Category: happiness

The Power of Nature, and Some Advice on How to Harness That Power

Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark found that growing up near vegetation is associated with an up to 55 percent lower risk of mental health disorders in adulthood. Kristine Engemann, the biologist who led the study, combined decades of satellite imagery with extensive health and demographic data of the Danish population to investigate the mental health … Continue reading The Power of Nature, and Some Advice on How to Harness That Power →

What’s Our Natural State? Working or Relaxing?

How are we meant to go through life? To be working and hustling, with periodic breaks for relaxation? Or is it more natural to be doing nothing, to be strolling along a beach, with periodic interruptions for work? I think, in the U.S. at least, the answer is pretty clear. We value the hustler, the person who is … Continue reading What’s Our Natural State? Working or Relaxing? →

My Character Strengths Profile

I am a fan of assessments that provide some insight into who I am, and I have written about many such assessments previously. One such assessment was the StrengthsFinder survey, which revealed the following as my top five strengths: Learner: People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and … Continue reading My Character Strengths Profile →

Maybe We Won’t Have to Move South After All When We Retire

My wife and I have talked about moving to Florida in a few years, after we both retire. The primary reason is that we are both tired of the cold weather and would prefer to have warmer weather year-round. Well now it looks like maybe we won't have to move at all, if we can … Continue reading Maybe We Won’t Have to Move South After All When We Retire →

A Manifesto for Living a Good Life

There was a thought-provoking article in today's Wall Street Journal written by Katy Butler, author of the soon to be released book, “The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life.” In the article, Butler describes how she hopes to make her death as good as her life has been. … Continue reading A Manifesto for Living a Good Life →

Be More Productive at Work By Spending More Time Pursuing Your Hobby

It's 5:30 on a Thursday evening, and you're still at work. You've been working on a big project for a while, and you've reached an impasse. What's the best way to spend your next hour - grinding away at work, or practicing your latest five-ball juggling routine? According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review, … Continue reading Be More Productive at Work By Spending More Time Pursuing Your Hobby →

From Sports to Politics to Aristotle to Teenagers, Highlights from Today’s Wall Street Journal

The Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal is always my favorite. It's not all business, and with its Review and Off Duty sections, there's sure to be sure a story or two that captures the reader's interest. Since today's paper was no exception (even though there was no column from Dan Ariely), I thought … Continue reading From Sports to Politics to Aristotle to Teenagers, Highlights from Today’s Wall Street Journal →

Are You $$Cheating on Your Partner?

According to CreditCards.com’s latest financial infidelity poll, 19 percent of U.S. adults who are in live-in relationships – which equates to 29 million people – are hiding a checking, savings or credit card account from their partner. In addition, 20 percent of all survey respondents feel a partner hiding a secret bank account from them would be worse … Continue reading Are You $$Cheating on Your Partner? →

She Sounded Like My Kind of Poet

I am not going to claim that I know much about poetry. I vaguely recall liking Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe, and the poetry of Ogden Nash and E. E. Cummings when I was in grade school. Beyond that, I don't think I could name one living poet. So when I heard of the … Continue reading She Sounded Like My Kind of Poet →

Things That Make Life Worth Living

As I was cutting up our weekly purchase of a dozen bagels so that we could freeze them, I realized how much I loved having a bagel slicer (or as Amazon calls it, a bagel guillotine). We've only had it for about a year, but now I can't remember how we were able to live without … Continue reading Things That Make Life Worth Living →