How to live well

Happiness, as the Brazilian poet Vinicius de Moraes put it, is “like a feather flying in the air. It flies light, but not for very long”. Happiness is a human construct, an abstract idea with no equivalent in actual human experience. Positive and negative affects do reside in the brain, but sustained happiness has no biological basis. And – perhaps surprisingly – I reckon this is something to be happy about.

MurielB a écrit:The key to happiness lies in the finding your flow doesn't it ?
What do you think of that?

Csikszentmihalyi a écrit:In that geninely statisfying state of consciousness called , people  experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life

A twin study of over 2,000 twins from the Minnesota Twin Registry found that approximately 50% of life satisfaction is due to genetics. This leaves 40% attributable to intentional activities and 10% attributable to external events.

n 2010, researchers at Duke University Medical School found that babies with very affectionate and attentive mothers grow up to be happier, more resilient, and less anxious adults

The Danish notion of hygge (pronounced hue-gah) is basically the Canadian equivalent of ‘hominess.’ It’s also been described as ‘the art of creating intimacy’ and ‘cosiness of the soul.’ It is finding about pleasure in the simple things and warm company of those we love the most. The Danes are some of the happiest people in the world, and according to Meik Wiking from the Happiness Research Institute, that is because they make practicing hygge a priority. (Although the free education, healthcare and five weeks of paid vacation doesn’t hurt either.)

sur ce que je sais, les pays scandinaves ont réussi à installer une véritable social démocratie, troisième voie entre un communisme qui ne fonctionne pas et un capitalisme libéral qui fonctionne globalement mais fait de gros dégâts.

Les enfants apprennent très jeunes à travailler en groupe, à collaborer plutôt qu'à se tirer la bourre. Il n'y a pas de note à l'école, où chacun apprend la cuisine et la menuiserie, entre autres. Les enseignants sont là pour aider.

Il y a des différences de revenus, mais elles sont très limitées. Certains salaires sont bas, mais des allocations permettent d'atteindre un niveau de revenu correct. Il n'y a guère de revenus très élevés, mais à quoi bon ? Car, en effet :
- tout le monde travaille, les femmes et les hommes; sinon on ne touche rien
- il y a une place en crèche pour chaque enfant en âge d'y aller
- l'éducation et les soins sont gratuits
- les étudiants sont payés (au Danemark) 700 € par mois
- le logement n'est pas très cher
...

Chaque citadin bâtit librement sa cabane en bois dans un coin de forêt, avec sauna à proximité, où il se rend en famille le week-end. Ça ne coûte guère.
Surtout, comme il existe des disparités de revenus fort acceptables, il n'y a pas de lutte des classes. Les gens font la fête entre eux sans distinction de situation sociale, ce qui coûte bien moins cher que de s'offrir de multiples signes de richesse. Le bonheur, c'est d'abord de passer de bons moments ensemble, autour d'un verre ou d'un barbecue.

That healthier diet may vary from country to country, but research has shown that, regardless of where you live, eating closer to a traditional, pre-industrial diet rich in plant foods, fish, unrefined grains and fermented foods, with less meat and highly palatable processed and snack foods, reduces your risk of depression. It could be the Mediterranean diet or Japanese cuisine rich in fish, seaweed, green tea and tofu, Jacka writes: “There’s not just one healthy way to eat.”

• Salmon. This oily fish is also a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for health. ...
  
• Poultry. Poultry includes chicken, turkey, and goose. ...
  
• Eggs. Some ways of cooking and preparing eggs are more healthful than others. ...
  
• Spinach. ...
  
• Seeds. ...
  
• Milk. ...
  
• Soy products. ...
  
• Nuts.
  

On March 16, back when White House news conferences were still deemed safe to attend, President Trump stood before reporters and announced that drastic nationwide restrictions — in schools, work places, our social lives — were needed to halt the coronavirus.

The guidelines, “15 Days to Slow the Spread,” were accompanied by a grim chart. Based on a prominent model by London’s Imperial College, the chart illustrated with a sinuous blue line how many Americans might die if nothing were done to protect the public’s health.

The line rose sharply as the estimated deaths went up, then drifted slowly down until finally, at the far right end of the graph, the number of new cases reached zero. Our national nightmare would end by October 2020 — that is, right about now. Along the way, if no action was taken, about 2.2 million Americans would die. Dr. Deborah Birx, one of Mr. Trump’s science advisers, referred to the graph as “the blue mountain of deaths.”

Clearly, the pandemic has not ended. So far some 215,000 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus, and reliable estimates suggest that the number could reach 400,000. Health experts agree that, with stronger leadership, the death toll would have been far lower.

Nonetheless, there is a collective accomplishment here worth acknowledging. In the Imperial College report, the authors underscored that their worst-case estimate would almost certainly not be realized, thanks to human nature: “It is highly likely that there would be significant spontaneous changes in population behavior even in the absence of government-mandated interventions.”

That prediction proved true, as millions of Americans agreed, however reluctantly, to accept the sacrifices involved in shutting down parts of the economy, keeping distance from one other and wearing masks.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, which uses global survey data to report how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries worldwide. The World Happiness Report 2022 reveals a bright light in dark times. The pandemic brought not only pain and suffering but also an increase in social support and benevolence. As we battle the ills of disease and war, it is essential to remember the universal desire for happiness and the capacity of individuals to rally to each other’s support in times of great need.