Dirt can make you happier and smarter

Bacteria can make you happier AND smarter!


Mycobacterium vaccae bacteria are already known to decrease
anxiety, but it might have even more dramatic properties. Recent studies
on mice suggest the bacteria, commonly found in the soils of people's
gardens, also increases intelligence and the ability to learn.

A no side-effects anti-anxiety drug?

io9 - An Anti-Anxiety Drug That Could Create Super-Soldiers - biology

Soon you may be able to buy a drug that can make you calm by mimicking the body's natural self-soothing process. But you wouldn't feel drugged. What would happen to people who suddenly became fearless without side-effects?

A group of European researchers discovered a ligand, or a chemical that binds with molecules, can soothe even the most anxious of creatures. As they write in an article published today in Science, they induced anxiety attacks in mice and men, administered the ligand XBD173, and found that their fear subsided immediately. The best part is that this treatment isn't addictive, doesn't take weeks to be effective, and doesn't make you feel dopey or drowsy.