Mental Health
Here you can read the latest news and research studies covering mental health. This is also the place to find out about different strategies on how you can reduce stress and boost happiness, and many other ways to look after your mental wellbeing.
Brazil's new law blames platform design for harming kids, not parents
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM If you have ever lost an hour to a video feed you never meant to open, you understand what Brazil just decided to make illegal for children. The Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents took effect in Brazil last week, and what makes it different from Read More...
Navigating digital dating and modern relationships
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Digital dating has changed the way we connect, creating a new vocabulary of phrases such as ghosting, orbiting, and breadcrumbing. While these activities may appear fairly innocent on the surface, they can have serious consequences for our mental health and Read More...
Overthinking is a learned habit, and therapists say you can unlearn it
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM "Just stop overthinking" is advice that tells you nothing useful about how to actually follow it. The mind that automatically converts "they haven't texted back" into "they must be furious with me" isn't doing so out of weakness. It's doing its job, badly but Read More...
A single dose of psilocybin gave smokers six times better odds of quitting than the patch
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A new clinical trial from Johns Hopkins University produced results that surprised even the researchers behind it. Participants who took a single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, had more than six times greater odds of being Read More...
Why 24 minutes of music may help reduce anxiety, according to research
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When anxiety starts creeping in, many people instinctively reach for music. A calming playlist, a pair of headphones, and a few quiet minutes can make a noticeable difference. Science increasingly backs up that instinct, with new research suggesting that the Read More...
Nacho parenting explained: a realistic approach for blended families
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Editor's note: This article was updated on March 24, 2026 after Lori Sims, creator of Nacho Parenting™ and founder of Nacho Kids®, contacted us to clarify the methodology behind the approach. Her quote and attribution have been added to better reflect the Read More...
Unlock your charisma with science-based tips for every personality
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Charisma may appear to be something you are born with or without, yet research indicates that it is a skill you can develop. Consider the most magnetic person you know: a former boss who enthralled every meeting, or a buddy who actually makes you feel heard. Read More...
Single dose of DMT shows promise for treatment-resistant depression in early clinical trial
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A single, carefully administered dose of the psychedelic compound dimethyltryptamine, better known as DMT, may offer meaningful relief for people living with treatment-resistant depression, according to results from a new clinical trial. In the small Read More...
Why becoming a regular is good for your mental health and happiness
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a culture that celebrates new restaurants, new workouts, new experiences, anything novel, there is something subtle yet radical about returning to the same place week after week. The same café order. The same corner booth. The same familiar faces behind Read More...
EU launches action plan to tackle cyberbullying and protect children’s mental health online
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As young people spend more of their lives online, the risks they face have become harder to ignore. From harassment in group chats to manipulated images shared without consent, cyberbullying is no longer a side issue of digital life but a central one. In Read More...