The Bluebird Patch

Finding bliss is complicated, no matter where you are in the world. Americans are free to pursue happiness, but there's no guarantee we'll achieve it. The secret is knowing how — and where — to look.  "Since 1972, only about one-third of Americans have described themselves as “very happy,” according to surveys funded by the National Science Foundation. Just since 2004, the share of Americans who identify themselves as optimists has plummeted from 79% to 50%, according to a new TIME poll. Meanwhile, more than 20% of us will suffer from a mood disorder at some point in our lifetimes and more than 30% from an anxiety disorder. By the time we’re 18 years old, 11% of us have been diagnosed with depression". TIME magazine July 8th issue is a comprehensive 5 part report about happiness and the science behind it. (Part 1) The Happiness of Pursuit   Americans are free to pursue ha...

Is being busy the secret to happiness? A recent study, “Americans Less Rushed But No Happier: 1965–2010 Trends in Subjective Time and Happiness”, suggests the key to a happy life is to be busy but don’t feel rushed. “Respondent reports of feelings of being ‘always rushed’ declined by 6–9 points from those reported in 2004. The decline was found both among employed and unemployed respondents, indicating it was not simply a function of higher unemployment.” However, feeling less rushed didn’t seem to have much benefit:  “people reported feeling no happier even when they were less overwhelmed. The highest levels of happiness were found among people who reported almost never having excess time but almost never feeling rushed.  In 2009 – 2010 time-pressured people continued to report being less happy even after controls for marital status, employment and other important predictors of happiness.    Somewhat higher correlations with happiness w...