Happiness news round-up

Here's what's been happening in the news recently - see, it's not all doom and gloom!

New study suggests happiness classes should become part of the school curriculum

Teaching life skills and the pursuit of happiness

The little secrets of our happiness: How finding a fiver in your pocket or sleeping on fresh bed sheets are the things that put us in a good mood

OECD Better Life Index

I found an interesting website today - the OECD Better Life Index, which looks at different countries and sort of tells you where you might be happy living. You state how important different things are to you, like safety, community and income, and it ranks the countries in order of how closely they match what you've entered.

You can also see other people's responses, learn more about how countries fare in terms of the different topics, and read interesting articles like how happiness can get you money. These guys also recently reported that Australia is the happiest country for the fourth year running.

Happiness round-up

A bit of a collection today, here are some interesting and I think worthwhile articles about attaining happiness.

First from Forbes, why unrealistic expectations about our happiness can make us more unhappy, and how we can be more realistic in our happiness goals.

And here's a guy who was named the happiest man in America in 2010. He takes his title pretty seriously, and according to him, the secret is a good attitude.

And finally, an awesome infographic from the people over at Happify all about our favourite subject. Enjoy!

National Pet Month

Apparently April is National Pet Month in the UK (it's in May in the USA). National Pet Month aims to promote responsible pet ownership as well as support for pet charities across the UK, so let's take a look at how having pets can make us happier.

Studies have shown that people with pets are happier, as well as healthier, both mentally and physically. Here are some links below for you to check out and decide for yourself the validity of these suggestions, but I'm sure all pet owners would agree that life would certainly be more dull without their furry friends!

The Therapeutic and Health Benefits of Pets

Living with a dog might reduce anxiety, increase happiness

Cats can make owners happier, healthier and gentler

Same sex marriage legal in England & Wales

Okay, so this has been coming for a while since the law first came about last year, but today the first gay marriages took place in England and Wales. Score!

I'm a strong advocate for gay marriage - I think it's really important that everyone has the same rights, and any law stating that two people can't marry just because some people with no involvement at all find it a bit icky, is just ridiculous. But my opinion out of the way, isn't it important for everyone that we all have the freedom to do what we want? Because if we have freedom, we are happier than if we don't, and it's important for everyone that we're all happy.

Why? Because if everything is interconnected and we're all empty and our ways and experiences are influenced by everything around us, then it stands to reason that if other people are happier, we will also be happier. And if other people's freedom and rights make them happier, it'll have an impact on everyone. And that's why we should all advocate for each other's happiness, freedom and peace.