Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Outsmart your brain: 3 thinking traps (and practical fixes) from a Yale psychologist
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The mind loves shortcuts. They help us move fast. Sometimes a little too fast. That’s the core idea in Yale psychologist Woo-kyoung Ahn’s book Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better, which unpacks the “cognitive biases” that nudge us toward Read More...
How Swim Sista Swim Is Redefining Water Confidence for Black Women in the UK
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Language, Identity & Belonging Welcome to the second week of The Optimist Daily’s Annual Local Changemakers series. Each Friday, we highlight people who are quietly transforming what it means to feel seen and included. This week, we focus on voice, Read More...
Doctors are prescribing nature: why your next health boost might be a walk in the park
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM You don’t really need a doctor’s note to step outside, but for thousands of people, that’s exactly what’s happening. Across the United States and beyond, healthcare providers are beginning to issue formal nature prescriptions, urging patients to spend Read More...
The absolute best way to eat chia seeds, according to nutritionists
BY THE OPTIMIST DAIDLY EDITORIAL TEAM There’s a reason chia seeds continue to dominate social media and breakfast bowls. These tiny superfoods are nutritional powerhouses. “They have so many nutritional benefits,” says Jane Leverich, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Denver. Read More...
Too much sitting? Cocoa might be your sweetest health hack yet
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM If you spend long hours glued to your desk, there’s a bit of good news brewing in the lab. Specifically, in a cup of cocoa. A new study from researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK suggests that flavanols, plant compounds found in cocoa, could Read More...
How to recharge your social battery and find your social sweet spot
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Even the most social among us know the feeling: you’re laughing with friends, enjoying yourself…and then, suddenly, you’re done. The chatter feels louder, the room feels smaller, and all you want is to go home. This shift, often called hitting your Read More...
Peanut allergies drop in kids thanks to new early feeding guidelines
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A profound change in pediatric nutrition is paying off: newly released research confirms that introducing peanut products to babies as young as four months is not only safe, it’s effective in preventing potentially life-threatening peanut Read More...
Maldives sets a global milestone by ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a major step forward for public health, the Maldives achieved what no other country has done before: it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), this Read More...
New dementia research highlights two surprising risk factors you can address today
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Dementia research is evolving quickly, and the latest findings offer more actionable steps for prevention. A 2024 report in The Lancet has added two more items to the list of modifiable risk factors for dementia: untreated vision loss and high cholesterol Read More...
A one-time gene therapy is helping kids beat a deadly immune disease
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For children born with ADA-SCID, a rare genetic disease that severely compromises the immune system, everyday germs can be fatal. ADA-SCID (short for severe combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiency) leaves the body unable to fight off Read More...