There’s a reason why being kind to others is good for you — and it can now be traced to a specific nerve.
Happiness
Are You Happy? You Might Have Hypocretin to Thank
Move over dopamine, there’s a new “pleasure” molecule that could broaden our understanding of the chemistry of joy, laughter, addiction and even anger.
With Age Comes Happiness
Wisdom may come with age, but does happiness follow suit?
CommittedTeens
Happy Teens Grow Up to Be Wealthier Too
Which comes first, happiness or money? Much scholarly head tapping has been devoted to examining whether richer people are happier and if so, how much richer? Nobel prize-winners have even looked into it. But a new study suggests …
A New Neighborhood May Boost Health and Happiness, If Not Wealth
Moving poor families out of low-income neighborhoods doesn’t help increase their wealth, education or job status, but it does offer a different kind of long-term boost: better health and more happiness.
Family MattersWork & Life
Stay-at-Home Moms Report More Sadness, Anger and Depression than Working Moms
Gallup.com found that working mothers report greater well-being than stay-at-home moms. Is a job the ticket to bliss?
A Happy, Optimistic Outlook May Protect Your Heart
Negative attitudes are known to be detrimental to cardiovascular health, and now a new study finds that having a positive, optimistic outlook can have the opposite effect.
Family MattersParenting
Take This, Tiger Mom!
Armed with new data showing that pressured kids are prone to depression and anxiety, an anti-Tiger mom (she’s an academic and Chinese as well) takes aim at Amy Chua’s contention that pushing children is healthy.
The Goldilocks Principle of Stress: Too Little Is Almost As Bad as Too Much
Stress isn’t all bad. You need just the right amount of adversity in life to learn to cope with the troubles ahead.
Hopefulness Is Better Than Happiness for Diet Success
Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow — if you want to stick to your diet. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that upbeat, forward-looking feelings like hopefulness led to better dietary choices, while positive …
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Q&A: Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman on the Good Life
These days Martin Seligman, author of the best-selling book Authentic Happiness, is perhaps best known as a father of positive of psychology — the study of people’s strengths and virtues, rather than on pathological behavior.
Why Happiness Isn’t Always Good: Asians vs. Americans
Among journalists — and less so among psychologists — the subset of mental-health research called “positive psychology” has become powerfully influential. Positive psychology, which was more or less founded by a …
