50 Inspiring, Uplifting, and Positivity-Focused Sites to Make You Happy

Searching for more happy news and inspiration? Take a look at these 50 websites.

We previously featured 25 great blogs, websites, and online resources that inspire and awe us. If you’re hungry for more (and hey, who isn’t?), here’s another round of happiness for you. These sites share stories of heroes, innovations, transformations. They feature captivating thinkers and changemakers, and insightful tips for making your life easier and more meaningful. (Of course, we had to include some cute puppies, too.)

Start out with Part One, or read on for the rest of our 50 inspiring websites.

BrainyQuote

Looking for the perfect line for a festive occasion, or seeking a clever quote to share with friends? BrainyQuote is home to thousands, organized by author, category, and more. Don’t miss the wonderful bon mots from the brilliant Mark Twain.

Cowbird

Cowbird is dedicated to representing the human experience, with collaborative tools for sharing personal stories, photos, and videos, which are tagged by theme and place. Start your own multimedia diary here, or take a step into others’ journeys on the site.

CoolHunting

This fun, irreverent site always has something new and interesting to share. From nutrition wheel plates to Viktor Koen’s “Metamorphabets” (super-cool alphabet letter sculptures), there’s always something to delight and inspire.

cuteoverload.com

As promised, here are the cute puppies (and kitties, ducks, turtles—just about every animal species is represented here somewhere). The adorable images and videos found here provide the perfect antidote for when you’re feeling down. (And, we’ve discovered it’s a great way to distract a cranky toddler.)



DailyGood

This free daily newsletter shares a short excerpt from an inspiring true good news story each day, with links to the full articles around the web. Don’t miss their recent publication of Mercy Corps’ tribute to five brave women who are fighting poverty around the globe.

GOOD

GOOD shines a spotlight on innovative projects, companies, and people that are changing the world. See: a teddy bear that helps diabetic kids manage their insulin injections.

GoodlifeZEN

New Zealander Mary Jaksch’s blog has the tagline, “practical inspiration for a happier life,” and she provides it in the form of tips on making true friends, lessons on learning how to meditate, the art of “ninja productivity,” and many more insightful blog posts.



The Good Men Project

Men receive so many mixed messages about how they should behave. The Good Men Project is a thought-provoking multimedia project about what it means to be a “good man” in modern society. Check out Kim Quinn’s essay on “Competent Dads and Other Mythical Creatures.”

GreaterGood

Subtitled, “the science of a meaningful life,” this UC-Berkeley project focuses on academic research related to happiness and compassion. Take a look at Stanford professor Robert M. Sapolsky’s take on why stress is a chronic problem, and how we can reduce its impact on our lives.

Greatist

Greatist is focused around the notion of helping its readers lead a fitter, healthier—and, as a result, happier—lifestyle. The site features simple recipes, workout tips, and simple lifestyle adaptations to help you improve your mood, energy, and happiness. Don’t miss: 89 Simple Swaps That Could Change Your Life.

An Inch of Gray

Anna See started her blog as a way to document the simple wonders of life at home with her husband, dog, and two children—but after losing her 12-year-old son Jack in a tragic accident last year, she’s used it as a place to quietly commemorate her son’s short life and work through her grief. Read about the family’s beautiful balloon tribute to Jack, on what would have been his 13th birthday.



Longform.org

The longform journalism at Longform.org isn’t always happy in nature, but it’s consistently fascinating and thought-provoking. Reading links from the site is my favorite way to spend a lazy Saturday morning with coffee and iPad in hand. Take a look at the Best of 2011 list to discover the most compelling journalism from the past year.

KarmaTube

This video site features inspiring videos about heroes, the arts, compelling scientific discoveries, and more, along with tips for taking action. “Home Is Where We Are Together,” a poignant short documentary about an elderly man who cares for his sick wife, is well worth the two minutes it takes to watch.

Marc and Angel Hack Life

This couple is focused on sharing tips on productivity and happiness, with great advice-focused roundups. Take a look at their list of 50 skills that everyone should have, and get learning.

Kickstarter

One of the biggest platforms for online crowdfunding, Kickstarter allows us to learn about and lend financial support to innovative and inspiring artistic and business-focused projects. Click around the site to learn about and help support compelling, and sometimes quirky, efforts, such as the Bonobo Chat app, which will help researchers at the Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust Sanctuary to better communicate with the bonobo apes who live there.

Milkshake

This daily email features all sorts of actionable tips for making the world a better place to live, as well as interviews with people focused on driving innovation, such as Megan Epler Wood, the founder of the International Ecotourism Society.

Oprah’s Life Lift Blog

Every day, Oprah.com’s Life Lift blog features original short essays by its contributors, and points out the best content on the web to delight and inspire. Check out the blog’s inspiring article about Adrian Anantawan, a one-handed violinist.

OpenCulture

One of the best things about the rise of the Internet is the fact that it gives anyone with a connection access to free knowledge in the form of online classes, films, historical papers, and much more. This site rounds up the best places to edify your mind online.

Positively Positive

This site features articles from some of the world’s leading experts on self-improvement topics of all sorts, such as health and wellness, parenting, altruism, and loving your job. Check out holistic health counselor Pamela Salzman’s post on 10 ways to help you cut sugar from your diet.

Simple Mom

Tsh Oxenreider’s Simple Mom blog is an ode to simplifying home life, with tips on budgeting, decluttering, eating well, and other parenting-related advice. Check out Tsh’s great advice on teaching your children to live simply.

StoryCorps

NPR’s StoryCorps features audio recordings of ordinary Americans’ true stories, which are certain to make you laugh, cry, and take a closer look at your own life. For anyone whose life has been touched by Alzheimer’s, this interview of a father with the disease will ring true.

thenicestplaceontheinter.net

You need a hug, don’t you? We could tell. Hop on over to this site for virtual hugs from hundreds of strangers, and then pay it forward by recording your own on your webcam. It’s a great way to get that warm and fuzzy feeling.

thingstobehappyabout.com

Have you read the book 14,000 Things to Be Happy About? This site offers a sampling of the inspiration found there, with lists of positive thoughts, events, quotes, and more. You can create your own “happy list” to share with others on the site.

Unclutterer

A more organized life is a happier life. This blog is packed full of tips and tricks to help you organize your home and work, so that everything else can fall into place. Check out the site’s great tips on managing your email while on a work trip.



WorkAwesome

Most of us spend a big chunk of our lives at work—so shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to ensure that our time there is rewarding and fulfilling? WorkAwesome, owned by Tina Su of the also-excellent personal development site Think Simple Now, focuses on strategies for maximizing your productivity and enjoyment around the office. Don’t miss the helpful post on asking for—and getting—a raise.

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