Will Baum, LCSW

Another in the Google lecture series, this one from scientist-turned-Buddhist monk, Matthieu Richard, author of Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill.

A survey reported on the Well blog shows fidelity as criteria #1 for a happy marriage.

But what about children? As an ingredient to a happy marriage, kids were far from essential, ranking eighth behind good sex, sharing chores, adequate income and a nice house, among other things. Only 41 percent of respondents said children were important to a happy marriage, down from 65 percent in 1990.

PsychCentral: Money Impedes Our Ability to Enjoy the Little Pleasures in Life, says study.

Simply seeing a picture of money — which appears to prime our brains, increasing the concept of money at a level below awareness — seems to impede our ability to enjoy life’s little pleasures.

From telegraph.co.uk: Happiness begins at 50 claims new research.

Variables such as having young children, being unemployed, or being single did not affect age-related patterns of well being.  The research showed that levels of stress, worry and anger all dropped significantly in the fifties and levels of happiness and enjoyment increased.

Rather listen than read?  Here’s a quick NPR story on the study.

A study shows scans of love-struck brains look the same in China as they do in the West.

Regions of the brain related to addiction and even mental illness light up on the scan when a person sees a photo of his or her beloved…[New] scans showed that love lights up the brain in the same manner, regardless of ethnic background.

From PsyBlog: Six Psychological Reasons Consumer Culture is Unsatisfying re why stuff doesn’t make you happy. Unless…

[T]hinking of material purchases in experiential terms helps banish dissatisfaction. Try thinking of jeans in terms of where you wore them or how they feel, the mp3 player in terms of how the music changes your mood or outlook, even your laptop in terms of all the happy hours spent reading your favourite blog.

A big NYT Magazine piece by Tara Parker-Pope surveys the research about marriage, health, and happiness, and finds mixed messages.

[W]hile it’s clear that marriage is profoundly connected to health and well-being, new research is increasingly presenting a more nuanced view of the so-called marriage advantage. Several new studies, for instance, show that the marriage advantage doesn’t extend to those in troubled relationships, which can leave a person far less healthy than if he or she had never married at all…

John Grohol sums up the positive psychology basics in 5 Reliable Findings from Happiness Research.  Here they are, minus the explanations, which await you at PsychCentral:

1. You control about half your happiness level.
2. Money doesn’t buy happiness.
3. Lottery winnings create only temporary, short-term happiness.
4. Relationships are a key factor in long-term happiness.
5. Focus on experiences, not stuff.

From ScienceDaily.com, Researchers Identify Secrets to Happiness, Depression Among Oldest of Old.  Quick summary:  To be happy later, try more happiness now.

While there was no indication that resources affect happiness, past life satisfaction — even individual achievements — was found to have a direct association.

Because of their results, the researchers urge caregivers of the elderly to implement programs — including reminiscence therapy and structured life review sessions — to foster feelings of happiness among very old populations.

“You can be not overly satisfied with your overall current capacity and physical well-being, but you can still be a very happy person because there’s a lot you can contribute just by sharing some of the things that nobody knew because it was 80 or 90 years ago.”

David Brooks surveys the happiness literature in an op-ed, The Sandra Bullock Trade.

If the relationship between money and well-being is complicated, the correspondence between personal relationships and happiness is not. The daily activities most associated with happiness are sex, socializing after work and having dinner with others. The daily activity most injurious to happiness is commuting. According to one study, joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income. According to another, being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year.