Category: happiness
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Experiences vs. Possessions: You Are What You've Done, Not What You Own
In the last few years psychology research (e.g. Carter & Gilovich, 2010) has proven what many of us have long suspected: that experiences (vacations, events with friends, etc) make people happier than buying and owning stuff (computers, clothes, etc). But more recent research by the same duo (Carter & Gilovich, 2012) shows that the experience…
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The Science of Happiness, Part 3: What commuting, graduate degrees and being single have in common
WARNING: The following discussion is about the correlation between happiness and many other factors. But it’s just correlation. The factors below are correlated with happiness, but that does not mean they CAUSE happiness. “Correlation does not imply causation”. Now that I’ve posted the warning, I can talk about some of the interesting correlations between happiness…
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The Science of Happiness, Part 2: Do You Live In A Happy Country?
In Part 1 of this series on the Science of Happiness, I wrote about a happiness set point. This is Part 2, where we take a look at the relationship between happiness and geography. Is where you live correlated with how happy you are? — The answer is yes. But it is a complicated answer.…
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The Science of Happiness, Part 1: Everyone Has A Happiness "Set Point"
Are you a happy person? Is there such a thing as a happy person? Is happiness something that can be scientifically studied? Only you know the answer to the first question above, but the answer to the other questions is “yes”. This post is the first in a short series on the science of happiness. Your…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #72 — Trust Is The Best Predictor Of Happiness
If you want to know who is happiest, then figure out who feels the most trust.Which country has the happiest people? — Eric Weiner traveled all over the world in search of answers to the questions: Which countries have the happiest people and why? His answers surprised him and they surprised me too. Based on research,…
