Today’s Solutions: April 20, 2026

Lifestyle

Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.

Bitcoin is changing the way co

Bitcoin is changing the way companies go public

Electronic cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, will disrupt money finance as we know it. These currencies have the potential to create peer-to-peer money without the need for government regulation. Cryptocurrencies can also be used for companies going public without going to the stock exchange. That Read More...

Blockchain could redistribute

Blockchain could redistribute value to make the sharing economy more fair

The traditional economic model was dominated by large companies that have top-down hierarchical organizations providing services to passive consumers. Now, companies like Google, Uber and AirBnB represent a shift operating online platforms where most value is generated by the users. The problem Read More...

The 14 countries that are the

The 14 countries that are the most optimistic about the future

Parents want their children to live in a better world than the one they grew up in. But today's slow-growing global economy has people across the world less certain that tomorrow's economy will provide a solid foundation for the next generation. Brunswick, the international advisory firm, has just Read More...

Economics professor turns to c

Economics professor turns to crowdfunding to pay salary

A professor of economics has turned to crowdfunding to pay his salary because universities “no longer provide the time and freedom they once gave to original thinkers”. Steve Keen, who is currently employed full time at Kingston University but expects to remain there next year on a Read More...

Achieving mindfulness at work,

Achieving mindfulness at work, no meditation cushion required

Meditation is simply one of several tools for achieving mindfulness, and in the context of work it may not be the most suitable for many people. For those who, like me, can’t seem to get the hang of meditation, there is good news: You don’t have to meditate to become more mindful. There are two Read More...

How will the rise of crowdfund

How will the rise of crowdfunding reshape how we give to charity?

Last September, a Chicago resident named Joel Cervantes Macias spotted an 89-year old man named Fendicio hawking Mexican ice pops–they’re called “paletas”– out of a street cart. The man looked too old to be working, but Macias only had so much spare cash (and so much Read More...

How to use meditation to beat

How to use meditation to beat social anxiety in 5 minutes flat

We've all been there: a social situation where our nerves get the best of us, and we find ourselves at a loss for words. We racked our brains, but we just couldn't think of anything worth saying. It might have been meeting a new potential friend, a client, or love interest. Or maybe it was trying Read More...

This psychologist recommends 5

This psychologist recommends 5 simple ways to improve your self-esteem

Self-esteem is a wonderful but delicate thing. When our self-esteem is high, we feel more resilient, we're less vulnerable to anxiety and rejection, and less cortisol, or the stress hormone, is released into our bloodstream. The positives are obvious, but actually improving our self-esteem can be Read More...

Study: Having sex doesn’t ma

Study: Having sex doesn’t make you happier, it’s the snuggling, during, and after

People who have more sex are happier. Numerous studies attest to that. One even found that having sex once a week, as opposed to monthly, boosts spirits more than earning an extra $50,000 per year. But it’s not the orgasm. New research makes clear that sex itself isn’t what makes us happier, Read More...

How blockchain applications wi

How blockchain applications will move beyond finance

To understand the transformation that’s being brought about by blockchain technology, it’s useful to start with its largest implementation to date: bitcoin. In the fall of 2014 my colleague Catherine Tucker and I conducted a large-scale experiment at MIT, in which 4,494 undergraduate Read More...