Norwegian web browser developer Opera announced today released a new free browser, Opera Air, that will help users reduce stress through relaxation and mindfulness exercises.

“The web is beautiful but it can be chaotic and overwhelming,” said Mohamed Salah, senior director of product at Opera. “We decided to look at science-backed ways to help our users navigate it in a way that makes them feel and function better.”

Web browsers have become ubiquitous tools for accessing information on the internet. This includes receiving news, viewing social media, watching videos, shopping and doing work. Often, upon starting up a computer, a user’s first act might be to open a browser.

According to McLean Hospital, social media is a top factor leading to stress and anxiety from internet use. The Pew Research Center reported around 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the United States use social media. This places a lot of the population at risk for anxiety and depression.

Opera Air helps users pay attention to their time during the day through several features that remind users to take a break from what they’re doing. Or they can enjoy what Opera calls a “Boost.”

The “Take a Break” feature offers several types of drills within the browser that take users through mindfulness exercises, including breathing attention, neck exercises, meditation or a “full body scan.” Each exercise takes three to 15 minutes. Reminders can be set from the browser to have the user pause what they’re doing and take a break at suggested 60- to 90-minute intervals.

Experts already suggest taking a five-minute break from the computer screen every one to two hours. Stopping to take a break, stretching and looking away from the computer can help lessen eye strain, relax muscles and reduce overall stress. Many computer workers don’t do this often enough and find themselves fatigued and plagued with headaches.

Opera Air’s “Boosts” feature uses binaural beats, a type of sound that mixes two slightly different frequencies in each ear to produce the illusion of a third sound frequency by the brain. It’s believed listening to binaural beats can help promote relaxation and focus to help induce a meditative state.

Users who want assistance with a period of meditation can use various “Boosts” focused on different frequencies. Each one allows users to adjust the sound of rainfall, crashing waves or other natural ambiance and background music. Boosts can be set from 15 minutes to an indefinite amount of time. Users can also set Boosts as an ambient background while they’re working.

Opera Air joins Opera’s lineup of web browsers today in early access and includes many of the features of the other Opera web browsers. This includes Aria AI for a chatbot, image generation, summaries and voice output. Air also has a built-in ad blocker and a free virtual private network for privacy.

Image: Opera