It’s well known that the media never talk about trains arriving on time. So much so that following the news can be totally depressing. Without denying the great threats and difficulties facing our times, there is also very good news that sometimes reaches us and which is not relayed enough. To ignore them is to condemn ourselves to despair. Here are three recent pieces of information that make us smile again.
Protecting bees: South Korea sets an example
Metropolitan Seoul announced a ban on the use of neonicotinoids, an insecticide. The ambition is to preserve honey bees in the face of alarming signs of population decline.
Korea Times also cites data from the Korean Ministry of Agriculture according to which at least 7.8 billion honey bees, or more than 15% of the total population, died prematurely or disappeared for reasons still unknown between September and November 2022. There was therefore an urgent need to act and it has been done.
Birdwatching is good for your mental health
A study suggests that bird watching improves well-being and reduces stress more than a walk in nature. For what ? According to the site GoodGoodGood :
Bird watching can stimulate positive emotions, which are the basis of well-being. Research shows that mindful experiences of emotions have a more positive effect on well-being. For example, one study asked participants to count the number of birds they saw or rate their joy at the sight of each bird species. Both groups reported improved well-being.
USA: this enormous public health problem is decreasing
Deaths linked to opioid use began to decline in the United States in 2023. This public health scourge, including the synthetic drug called fentanyl, kills nearly 100,000 Americans each year.
Quoted by ScientificAmericanProfessor Daniel Ciccarone who studies this phenomenon, is optimistic:
We have already experienced false peaks. Nevertheless, there are many reasons to be, I wouldn’t say optimistic, because the numbers are still very high, but to think that we are turning a corner.
That’s it for this week. If you liked this article, you can always reread the previous part of this section to find other good news that has gone relatively unnoticed.
