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.
The 3 needs that science says matter more than success and achievement
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from doing everything right. The career is advancing, the goals are being ticked off, and the productivity is real. And yet something feels off, or hollow, or impossible to name. Modern culture tends to Read More...
What Hanoi learned by tearing down its park fences and opening up to everyone
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In many cities, entering a park is a deliberate act. You adjust your route, find a gate, and cross from public pavement into a space that operates by its own rules, even if those rules are minimal. Hanoi is dismantling that dynamic. Across four major Read More...
Pro parenting tips to spark your children's life-long love for the great outdoors
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In today's digital world, the pull of screens can be difficult to overcome, particularly for kids. However, the dangers of spending too much time indoors are serious. Carlene Fider, Ph.D., a core faculty member at Pacific Oaks College, emphasizes the Read More...
Friction-maxxing and the case for a less convenient life
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Something about the phrase “friction-maxxing” struck a nerve. When Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a columnist for New York magazine’s The Cut, published an essay in December 2025 naming the feeling of wanting to push back against frictionless technology, the Read More...
What an economist says young adults should know about modern dating
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When Rebekka Grun von Jolk, an economist whose research sits at the intersection of love and behavioral science, spoke with students at Georgetown University recently, she expected a polite Q&A. Instead, when the formal session ended, many students stayed Read More...
How to stop your inner critic from confirming all your worst fears
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A 2023 poll found that the average person has about 11 negative thoughts about their body and self-worth every day. That is a lot of internal commentary, and most of it passes unnoticed. What makes this more than a mood issue is a cognitive pattern called Read More...
Untracked daily walking beats step goals, and science explains why
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When University of Sydney researchers published findings from a study of more than 22,000 adults who didn’t engage in structured exercise, the results were not what most health researchers anticipated. The study, published in the British Journal of Read More...
6 ways to get more comfortable with risk and reinvention
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM After two years of conversations with founders, executives, and leaders across industries, Liz Tran kept noticing the same thing: the most successful and fulfilled among them were not the ones who knew the most. They were the ones who had made peace with not Read More...
4 tips for everyday eco-friendly living
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the face of climate change, many people question the importance of individual actions in ensuring a sustainable future. While institutional change is necessary, environmentalist and author Heather White emphasizes the importance of individual choices. Read More...
Why your wandering mind is exactly what meditation is for
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people who try meditation for the first time expect their mind to go quiet. Instead, it does the opposite: replaying conversations, drafting grocery lists, or wondering whether the oven is still on. This is not failure. According to Kirat Randhawa, a Read More...