Nice News

It’s a human reality: We tend to remember negative experiences and stories over positive ones. Scientific research backs that up, but it also shows that we can adapt those memories by taking a more optimistic approach to our recollections. All that’s to say, if you find yourself only thinking about the lows of 2024, Nice News is here to remind you of the highs — the environmental wins, the progress toward equality, medical innovations, and so much more. When you sit down and think about it, there really was a lot of good that happened this year; click the link below to read eight of the highlights. 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Nice News team! We encourage you to take a moment today to be thankful for what you have — the food on your table, the people you love, the nature that surrounds you, or whatever else serves as a source of joy in your life. 🧡

Today is World Kindness Day, one of Nice News' favorite holidays. It's been celebrated around the globe for decades as a reminder that even the smallest acts can have a massive impact on the people around us. To help our community celebrate and spread joy all around, we've crafted these digital compliment cards. Share with someone you love and experience the ripple effect of kindness firsthand! 💛

As Americans prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, you might feel like the country is more divided than ever, despite recent evidence suggesting people are surprisingly aligned on a vast number of issues. Differences in opinions are important: They help make democracies successful. But being kind amid these disagreements is also essential to our collective well-being. That said, it’s easy to let emotions run amok when high-stakes issues are involved — so we interviewed experts to offer readers suggestions on how to respect and empathize with those who hold opposing views.

Today is World Mental Health Day, a U.N.-designated occasion meant to raise awareness and break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. This year’s theme is centered on prioritizing mental health in the workplace — read about some simple actions you can take that advance that goal, from expressing gratitude to colleagues to participating in mindfulness activities.

An abundance of scientific evidence exists supporting the benefit of mindfulness on anxiety, depression, pain, addiction, and more. And now, new research has found that when it comes to prolonged periods of professional stress, something else could be equally, if not more, effective: hope. “Being mindful can be tremendously valuable — there are certainly advantages to living in the moment,” said study co-author Sharon Sheridan. “But it’s important to maintain a hopeful outlook, particularly during periods of prolonged stress. People should be hopeful while being mindful — hold on to the idea that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” Learn how the researchers came to their conclusions and how the results could be useful in the workplace.

Next DoorDash order, consider chatting up your delivery person about how they like their gig. If they’re doing the job as a side hustle — something over one-third of American adults hold down — they could offer you some insight on the perks. It’s not just the added income that makes after-hours or weekend work appealing (the national average is $891 a month, per a recent Bankrate survey). There are also boons to your creativity, confidence, and more. Dig into them in our article below, and get 100-plus ideas for activities that can make you extra money.

Our founder Sean Devlin got together with the newsletter and podcast Creator Spotlight to chat about Nice News — including the inspiration for bringing positive stories to the inbox every day, how we scaled subscribers and became profitable, and what goes into producing our daily content with such a lean team. Check out the writeup from host Francis Zierer and watch the full conversation at the link below!

For those who yearn to stroll smiling into a party with the certainty they’ll make a good impression, or assuredly share their ideas in an important meeting, confidence can feel like the most elusive of psychological states. So where does self-confidence — or the “trust in one’s abilities, capacities, and judgment,” per the American Psychological Association — actually come from? Is it innate? Fostered through experience? Increased through intentional practice? The answer is a bit of everything. Read what we learned while researching the topic, including tips for how to feel more self-assured, in our explainer below.

There’s science behind dressing your best, but we’re not talking about engineering the perfect on-trend outfit. Fashion psychology has shown that what we wear can influence our attitude, confidence levels, and mood — which means it’s far from a superficial endeavor to concern yourself with clothing. Read our explainer below to learn three ways to cultivate positivity through clothing, including the buzzy “dopamine dressing” trend. But overall, remember this nugget of wisdom from neuroscientist Matt Johnson: “The fashion choice that’s right is the one that makes you confident,” he told SELF. “Whatever works for you is all that really needs to work.”