Have you ever met someone who said, “I really don’t want to be happy. Happiness may be good for some people, but it isn’t really good for me”? Most people, deep down inside, want to be happy. It’s even in the US Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men Read more
The first self-aware discovery I made as an adult transitioning out of extended college adolescence was that exercise made me happy. I discovered it accidentally at first, and marveled at the direct, immediate correlation between the days I exercised and the days when I’d think, “Today was a good day.” The wonder quickly gave way Read more
Maria Parsons, 58, is a retired chef. She lives on the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, with her dog, Carlos, and cat, Socks. Joy is a wonderful word. I prefer it to “happy”. Joy is really deep, whereas I think happiness is more fleeting. I think babies are born joyful, but the circumstances of upbringing and society Read more
“It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.” In September 1942, Viktor Frankl, a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, was arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp with his wife and parents. Three years later, when his camp was liberated, most of his family, including his pregnant wife, had perished Read more
“What is real happiness? How can I experience it? How can I live it?” As Christopher Kaczor notes in the Introduction to The Gospel of Happiness, these are questions that every thoughtful person asks. Where, however, might a thoughtful person go for help in answering these questions? Thoughtful Christians, of course, go to the Bible, Read more
Pope Francis has listed his top 10 tips for bringing greater joy into a person’s life and the first is “live and let live”. Francis gave his list in an interview with an old acquaintance Pablo Calvo, which formed part of a feature article in the Argentine magazine Viva. The interview was given to mark the Read more
The fourth Sunday in Lent, Laetare Sunday, is my favourite Sunday in Lent, and not just because of the pink vestments that insecure clergy sometimes attempt to convince you are “rose.” So many of the rich images, words, and themes that will recur at the Easter Vigil are hinted in the day’s readings and prayers — the Read more
In her article in The New York Times, “Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too,” Kate Taylor describes a world of ambitious Penn undergraduates who put their personal interests and their resumes first. Many have chosen to avoid romantic relationships during college entirely in favour of “hooking up,” no strings attached. As they Read more
Western culture places an extraordinary emphasis on happiness – and continuous happiness – as the goal each of us should strive for in our lives. But we’re increasingly realising this goal may actually be making us unhappy. Television advertising shows people becoming happier with every new acquisition, alongside national campaigns promoting a take-no-prisoner’s approach to encouraging happiness. Read more
Two professors at the University of Navarre have found “a significant effect of belonging to a religion on happiness.”
“Frequency of attendance at services is likewise positively correlated with happiness: those who attend religious services every day say they are happier than those who never attend,” they add. “Frequency of prayer is positively correlated with happiness, with those who pray every day reporting higher levels of happiness than those who never pray.”
However, “frequency of attendance in services is a more relevant variable than frequency of prayer.”
Read the article...