Free Republic

... Kanazawa and Li theorize that the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of our ancient ancestors form the foundation for what make us happy now. "Situations and circumstances that would have increased our ancestors’ life satisfaction in the ancestral environment may still increase our life satisfaction today," they write. They use what they call "the savanna theory of happiness" to explain two main findings from an analysis of a large national survey (15,000 respondents) of adults aged 18 to 28. First, they find that people who live in more densely populated areas tend to report less satisfaction with their life overall. "The higher...

Can a government regulate happiness? That's the question being asked now by many in the United Arab Emirates, after the government announced that it would be creating a "minister of state for happiness" on Monday -- a move that is part of a broader shake-up of the Gulf states' leadership that also saw the creation of a minister of state for tolerance and a number of young politicians appointed. On Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, said that the happiness minister position would "align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction." Judging from...

The pursuit of happiness is to enter into obedience and not leave. Many of My children are doing their own thing which truly has nothing to do with My Kingdom or The Father's will and in such manner have heaped upon themselves coals of futility weighing themselves down with yokes of bondage. However where My Spirit is there is freedom and in this place you will find My Vessels filled from My Spring of Life within them for there is a well flowing freely that need not be dug again. . . 2 Corinthians 3:17 17 Now the Lord is...

What makes us happy?

Thought this would be a nice thread for the weekend. Wanted to share a couple of things I am grateful for and also what puts a smile on my face. Please share your thoughts.

Why is Hillary Clinton so unhappy? According to her, when she and her husband left the White House, they were dead broke. Yet they left with a truckload of valuable furniture, dinnerware and flatware that was the property of the federal government, for which they were never prosecuted. They also left with contracts for lectures and speeches worth between $20 million and $30 million in the ensuing years. And they have done quite well financially. According to The Washington Post, between the time Bill Clinton left office in 2001 and January 2013, when Hillary Clinton stepped down as secretary of...

“God Wants Me to Be Happy” – A Reflection on a Deeply Flawed Moral Stance Msgr. Charles Pope • October 6, 2015 • One of the questionable, and unfortunately common, forms of moral reasoning today is the rather narcissistic notion that God wants each of us to be happy. Sometimes it is put in the form of a rhetorical question: God wants me to be happy, doesn’t He?And this sort of reasoning (if you want to call it that) is used to justify just about anything. Thus, in pondering divorce, a spouse might point to his or her misery and...

RUSH: A new Gallup poll out. Headline: "Americans Continue to Shift Left on Key Moral Issues." Now, before you go off getting depressed about this, let me tell you what the reason for this is, after we give you the details. "Americans are more likely now than in the early 2000s to find a variety of behaviors morally acceptable, including gay and lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage and sex between an unmarried man and woman. Moral acceptability of many of these issues is now at a record-high level." It's a subtle message to the Republican Party, and...

Republicans are happier and more stable in their marriages than Democrats, according to a study released Monday. W. Bradford Wilcox, a prominent sociologist at the University of Virginia, released the analysis finding that Republicans are more often married, less likely to be divorced, and happier in their marriages than Democrats.

I love this quote by illustrious NASA scientist Dr. Robert Jastrow (1925-2008): “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” I would just add to Dr. Jastrow’s keen insight, that it’s not merely theologians at large who have long lounged atop Mount Understanding. It is, more precisely, Judeo-Christian theologians....

Geneva, Switzerland — What is the happiest place? Last week in its annual “World Happiness Report,” the United Nations reported that Switzerland was No. 1. The United States ranked No. 15, and the African country of Togo came in last, at number 158. Switzerland is arguably the world’s most successful country — and most improbably so. It is landlocked and without much in the way of natural resources. It has four official languages, many different religious groups, and is surrounded by warring neighbors. Yet, it has remained an island of peace and prosperity. The last armed conflict on Swiss territory...

An international team of economists, neuroscientists, and statisticians just released their third World Happiness Report, which measures well-being in countries around the world to help guide public policy. Switzerland topped the list of the happiest nations, and all of the top eight countries were in the global north. Switzerland was followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The United States ranked 15th, behind Mexico and Austria. Still, that's a slight improvement from the last report, in which the US ranked 17th. The World Happiness Report isn't without a scientific basis. One of its key findings, based...

Pharrell Williams spoke to the UN General Assembly on International Day of Happiness according to the Daily Mail. At least, that is what the headline of the article is supposed to make you think.

When it comes to happiness, Latin America must be onto something. Gallup surveyed people in 143 countries to rank the happiest nations, and found that the entire top 10 were found in Latin America. Paraguay scored the top spot, and Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala all tied for second. Meanwhile, the least-happy nations were all found to be in the Middle East and North Africa. (See below for the top 10 and bottom 10 countries in the ranking.) For the survey, Gallup developed a “happiness score” for each country based on responses from survey participants, who were asked if they had...

Alaska has been named the happiest and healthiest state in the nation. In 2013, the Last Frontier state held the eighth position on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. One year later, the state climbed to the top of the list for the first time since 2008. To compile the list, researchers interviewed 176,000 United States residents. Each participant was asked to rate their happiness and health on a scale of 0 to 100. The categories include social life, financial stability, physical well-being, community involvement, and purpose in life.

Jonny Quest 20 The Invisible Monster

11 Unexpected Facts Proven by Science That Can Make Your Life Happier and Exciting Spend time with friends and family. Be sure to exercise. Get enough sleep.Scientists have long known that these and other familiar strategies really can boost your mood. But recent research has revealed several not-so-obvious links to happiness, including everything from the ambient temperature to your political views.Some are causal links, others just interesting associations. But keep reading for some surprising facts that may have you rethinking your pursuit of happiness. 1. Make sure the temperature is right. Research has shown a clear link between warm weather...

We are what we think. These seven popularly held beliefs are causing you unnecessary misery 1. Lust and love are the same 2. The more money you have, the happier you will be 3. Any dream can come true, if you want it badly enough 4. Perfection is good 5. My happiness is more important than yours 6. Success is permanent 7. Hope is not a strategy (content snipped out, check article for explanations)

We all want to be happy, don’t we? Well, if you’re dissatisfied, frustrated or downright miserable, cheer up. There’s apparently a cure for you. Even better, it will materialize automatically. Just sit and wait; the very anticipation of its arrival might improve your spirits. The remedy: getting older. It’s counterintuitive. In our mind’s eye, old age is to be endured as much as enjoyed. People fear declining health, growing dependence and increasing social isolation. But on average, they also count themselves happier. Consult public opinion surveys, and that’s what you find. Almost 40 percent of Americans 65 and older rated themselves...

While the wealthy who live in advanced economies say they are happier with their life situation, those living in emerging economies are close to the same level of satisfaction, according to a new Pew Research Center report. The survey asked respondents of 43 nations to measure their happiness on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents the highest rung of life's ladder. Those who answered between 7 and 10 were counted as being happy. Mexico, a country plagued with crime and corruption, had the overall highest score in the survey, measuring in at 79% satisfaction in life. Mexico's...