On AlterNet: happiness

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "happiness"

From Strung Out to Sober: When Does the Misery of Getting Clean End?

Nic Sheff, The Fix. March 25, 2012.

I kept falling but eventually I started to learn how to not fall so far down, and how to pick myself up a little sooner.

The Fascinating Scientific Reason Why "Money Doesn't Buy Happiness"

David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart. January 25, 2012.

No matter how you turn it, research says once your basic needs are taken care of, money and other rewards don’t make you happier.

More Nature, More Sex, More Sleep: 8 New Year's Resolutions That Will Actually Make You Happy and Healthy

Alison Pace, AlterNet. December 29, 2011.

Dirt? Morning sex? You bet. Novelist Alison Pace shares tips for body and mind to kick off the new year.

5 Ways to Have a Happier Life

Andrew Weil, Huffington Post. November 8, 2011.

Here's are five tips to help you be able to return to an "emotional sea level" in your life.

Why Danes Are So Much Happier Than Americans

Kerry Trueman, AlterNet. October 9, 2011.

Danish happiness has been attributed to their legendary income equality -- but there's more to it than that.

Male Happiness on the Decline? Men Less Satisfied, Less Confident Than Ever

Tom Jacobs, Miller-McCune Magazine. July 18, 2011.

A widely read 2009 study described a decline in self-reported well-being among American women. Newly published research finds this trend is also true for men.

What Makes You Happy? How Our Notions of "Happiness" Can Doom Us to Sadness

Darrin M. McMahon, YES! Magazine. April 28, 2011.

When we want to be happy all of the time, we can forget that the pursuit of happiness can entail struggle, sacrifice, even pain.

Why Self-Help Books That Promise Happiness Are a Scam

Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee. May 30, 2010.

Bestseller lists brim with books promising simple solutions for what used to be called the human condition. It's not that easy.

How Making a Difference Can Make You Happy

Tim Kasser, YES! Magazine. May 7, 2010.

A series of studies find that activism brings pleasant emotions, greater life satisfaction, and more experiences of freedom, competence, and connection to others.

What Makes the Healthiest and Happiest Societies? Hint: It's Not Wealth

Brooke Jarvis, YES! Magazine. March 9, 2010.

Epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson explains why it's equality, and not high income, that makes a society thrive.

Why We Need a Government Agency to Defend the Pursuit of Happiness

Walter Mosley, The Nation. September 18, 2009.

We need to concentrate on our own happiness if we expect to make a difference in the careening technological and slovenly evolving social world of the 21st century.

What My Mom's Battle with Cancer Taught Me About Happiness

Wendy Call, YES! Magazine. February 10, 2009.

Happiness doesn't come from the avoidance of pain and despair.

The Key to Happiness That No One -- Not Even the Happiness Gurus -- Are Discussing

Frances Moore Lappe, YES! Magazine. January 31, 2009.

Having our basic physical needs met isn't enough. Though they're important, neither are family and friends.

Are Older People Happier?

Lee Drutman, Miller-McCune.com. December 30, 2008.

New research shows that happiness may have little to do with youth, mental sharpness or even physical health.

This Is Your Brain on Bliss

YES! MagazineDecember 19, 2008.

Happiness doesn't have conditions; it can't be reduced to a few agreeable sensations. Rather, it is a way of being.

The Good Life Doesn't Have to Cost Us the Planet

Andrew Simms, Joe Smith, YES! Magazine. December 17, 2008.

What if you woke up one day to find that humans eventually did make the right decisions, and the world turned out to be a pretty cool place.

Life After the Economic Collapse: How Having Less Will Make Us Happier

Sarah van Gelder, Doug Pibel, YES! Magazine. December 11, 2008.

Having big cars, fancy TVs and trendy clothes never made us happy. It only drove us into debt -- and increased our dependence on long work hours.

10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy

Jen Angel, YES! Magazine. December 9, 2008.

Daily habits can affect our well-being. Here are 10 simple actions that research has shown makes people feel good.

Does It Make Sense to Treat Depression with Drugs?

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. August 15, 2008.

Depression is rooted in overwhelming emotional pain. Talk therapy is a successful, commonsense antidote, but pushing pills pays more.

The Science of Happiness: Is It All Bullshit?

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. July 4, 2008.

Just because a Harvard academic says something is so, doesn't mean it is.

Will Democracy Make You Happy?

Eric Weiner, Foreign Policy. May 8, 2008.

Politicians have long clung to the notion that free nations breed happy people. Now, a new 'science of happiness' turns that equation on its head.

Are Modern Women Miserable?

Vicki Haddock, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine. March 13, 2008.

Women can dream bigger than ever before. But social progress has plateaued short of true gender equity, keeping many of those dreams out of reach.

Is Our Worship of Consumerism and Technology Making Us Depressed?

Bruce E. Levine, Chelsea Green Publishing. November 26, 2007.

It would be a lot easier to address the increasing rate of depression among Americans if we weren't so afraid to admit that our consumer society makes us unhappy.

Will Saying Thanks Make Us Happier?

Catherine Price, Greater Good. July 24, 2007.

New research suggests gratitude is a key to health and happiness, but one writer wanted to test that research for herself.

Happiness Science

Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. November 21, 2006.

There's a scientific basis to the truism that money can't buy happiness.