Life Advice That Sounds Good But Will Destroy You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uiz2XSNUPec

 

This happiness hack can guide you toward a life of purpose - The Washington Post

"So much of the pop psychology stuff is 'focus on yourself, focus on your own personal growth, focus on your needs, focus on your self-care, focus on you, you, you,'" says psychologist Kendall Cotton Bronk of Claremont Graduate University. Instead, she argued, "the real path to happiness is focusing on others, on how you can contribute to others and their well-being. … What we need to be focusing on is contributing in meaningful ways, and often that will lead to the happiness that you're seeking."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/10/24/happiness-purpose-community-contribution/

U.S. once again hits new low in World Happiness Report

The drop in the U.S.' ranking comes on the back of a monumental U.S. election and as many Americans report struggling to stay afloat financially…

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/20/us-new-low-world-happiness-report

 

Goodbye Religion (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

We announce the first atheist billboard in Africa!

We report on a tsunami of Christian nationalist bills and executive orders at the federal and state levels, including Texas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa and Tennessee.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we hear Dan Barker's secular love song "It's Only Natural."

Then sociology Professor Ryan T. Cragun, author of Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization, shows us, with data, that religious people are not happier, healthier or more moral than nonreligious people.

Interview:

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-february-13-2025/

Ryan Cragun: Goodbye Religion - The Causes and Consequences of Secularization | FFRF Convention 2024

In his talk, "Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization," Ryan Cragun breaks down why more people are leaving religion and its impact on society. He challenges common myths, like the idea that nonreligious people are less happy or less moral, and uses data to show that religious and non-religious people aren't all that different when it comes to things like happiness or family values. Cragun argues that the decline of religion doesn’t lead to societal decay as often feared, and instead, he encourages a focus on evidence-based understanding.

Ryan Cragun, a professor of sociology at the University of Tampa, focuses on both Mormonism and nonreligion. He’s the author or co-author of many books, including “Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society,” “What You Don’t Know About Religion (but Should),” “Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance,” “How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps” and “From One Missionary to Another.”
Interview: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eogpbxEW6XI

The Pursuit of Happiness: Virtue or Pleasure? (John DonvanOpen to Debate podcast)

Happiness is a complex emotion and mental state, one that has been pondered since the times of the Ancient Greeks. Many have wondered what it means to be happy and to achieve happiness through either virtue or pleasure. Is it for the good of the individual or the benefit of society? 

Those who believe virtue is the key to happiness argue that it is important for the well-being of both the individual and society, as touted by the Founding Fathers and the Stoics and inspired by Jeffrey Rosen’s book “The Pursuit of Happiness”, as one should strive for a life of moral virtue and rationality. 

Those who believe pleasure is the key to happiness see it as the maximization of pleasure and the minimization of pain. Quoting philosophers such as Epicurus and John Stuart Mill and touting Roger Crisp’s “Reason and the Good”, they also argue that everyone should have the liberty to define their sources of happiness and seek them as they see fit. 

With this background in mind, we debate the question: The Pursuit of Happiness: Virtue or Pleasure?

Interview: 

https://opentodebate.org/debate/the-pursuit-of-happiness-virtue-or-pleasure/

US falls out of world’s top 20 happiest countries list for the first time ever

Among people below the age of 30 from 2021 to 2023, the US ranks 62nd in happiness. Meanwhile, among those who are 60 and above, the US ranks 10th. 

"In comparing generations, those born before 1965 are, on average, happier than those born since 1980. Among millennials, evaluation of one's own life drops with each year of age, while among boomers life satisfaction increases with age," according to a summary of the report...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/20/world-happiness-report-happiest-countries

30-year-old who left the U.S. for Denmark says she's 'much happier' now: 'My salary goes further'

It would be difficult for me to go back to the U.S. and deal with private health care, teaching without a union (in some states) and high child care costs. So I'm grateful for my life here and have no plans to leave.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/07/30-year-old-teacher-who-left-texas-for-denmark-shares-why-its-a-much-happier-place-to-live-and-work.html

‘I’m afraid to have children’: fear of an older future in Japan and South Korea

Influential conservative Christian lobby groups blame the country's low birthrate on homosexuality, and oppose anything less than the traditional family unit. 

Ultimately, addressing people's wellbeing is one of the most important things when it comes to tackling the low birthrate problem, said Jung. Among OECD countries, South Korea has one of the lowest levels of life satisfaction, and the highest suicide rate. 

"People will start having children only when we create a society in which children grow up to be happier than us." … 

"Instead, it needs to find a way to encourage women to have multiple children to sustain the current population size. But that would require a fundamental change in the structure of Japanese society, starting with gender equality in the home and workplace."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/19/fear-older-future-japan-south-korea-birth-fertility-rates-population

Dave Warnock: Childish Things (Set Andrews; The Thinking Atheist podcast)

Terminally ill with ALS, Dave Warnock is committed to fully living the moments which remain. He discusses his life, his prognosis, and his new book.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/H9MIrZabJvk

PragerU Tells You Why You're Not Happy

https://youtu.be/Rn56Afm_qas

The US has the most billionaires in the world – but here's what it doesn't have

Wealth in the US isn’t trickling down when compared to other countries. Just look at Finland, the happiest country in the world: it only has six billionaires https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2020/jul/02/us-most-billionaires-in-world-inequality

54% in US say marriage is important to a fulfilling life, not essential | Pew Research Center

While Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated as a time for peak romance – and even marriage proposals – marriage isn’t the only way to achieve happiness and contentment for many Americans. Fewer than one-in-five U.S. adults say being married is essential for a man or a woman to live a fulfilling life, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in summer 2019. ....
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/14/more-than-half-of-americans-say-marriage-is-important-but-not-essential-to-leading-a-fulfilling-life/

Yes, spending time alone can be good for you - The Hill

There are even several benefits, or what are called "self-enhancing" functions of alone time. In general, when people voluntarily spend time alone, they counterintuitively report higher levels of well-being.....
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/453089-yes-spending-time-alone-can-be-good-for-you

A simple strategy to improve your mood in 12 minutes • News Service • Iowa State University

We all have a remedy – a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate – for lifting our spirits when we’re in a bad mood. Rather than focusing on ways to make ourselves feel better, a team of Iowa State University researchers suggests wishing others well. Douglas Gentile portrait Gentile “Walking around and offering kindness to others in the world reduces anxiety and increases happiness and feelings of social connection,” said Douglas Gentile, professor of psychology. “It’s a simple strategy that doesn’t take a lot of time that you can incorporate into your daily activities.” ....
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2019/03/27/happiness

A happy retirement is more than just money - CNBC

The key to achieving an active, satisfying and happy retirement involves more than having adequate savings. It also entails interesting leisure activities, creative pursuits and mental and physical well-being...
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/18/a-happy-retirement-is-more-than-just-money.html

Deactivating Facebook leaves people less informed but happier, study finds - The Washington Post

Around the world, more than 2.3 billion people are on Facebook, actively communicating and posting and consuming on the platform, a figure that continues to grow and drive record profits, despite a barrage of privacy scandals and heightened scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers. Masses of people are not abandoning Facebook, according to the company’s fourth quarter earnings, released on Wednesday. In fact, the company has reversed a troubling trend in its most important market: Facebook added users in North America for the first time all year....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/01/31/deactivating-facebook-leaves-people-less-informed-happier-study-finds/

Living in a poor neighborhood changes everything about your life - Vox

Living in a poor neighborhood changes everything about your life ....
https://www.vox.com/2016/6/6/11852640/cartoon-poor-neighborhoods

Why Costa Rica Is One Of The Happiest Countries In The World - HuffPost

Every Sunday, when his health allows, 100-year-old Francisco Gomez gets a ride from his daughter to the outskirts of town, where he spends the day at a community center dancing. ...
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/costa-rica-happiness-well-being_us_5b6184a8e4b0de86f49c7611

The many benefits of meditation in the classroom - The Conversation US

Classroom meditation shows promise for improving student attention, focus, happiness and self-awareness. ....
https://theconversation.com/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-in-the-classroom-94566