Lifestyle
Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.
The best last-minute gifts are experiences, not things
Christmas Eve is around the corner. If you’re anything like me, you haven’t finished your shopping—and can think of better ways to spend those precious hours of the holiday season with friends or family. Don’t ditch your loved ones to drive to the mall or log on to Amazon Read More...
Debunking 4 sustainable investing myths
Enthusiasm for sustainable investing is surging. Already, more than $8.7 trillion of investment capital is managed using environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in U.S. markets alone, a 184% increase since 2010. This pot of money increasingly includes investments in green infrastructure, Read More...
How to donate money with impact in international emergencies like Aleppo
For many people watching the human tragedy unfolding in Aleppo in Syria, the question is: How to mobilize resources to help feed, clothe and provide shelter and healthcare to displaced Syrians? Here’s a guide to give your support in the most impactful and efficient Read More...
Why some stress is good for you
Research shows early experience of trauma can disrupt the brain's stress response, affecting the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system), hippocampus (verbal memory center), prefrontal cortex (the CEO of the brain and stress regulator). These changes make people with too much early trauma more Read More...
I read 15 books this year on happiness, productivity, and success
The bad thing is that one time a stack of said books collapsed on my desk neighbor. Without a doubt, the books that moved me most this year focused on psychology and behavioral science — and as 2016 draws to a close, I'm reflecting on everything I learned. Below, I've rounded up the most Read More...
What the humble turnip can teach us about economic growth
Remember how the turnip triggered the Industrial Revolution and lifted millions out of poverty? In England, in the early 1700s, fields were increasingly “plow sick” — they had exhausted their fertility. Farmers had to let them lie fallow to restore nutrients to the soil. But then, farmers Read More...
‘Economics profession is obsessed with the wrong things and not helping people’
The profession of economics should guide society how best to use available resources to create an optimal outcome for people and environment. But it’s terribly failing at that, according to Jeffrey Sachs, economics professor at Columbia University. Sachs says that economics is obsessed with Read More...
This app lets you listen to every radio station in the world
If you want to have an inspiring one world experience, check our Radio Garden. This “Google Earth of radio” lets you listen to any station in the world. You can click on any radio station just by spinning the globe. You will find out that they play the same music in Novokuznetsk in Russia as in Read More...
Can a universal basic income fix economic inequality?
It has been a socialist welfare dream for decades: Give everyone a universal basic income. Such a safety net would provide safety and security for the whole society. But does it work? The system has never been thoroughly researched. Now, with a $10 million grant, that’s going to Read More...
World Bank: Giving money to poor people actually works
Giving money—instead of services—to poor people actually works. As a result, more children are sent to schools while the money is not spent on alcohol or tobacco. That's the message of a new World Bank report that analyzes 19 separate studies. Contrary to what governments suspect, poor people Read More...