Turn on the TV, pick up the newspaper, or hop on to social media, and it seems like there is nothing but bad news. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a ton of positive, good news that you are missing, and these sites and apps want to fix that.
A constant barrage of negative and depressing news can have an effect on how you think and feel. Seeking out positive news is one of the important steps to escape the drama of bad news.
As you can see, that news can be got through websites, a browser’s new tab extension, podcasts, or even by talking to your Google Assistant.
Not Depressing and r/UpliftingNews (Web): News Feeds of Hopeful and Inspiring Stories
The simplest way to see positive stories happening across the world is to go to one of these two sites, which present a list of such hopeful events.
Not Depressing aggregates links from several media outlets, including the world’s most trusted news sites. You’ll see a headline and a picture, which you click to be taken to the news article in a new tab. Don’t rely on the “Top Today”, which is the first section and doesn’t update often. Scroll down to “New” and you’ll find the latest happenings.
Similarly, u/UpliftingNews is a Reddit community that shares such good news. A lot of these are real stories of samaritans, while others are links to news articles. If you want a discussion forum along with your positive news, then Uplifting News is where you should head to. It’s one of the sure-fire ways to get an instant shot of happiness.
Goodnet (Web): Positive and Uplifting Articles, Videos, and More
Goodnet is an all-in-one destination for anyone who wants to seek some good news. The aim is to report on anyone making a positive impact through volunteering, charity work, microfunding, creativity, green tech, water conservation, collaborative consumption, mindful living, or anything else.
The main page seems like any other news site you might go to. The only difference is that all of the content is about something good happening in the world. You can largely filter the topics as me, people, planet, innovation, good news, and good action. Goodnet is almost a zealot about propagating positivity and seems to find the silver lining in every dark cloud.
The site also has a “Good Media” section where it hosts positive videos as well as other media like infographics and quizzes. It’s a nice break from the age-old way of consuming news.
Sounds Good (Podcast): Conversations With Optimists and World-Changers
GoodGoodGood is trying to start a physical newspaper that only reports positive news, and has launched a Kickstarter for that. Till that comes to fruition, you can check their weekly podcast, Sounds Good.
Every week, host Branden Harvey speaks to people who are making a positive change in the world. These are both influencers in the limelight as well as people who work hard behind the scenes to get things done. The focus here is on helping society evolve and push forward.
Sounds Good is available for free on different podcast networks, so you can easily subscribe to it. There are over 100 episodes for you to listen to.
Subscribe to Sounds Good: iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | SoundCloud
GoodGoodGood also has a newsletter for positive stories. Every Tuesday, the GoodNewsletter sends you five uplifting news articles to brighten your week. You will routinely learn something new with this newsletter.
Google Assistant (Google Home, Android, iOS): Articles From “Solutions Journalism”
Google News is the default news source for millions of people. And the new changes in Google News make it better than ever before. But it is still riddled with depressing news. In this constant effort to improve, Google Assistant can now show you articles that are about positive and uplifting events.
All you have to do is fire up Google Assistant on your Android device or iPhone, or speak to it on a Google Home device. The magic command is, “OK Google, tell me something good.”
To serve this positive news, Google has partnered with the Solutions Journalism Network, which finds instances from across the world about how anyone can make positive change and solve problems.
“Solutions journalism empowers and energizes audiences, helping to combat negative news fatigue,” says Google. But if you’re still not happy with the search giant’s efforts, you might want to switch to some of the best Google News alternatives.
Goodnews (Chrome): Uplifting News In New Tab
Google Chrome’s New Tab page can be customized to do a lot of things. One of them is to give you a dose of good and positive news through the Goodnews extension.
It’s a minimalistic and gorgeous add-on that does one job well. Install it, and every time you open a new tab, you will see one positive headline, along with where it’s from. Placed on a solid single-color background, it has a calming and uplifting effect. This is one of those tiny changes that can make a big difference to your outlook without you trying much.
Of course, this would mean you have to give up on other things like the best New Tab page extensions for productivity. But choose what you want, a healthier mind or a work boost.
Download: Goodnews for Chrome (Free)
Instead of Positive, Go for Funny
With the help of these sites, apps, and podcasts, you will get a dose of positive news in your life without much effort. It’s a welcome change from the depressing and dark articles flooding your social media.
But such “good news sites” aren’t the only way to break out of the negative news cycle. You can also look at a daily dose of humorous news as an alternative. Try any of these 15 enjoyable and funny news websites to see the world in a positive light.
Read the full article: Good News! 5 Places to Read or Hear Positive and Uplifting News
