

"A lot of the research is bound up in these problems," Przybylski said. "Our concerns or panic about a new thing" — in this case, social media — "guide how we do the research and interpret the results."

Distorted, negative viewpoints have likely influenced the research on a host of new inventions and activities throughout history.

Unfortunately, paying attention exclusively to social harms makes us blind to the ways a new technology may be help us. In the case of social media, such biases can take attention away from other more serious problems.

"It's important to think about all the things we're not talking about here. We don't talk about things like privacy, advertisements, who owns your data, and all this stuff that's actually important. So actually it serves the interest of larger companies to be debating things like screen time and usage. When you bring it all together you have a big dog and pony show," Przybylski said.

When social media may help, not harm

Candice L. Odgers, a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California Irvine, specializes in studying new technologies and adolescent development. She told Business Insider that social media may be having some positive effects on teens and young adults, but many people are not paying attention to that research.

"The digital world hasn't created a new species of children. Many of the things that attract them to things about social media are the same things that attract them to other activities," Odgers said. "There are a lot of good things that are happening with social media use today and there's been a really negative narrative about it."

A large review of 36 studies published in the journal Adolescent Research Review concluded that instead of feeling hampered by their screens, teens are chiefly using digital communication to deepen and strengthen existing in-person relationships. The authors concluded that young adults find it easier to display affection, share intimacy, and even organize events and meet-ups online.

Similarly, the authors of a 2017 review of literature on social media and screen time published by UNICEF concluded that "digital technology seems to be beneficial for children's social relationships" and that most young people are using it to "enhance their existing relationships and stay in touch with friends."

Kids who struggle to make friends in person may even use digital tools to "compensate for this and build positive relationships," they said. A small 2018 study of British teens in foster care supports that idea — it suggested that social media helped young people maintain healthy relationships with their birth parents, make new friends, and ease the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Other research, including a small 2017 study of Instagram users aged 18-55, suggests that teens also turn to platforms like Instagram as a means of exploring the world and dreaming up potential adventures — a category of people the researchers classified as "feature lovers."

"Feature lovers want to see something that's exotic or unique; they're looking at Instagram and they're thinking, 'take me to China or Alaska or some place I can't afford to go,'" T.J. Thomson, the lead author of the study, told Business Insider.

You're probably not 'addicted' to Facebook or Instagram

The researchers behind these studies emphasized that social media and smartphones are not so much an "addiction" as a novel, attention-grabbing platform for enhancing existing activities and relationships.

In other words, social media has similar impacts on the brain as lots of other types of activity — too much or too little can be linked with negative impacts, while moderate use can have positive results.

"Claims that the brain might be hijacked or re-wired by digital technology are not supported by neuroscience evidence and should be treated with skepticism," the authors of the UNICEF review wrote.

Addiction is a complicated but serious problem that neuroscientists have yet to fully understand. It typically stems from a cache of interconnected factors that include our environment and our genes. As a result, classifying our nearly-universal reliance on digital tools as an "addiction" simply isn't fair to the people whose lives have been torn apart by things like alcoholism or drug use.

A chief characterizing factor of addictive behavior is that use of a given substance interferes with daily activity so much that people can't function normally. Studies suggest that social media, by contrast, is often used to enhance existing relationships, and does not decrease real-world interactions or cause uniform harm.

Research does indicate, however, that people who may already be predisposed to depression and anxiety could suffer more as a result of using these types of "compare-and-despair" platforms.

A series of studies published this month in the journal Information, Communication, and Society found that while people's Facebook use had no impact on their social interactions later that day, scrolling through the platform did appear to be linked with lower feelings of well-being if the person had been alone earlier in the day.

”People who use social media alone likely aren't getting their face-to-face social needs met,” Michael Kearney, a co-author of the study, said in a statement. "So if they’re not having their social needs met in their life outside of social media, it makes sense that looking at social media might make them feel even lonelier."

There are plenty of simple, healthy ways to address these risks without resorting to harsh measures like breaking up with your smartphone. I, for one, no longer text when I walk.

It's a small change, but my forehead is grateful.

SEE ALSO: A Stanford researcher is pioneering a dramatic shift in how we treat depression — and you can try her new tool right now

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This indoor farm in New Jersey can grow 365 days a year and uses 95% less water than a typical farm

• Kasia Urbaniak, a former dominatrix, has been teaching both women and men ways to communicate more powerfully and effectively for the past five years.
• It's based on what she knows about power dynamics, and is backed by social science, too.
• She told Business Insider her top tips for improving relationships.

Kasia Urbaniak is wrapping her arm gently around mine. “I want to reach 50,000 women,” she tells me, and I sense I might be one of them. Her quest: to put more women in positions of power, and re-shape the ways people interact.

The former dominatrix, dressed in a soft black sweater and leather, metal-studded boots, is comfortable commanding a room. But she also knows when it's OK to be quiet, kick off her shoes, pause and ask questions, or roll up her sleeves and inch closer to her colleagues to make a point.

For Urbaniak, learning how to become more "dom" and less "sub" is really just about learning what people need, and meeting them where they are. She says this keen ability to "read a room" and engage with a client or a colleague is an essential human skill — and something we can take from her dominatrix power playbook into the streets.

Urbaniak has utilized her skills to create a new kind of communication school called "The Academy." At the New York City school, she coaches women (and men, too) to change how they communicate, and learn her jujitsu style for "verbal self-defense."

But the class isn't just about shutting down creeps. Urbaniak wants to completely transform the way we talk to each other in all our relationships.

The number one relationship-crusher

Urbaniak says one of the biggest issues we face in all kinds of relationships is what she often refers to as "speechlessness" — the idea of being frozen or stuck in a moment, and feeling like you don't have the agency to speak up. It can be crippling when you're dealing with a predator or a bully. But it's also a problem in relationships with people who we're close to, like a partner or co-worker. 

"The idea of being good, by being low maintenance, is an absolute falsehood," Urbaniak says. She argues it's often what people don't say in conversations that's most dangerous to their future.

This speechlessness can be a learned habit, but the easiest way to break out of it, she says, is by saying something in the moment. Bringing up an awkward comment, or giving immediate feedback about something that makes you uncomfortable, is the easiest way to change the situation.

Open communication can be crippled by social rules about perfection and politeness

A small new study of doctors and residents at Harvard's Brigham and Women's teaching hospital in Boston backs Urbaniak up, finding that feedback is crucial for good work, and when politeness and excellence are prized above moment-to-moment constructive criticism in a hospital setting, a dangerous culture of silence reigns. 

To change this, Ubraniak gives her students tips on ways to practice breaking out of speechlessness. If what someone is saying is unclear, phrasing a response like, "It seems like what you're saying is..." might help. Or if you're frustrated someone just took credit for an idea, note what's happening right as it happens, like an athlete catching a pass: "Quickly pick up the ball," she says. "And go, 'Exactly what I was saying, thank you!'"

She says if you let an uncomfortable situation like this fester, it makes things worse. 

"With added time, there's a sense of betrayal," she says. "It also impacts all of the interaction in between, so there's just a lot more to clean up."

Throwing out dated gender scripts

Social scientists know that as we age, our brains change to respond to more social cues. By the time we're adults, our communication pathways are set up, and we develop habits about how to interact with each other. Some studies suggests that ways men and women respond to negative feedback can be quite different: women more often (quite literally) turn their gaze inward, while men look out. 

But Urbaniak believes it's time for those old habitual ways to morph into something new. She says the social reasons for some of those behaviors are fading, and it's time to change up the gendered script. 

In her classes, she encourages students to ask more questions, and expose what's not being said. Urbaniak says one of the simplest ways to shift a gaze outward is to start asking simple, probing questions, ones that don't involve any "I's." Like, "is that true?" or "why do you think that?" 

"Up until not very long ago, the best thing a woman could do for herself and her status and her future was to marry well," she says. "This is all new. We have to have a lot of compassion right now, for women and for men."

SEE ALSO: This is what your smartphone is doing to your brain — and it isn't good

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The key to long-lasting relationships is more simple than you think

• Barack Obama first met his future wife Michelle at work in 1989.

• The former First Couple went on a date that same year, and subsequently were married in 1991.

• The Obamas have spoken at length about how they made their marriage work, despite the pressures of the campaign trail and the White House.

Barack Obama reportedly knows how to sweep a girl off her feet.

The future president's first date with his wife Michelle began at the Art Institute of Chicago, where they grabbed lunch. It didn't start auspiciously.

Michelle was Obama's mentor at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, and was therefore reluctant to go out with him. According to David Mendell's "Obama: From Promise to Power," the future First Lady also thought Obama sounded "too good to be true" at first. She was also unimpressed when he showed up to the date in a "bad sport jacket" with a "cigarette dangling from his mouth."

"I thought: 'Oh, here you go. Here's this good-looking, smooth-talking guy. I've been down this road before,'" she told Mendell, according to the Washington Post. 

But ultimately, Barack won her over. They went out walking, and later caught a screening of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing," the Telegraph reported.

The date went well by all accounts, and couple reportedly had their first kiss outside a Baskin-Robbins at 53rd and South Dorchester in Chicago. The spot is now marked by a plaque commemorating the event, according to Atlas Obscura.

Here's a look inside the 25-year marriage of the former First Couple:

SEE ALSO: A look inside the marriage of the richest couple in history, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos — who met at work, were engaged in 3 months, and own more land than almost anyone else in America

Michelle, then 25, became 28-year-old Barack's mentor at Sidley Austin LLP in 1989. Michelle worried that it would be too "tacky" to date the new summer associate.

Source: INSIDER, ABC News

But ultimately, Barack won her over. The couple's first romantic excursion inspired the 2016 film "Southside with You." "We clicked right away… by the end of the date, it was over… I was sold," Michelle said, according to Brides.com.

Source: Youtube, Atlas Obscura, Brides.com

In 1991, Barack passed the bar exam, and took Michelle out to dinner at the now-shuttered Gordon's restaurant to celebrate. It was there he proposed to her.

Source: Youtube, Atlas Obscura, Brides.com