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What makes us happy? Fox News says it's the little things in life. USA Today says it's dogs. MSNBC says it's not getting married. Forbes says it's working in Miami. Personally, I'm partial to cupcakes and swearing. All in all, when it comes to this very hot pursuit, everybody has an opinion. Not only that, the Harvard Business Review tells us that measuring happiness may be just as important as measuring our GDP, so I am pleased to present the Happiness Scale, based on careful research, for this sole purpose. More »
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There are plenty of nice reasons to get married, but increasingly the basic experience of being married doesn't seem all that different from simply living together without ever making it legal—or living in sin, as our grandmothers like to call it. Now there's some new research that proves that the line between marriage and cohabitation has been blurred to such an extent that it's barely visible. More »
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Well, the unhappiest white-collar worker, that is. A survey of such folks reports that the least happy among them is "a 42 year old, unmarried woman with a household income under $100 thousand, working in a professional position (i.e. as a doctor or a lawyer)." More »
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We all know by now that too much rain can be dangerous to life and limb. But rain can also be dangerous to your psyche, and even if you're not at risk of flooding, you've probably recognized that constant rain is fucking depressing. Herewith, some tips for feeling better. More »
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Run Gutman explains the science of smiling at TED talk "The Hidden Power Of Smiling" with a kind of energy and whimsy that actually made me smile and thus, will probably also make me super happy and successful in the long run. More »
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Frowning is hot. It is. On a man, a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes are sexy. It works on some women, too, but generally, scowling — looking determined and passionate — is something heterosexual women find attractive in men. We love bad boys. More »
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Scientists have discovered a gene that appears to govern how satisfied people are with life. Should those of us without it give up and embrace the misery? More »
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In a study-so-obvious-I-could-fall-asleep, researchers found "clear and compelling evidence" that being positive and happy can keep you from ending it all. More »
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New research suggests that dealing with bad shit might actually make you happier over time — as long as there's not too much bad shit at once. More »
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You make a lot of decisions based on how you think they will make you feel in the future. More »
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After studying how much oxytocin college-age women released after receiving $24 from a stranger, researchers concluded women who release more of the hormone are happier, and likely to have more sex, like being around people, and be more emotionally resilient. More »
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Were you an unhappy kid? It might be because your jerk parents just couldn't stop reproducing. More »
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Harvard researchers have created new iPhone app called "Track Your Happiness" that randomly contacts iPhone users to ask what they're doing and how they're feeling. Kind of like Mom! Which raises the question, "why would you want such a thing?" More »
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Supposedly a 24-year study "found" that being slim makes a woman happier than any man can. So annoying! More »
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• Obama spoke today with Shirley Sherrod, the former Argiculture Department employee who was forced to resign over a heavily-edited and misleading report about a speech she gave to in march. A statement released about the call explained:

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Despite the ongoing recession, today's crazy, optimistic youth think they're going to make more money soon. They might actually be right — but it doesn't mean they'll be happy. More »
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Psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall claims the third Friday in June is the most joyous day of the year based on his formula for happiness: being outdoors, + (nature × social interaction) + childhood memories ÷ temperature + holiday excitement. [DailyExpress] More »
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If you haven't read Rebecca Traister's essay on women and happiness, do so now. More »
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"Ping-Pong has a very, very wide demographic," says Susan Sarandon. "And it's the only sport where little girls can beat grown men." Also, her prescription for eternal youth: "be as happy as possible." [Style.com, People] More »
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Last year, Self editor Lucy Danziger drew fire for Photoshopping Kelly Clarkson. Now she's co-written a book about women's happiness. Yesterday, we talked to her about the book, the mag, and yes, the Kelly Clarkson Photoshop of Horrors. More »
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"Talking through it" is a time-honored way of dealing with problems, and new research shows that people who talk more are happier. But some kinds of talk may be more helpful than others. More »
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Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project to become happier by "to appreciat[ing] more what I already have." But is this easier when you already have a lot? More »
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Author Ariel Gore says writing a book on happiness actually made her happier, because she was "paying attention to it every day." Is this really how joy works? More »
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Penelope Trunk's bizarre happy-vs.-interesting quiz says happy people have "fat friends" and think Christmas is a national holiday, while interesting people have high-powered careers and opinions on Picasso. Thinking the entire quiz is bullshit apparently means you're happy. [Brazen Careerist] More »
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According to a study, people with depression or anxiety are most likely to associate their mood with the color gray, while happier people are more likely to pick yellow. Weirdly, scientists think this could help treat irritable bowel syndrome. [MSNBC] More »
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Why aren't women happy? We have shoes, fancy meals, lots of clothes, and even girlfriends to share it all with, SATC-style. But we're just not content, or so says the Times of London. More »
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Amid all the recent research on — and criticism of — positive thinking, one question hasn't received much attention: does optimism actually make people healthier, or is it the other way around? More »
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If you want a mini-recap of what womanhood was all about in 2009 — and a lesson in being a "better lady" in 2010 — check out Sarah Haskins' new video, after the jump. More »
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New research shows our gender stereotypes may be so ingrained that they influence how we see faces — yet what we believe about sex differences may be more influential than biology. More »
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•  Since us single folk are missing out on all those hilariously uncomfortable-looking sex positions featured each month in Cosmo, here's a helpful chart of sex positions for the lonely. We're digging the Abe Lincoln. •  More »
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A recent study compared the effectiveness of an Atkins-type diet and a plan that did not restrict carbs. While there was no significant difference in weight loss, the carb-eaters were happier and less hostile. As we've long suspected: Carbs=Love. [Reuters] More »
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Do different languages evoke different emotions? That's the question posed by Times blogger Olivia Judson, inspired by research that shows just making a certain vowel sound can affect your mood. More »
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London School of Economics evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa gets many things wrong in his "takedown" of modern feminism as "illogical, unnecessary and evil," not the least of which is the Cheris Kramarae quote at the center of his thesis. More »
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If you're 28, you had better smiling, because this is the happiest time of your life, according to a study conducted by Clairol Perfect 10. More »
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A lot of ink has been spilt in the past few days on the issue of whether women are unhappier now than they used to be. But what is a woman's happiness, and does it make any sense to try to measure it? More »
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Today the Telegraph explains why karaoke is so much fun, and it's not just because of the booze. More »
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March Cosmopolitan thinks you're unhappy. Maybe it's because you're fat, maybe your boyfriend doesn't love you, maybe your friends are boring. No matter — for every problem, Cosmo has vague, simplistic, or totally weird advice. More »
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On the eve of his inauguration, Alice Walker offered soon-President Obama some advice — and it wasn't about the economy. More »
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According to a new study, women who wear a U.K. size 14 are the happiest with their life and looks. More »
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Misery, as they say, loves company. But as it turns out, happiness loves company even more. A new study published in the British Medical Journal online claims that happiness is contagious, and that the source of happiness for many people is their extended social network: not only do your friends have a direct impact on your happiness, but your friends' friends and your friends' friends' friends do as well. As Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University explains, "If you imagine the fabric of humanity as a patchwork quilt, it turns out if you're happy or not depends on if you're in a happy or unhappy patch." More »
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