Play and Be Happy

Quote of the day:
“Perhaps, above all, play is a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood.”
--From a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which suggests that free play is being sacrificed to scheduled activities.

Statistic of the day:
25-30 percent of children with learning disabilities will deal with addiction in adolescence and adulthood.
--From the A&E documentary series "Intervention," which follows the lives of those suffering from addiction, and their families.

Followup to my entry "Who is Your Editor?":
Here is an excellent guide to good information and resources on the internet: The Librarians’ Internet Index at www.lii.org.

"The Wall Street Journal’s" Jonathan Clements recently wrote on “Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness.” Seven of the tips are: make time for friends, forget the pay raise, count your blessings, enjoy a good meal, challenge yourself, volunteer, and give it time.

The other two tips were intriguing. First, “keep your commute short.” Clement says, “it turns out that commuting is one of life’s least pleasurable activities. While we’re usually pretty good at adapting to hardships, it’s hard to adjust to commuting because it is so unpredictable.”

Second, “don’t trade up.” Clement says, “research indicates that, once folks achieve a fairly basic standard of living, it takes a lot of additional money to bring about even a small increase in reported happiness.

“Yet your income and wealth could still loom large--if you start comparing yourself with those around you. For instance, if you moved to a neighborhood you could barely afford, you would likely be disgruntled. The reason: You will be surrounded by wealthy families, and this will be a constant reminder of your financial standing

“’If you can look out your window and see neighbors with lower incomes, you’ll be happier,’ says Andrew Oswald, [economics professor at Warwick University in England]. ‘People are very keen to move into the elite neighborhoods. They don’t realize that they won’t be as happy as they expect. That’s the curse of being human.’”