The Optimist Living
Fungi as effective as pesticides in protecting crops
Organic food is better for your health but a challenge for the farmer. Crop diseases can quickly decimate yields. That’s why botanists are looking for natural ways to protect crops. They have discovered two types of fungi that are just as effective at keeping away common barley seed infections as Read More...
The healing power of calm
Life is stressful, but the world itself is not. The world is just happening, but the stress you feel is perceived from the inside. External forces might play a small role, but for the most part the stress you feel daily is a construct of your mind. Learning and remembering how to stay calm can help Read More...
Sense of awe is good for you
When was the last time you were blindsided by a sense of wonder? That feeling doesn’t carry on much into adulthood, but research shows that if you can give yourself that feeling, there is a trove of health benefits to be had. Feeling a sense of awe catalyzes collaboration, and makes our sense of Read More...
Traits found in every optimist
Yes, the languages we speak are overtly optimistic, but that doesn’t mean on a societal level we’re all optimists, though you should be. Optimists are happier, live longer, and have stronger immune systems, those points have all been scientifically proven. Even if you’re not an optimist, Read More...
Benefits of meditation keep increasing
Meditation is effective in treating depression as well as increasing cognitive control and executive functioning. New research surrounding the overt benefits of meditation seems to be coming out every week. Researchers at UCLA found that meditation helps you maintain grey matter in your brain, as Read More...
Foods you can eat after they “expire”
Food waste is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses in landfills. Our throwaway society can convince you to throw away countless pounds of food, but here are a few items that can live past their expiration date. Eggs are fine to eat often far past their expiration date. If there’s any Read More...
Kids exposed to healthy foods are more likely to favor them when they’re older
Figuring out what’s healthy isn’t hard—the less processed, and more raw—vegetables, not meat—the better. But kids often want the sweet, sugary stuff and as parents we want to make them happy. But as it turns out the foods we feed our kids when they’re young impacts the decisions they Read More...
Americans are becoming less stressed
Stress levels in the US are slowly declining. A recent study found that on a 10-point scale the average American is at about a 4.9—with 1 being no stress, and 10 being high stress—that’s down from a high of 6.2 in 2007. Another component of the study was finding the main cause of Read More...
Digital detox ups productivity
LPK is a Cincinnati based branding company with clients that include Proctor and Gamble, Bayer, and Nestle. Recently LPK went through a large-scale digital detox—for one day more than half the employees turned in their phones and laptops, and went analog. Some might cringe at the very thought, Read More...
High intensity workouts are better for your body
Until recently, scientists thought that high intensity workouts were only beneficial for specialized athletes. A recent study has discovered that short, high-intensity interval training does more to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, than more drawn out medium intensity workouts, like Read More...