It is important and poignant to recall the hard life of Mary Ball Washington, who struggled — mostly alone — to raise our Founding Father. Historians have left us with inaccurate and mostly unpleasant accounts of her long and laborious years.
Passion and commitment are widely believed to be the foundation of strong romantic relationships. But a relationship is made of two unique individuals, and personality traits these individuals possess or lack can often make a relationship more likely to endure. In a 2019 study, we found that one trait in particular — humility — is an important indicator of successful relationships.
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 […]
Having a grandparent around to babysit can give parents much-needed time off to catch up on self-care — but grandparents themselves may reap some health benefits from this arrangement, too. A new study published by the American Psychological Association suggests that looking after grandkids can boost cognitive abilities and, in some cases, slow cognitive decline. […]
Relationships can feel like both a blessing and the bane of your existence, a source of joy and a source of frustration or resentment. At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy child, a dramatic friend, a partner who recoils at the first hint of intimacy, a volatile parent, or a controlling boss — in short, a difficult relationship.
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 […]
Each year, on the third Monday of January, Americans honor the life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929, the Baptist minister was one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, a gifted orator, and a passionate humanitarian. Decades after his assassination in 1968, those of […]
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 […]