The Optimist Living
New Internet startup offers connectivity as a human right—for free
If we were to write a new Universal Declaration of Human Rights today, would we add something about Internet access while defining the freedom of speech? The Internet has become an information vein that one can hardly live without in a fast globalizing world society. That’s why Kosta Grammatis Read More...
Stress is good for your health
We always hear that stress is bad, but what if that is wrong? More and more research is showing that the impacts of stress can actually be beneficial. While long, uninterrupted bouts of stress can do damage, stress is a common chemical reaction that impacts our brain and behavior during important Read More...
Make you feel better online shopping
The growth of online shopping is exploding. And leader Amazon argues that online shopping increases efficiencies that serve society as well as the planet. But what about all those boxes? Designer Yu-Chang Chou has reinvented shipping packaging. Right now you buy something online, it’s shipped to Read More...
Want a happier baby? Try dancing with it.
Researchers have long been studying the relationships between infants and music, but a new study from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada has discovered that interacting with an infant while music is playing can help enhance social relationships. The study found that when people synchronize Read More...
Eat almonds for heart health
After just 4 weeks of eating 1 ¾ oz. of almonds a day men showed improved blood flow and lower blood pressure. Almonds contain high levels of the anti–oxidant alpha-tocopherol, as well as fiber and other healthy fats. Researchers were surprised at how quickly almond consumption can have a Read More...
Employee–free coffee shop based on trust serves society
To keep his coffee shop open late David Brekke had to minimize overhead, and the best way to do that? Don’t have employees. Brekke’s coffee shop, The vault Coffee in Valley City, North Dakota, is completely self service and experiences almost no theft. The Vault also receives an average of 15% Read More...
Optimism decreases risk of heart attacks
A new study published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has connected optimism and the reduced likelihood of having a heart attack. People with Type D personalities, a personality type often associated with pessimism, are more likely to develop coronary artery disease, being optimistic can reduce Read More...
A simple way to serve the planet (and yourself): Eat less meat
Here’s a simple way to serve your own health as well as the environment: Eat less meat. Or even better: Become a vegetarian. A new study in Climate Change has found that carnivores have a carbon footprint twice the size of vegetarians. The study does not mention the impact of vegetarianism on Read More...
Regular meditation leads to longer and happier lives
The benefits of meditation are many: from lowering blood pressure to boosting the immune system. Now scientists are discovering something that Eastern traditions have long claimed: that meditation might slow ageing and lengthen life. A team of scientists led by a Nobel Prize winning biochemist Read More...
Lack of sun exposure linked to high blood pressure
We need the sun. As obvious as that may sound given that the sun sustains all life, there are still many people who think they need to avoid the sun as much as possible with sunscreens and sunglasses. Yes, burning your skin in the sun may lead to skin cancer. But there’s a big difference Read More...