Quote of the Day

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." Groucho Marx

Designing Your Own Workspace Improves Happiness

(excerpted from Designing Your Own Workspace Improves Health Happiness and Productivity, originally published on ohsonline.com on September 14, 2010)

Results consistently showed that the more control people had over their office spaces, the happier and more motivated they were in their jobs. They felt physically more comfortable at work, identified more with their employers, and felt more positive about their jobs in general.

Studies by the University of Exeter's School of Psychology have revealed the potential for remarkable improvements in workers’ attitudes to their jobs by allowing them to personalize their offices.

The findings challenge the conventional approach taken by most companies, where managers often create a “lean” working environment that reflects a standardized corporate identity.

Dr Craig Knight conducted the research as part of his PhD and is now Director of PRISM – a company that deals with space issues in the workplace. He said “Most contemporary offices are functional and offer very little user control, but our studies suggest this practice needs to be challenged.

“When people feel uncomfortable in their surroundings they are less engaged – not only with the space but also with what they do in it. If they can have some control, that all changes and people report being happier at work, identifying more with their employer, and are more efficient when doing their jobs.”

The research involved more than 2,000 office workers in a series of studies looking at attitudes to — and productivity within — working space. This included two surveys of workers’ attitudes carried out via online questionnaires, as well as two experiments which examined workers’ efficiency when carrying out tasks under different conditions.

The surveys assessed the level of control workers had over their space — ranging from none at all to being fully consulted over design changes. Workers were then asked a series of questions about how they felt about their workspace and their jobs.

Results consistently showed that the more control people had over their office spaces, the happier and more motivated they were in their jobs. They felt physically more comfortable at work, identified more with their employers, and felt more positive about their jobs in general.

(To read the entire article, as published on Occupational Health and Safety's website, ohsonline.com, click here)

Stop Waiting! and Start Getting Happy!

How to be Happy:
Tips for cultivating contentment

Are you tired of waiting around for happiness to find you? Stop waiting and start getting happy with these tips.

(Originally published on by the MayoClinic.com, September 15, 2010)

Do you know how to be happy? Or are you waiting for happiness to find you? Despite what the fairy tales depict, happiness doesn't appear by magic. It's not even something that happens to you. It's something you can cultivate. So, what are you waiting for? Start discovering how to be happy.

How to be happy: What science tells us
Only 10 percent or so of the variation in people's reports of happiness can be explained by differences in their circumstances. The bulk of what determines happiness is your personality and — more modifiable — your thoughts and behaviors. So, yes, you can learn how to be happy — or at least happier.

Although you may have thought, as many people do, that happiness comes from being born rich or beautiful or living a stress-free life, the reality is that those things don't confer lasting happiness. Indeed, how to be happy can't be boiled down to one thing. Happiness is the sum of your life choices. People who are happy seem to intuitively know this, and their lives are built on the following pillars:

• Devoting time to family and friends
• Appreciating what they have
• Maintaining an optimistic outlook
• Feeling a sense of purpose
• Living in the moment

How to be happy: Practice, practice, practice
The good news is that your choices, thoughts and actions can influence your level of happiness. It's not as easy as flipping a switch, but you can turn up your happiness level. Here's how to get started on the path to creating a happier you.

Invest in relationships
Surround yourself with happy people. Being around people who are content buoys your own mood. And by being happy yourself, you give something back to those around you.

Friends and family help you celebrate life's successes and support you in difficult times. Although it's easy to take friends and family for granted, these relationships need nurturing. Build up your emotional account with kind words and actions. Be careful and gracious with critique. Let people know that you appreciate what they do for you or even just that you're glad they're part of your life.

Express gratitude
Gratitude is more than saying thank you. It's a sense of wonder, appreciation and, yes, thankfulness for life. It's easy to go through life without recognizing your good fortune. Often, it takes a serious illness or other tragic event to jolt people into appreciating the good things in their lives. Don't wait for something like that to happen to you.
Make a commitment to practice gratitude. Each day identify at least one thing that enriches your life. When you find yourself thinking an ungrateful thought, try substituting a grateful one. For example, replace "my sister forgot my birthday" with "my sister has always been there for me in tough times." Let gratitude be the last thought before you go off to sleep. Let gratitude also be your first thought when you wake up in the morning.

Cultivate optimism
Develop the habit of seeing the positive side of things. You needn't become a Pollyanna — after all, bad things do happen, and it would be silly to pretend otherwise. But you don't have to let the negatives color your whole outlook on life. Remember that what is right about you almost always trumps what is wrong about you.
If you're not an optimistic person by nature, it may take time for you to change your pessimistic thinking. Start by recognizing negative thoughts as you have them. Then take a step back and ask yourself these key questions:

• Is the situation really as bad as I think?
• Is there another way to look at the situation?
• What can I learn from this experience that I can use in the future?
  

Find your purpose
People who strive to meet a goal or fulfill a mission — whether it's growing a garden, caring for children or finding one's spirituality — are happier than those who don't have such aspirations. Having a goal provides a sense of purpose, bolsters self-esteem and brings people together. What your goal is doesn't matter as much as whether the process of working toward it is meaningful to you. Try to align your daily activities with the long-term meaning and purpose of your life. Research studies suggest that relationships provide the strongest meaning and purpose to your life. So cultivate meaningful relationships.
Are you engaged in something you love? If not, ask yourself these questions to discover how you can find your purpose:

• What excites and energizes me?
• What are my proudest achievements?
• How do I want others to remember me?

Live in the moment
Don't postpone joy waiting for a day when your life is less busy or less stressful. That day may never come. Instead, look for opportunities to savor the small pleasures of everyday life. Focus on the positives in the present moment. Don't spend your time rehashing the past or worrying about the future. Take time to stop and smell the flowers.

References

1. Lyubomirsky S. The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York, N.Y.: Penguin, 2007:14.


2. Baker D, et al. What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, 2003:39.


3. Hill AL, et al. Emotions as infectious diseases in a large social network: The SISa model. Proceedings Biological Sciences. In press. Accessed July 7, 2010.


4. Sood A. Log On: Two Steps to Mindful Awareness. Rochester, Minn.: Morning Dew Publications, 2009:28.


5. Snyder CR, et al. Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Exploration of Human Strengths. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2007:145.

Don’t let one bad apple spoil the barrel

Quite often, as we go through life, we’ll experience moments when one person in a group, one issue in a relationship, one personal problem is so rotten that it threatens to infect the rest of your life, especially if we allow ourselves to give into the fallacy that it is representative of the whole.

In these situations you must remind yourself that you have a choice—you can either let the apple continue to rot and ruin everything or you can pick it out, isolate it, and recognize that it need not affect the rest of the situation.

Picking out this bad apple sometimes is simply a matter of compartmentalizing the situation, and being mentally and emotionally strong enough to know that it is not indicative of a widespread concern. One cloud does not mean the sky is falling.

You can expedite resolving the issue by focusing on the positive, continuing to conduct your life as usual, rather than allowing the bad apple to take over. Certainly, at some point, you must deal with the issue, problem or person, but it need not usurp everything else.

So, stay positive, remind yourself that it is but one issue, one person, one problem and don’t let that one bad apple spoil the barrel.

Happiness can be a taco with all the fixings

"After all, if your loved ones are OK, the bills are paid and a couple of monster tacos aren't going to break the bank, how much more do you really need?

I know. The guacamole."

New York City:
I came across this editorial on the recent Princeton study and I thought I'd share it with my readers. It reflects a certain philosophy that a lot of us American-Latinos and Latin Americans understand and live by on a daily basis.

There is a wonderful saying in Spanish that I love to use whenever toasting, usually for no better reason than to acknowledge the happiness one experiences when simply being at a "happy hour" with friends:

¡Al salud, amor y dinero, y el tiempo para disfrutar los todos!
To our health, love and money, and time to enjoy them all.

I think it is worth noting that "to money" here does not mean "a lot of money" or winning the lottery, it simply means, as Ms. Anglin points out, is "just enough money" to live responsibly by and to enjoy life often, which in essence is not much money at all, if you do it right.

Happiness can be a taco with all the fixings
by Maria Anglin
(Originally posted to mysanantonio.com on September 9, 2010)

To all of those people who love to repeat the dicho about how money can't buy happiness, a new study has come along saying "Fijate que si."

Well, sort of.

On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported on a study that found people's emotional well being, or happiness, increases with their income up until they hit $75,000 a year. After that, the researchers reported, the level of happiness stays about the same.

People making less than that, a Princeton economist told the Chronicle, face too much “stuff” that interferes with their day-to-day happiness. Presumably, the economist was talking about facing cost of living expenses and decisions that could lead to more bills, although he might also have been talking about all the “stuff” que compra el vecino with really bad credit. It's hard not to be a little envidioso of El You-Only-Live-Once and his new iPad, his week-long trip to Curacao and the new and loaded hemi, unless you're with him on Saturday morning when he's frantically figuring out which bill to pay and which one to leave in the shoebox hasta que caiga el proximo paycheck.

But for those who count their coins responsibly, it makes perfect sense that a little more scratch makes life easier. Anybody who has ever had to make the difficult choice between the beef fajita monster taco con guacamole y un taco flaco de picadillo con papas knows that this is true. For those who don't understand the happiness a good taco can bring, here's another example — a full tank of gas vs. as much gas as you can afford with the few bucks left over after the trip to the Dollar Only, plus the quarters that were hiding under the napkins in the car's console. It's safe to bet the study's findings also have something to do with the happy people surveyed also having a good memory; nickeleando is a tough lesson and one not easily forgotten.

Those who quote the song “Pobrecito mi patron, cree que el pobre soy yo,” are likely hovering around that $75,000 mark, which is probably lower in places like San Antonio that are blessed with a lower cost of living than other big cities. While money can buy us a lot of freedom and peace of mind, it can also attract big problems along with all manner of sinverguenzas, ratas and pediches — which is why those who know this actively avoid buying lottery tickets with huge jackpots.

After all, if your loved ones are OK, the bills are paid and a couple of monster tacos aren't going to break the bank, how much more do you really need?

I know. The guacamole.

—mariaanglin@yahoo.com

Newfound Optimism

Chronicles from The Art of Happiness: Newfound Optimism
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

New York City, November 4, 2009:

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
- To a Mouse, Robert Burns

Almost a year ago, on my 41st birthday on November 22, I made a vow to do something positive and begin a new blog, The Art of Happiness.

My intentions were to mount a goodhearted rebellion, to proselytize at the pulpit of the rising sun, to posit the good against all the bad that we are bombarded with on a daily basis by the media.

Alas, I could not keep up and so my efforts went to the wayside. So goes the best laid plans.

Nonetheless and allthemore, after reading about “10 Bodies Found in Home of Cleveland Rapist,” “Another NYU Student Commits Suicide,” and “Another NYC Police Officer Avoids DWI Blood Test After Killing Pedestrian” this morning, I am once again inspired to renew my efforts.

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”
Vince Lombardi

Thus, for lack of time to research and write about any good news, I’ve decided to share some personal good news, for now.

Yesterday, my dear friend Sj came by my office to share her good news—she had accomplished a long held dream of running and finishing the New York Marathon.

Needless to say, I was elated for her and decided to write her a letter in commemoration of her achievement. I’m sharing that letter here to spread the good news.

Date: November 3, 2009
Subject: Say Goodbye to The Old You

Sj,

I just wanted to thank you for stopping by to share a little bit of your glory with me today. I am honored and happy that you made an effort to include me in your shining moment, especially since it inspired me.

When I received my medal exactly 16 years ago, I arrogantly dismissed its value, feeling that the accomplishment was enough and that this trinket was meaningless.

However, I still have my medal and ribbon, and recently I hung it around the boys bunkbed post, because Robert, my running partner back then in 1993, suggested, as I was packing up to move out of 215 W 108th, that it might inspire the boys if I shared it with them.

After seeing yours around your neck this afternoon I fully understand what he meant, because it inspired me.

Both my sister Sabina and Chelsea have been great motivators lately. My lil' sista has been periodically sending me updates on her K-bell training and diet; and my darling girlfriend has been gently pushing me to get some exercise, all the while setting the example by going to the gym whenever possible herself.

That's why although I was still sick (and exhausted after a week of having the boys) I ran a mile on Sunday, and two miles downstairs in our gym yesterday.

Today, however, I pushed myself after hearing the story of your marathon run and ran three miles non-stop today. It wasn't easy, but I figured if Sj can be disciplined enough to train for all those months, and push herself all the way on the big day, the least I can do is run three measly miles.

Thank you for that push. I really needed it.

I am sincerely very proud of you and extremely happy for you. I can readily see that you are a new person indeed, you not only brim with confidence—your newfound optimism instills it, and that is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself.

L

Happy Days

New York City, NY June 4, 2009:

Happiness is here again.

After a far-too-long break from blogging (three months!), I’m returning to posting and presenting what makes us happy—here at The Art of Happiness.

Moreover, it also happens to be a topic of frequent reflection, introspection and earnest discussion in the media these forlorn days.

Before I left for a short trip to the sunshine state this last weekend I picked up the current issue of The Atlantic, which promised to divulge the secrets of WHAT MAKES US HAPPY (in cocky big and bold pink letters), as you can see above, on its cover.

Written by Joshua Wolf Shenk the article is “an inside look at an unprecedented seven-decade study of a group of Harvard men suggests that one thing, above all, truly makes a difference.”

It was good reading for the plane ride to Northern California (the happiest place on earth, at least for me) and those early mornings when I was alone in the kitchen drinking coffee, while others were still asleep—but I wouldn’t recommend buying the magazine, especially if you’re looking to save money, like everyone else these days.

Because, not only can you read the entire article online here, but I will reveal the most important point as follows:

What allows people to work, and love, as they grow old? By the time the Grant Study men had entered retirement, Vaillant, who had then been following them for a quarter century, had identified seven major factors that predict healthy aging, both physically and psychologically.

Employing mature adaptations was one. The others were education, stable marriage, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, some exercise, and healthy weight. Of the 106 Harvard men who had five or six of these factors in their favor at age 50, half ended up at 80 as what Vaillant called “happy-well” and only 7.5 percent as “sad-sick.” Meanwhile, of the men who had three or fewer of the health factors at age 50, none ended up “happy-well” at 80.

There were a few other tidbits of interesting conclusions and anecdotal evidence in the article, but I’ll let you read those yourself.

This morning, I also came across a new New York Times column that focuses specifically on the art of happiness titled Happy Days: The Pursuit of What Matters in Troubled Times.

(Speaking of troubled times, much like other papers, The Times has introduced human (people) interests sections like these, veering away from its traditional hardcore “all the news that is fit to print” and make you feel like we are doomed, because they are desperate to attract readers (and advertisers) in order to survive. You can read about their woes here— Lack of Vision To Blame for Newspaper Woes—and here— Newspapers plot survival as quietly as they can.)

Anyway, The Times’ column has good intentions and its mission is as follows:

The severe economic downturn has forced many people to reassess their values and the ways they act on them in their daily lives. For some, the pursuit of happiness, sanity, or even survival, has been transformed.

Happy Days is a discussion about the search for contentment in its many forms — economic, emotional, physical, spiritual — and the stories of those striving to come to terms with the lives they lead.

Moreover, I was pulled in to read the column by one particularly popular piece posted two days ago called Reprieve by Tim Kreider, who reflects on the value of life after experiencing a near death stab in the throat with a stiletto. It is an article worth reading which can be summed up with the following quote about his year after the incident: “It’s easy now to dismiss that year as nothing more than a sort of hysterical high. But you could also try to think of it as a glimpse of grace.”

Also, read-worthy are many of the 200+ comments which follow the article and reflect on their own near-death experiences, a few of which can be read here: More Light!

Happiness, Falling From The Sky

Happiness, Falling From The Sky
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

1. From Mud to Men 033, 2. From Mud to Men 001, 3. From Mud to Men 026, 4. Mude Mites (One for Rusty Rabbit), 5. The Mud Mites, 6. From Mud to Men 040

HAPPINESS, FALLING FROM THE SKY

New York City, NY February 24, 2009 — Backyard, San Jose, CA, circa 1975:

There's been a lot of ballyhoo lately over the little-film-that-could from Bollywood.

Ever since Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, two nights ago, the media has had a field day with this rags-to-riches story of many levels.

For not only does the movie tell the tale of a boy who makes it out of the slums by ultimately beating a conniving game show host at his own game, but the film was also made on a “shoestring” budget—a mere $13 million, a tenth of the cost of its cinematic rival "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Whether or not the movie actually merits these coveted gold statuettes may be debated for some time to come. Personally, I thought the movie was “okay.” However, I found the real-life story of how it was made with real people, who live in real squalor, much more intriguing.

I hope with the spurt of media coverage on the impoverished areas where the movie was filmed that people in Western society will get some insight into how a lot of the world lives, and in turn realize how lucky we have it, despite our current maelstrom of economic worries and woes.

This morning, I read a version of an article that the Metro picked up off the wire from AP. The excerpt is titled “The Oscar goes to…India” and is pared down to a cheery summary, ending with a quote from one of the neighbors of the child stars. As he watched his little friend strut the red carpet on a television set that was being shared in a dirt yard with a dozen other people, Sohail Qureshi told a reporter “It seems like happiness is falling from the sky.”

I was touched by this expression of genuine glee and in a moment of make-believe, it made me feel that all of a sudden a whole country was happy for one of its own.

Or at least, that’s what the media would make us believe. For if you read the whole story below, you’ll see that the real picture is a bit gloomier. Following is an excerpt:

“If the Oscar excitement brought a sheen of glamour to the community, it vanished Monday shortly after the final award was announced.

The journalists left, the dancing stopped and life pressed on as always. The sweatshop men hunched over humming sewing machines. Squatting children relieved themselves by the train tracks. Mothers washed their dishes in murky water.

"I am poor," Fakrunissa Sheikh, 40, said inside her lean-to next to Azhar's.

About 65 million Indians -- roughly a quarter of the urban population -- live in slums, according to government surveys. Health care is often nonexistent, child labour is rampant and inescapable poverty forms the backdrop of everyday life.”

*

That said, I still think there is something to be said about the revelry amidst the ruins.

Like I’ve written elsewhere (see Pocket Change: Let’s Start A Revolution), once pulled out of poverty, studies have shown that it doesn’t make a difference if you’ve got $100,000 or $100 million, because ultimately happiness is determined by making the most of what you’ve got; it is a matter of attitude and gratitude, not simply means.

Thus, even though these people face poverty that many of us will never know, somehow they found time to have fun and be happy for one of their friends, regardless of their circumstances.

I grew up playing in empty dirt lots and on train tracks, the concept of the Gymboree did not even exist; I drank water from garden hoses, which we used to fill a shallow dirt hole in backyard, so that my cousins and I could roll around like swine and mud wrestle; I caught butterflies and bugs with my bare hands and kept them in old Mason jars, the lid of which I poked holes in with a number 2 lead pencil. Point is, I didn’t have much growing up, but somehow, with a little imagination, my childhood friends and I made it work, we were authentically happy, if not often overjoyed.

I’ve observed this basic principle many times over the last nine years watching my own children, who have had as much fun playing in the mud as I did 34 years ago. In fact, my two rambunctious boys seem to have much more fun with empty appliance boxes, string, and sticks than with the treasure trove of plastic Christmas and birthday gifts they have stored and largely untouched in a sprawling playroom in the basement. Their favorite game of late has been hide-and-go-seek and it honestly amazes me how they all hide in the same places over and over again, but somehow they exuberantly can play the game for hours.

Point is, when it comes to happiness, less is truly more. If you can be happy with yourself, the little you’ve got and the people you are fortunate enough to share it with, than you can be as happy as anyone else in the world.

I think the last line of the article below sums it up the best for me:
"When she comes back," Saba said, "we will have the biggest party."

Yeah Saba!

Oscar celebrations fill Mumbai's crowded slums
(From The Associated Press, Mon. Feb. 23 2009)

MUMBAI, India -- In the narrow lanes behind the Mumbai train tracks, the slum's first Oscar party turned into a raucous celebration of two hometown heroes, complete with Bollywood dance moves and squeals of joy from old friends.

Every time the big-eyed girl who calls this slum home appeared on TV, her friends gawked, beamed, shouted -- and danced.

Rubina Ali, nine, was plucked from the tin roof shack she shares with her parents and six siblings in this squalid Mumbai slum to star in "Slumdog Millionaire," the darling of this year's Academy Awards.

Her friend and neighbour, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, was also chosen for the film, and both were flown to Los Angeles to watch "Slumdog" nab eight Academy Awards, including the Oscars' highest honour for best film.

Crowds gathered around the few television sets in the slum and it took barely a minute for word of each award to spread through the slum's winding lanes.

"It seems like happiness is falling from the sky," said Sohail Qureshi, a neighbour who said he had watched Rubina grow up.

The Bandra slum could not be farther from the Hollywood glitz, stretch limousines and designer dresses of the Oscars.

Azhar lives in a lean-to made of plastic tarpaulins and mouldy blankets. Rubina's home is perched above an ocean of trash. Dirty train tracks and a clogged highway form the slum's borders.

Hordes of journalists descended on the neighbourhood Monday. TV tripods straddled the thin stream of sewage outside Rubina's home while rows of satellite trucks idled outside a usually sleepy tea stall.

"Normally, no one talks to us and no one comes here, but now everyone is here," Mohammed Ismail, Azhar's father, said before a bouquet of flashing bulbs.

If the Oscar excitement brought a sheen of glamour to the community, it vanished Monday shortly after the final award was announced.

The journalists left, the dancing stopped and life pressed on as always. The sweatshop men hunched over humming sewing machines. Squatting children relieved themselves by the train tracks. Mothers washed their dishes in murky water.

"I am poor," Fakrunissa Sheikh, 40, said inside her lean-to next to Azhar's.

About 65 million Indians -- roughly a quarter of the urban population -- live in slums, according to government surveys. Health care is often nonexistent, child labour is rampant and inescapable poverty forms the backdrop of everyday life.

Although everyone from the local butcher to the prime minister called the Oscar coup a proud day for the country, "Slumdog Millionaire" was hardly a phenomenon with Indian audiences.

"Hit in the West, flop in the East," read a front page headline in DNA's Sunday newspaper. The film was a tough sell in Indian movie theatres because it was largely in English, featured few giant stars, and skimped on the dance numbers.

Many people here also objected to its gritty portrayal of India, as well as its title, which some took as derogatory. The film sparked protests in Mumbai and at least one north Indian city by slum residents who said the movie demeaned the poor.

"No one can call me a dog," Sheikh said Monday. "I work very hard."

A widow and mother of seven, Sheikh is a housekeeper who said she earns 600 rupees (US$15) a week.

She said the movie has been good for the families of Azhar and Rubina, but that her days are as difficult as ever.

"Look at my house," she said, pointing to the walls made of rags and the mud floor covered with a thin plastic tarp. "What has changed?"

The "Slumdog" filmmakers said they wrestled with the complications of working with children from impoverished families. Danny Boyle -- who won the Oscar for best director -- and producer Christian Colson decided to help Azhar and Rubina by securing them spots in Aseema, a nonprofit, English-language school in Mumbai.

Rubina's parents were thrilled with Boyle and his team.

"Whatever a parent could have done, they have done much more than that," Rafiq Qureshi said during the run-up to the awards.

Neighbours said they were nothing but happy for the child actors.

"It's Rubina's fate," said Mohammed Muzzammil, 22. "We don't want anything from her success."

Rubina's best friend Saba Qureshi wants something, however -- lots of stories and pictures from Los Angeles.

"My eyes couldn't believe that I was seeing Rubina in America," said Saba, who led her sisters in Bollywood dance numbers throughout the morning. "She looked like an angel."

"When she comes back," Saba said, "we will have the biggest party."

NO MONEY, NO PROBLEM

Immigrants in the Big Apple take economic crisis in stride
Thursday, February 12, 2009:
(Source: AMNY)

By Sheila Anne Feeney

Not everyone is fretting about their lost investments, bemoaning the imminent or actual loss of their job and despairing about their foreclosed future.

Many visitors or U.S. citizens from other countries, while not in denial about the severity of the economic crisis, continue to enjoy time with loved ones, appreciate the arts, music and culture, pursue their hobbies and, yes, dance.

Most Spaniards, for example, “don’t go to therapists or cry,” during times of adversity, says Guzman Libran Aleman, 26, a Madrileño who is living in Washington Heights while learning English.

Spain’s 14 percent unemployment rate is nearly double that of the U.S., he notes, but Spaniards still go out dancing in (no cover) discos, converge at cafes and savor life’s pleasures. “You don’t need money to enjoy your free time, your friends and your family,” he says.

These New Yorkers who hail from other countries often are more resilient to financial crises than American-born denizens, observes Michael A. Cohen, director of the graduate program of international affairs at The New School.

Europe and Latin American immigrants “have much more of a social safety net,” Cohen explains. Thanks to socialized health care, the norm in most developed countries, you will never lose your home or go bankrupt “as a result of getting sick,” he notes. It’s true that in countries where health care is guaranteed, mortgages are rare (most people pay cash for their homes), education is free or inexpensive and investments are far more regulated, people have less cause for anxiety.

But even immigrants from impoverished countries often see their struggles here in a positive light: Any adversity encountered in the U.S. pales in comparison to greater suffering at home.

“Americans are blessed so much, but they don’t see it,” says Rezie Asprah, 34, who was trained as a dentist in the Philippines, but works as a dental assistant in Queens and as a film extra on her days off.

There is always a way for industrious, entrepreneurial people to turn a dollar, adds the debt-averse Marina Recalde, 25, an Argentinean filmmaker. “You just can’t sit around and wait for someone to hire you,” says Recalde, who started a documentary film business with her husband and survives on a cluster of part-time gigs.

IMMIGRANTS’ ADVICE TO AMERICANS:

Change your attitude,
“Be grateful for all the little things you have and don’t ask for so much,” says Rezie Asprah, 34, of Astoria, who is originally from the Philippines.

A little global perspective
“There are a lot of people with problems much worse than mine,” reasons Guzman Libran Aleman, 26, a Spaniard living in Washington Heights.

Focus on your goals
Don’t become distracted by the hail of bad news around you, and enjoy the arts, counsels Lucas Garzoli, 23, a Harlem resident and film student from Argentina: “I worry about myself — not the financial situation of the world.”

Take action
“Think about what you can do instead of complaining,” says Marina Recalde, 25, an Argentinean residing in New Jersey. “If you play the drums, offer to give low-cost drum lessons.”

JESSICA: I’M A HAPPY GAL

(Source: Bits O’ Buzz, AMNY)

Jessica Simpson doesn’t care about the scrutiny over her weight gain. “Honestly, I am right where I’m supposed to be. I am so happy,” she said on CBS’ “Early Show” yesterday.

Happiness is a Pair of Good Genes

Happiness Is Partly Inherited
(From LiveScience, as posted 04 March 2008)

The key to happiness may lie in your genes.

Psychologists at the University of Edinburgh and the Queensland Institute for Medical Research in Australia have found that happiness is partly determined by personality traits that are largely hereditary, along with your situation in life.

The researchers used a personality test called the Five-Factor Model on more than 990 twin pairs. Matching that with happiness data taken from the pairs, they found that people who do not excessively worry, and who are sociable and conscientious tend to be happier.

The research, detailed in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science, identified evidence for common genes that result in the personality traits that predispose people to happiness, the researchers said.

"Although happiness is subject to a wide range of external influences we have found that there is a heritable component of happiness which can be entirely explained by genetic architecture of personality," said study team leader Alexander Weiss of the University of Edinburgh.

While these genes won't guarantee happiness, the personality mix they result in could act as a trigger when bad things happen, allowing people to have an "affective reserve" of happiness that can be called upon in stressful times.

And while the genetic influence is strong, about 50 percent of the differences in people's happiness in life can still be chalked up to a variety of external factors, such as relationships, health and careers. Research done by Ed Diener of the University of Illinois finds that the happiest people have strong friendships, for example.

Ancient Wisdom: Happiness and Smiles Are Common Sense

That said...(i.e. new studies find that Happiness and Smiles are contagious), the wiser amongst us didn't need a study to remind us of such ancient wisdom.

Dale Carnegie published something in his motivational classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People, in 1936 that advocates the exact same thing. It is a bit of common sense that in this mad-mad world we simply need to be reminded of from time to time.


The Value of a Smile at Christmas Time
(original author unknown)

A smile cost nothing, but gives much.

It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.

It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature's best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.

Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

Smiles Are Contagious Too!

This is simply another take, POV, on the previously posted study, but I thought it was worth sharing nonetheless and allthemore...

Smile! Study Says Happiness is Contagious
(From APP, as posted on foxnews.com on Friday, December 05, 2008)

LONDON — When you're smiling, the whole world really does smile with you. A paper being published Friday in a British medical journal concludes that happiness is contagious — and that people pass on their good cheer even to total strangers. American researchers who tracked more than 4,700 people in Framingham, Mass., as part of a 20-year heart study also found the transferred happiness is good for up to a year.

"Happiness is like a stampede," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor in Harvard University's sociology department and co-author of the study. "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."

While the study is another sign of the power of social networks, it ran through 2003, just before the rise of social networking Web sites like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook. Christiakis couldn't say for sure whether the effect works online.

"This type of technology enhances your contact with friends, so it should support the kind of emotional contagion we observed," he said.

Christakis and co-author James Fowler, of the University of California in San Diego, are old hands at studying social networks. They previously found that obesity and smoking habits spread socially as well.

For this study, published in the British journal BMJ, they examined questionnaires that asked people to measure their happiness. They found distinct happy and unhappy clusters significantly bigger than would be expected by chance.

Happy people tended to be at the center of social networks and had many friends who were also happy. Having friends or siblings nearby increased people's chances of being upbeat. Happiness spread outward by three degrees, to the friends of friends of friends.

Happy spouses helped, too, but not as much as happy friends of the same gender. Experts think people, particularly woman, take emotional cues from people who look like them.

Christakis and Fowler estimate that each happy friend boosts your own chances of being happy by 9 percent. Having grumpy friends decreases it by about 7 percent.

But it also turns out misery don't love company: Happiness seemed to spread more consistently than unhappiness. But that doesn't mean you should drop your gloomy friends.

"Every friend increases the probability that you're at the center of a network, which means you are more eligible to get a wave of happiness," Fowler said.

Being happy also brings other benefits, including a protective effect on your immune system so you produce fewer stress hormones, said Andrew Steptoe, a psychology professor at University College London who was not involved with the study.

But you shouldn't assume you can make yourself happy just by making the right friends.

"To say you can manipulate who your friends are to make yourself happier would be going too far," said Stanley Wasserman, an Indiana University statistician who studies social networks.

The study was only conducted in a single community, so it would take more research to confirm its findings. But in a time of economic gloom, it also suggested some heartening news about money and happiness.

According to the research, an extra chunk of money increases your odds of being happy only marginally — notably less than the odds of being happier if you have a happy friend.

"You can save your money," Christakis said. "Being around happy people is better."

Happy Quote of the Day

"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be."
Abraham Lincoln

Happiness Is Contagious

Happiness: It Really Is Contagious by Allison Aubrey
(posted on NPR.org, December 5, 2008)

Turns out, misery may not love company — but happiness does, research suggests.

A new study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego documents how happiness spreads through social networks.

They found that when a person becomes happy, a friend living close by has a 25 percent higher chance of becoming happy themselves. A spouse experiences an 8 percent increased chance and for next-door neighbors, it's 34 percent.

"Everyday interactions we have with other people are definitely contagious, in terms of happiness," says Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study.

Perhaps more surprising, Christakis says, is that the effect extends beyond the people we come into contact with. When one person becomes happy, the social network effect can spread up to 3 degrees — reaching friends of friends.

To study the spread of emotion, the researchers plotted out the social connections of about 5,000 individuals enrolled in the ongoing Framingham Heart Study.

On three separate occasions between 1984 and 2003, the participants filled out a questionnaire designed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies to assess depression and emotional health.

To measure happiness, Christakis relied on people's answers to four questions in the survey, including: "How often during the past week would you say: I enjoyed life? I felt hopeful about the future?"

When he and his colleagues plotted out how the happy and unhappy participants were connected in social space, an interesting picture emerged.

"We find that people at the center of the social network tend to be happier," says co-author James Fowler, a political science professor at U.C. San Diego.

Imagine a birds-eye view of a party: "You may see some people in quiet corners talking one-on-one," Fowler says. Others would be at the center of the room having conversations with lots of people. According to the study findings, those in the center would be among the happiest.

"We think the reason why is because those in the center are more susceptible to the waves of happiness that spread throughout the network," Fowler explains.

Of course, it's true that emotions can be fleeting; happiness is elusive and sometimes it's situational. For these reasons, emotional states are difficult to measure, says Robert Provine, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. "There are lots of challenges."

Nonetheless, Provine, who has studied the contagion of laughter, says this study is impressive in showing that moods can be contagious, too.

Introducing: The Art of Happiness

Introducing: The Art of Happiness
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

November 22, 2008, My 41st Birthday, New York City:

The Art of Happiness

I’ve decided.

I’ve decided to celebrate my birthday by doing something and being someone positive; by giving back to this beautiful life and this wonderful world, so that others might feel as grateful as I am for being and feeling as alive, healthy and wise, as I feel today.

I’ve decided to begin a new blog dedicated to living a life in the pursuit of Happiness, Love and Positive Thinking. It is called The Art of Happiness (aofh/blogspot.com). It is an endeavor that is a long-time coming.

The blog promises not only to bring daily good news to its readers, but it will also inspire and show people how to make the most of our unified existence.

Chock full of wisdom, this blog will not only make you think, ponder, and appreciate all the great things in life, but it will also do its best to make you smile, feel, laugh and inspire you to do the same for others.

So, please help me celebrate by passing on the good news to all your friends and family! The official URL for the blog is: http://AofH.blogspot.com (AofH stands for Art of Happiness)

*

To inaugurate the blog I am reposting a classic story and photo of mine, one of my favorites and one that perfectly summarizes why I am launching this new endeavor:

THIS IS MY GOD
August 5, 2005

I was lying in the kiddy pool on my back, admiring the deep blue sky, when I lifted this ball before me, and, immediately, I had my epiphany—perhaps, one of the greatest I have ever had.

*

An hour later, Enzo, my oldest son, asks me, "Papa, if you could have three super powers, what would they be?"

It took all but a mere moment for me to realize my answer.

"Well, first I would want the power to always by happy. Second, I would like the power to make others happy, especially those that are seemingly often angry, sad or otherwise discontent."

Alas, when I got stuck on thinking of a third superpower, Enzo interrupted me and blurted, "No Papa! Those aren’t super powers! You have to want powers like 'flying,' 'becoming invisible,' 'shooting fire,' or 'super-human strength'…"

“Oh,” I answered, “I guess I don’t know then,” and lied back again to soak in the sun that was shimmering upon the water, for I had decided that in the pursuit of both sanity and serenity, I was not going to begin a deep philosophical discussion with my six year old—not because he would not fathom its murky depths, but primarily because I knew he would likely take too avid of an interest and interminably ask "Why?" at every turn.

*

And it is not until now, upon this epistolary reflection, that I see that the raising of my deity and my response to my son’s hypothetical inquiry were in fact, indeed, connected.

Because, as I have surmised before, I do believe (indubitably I do) that a strong current of optimism runs through me—one that empowers me to believe in self-actualization, the fearsome force of the individual will, and the belief that there is a little good in almost everyone and everything. Moreover, if not more importantly, it is both my belief and my will to share this positive energy with others, if only to alight much the same power in them.

See the original post, with over 90 comments from fellow flickr users:
This is My God, August 5, 2005

See Related Story: Men For Others, November 7, 2008