When was the last time you tried something fun without worrying about the outcome? We’re often taught that in order to reap the benefits of a new activity, we need to do it consistently. Yet as helpful as habits can be, dabbling — or engaging in activities sporadically just for the pure enjoyment of it […]
An estimated 100% of adults will experience a dreaded episode of “foot-in-mouth syndrome” at some point in their lives. Symptoms include blurting out opinions before thinking them through, cracking one-liners that later make you cringe, and losing sleep over off-the-cuff comments. We kid, of course, but the pain of saying something embarrassing or unintentionally offensive […]
Caregivers at a Pennsylvania retirement community walked into work this past fall to a sweet surprise: Resident Eva Lu Damianos had been secretly painting their portraits for months, and each of their likenesses was on display in the wellness center. The 90-year-old was inspired to paint the 18 health care workers following a particularly difficult […]
Baking delicious banana bread requires trial and error. Your first attempt might need more salt; your second might need more nutmeg. If it still doesn’t taste the way you want it to, you continue making tiny tweaks until you’re happy with your loaf. The same idea can be applied to our lives, says Erin Port. […]
Reginald Dwayne Betts has always been into books. As a kid, he was once caught reading Sherlock Holmes stories in the back of class, and at home he’d watch an oft-played speed reading infomercial with fascination. Determined to become a speed reader himself but unable to afford the advertised course, he found an instructional guide […]
Brad Stulberg starts his new book, The Way of Excellence, by clarifying what his subject is not. Excellence isn’t perfectionism. It isn’t optimization. It isn’t obsession or flow or happiness. Setting that straight is important, the author told Nice News, because hustle culture has co-opted the concept and alienated the average person. Indeed, this isn’t […]
Getting a compliment is kind of like finding a piece of candy on a hotel pillowcase: It’s a free, unexpected pop of sweetness that puts a smile on your face. But while you likely won’t remember the Andes mint a month later, a few kind words can have a lasting impact on your mental well-being […]
When you buy books through our links, Nice News may earn a commission, which helps keep our content free. Are you familiar with the 31 types of happiness? That might sound like a lot, but author Pamela Gail Johnson says that’s precisely the point. She wants us to expand how we think about the emotion […]
As the saying goes, everyone has a story to tell — but sometimes it can be hard to find a safe person to share it with. That’s why StoryRX exists: The collaboration between New York-based nonprofit Life Story Club and health care providers encourages older adults at risk of social isolation to join weekly meetings […]
Self-improvement strategies abound, so opting in to one can sometimes feel like ordering the soup du jour: “That sounds good. Maybe I’ll try it!” But what’s right for one person may not be right for another — or even for the same person at a different point in time. That’s why Tchiki Davis, founder of […]
Better sleep. Protection against anxiety and depression. Lower risks of heart disease and dementia. A longer life. According to a wealth of research in the field of behavioral medicine, these are just some of the well-being boosts associated with having a sense of purpose. Are you in possession of this powerful elixir for living well? […]
I’m in the habit of kicking my shoes off when I come home, and I respectfully oblige when directed to do so at another person’s house. But I’ve always felt a minor flash of panic in the latter circumstance — as I’m caught wondering whether I’m wearing my good socks or the ones with only a […]