Episode Description:

A study of more than 100,000 people across 125 countries found that people cooperate far more than they assume other people will. Hopeful news to receive in a world that feels so divided.

This week Arielle and Karissa also cover gig worker rights getting their first-ever international vote, Pakistan scrapping its period tax after two young lawyers made it too hard to ignore, a farmer in rural Africa whose income jumped 50 percent because of a solar fridge, and a few lifestyle tips you’ll want to try yourself this summer.

And stay tuned til the end for another inspiring Emissary Shout-Out!

If you have questions, comments, feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hi, send a message to: podcast@optimistdaily.com.

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Theme and all original music by Marvin Lanes

Transcript:

Arielle: 

Hello, and welcome to The Optimist Daily’s weekly roundup. I’m Arielle. 

Karissa: 

And I’m Karissa, and we’re so excited to share the solutions from The Optimist Daily this week.

Arielle: 

We had a little bit of a break because last week we had an amazing guest interview with Farah and Tala from Build Hope Palestine. So if you haven’t listened to that one yet, then I would suggest you check it out.

Karissa: 

Arielle and I weren’t on the podcast last week, but we did share all these solutions in the newsletter and on our social media channels. Mm-hmm. And so you can definitely sign up for that in the link in the show notes. And you can follow us on our socials, @optimistdaily, on just about everything you can think of, except on X, where we’re @odetooptimism.

Arielle: 

If you have any comments, questions, or feedback for us, then you can either slide into our DMs or engage with us on social media, or you can even email us at podcast@optimistdaily.com. 

Karissa: 

And we have to thank our Emissaries who are the financial supporters of The Optimist Daily. Thank you so much for helping us get that positive news out there.

We have another Emissary shout-out to share at the end of this podcast from Dale, so thank you, Dale, for supporting us, and we are excited to share what makes you optimistic. 

Arielle: 

Mm-hmm. As usual, we also want to send a huge thank you to all of the optimists out there who just support us and read our work, listen to the podcast, and share them with the people that they love.

So a big shout-out to you guys. 

Karissa: 

We have a favor to ask. If you haven’t already this week, please forward this podcast to a friend or just one of the solution links to someone who needs a pick-me-up. Everyone needs that dose of optimism to counter all the negativity out there. So if you haven’t already, just forward to at least one other person.

Arielle: 

And hit that subscribe or follow button in your podcast app. 

Karissa: 

Let’s get into these summary solutions. 

Arielle: 

Well, the first solution of the week is titled, “A study of 100,000 people found we cooperate more than we think.” So there’s been this study of more than 100,000 people across 125 countries, and it found that 69% chose to cooperate with a stranger, even at a personal financial cost.

Those same people thought only 47% of others would do the same. And that gap showed up in 124 of 125 countries, and it has real consequences for every problem that requires us to act together. So I found this one particularly uplifting because we are in this era that feels really, really divided, and it feels like we just can’t work together.

So to know that science actually shows and demonstrates that we do wanna cooperate is just really hopeful to me. If you’re curious about the experiment, it involved participants choosing between $100 guaranteed for themselves or $70 plus a $400 donation to climate change. And they would only get that $70 if their anonymous partner made the same call independently without knowing what the other person chose.

So it’s also an indicator of how much we care about our environment, which is just another plus.

The second solution is titled “Historic ILO vote gives gig workers labor rights for the first time.” So for the first time in history, gig workers have international legal protections covering pay minimums, safety, and something that’s been a black box for years, how the algorithm decides your pay and whether you keep your job.

406 governments voted yes. Eight voted no. Unfortunately, the US was one of them. 

Karissa: 

Of course. Yeah. What can I say? But at least some other countries had some sense in… I mean, this is such an important development. 

Arielle: 

And there’s so many gig workers right now.

Karissa: 

Yeah.

Arielle: 

The World Bank estimates between 154 million and 435 million people work through apps globally.

So the scale of what the solution will actually impact is huge. The 2025 Human Rights Watch stat is that US platform workers earned a median of $5.12 per hour after expenses, and that’s about 30% below federal minimum wage. 

Karissa: 

That’s not good, but, uh, hopefully this new law will help. Uh, it’s gonna be a little difficult because there’s a ratification challenge.

The ILO can’t actually enforce anything. Countries have to write it and enforce it into their domestic law. But I mean, regardless, this is definitely a great starting point to, you know- Mm-hmm … give gig workers the rights they deserve. 

Arielle: 

I remember taking an Uber once, and I asked the driver how he was doing that day, and he, he just kind of didn’t rant at me.

It was more like he was- Yeah … really sad and frustrated with how his work was going and how things are so unpredictable. And I just felt so bad because so many of us rely on these people to deliver our food, take us places. They’re ingrained in our lives, actually, so they deserve to earn a living wage.

Hopefully, this is just a step in the right direction.

The third solution is pretty fun, and I actually think I’m gonna do this one. Um, it’s called “What is an admin date? Why experts say it helps with productivity and loneliness all at once.”

Everyone has that task that’s been sitting on their to-do list so long it’s starting to feel a little personal.

The admin date is the social hack that makes even the most procrastinated life admin feel possible, and experts say it does something for loneliness that a regular hangout just can’t. So what an admin date actually is, is you and your friend bring your to-do lists, find a spot, and then work through them side by side, and that’s basically it.

Um, the psychology behind it has, like, a source of accountability because someone is there. Plus, there’s behavioral modeling, so you’re watching someone else work quietly, and that motivates you to do the same. 

Karissa: 

I remember in college just working, doing homework by my friends. During the pandemic, we were doing online classes-

Arielle: 

Mm-hmm

Karissa: 

so we spent, like, all day together doing that work right next to each other. Um, and I miss that feeling. I might have to bring it back in the form of taking care of some admin tasks that are well overdue. 

Arielle: 

Yeah, I can think of a few that have just been kind of sitting on the back burner.

Karissa: 

Yeah, absolutely.

And I like how this article had a suggestion that you could put all the tasks that the group needs to do on a whiteboard and then cross it out and cheer whenever someone finishes something. 

Arielle: 

Yeah, that’s fun.

Karissa: 

So that’s pretty fun.

Arielle: 

The fourth solution is titled “HPV vaccine brings cervical cancer deaths to near zero.”

Between 2020 and 2024, not a single woman aged 20 to 24 in England died from cervical cancer. It’s the first five-year stretch on record where that happened, and a new study in The Lancet now explains exactly why. The HPV vaccine is doing what it promised.

Without the vaccine, researchers estimate about 23 deaths would have occurred in that age group, and roughly 200 lives have been saved since the school vaccination program began in 2008. Karissa, do you remember if your school had this type of program? 

Karissa: 

I don’t think our school had this kind of program. I do remember when I was going to the doctor at this, like, age, um, is when they recommended getting it, and I am fortunate that my mom was like, “Yes, absolutely. You wanna get it.”

Since it was a newer vaccine, there was a lot of discussion of like, “Oh, is it worth getting,” blah, blah, blah, and I feel like I was kind of part of this trial generation- Ooh … that were the first to receive the vaccine. But seeing that it’s actually working as this generation has grown up is so encouraging to me.

I feel a lot more assured having this vaccine under my belt that I too will be able to avoid cervical cancer. 

Arielle: 

Mm-hmm. All right. The fifth solution I’m going to share with all of you is a bit of a summery one. It’s called “Five dietitian-approved drinks to keep you hydrated this summer.”

So we all know we should drink more water in the summer, but dieticians say plain water isn’t always the most effective way to hydrate, and some of the alternatives are way more interesting.

One of them taps a principle that oral rehydration solutions have been using for decades, and it’s worth knowing about before the hottest months hit. And honestly, I’m sitting in a very hot place right now. Um, the Netherlands, and France, and surrounding countries have been going through a huge heat wave, and we’re just not used to it.

Um- Yeah … so I think this is definitely an article that I need to dive into right now. 

Karissa: 

Yes. I love water. I feel like I’m a pretty hydrated person, and I also love, like, herbal tea, which was one of the solutions or one of the suggestions here. So um, what one stood out to you, Arielle? 

Arielle: 

Well, I just love coconut water.

Um- back when I was living in the tropics, just getting a coconut from a tree and smashing it open with a machete and drinking it- … was always so refreshing. I no longer live in that climate, so it’s a little bit harder to get coconut water, but, um, yeah, that one was my favorite on the list. And I was just complaining to you, Karissa, right before our, our record that I just can’t have hot tea right now because it’s so-

Karissa: 

Yeah

Arielle: 

…hot. But I guess I could brew some, like, green tea and sweeten it with honey and just throw it in the fridge, and that will- Yeah … be super refreshing for later on once it’s cooled down. Summers are getting hotter and longer, so hydration is becoming a bigger public health conversation and not just something for personal wellness, so definitely check this one out.

Karissa: 

Let’s dive down to a 640,000 square mile climate resilient coral reef that researchers- Ooh … just discovered. The story about coral reefs has mostly been a story of loss, but researchers have identified this 64,000 square mile of reef that can survive and recover from climate change, and that’s three times more than anyone previously estimated.

And now they know exactly where those reefs are, so there’s a lot of benefits from being able to identify this and research why it’s so climate resilient. This reef spans across 71 countries and 100 territories, including parts of the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, and it was previously not on anyone’s conservation radar.

They found this from 45,000 coral surveys, plus decades of climate and ocean data. 

Arielle: 

Yeah, I think it’s really hopeful that so much research is going into identifying what kinds of coral and, you know, where coral is, where they can bounce back from climate change. Mm-hmm. Because it is, like, I- not to be pessimistic, obviously, ’cause we’re on the Optimist podcast, but climate change has gone so far, and we can’t save everything.

So I think it’s really smart to have targeted conservation. I like how it’s becoming a dominant approach, as funding isn’t always endless. It’s actually quite limited, so this is a solution that’s viable and hopefully really effective for the effort and the resources that we’re gonna put into it. 

Karissa: 

Well, I’m gonna move on to another solution this week.

It’s that the period tax was scrapped in Pakistan, and what this ruling means for women. So the way this came about is two young lawyers in Pakistan filed a court case last year arguing that taxing period products was a discriminatory pink tax on women. This week, their government agreed to scrap it. 

Arielle: 

I have to say that when I first read this article, I thought that it was two women lawyers.

Mm-hmm. But then I looked into it, and one of them was a guy, and I was like, “Yes, ally.” 

Karissa: 

Yes, exactly. Yeah. They filed the case last year, and they went viral on social media and gathered thousands of petition signatures, so I think that’s great that there is an ally here. 

Arielle: 

I mean, this is what we need, you know?

We can’t always just- any minoritized group can’t always just fight for themselves. Um, we need people who are part of the majority or something to speak up as well. Unfortunately, there are people who won’t, whose ears are closed to some voices, but open to others. Um, so I think that it’s, it’s really, really great, and maybe it was kinda narrow-minded of me to assume that it was two women lawyers, but, you know, I’m just really happy that, uh, that we have other community members on our side.

So yeah, it’s a, it’s a great change ’cause the reality is that only a minority of women in Pakistan use commercial period products. Most use cloth or homemade alternatives, and those carry higher infection risks. Um, so this is not only a financial tax, but also kind of a tax on, on people’s health. 

Karissa: 

And I think the bigger part of this, of course, too, is just bringing more awareness to, you know, menstruation and destigmatizing it because it’s a public health topic, not something that should be, you know, private shame.

As UN women say, removing the tax helps women stay employed and girls stay in school, which of course is important. And also, I mean, period poverty is a global issue, and it’s not talked about enough. It needs to be destigmatized more. Over 500 million people worldwide lack adequate access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities, so this is great that this is making the news, and more countries should definitely follow.

Our next solution is a lifestyle solution, and it’s “How to reset your gut in 30 days according to a gastroenterologist.” If you’ve been dealing with vague gut issues for a while, your doctor’s first move might not be what you expect. Before ordering any tests, this Boston gastroenterologist starts her patients on a 30-day reset.

It’s five simple changes, no cleanses, no supplements, and some of them work for your gut in just seconds. Trisha Pasricha works at Beth Israel in Boston, and she’s the author of a book called You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong, which is such a, a fun, a book, but I’m sure it’s helpful. 

Yeah. So her- 

Arielle: 

Definitely an eye-catching title.

Karissa: 

Yeah, exactly. And her reset philosophy is 30 days of small, consistent changes before any testing to establish a real baseline of what your gut is doing, and maybe just some small changes that, you know, need to be implemented as a daily switch-up in your routine. I think one of the most interesting steps was just to cut three things for 30 days, and that includes ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and NSAIDs, like ibuprofen.

So that was a pretty interesting step because those are three things, at least in America, that we use a lot. 

Arielle: 

Yeah, I have to say, reading this article really reminded me of my time in India when I was doing that yoga retreat in Rishikesh, and I think I actually did end up trying most of these steps, um, except honestly for the toilet posture one, because there was still Western toilets.

But the posture thing is really important. Um, I don’t know if you’ve ever used a Squatty Potty, Karissa. 

Karissa: 

I haven’t used one, but I know, maybe I’m exposing my sister a bit, she owns one, and she really loves her Squatty Potty, so. 

Arielle: 

Uh, yeah, I need to, I need to get, um, I need to get one as well. I don’t know if this is, like, TMI, but obviously, I mean, if you’re a longtime listener, then you’ll know that I live in the Netherlands, and I’m a shorter person.

I’m like 5’2″ on a good day. Um, so the toilet in my actual house is, like, way too far off the ground for me, so my legs are literally swinging when I sit on it. And that’s just so bad for your, for your posture. So I definitely need to get a Squatty Potty. 

Karissa: 

I mean, yeah, going back on that, no such thing as TMI.

We gotta de-stigmatize pooping. But yeah, so check out this article for some more suggestions on how to reset your gut. All right, and another health lifestyle related article this week is “Four training mistakes that shorten your long-term strength.”

Most people at the gym are accidentally training for just the next few months instead of the next few decades.

A strength and conditioning expert breaks down the concept of a strength span and the four things most of us are getting wrong. I love this concept of the strength span because it’s about training across your whole lifetime to have, you know, better physical capability, not for just near-term muscle gains, which I’ve been guilty of, like, falling into that.

Like, “Oh, if I just, like, work out really hard for like 10 weeks and stuff, I’ll look like this, feel like this.” But I’ve been changing my mindset personally to just, like, developing habits that I love to stay fit and strong and healthy. That way I can keep strong and healthy for my whole life and not just the next 10 weeks.

But yeah, check out this article if you want some more insight into fixing these training mistakes that shorten your long-term strength.

And the final solution we had to share this week is “Solar fridges lift African farmers’ incomes by 50%.” So up to 40% of the food grown in Africa never makes it to a market, and it’s not because of drought or floods, but it’s because there’s nowhere cold to keep it.

Solar-powered fridges are available for rent by the kilogram, and they are changing that equation of not being able to store food properly, and the income numbers are really hard to ignore, so this is great. And it’s something I guess I really hadn’t thought about because we take for granted the cold chain infrastructure in the United States.

But in rural Africa, because they don’t have access to this, food only stays marketable and good for just a couple days. These solar-run cold rooms work by using an off-grid pay-per-use models, where farmers pay per kilogram stored rather than buying a $30,000 storage unit outright, ’cause obviously that’s very expensive.

And numbers from SokoFresh say that spoilage rates from 50% were down to under 2% because of this new system, and that means that income was up 50% per kilogram. So yeah, this is a very practical solution that can be used in other places around the world as well. 

Arielle: 

Yeah, it’s a, it’s a really good food security solution, and I’m happy to see that it’s becoming a national conversation for a lot of African governments.

Um, and it addresses, you know, one of the most preventable forms of loss, uh, and something that we definitely take for granted in countries that have this cold chain. And it’s honestly the first time I’ve, I’ve ever seen the term cold chain. Uh, but yeah- Yeah … I guess it’s just the access to cold storage, refrigerators, all of those things that keep our food fresh for longer.

Karissa: 

Well, Arielle, that’s all the solutions we had to share this week from The Optimist Daily. 

Arielle: 

Mm-hmm. 

Karissa: 

But before we go, we have an Emissary shout-out from Dale that we would love to share

Arielle: 

Yes. He wrote in to us, “A friend of mine, Jay Sanderson, has started a company that recycles lumber for construction. The City of Edmonton and the province of Alberta are supporting him as they see it as an environmental and cost win for all concerned.” Also, whoop, shout-out to Edmonton. I used to live there for a little bit.

“This makes me very optimistic about the world and the care we take of it. Northmark Materials is an industrial materials company building the infrastructure for standardized recovered lumber in Canada. Northmark recovers high-value lumber from residential and light commercial demolition streams and supplies it as specification-grade recovered lumber, or SRL, for builders, manufacturers, and institutional buyers through established supply channels.”

So this is an incredible solution, and it’s Canadian, so I’m extra excited about that. Um, and you can check out their work at www.northmarkmaterials.com. And I’ll put that in the, uh, in the show notes so that it’s easily accessible for everyone. 

Karissa: 

Thank you, Dale, for writing in and being a Emissary of The Optimist Daily.

And thank you to your friend, Jay, for making a difference in the world. And we also have a quote to share before we head off for now. And that quote is, “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” And that’s from Greg Kincaid. 

Arielle: 

Also kind of reminds me of living in Canada.

Especially with the snow. You gotta keep plowing ahead. All right. Well, thank you so much, Karissa, for sharing the solutions with me this week. It’s always a highlight. And yeah, can’t wait for next week when we will be sharing more solutions. 

Karissa: 

Yeah. And until then, stay optimistic. 

Arielle: 

Bye! 

Karissa: 

Bye!