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.
Get healthy, go to a green space
We decided to revamp a couple of stories on the benefits of green spaces, for which there is an ever-growing body of evidence. NPR’s Aaron Scott recently spoke with environmental psychologist Ming Kuo on green spaces and why we all seem to feel better walking down a city street lined with Read More...
The value of silence in a noisy world
“Silence is golden,” they say, but it seems as though we have forgotten the value of silence. The modern world is a noisy place—so much so that people get accustomed to sounds and hardly register them anymore, particularly in an urban setting. Most people will be woken up with an alarm, Read More...
Some people have improved cognition while on a walk
While the large majority of us work sitting at a desk, we’ve all had those flashes of insight or a string of new ideas while running or on a walk. It’s probably too much to ask that people do their jobs running on a treadmill, but new research shows some have improved cognition while Read More...
Here’s how to stop letting fear of failure hold you back
Failure in any of its forms, professional or personal, can discourage us from embarking on new endeavors. Here are five strategies to overcome the fatal “what ifs” and defeat your fear of failure. Pinpoint exactly what you’re afraid of By locating the source of your fear, it can be much Read More...
Practicing mindfulness can help ease physical pain
Mindfulness — the awareness and acceptance of a situation without judgment — has been shown to have benefits in treating many conditions such as anxiety and depression. It turns out that even a brief introduction to mindfulness helps people deal with physical pain and negative emotions, Read More...
3 Evidence-based reasons forgiveness is good for your health
Humans are social creatures, and as such, our relationships are crucial to our health and wellbeing. However, our relationships are always in flux. Let’s face it: none of us are perfect, which means that people disagree, make mistakes, and miscommunicate, which cultivates tension and negative Read More...
Exclusive version of Minecraft helps kids with autism learn social skills
The popular video game Minecraft isn’t usually considered a tool that can help people improve social skills and learn how to build relationships—in fact, many people consider playing video games an antisocial activity. However, the opposite is true of Autcraft, an online version of Minecraft Read More...
7 men’s health issues that their support systems should understand
Male bodies are at risk for their own distinct health issues such as erectile dysfunction and prostate cancer, and they also experience health issues differently than female bodies. We’ve written before about the fact that men are less likely than women to address or investigate a perceived Read More...
Probiotics could help in the fight against depression
As we have reported many times here at Optimist Daily, our gut microbiome is extremely influential in how our body operates. We’ve previously reported on the possible role this group of bacteria plays in medical conditions such as anxiety, strokes, and overeating. Now, a new study from the Read More...
What’s the secret to a longer life? Optimism of course!
Do you want to live a longer, fuller life? Well, according to this study published earlier this month in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, you should seriously consider cultivating higher levels of optimism. According to the new study, which involved almost 160,000 women of a range Read More...