Every living, breathing human has bad habits, that’s just a fact. But some of these habits that we’ve deemed bad actually have benefits when carried out in moderation. Bad habits tend to alter our mood and reduce stress, the problem is there’s a fine line between a harmless bad habit and a harmful addiction. Let’s take a look at some seemingly bad habits with some pretty powerful short-term benefits.
Procrastination
We’ve mastered the art of putting things off until the very last second, but this isn’t always a bad thing. The world we live in today simply never stops and it’s really easy to begin to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to take a step back and realize not everything has to be so urgent.
Drinking Coffee
Before you get too excited, drinking too much coffee is not great for your health, but small quantities can be good for you. Caffeine can speed up your metabolism, boost exercise endurance, and reduce your risk of gallstones and kidney stones. And good news if you’re a woman, a Harvard study found that women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to be depressed.
Playing Video Games
There is quite a bit of scientific evidence out there that proves there are a number of benefits when it comes to playing video games such as pain relief. Studies were conducted on cancer patients, people with back pain, and burn victims, all of which found that those who played video games took less pain medication. Psychologists refer to playing video games as a “cognitive distractor task” which just means it’s an engrossing task; so when we’re experiencing pain, an engrossing task is often exactly what we need to take our minds off of the pain.
Losing Your Temper
Most of us have been taught that losing our temper isn’t very nice and while this is mostly true, research has found that losing our temper every now and then is actually good for our health because by venting we’re reducing the effects of stress.
Sleeping In
Sleeping in every day would be excessive, but sleeping in every now and then? Totally fine. Research has found that sleeping in may help you live longer, can boost your memory, and may reduce stress. Meanwhile not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of heart disease.