6 Shocking Things That Make You Calmer and Happier

Yogurt is the next Prozac—if a promising finding at Ireland's University College Cork pans out. A bacterial strain found in some types of yogurt—lactobacillus rhamnosus—affects the brains of mice, reducing their stress hormone levels and making them act calmer than those fed bacteria-free meals. The probiotic, which boosts receptors for the soothing neurotransmitter GABA, travels from bowels to brain via the body's long vagus nerve—and has potential as an all-natural therapy for anxiety and depression.