Tag: happiness
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Why Happiness as a Public Policy Doesn’t Work
Washington Post: The global happiness derby Robert Samuelson We ought to leave “happiness” to novelists and philosophers — and rescue it from the economists and psychologists who think it can be distilled into a “science” and translated into pro-happiness policies. Fat chance. Government can often mitigate sources of unhappiness (starvation, unemployment, disease), but happiness is more…
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Researcher’s advice to pastors: Spend more time on church suppers
Catholic News Service: Researcher's advice to pastors: Spend more time on church suppers WASHINGTON (CNS) — Harvard public policy professor Robert D. Putnam has a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for pastors: "Spend less time on the sermons, and more time arranging the church suppers." That's because research by Putnam and Chaeyoon Lim, assistant professor of sociology at…
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Hard Times and Liberalism’s Dream of a Painless World
National Review: Hard Times and Liberalism’s Dream of a Painless World In his devotion to the pursuit of happiness, modern man has forgotten how to suffer. During hard times, it is only natural that we should spend a good deal of time blaming the villains. For the Left, the authors of the present discontents are…
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Happiness is U-shaped … which explains why the middle-aged are grumpy
Telegraph: Happiness is U-shaped … which explains why the middle-aged are grumpy Satisfaction with life starts to drop as early as a person's late 20s and does not begin to recover until well past 50, says Bert van Landeghem, an economist at Maastricht University in Belgium. While young adults are carefree and full of hope…
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The Economics of Religion and Happiness
New York Times – Economix: A Conversation With Eduardo Porter (I'm not saying I endorse everything Porter is saying but it is an interesting discussion.) Eduardo Porter and I were colleagues on the economics beat at The New York Times several years ago, and he is now a member of the editorial board. He’s also…
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Religion’s Secret to Happiness: It’s Friends, Not Faith
Time: Religion's Secret to Happiness: It's Friends, Not Faith Religion can be good for your health, and especially your mental health, according to the latest studies, which show that church-goers are happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who don't attend services. But what exactly is it about religion that is so beneficial…
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Being Happy in a Sad Place
New York Times: Being Happy in a Sad Place … As the paper notes, economists’ conventional wisdom has long held there is no relationship between economic growth and subjective well-being. Not so, argue economists Daniel Sacks, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, all of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “We present evidence,” they…
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Too much choice leaving us bewildered and depressed
Telegraph: Too much choice leaving us bewildered and depressed Modern life is making us miserable because we have too much choice, claims new research. From the foods we eat, to the television channels we watch, to the schools we send our children too and the career we choose to pursue, society has never offered us…
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Technology linked to happiness, study claims
BBC: Technology linked to happiness, study claims HT: Cameron There are positive links between access to technology and feelings of well-being, a study claims. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, analysed the results of a survey of 35,000 people around the world. Access to communication devices was found to be the most valued. It found…