Mental Health
Here you can read the latest news and research studies covering mental health. This is also the place to find out about different strategies on how you can reduce stress and boost happiness, and many other ways to look after your mental wellbeing.
5 tips to get your teen the sleep they need
If you’re the parent of a teen, you probably have more than enough on your hands without worrying about how much sleep your child gets. The issue is that regular sleep deprivation can affect teens even more than it affects adults. Sleep deprivation can increase chances of health issues like Read More...
What is meta-stress and how can you avoid it?
When you know a high-stress event is coming up, it’s natural to work yourself up before it even happens. That anticipation can cause you to spiral down a rabbit hole of “what ifs,” and those thoughts can feel both mentally and emotionally taxing. Researchers say this common pattern is called Read More...
World Happiness Report shines a light in dark times
The past few years have been incredibly challenging for the world, though it turns out we’re doing better than you might think! According to an international research project, levels of social support and benevolence actually increased in this difficult time. This year is the 10th Read More...
Always growing: a dive back into the marvelous world of mushrooms
“Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom.” - Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, and essayist Science is ever-changing. Scientists and physicians used to be sure that contagions and diseases were spread from person to person by smell. This was called the Miasma Theory, and Read More...
How does LSD help an anxious brain?
Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve commonly discussed how psychedelics potentially treat mental illnesses. With their power to alter our brains in miraculous ways, researchers are racing to understand their power. Scientists don’t fully understand the human brain itself yet, therefore lots of Read More...
Experiencing burnout? Use these tips to bounce back
With the chaotic rhythms that today’s society dances to, chances are you’ve heard of burnout, and you may have even experienced it. This unfortunate condition is caused by chronic work stress and is usually related to the lack of energy one has towards a daily job or activity. Burnout is Read More...
6 equinox rituals to welcome spring this year
This week, we observed the spring equinox (also called Ostara and the vernal equinox), which has historically been celebrated as a time of balance, rebirth, and new possibilities. For many regions, this is a time when the light and darkness of day and night even out, and we can feel that the world Read More...
The gene that could stop Parkinson's disease
Scientists are always working tirelessly to figure out new, effective treatments for complex neurological conditions. Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve reported on many before, such as non-invasive brain surgery for people with epilepsy and using brain signals to allow a man with paralysis to Read More...
Can video games treat health conditions? This start-up thinks so
Video games tend to have a bad rep of fostering addiction and encouraging people to waste time—however, as gamification proves a handy tool in conservation, humanitarian initiatives, and in combatting climate change, video games may also become a rising star in another arena: health. Video games Read More...
4 signs you need to say NO from time to time
Saying “no” to a request is understandably difficult. Professionally or personally, we either want to help, accommodate a friend, or fear we may upset someone we care about. That’s why we can be inclined to say yes to those we're close to. If your schedule is already filled with work, Read More...