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.
Cows, rejoice! We don’t need your milk anymore!
Together with environmental engineer Perumal Gandhi and CEO of New Harvest Isha Datar, Ryan set out to create “a real dairy product that relies in no way on animal husbandry.” Muufri (pronounced Moo-free, get it?) is not meant to undercut small farmers, rather it serves as a much-needed Read More...
The environmental benefits of peace in Colombia
Colombia’s environment has suffered widespread and severe damage as a result of half a century of armed conflict. With a peace agreement with FARC on the table, the government has been reviewing the financial costs of the damage – and the economic and environmental benefits of peace. By Read More...
In the world happiest countries the sun doesn’t shine much
There’s no correlation between the number of rainy days in a country and the levels of happiness of its people. And we don’t buy that. According to the latest update of the World Happiness Report by the United Nations, the top 5 happiest countries are all Northwestern—rain rich—European Read More...
Why more high tech professionals are thinking low tech
I thought about starting the busy week ahead by reflecting on how the fight between Apple and the FBI has become nastier than the audience at a Donald Trump rally. I also considered trying to convince you of the merits of the lowest-tech experience you can imagine: attending Major League Read More...
This type of meditation may reduce racial bias
Researchers Alexander Stell and Tom Farsides were interested in how the practice of Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) may reduce racial prejudice; results of their study are published in the journal Motivation and Emotion. Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is a Buddhist concept that focuses on Read More...
What Bobby Kennedy would say to Trump
On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, RFK spoke to an America roiling with anger. His words are more relevant than ever. About 9 PM on a cool April night 48 years ago, at the corner of 17th and Broadway in Indianapolis, Bobby Kennedy turned a street corner into a church. He was running for Read More...
10 books you can read in one night that will boost your motivation for work
Some days you feel on top of the world. Others, not so much. For the latter, here’s a cheap and easy solution: a quick, motivational read. For less than $20 on an e-reader and an hour or two of your time, you get the shot in the arm you need. These books may not change your life, but they Read More...
Behind the label: can we trust certification to give us fairer products?
In 1988, the first Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, was applied to packs of Mexican coffee sold in Dutch supermarkets. At the time, using a product label to say something about standards in a supply chain was revolutionary, but today it is routine. The Ecolabel Index currently lists 463 Read More...
How meditation went mainstream
The idea of meditation seems simple: Sit still, focus on breath, reflect. But the practice of meditating is rooted in a deep cultural history that has seen the practice grow from a religious idea to something that can now seem more stylish than spiritual. Though plenty of people still meditate for Read More...
Syria's peace talks need more women at the table
The human suffering in Syria is beyond comprehension. Years of conflict have forced millions from their homes and left hundreds of thousands dead or wounded. A whole generation is growing up without security and without proper access to education and healthcare. The only long term solution to the Read More...