A look back at the most read Positive News articles of the past year
1. Portugal addiction rates halved after community, not jail, is trialled as solution
New findings revealed that addiction rates in Portugal were cut by half following decriminalisation in the country almost 15 years ago.
2. UK’s first ‘share shop’ opens for business
A new kind of shop opened in the summer, aiming to transform the future of retail by lending rather than selling items and fostering more meaningful connections with the things we use.
3. Work less, play more
A look at alternative working models that do away with the idea of the nine-to-five.
4. Eight ways less is more – the art of strategic slacking
Why would taking more breaks and wandering off for walks during the working day help you become less busy and more successful? Because, when done properly, less is more said Christine Carter.
5. In pictures: Elderly athletes show age is just a number
Fed up with the depressing imagery surrounding aging, photographer Alex Rotas decided to document an altogether different side to growing old.
6. Five ways ordinary people are helping refugees in Calais
As the humanitarian crisis in Calais continued to grow, the media increasingly became dominated with tales of savagery and menace in the refugee camps. But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth, said the many ordinary UK citizens who are taking positive action.
7. How voting ‘none’ in May could transform UK politics
In the run up to the UK general election in May, Simon Pardoe argued that an ‘unheard third’ of the population who choose not to vote could help change the system that they seem so dissatisfied with by turning up at the polls, even to vote ‘none’.
8. Action for Happiness’ Happy Cafes spread positivity around the UK
A growing network of Happy Cafes around the UK is helping to counteract the materialistic way of thinking that is damaging to both our mental wellbeing and the planet, said Stan Rosenthal, national coodinator for the Happy Cafe Network.
9. ‘Wonky fruit and veg’ hits UK supermarket shelves
UK supermarket giant Asda trialled a new range of misshapen fruit and vegetables – sold at reduced prices – in an attempt to cut food waste.
10. The mindful media diet: how to consciously consume and digest the news
Understanding how we digest the news has the power to stop us becoming passive media consumers and benefit our wellbeing, argued psychologist Matt Hersh.
