Pinterest Introduces Activities To Reduce Stress And Inspire Well-Being

There are a few websites that seem to be designed, whether by design or not, to get users hooked into them. Social networks are the prime example but so are the likes of Wikipedia and Pinterest. Given how much people spend on these sites, there always comes a time when some users will go there searching for something to ease their stress or anxiety. Rather than leave it to chance or some algorithm, Pinterest is now introducing a series of well-being activities to help relieve stress or even hopefully save lives.

There is a tinge of irony in Pinterest's announcement given how the site is probably one of the sources of modern manifestations of stress, like FOMO. Perhaps finally realizing its role and responsibility, Pinterest is rolling out activities to help take a bit of that burden off its shoulders.

When users search for things related to stress, anxiety, or mental disorders, Pinterest will not only show its regular search results but also activities to calm the mind and the heart. These could range from tools for relaxing to inspiring quotes and images to self-compassion exercises.

The social network isn't presenting itself as mental healthcare expert, though. Certain keywords will, instead, direct users to professional help. The activities, however, were indeed designed with input from mental and emotional health experts.

Pinterest does assure users that these searches won't be associated with their accounts to protect their privacy. Those won't affect the site's recommendation system and Pinterest itself doesn't keep track of them. It does, however, admit that the activity is stored by a third-party service but promised to be stored securely.