http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog Ideas & strategies for a happier life Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:16:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It seems Thursday July 10 has been claimed as International Happiness Day. I figured it was worth coming out of happiness hiatus to tell you about that! The purpose: "To create a focus on individuals and communities ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/07/08/international-happiness-day/ Hey everyone, Sadly, I've had to turn off comments as I've been getting stampeded with SPAM (a SPAMpede, perhaps?). I'll try turning comments back on after a few days and see if the spambots have moved on. Thanks for understanding. Stay happy! Michele PS ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/05/07/comments-on-hold-for-now/ Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know I'll be taking a short break from blogging here as I work full-time on another project. If you need a happiness refresher while I'm gone I hope you'll find inspiration in the archives. In particular: 101 Happiness Strategies Strategies for boosting your happiness level, based on ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/26/happiness-hiatus/ Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight If you have any doubt about the wonderful job our brains do, you'll be won over by this riveting, disturbing and emotional story from Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroanatomist and stroke survivor. 'How many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their brains from the inside ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/24/right-brain-or-left-brain-its-a-no-brainer/ 1. Woody Allen Failed motion picture production at NYU and City College of NY. Oh and also failed English at NYU. Before winning Oscars for directing, producing and writing. 2. Thomas Carlyle Loaned The French Revolution manuscript to a friend whose servant used it ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/21/friday-quick-tricks-5-lessons-in-failing-from-people-who-later-so-succeeded/ If you haven't yet taken a tour on the Worldwide Telescope don't wait another minute to hop aboard for this astonishing experience. It's like a best-of clip show from the world's greatest telescopes, with the images merged into a seamless spatial panascope (I know there's no such word, but ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/19/stuff-that-makes-me-happy-a-worldwide-telescope-tour-of-the-universe/ A new British study has shed more light on the genes/personality contribution to happiness. Genes may contribute up to 50% of the variance in happiness, and the new research suggests this genetic influence on happiness is essentially conveyed via personality. Researchers using a representative sample of 973 twin pairs found ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/17/born-happy-the-link-between-happiness-personality-and-genes/ 1. Pay attention You can't retrieve information that doesn't go into your memory in the first place - it's like searching for a  file your never saved. If you want to remember something, make a point of noticing it - consciously. Example Want to remember where ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/14/happiness-quick-tricks-3-tips-for-a-better-memory/ Following last week's bad news about anti-depressants I wanted to bring you some good news too. A research study at Duke University found that a 30-minute brisk walk or jog 3 times a week worked as well as antidepressant drugs in beating depression. OK, so ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/12/exercise-and-happiness/   What makes kids happy? A new iPod? The Wiggles? An industrial-sized pack of M&Ms? A new study by Mark Holder at the University of British Columbia has checked in to the question of childhood happiness. And the findings might not be what you expect. At the ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/10/what-makes-a-happy-kid/ 1. Write it down A written rant is a neat way to let off steam. Not only does writing it down take the sting out of a situation, it can bring you all kinds of insights that elude you when you're in the throes of throwing ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/07/happiness-quick-tricks-7-tips-for-anger-management/ 'Has the Prozac bubble finally burst?' asks this week's New Scientist mag. The article reports findings that antidepressants seem to offer no more than a placebo effect, except in the most severely depressed people. And those severely depressed people respond less to placebos, not more to the ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/05/is-that-prozac-in-your-pocket-or-do-you-just-think-youre-happy-to-see-me/ 'How long till the bus gets here?' 'Should I walk instead?' 'Maybe it's just around the corner and then I'll miss it.' 'But if it's not around the corner then how long till it gets here?' If such Shakespearean dilemmas plaque your daily commute, you'll ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/03/03/happiness-life-strategy-how-to-be-happy-while-waiting-for-the-bus/ No matter what your personality make-up, you can make choices that bring you greater happiness. You just have to understand the pros and cons of your personality traits. In Happiness Strategy 12: Make peace with your personality we learned the 'Big-Five' dimensions of personality are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness and neuroticism ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/29/happiness-life-strategy-know-your-personality/ Relationships are important to happiness, so nurturing your social skills would seem a pretty wise happiness strategy. Now, is that something you can get from a book? Well, yes and no - it depends on the book. It may surprise you that research shows people panache is more polished in readers ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/27/happiness-life-strategy-enjoy-your-stories-make-friends-influence-people/ I still haven't gotten over the demise of Borat and Ali G, two characters who brought me great, chunky wads of happiness. But I think it's time to mark their passing with a little blog vigil. Two of my passions are science and technology, so this clip ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/25/not-happy-to-say-goodbye-ali-g-on-science-techmology/ Are your chocolate indulgences tarnished by fears of cholesterol, cavities, pimples and fat? Well fret no more, chocoholic chums - a recent SparkPeople article has set about busting these and other chocolate-coated myths. Now before you install chocolate at the base of your personal food pyramid, take note: the quantities you ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/22/happiness-life-strategy-enjoy-a-little-chocolate-guilt-free/   I've just released a little eBook called How to be Wise & Happy Happiness strategies inspired by history’s wisest philosophers How to be Wise & Happy looks ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/19/new-ebook-how-to-be-wise-and-happy/ A new study, reported last month in the media and about to appear in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, looked at the way our bodies produce antibodies in response to infection. (Flu vaccines were used as a proxy for pathogens because the body's response ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/18/happiness-life-strategy-self-reflection-each-day-keeps-the-flu-bugs-away/ When 'they' won't change - what should you do? You can't change someone else. And pressuring them to change tends to make them dig their heels in further. We all have a bit of that rebellious child still in us. But there's one person you can change - you. And because relationships ... http://www.happinessstrategies.com/blog/2008/02/15/valentines-day-happiness-strategies-3-for-everyone/