The Optimist Living
Learn how to use the medicines that grow around you
We have grown up in a world where medicines come in boxes with labels of big pharmaceutical companies. But even these companies search for new breakthrough drugs in nature. Our ancestors only had plants for their aches, pains, and ailments. And these plants are still growing around us. Here’s a Read More...
Your brain shows that being generous makes you happy
Research has shown that people who spend money on others are happier. Now scientists have discovered why that is the case. A new study reveals the neural mechanism for why these generosity and happiness are Read More...
Desert support: Eight evidence-based health benefits of aloe vera
Aloe vera is a popular medicinal plant that has been used for thousands of years. It is best known for treating skin injuries. But there are many more beneficial effects that have been confirmed in scientific Read More...
The water baby revolution started 40 years ago
Forty years ago, in 1977, a state hospital near Paris began quietly changing the way women gave birth. A doctor in the hospital believed that childbirth had become too medicalized and he wanted a more natural approach. He introduced a pool to ease the pain of labor and eventually some babies were Read More...
The “happiest man in the world” explains how you can be happier too
Matthieu Ricard is a French monk who participated in a 12-year brain study on meditation and compassion. The study showed, among other things, that when Ricard was meditating on compassion, his mind was unusually light. That’s why the researchers called him “the happiest man in the world”. In Read More...
Eating less sugar increases your happiness
OK, this headline doesn’t exactly say what the outcome of this new research is. We already knew that eating too much sugar linked to obesity, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases. Now, a new study shows that people eating 67 grams of sugar or more have a 23 percent higher chance to be Read More...
70 percent of emails are read within 6 seconds: 5 ways to stop your addiction
This is a shocking statistic that shows how stressful our society has become. The average work email is read within 6 seconds. Add to that people spend on average 3 hours a day on their phones compared to 18 minutes in the pre-smartphone era, 10 years ago. Here are 5—research-backed—ways to Read More...
Beyond duality: Waking up with Alan Watts
Alan Watts (1915-1973) has inspired many with his eloquent interpretation of eastern philosophy. In this early video, he explains what “awakening” means according to Buddhism and Taoism. It is our challenge to become aware of the fact that life is not a contest. There is no virtue in triumphing Read More...
7 funding alternatives to overcome the barrier for female tech companies
The world of finance and high tech still suffers from a lot of gender discrimination. As a result, it is much harder for female entrepreneurs to get funding for their startups. Below are funding options for female founders that, in most cases, were created by women and are run by Read More...
7 reasons why you should get ready for working from home
Once working in your home office or workplace was the norm. Then came the Industrial Revolution and the big factories and offices. Work became something you needed to commute to. The Internet is bringing work back to your home. Get Read More...