A study which suggests a link between suburban isolation and depression was recently reported on by Psychology Today:

Suburban kids are more likely to drink and use drugs according to a study in Current Directions in Psychological Science. The study suggested a simple antidote: family dinner. Kids who usually eat with at least one parent have better grades and fewer emotional problems than kids who dine on their own.

Just in time for christmas is this article detailing a Finnish study which found that women are healthier when they give and men are happier when they receive.

Psychology Today contains this interesting story from Desmond Tutu along with this quote on what happiness is to him....

All human beings are fundamentally good. That is why you and I thrill not in the presence of the highly aggressive or the rich or the macho but in the presence of Mother Teresa, someone so small you could put her in your back pocket and forget about her.

England's primary schools should teach how to lead happy lives and focus on six themed areas of learning, a major review says.

According to the BBC:

Happiness is infectious and can spread like a "ripple" through social groups, according to US researchers.

In honor of Thanksgiving, Positive Psychology Daily lists these articles about practicing Gratitude 365 days a year.

Gratitude thoughts:

 

• Thanksgiving as Gratitude Day.

• On the benefits of family and holiday rituals.

• Huddling together during Thanksgiving.

• Gratitude for what you do have.

• Gratitude for the bad things that are avoided.

• Benefits of love, gratitude, and kindness may become even stronger in the limbic system during difficult times.

• “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”  If you’re proud of someone and you know it, praise their effort.

• Gratitude and its energy and spiritual energy.

• Gratitude helps you live longer - one of the four ingredients of the aging Happy-Well.

• A 7-year-old talks about the power of “Three Good Things” every night.

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There are no experiments referenced in this article, but the theme of it likely strikes many of us as true.

The superconnected may develop a dual-dependency, says Robert Bornstein, a psychologist at Adelphi University in Long Island. They're not only counting on other people too much; they're also hooked on the devices themselves, sometimes to the point where they feel utterly disconnected, isolated, and detached without them.

Some of us may be quite aware of the pie chart on the front of Sonja Lyubomirsky's book, the How of Happiness, which shows that genetics control most of our happiness.  However, genetics are not destiny and this article, by Emiliya Zhivotovskaya,  is a nice concise explanation of how our genetics and our experiences interact to produce our "happiness".

How does happiness work in the body? Here is where the mystery starts: if DNA is the powerhouse of the cell, then is it true that your happiness is set at birth?  Not exactly. Yes, the genes in your DNA have a role. For example, there are genetic differences among people that affect the production and transportation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that modulates anger, aggression, and mood. Thus you may be more genetically prone to depression and experiencing less happiness than some other people because of the genes that control your serotonin system. But believing this is the whole story is a recipe for learned helplessness. Truly believing you are doomed by genetics may prevent you from ever taking steps to make positive changes in your life. Happiness and life-satisfaction levels are only partially pre-programmed. Making yourself happier is not as futile as trying to make yourself taller.

Psychology Today has a brief article on one of the most obvious yet least acted upon methods to improve our happiness.  Getting more sunlight.

Patients in recovery rooms full of natural light take less pain medication, and, days after surgery, they report lower stress levels. Their hastened healing may be due to sunlight's ability to stimulate serotonin production, which helps regulate mood, sleep, and sex drive.

Scientists have pinpointed seasonal changes in brain chemistry which may cause some people to get the winter blues.