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.
Donald Trump, Brexit and what's happening with democracy
Many Americans have woken up questioning how the polls could be so wrong. And wondering why a man who, according to 60 percent of the population doesn't have the qualities to be a president, nonetheless was elected. They feel like many Brits did after Brexit. At that time the Belgium author David Read More...
A Google mindfulness program that makes meditation a lot less frustrating
Over the past few years, I've had an on-again-and-off-again flirtation with meditation. It's on whenever I get jealous hearing someone talk about how their sitting practice has totally changed their life. I could do that, I think. And then I try sitting on my own for a few days and find it Read More...
How blockchain will change your life
Until the mid-1990s, the internet was little more than an arcane set of technical standards used by academics. Few predicted the profound effect it would have on society. Today, blockchain—the technology behind the digital currency bitcoin—might seem like a trinket for computer geeks. Read More...
Need a ride to the polling booth? Zipcar, Lyft offer free and discounted rides
If you are in the U.S. and still wondering how you can get to the polling booth, ride-hailing and car-sharing services say they’ve got your back. Zipcar and Lyft are offering big promotions to encourage you to get out and vote today. Zipcar has made more than 7,000 vehicles free. Lyft offers Read More...
After 25 years, Eastern Europe has closed the “happiness gap” with the West
The idea was that the transition from a centrally-controlled economy to one based on market forces would improve the quality of life for people living in Eastern Europe. Well, it did. But it took 25 years. For the first time, a report shows that the “happiness gap” between people from Read More...
What's the difference between mindfulness & meditation?
When I tell people I am a meditation teacher they often say, "Cooking is my meditation," or "Exercise is my meditation." And while those things are relaxing, meditation is its own thing—which is why it has its own word. Mindfulness is a "directed-focus" style of meditation, in which you're Read More...
Can quantum physics explain consciousness?
The mere mention of “quantum consciousness” makes most physicists cringe, as the phrase seems to evoke the vague, insipid musings of a New Age guru. But if a new hypothesis proves to be correct, quantum effects might indeed play some role in human cognition. Matthew Fisher, a physicist Read More...
The U.S has never been closer to ensuring paid maternity leave
Unlike nearly every other country in the world, the U.S has no laws guaranteeing some form of paid maternity leave. That may soon change thanks to new legislation that calls for the adoption of paid leave for both men and women. The legislation is gaining support in the House and Senate, and a Read More...
The fashion company that offers a lifeline to refugees
Many refugees end up spending years in camps--in a nowhere land where they can’t work or begin building new life. Here’s a company started by a former banker that breaks the “aid trap”. It provides productive, dignified work for 500 women in a Jordanian refugee Read More...
This map changes the way you see the world
We see the world as we know the map. It’s distorted picture of reality: Some countries are much bigger than they truly are. Others are smaller. It’s problem that comes with the projection of a 3-dimensional ball onto a 2-dimensional surface. And so the distortion lives in our minds. Here’s a Read More...