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Guilt Be Gone, Religion Makes You Happy

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:31 -0700

If you are observing Good Friday today, chances are you might be happier than non-believers. A recent study asserts that Europeans who believe in God are happier -whatever that means - than agnostics or atheists.

So how exactly did they measure happiness? The study, called Deliver us from Evil: Religion as Insurance, looked at how religion buffers the impact of stressful life events such as unemployment or divorce. Using subjective well-being, aka asking people about their feelings, the researchers found that religious people were more satisfied with their lives and handled disappointment better.

Do you find faith to be an effective insurance against the stresses of life? Are the religious just being naive to think that God will solve their problems, or is the purpose of religion to put things in perspective?

Source

Friday Feel Good: Another Adorable Loris

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Meet Sonya the Loris. She enjoys the simple pleasures of life - eatin' snacks, sitting on mom's lap, and getting scratched under her furry pits. Don't judge her because her midday snack appears to be a grub worm or maggot. (I certainly can't - I eat that movie theater nacho cheese sauce!) Anyway, here's to hoping your Friday is as relaxed and pleasure-filled as Sonya's. This video is a good start.

Friday Feel Good: Cat Survives 40-Foot Fall From Tree

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0700

It's like the week in flying cats! First there was the story of a New York City cat that survived a 26-story fall from a Manhattan highrise apartment. It landed on a neighbor's balcony with minor injuries, and yes, it's name is Lucky. And now I present you with the story of a cat who was stuck in a tree for a week and, just as he was about to be rescued by some good Samaritans, decided he'd had enough and just took a flying leap. If you need video evidence that cats are badasses, here you go. Happy Friday!

Friday Feel Good! Open Your Wine Bottle With Your Shoe!

TresSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

It's no wonder the French make the top-10 list of countries that consume the most alcohol per capita - they appear to have a special talent for opening wine bottles, without a corkscrew, even when they're totally plastered! Well at least one Frenchman can do such a thing. To get in the happy hour spirit, let the French teach you how to open a wine bottle with your shoe. Happy Friday!

Friday Feel Good: Devlin the Magician

TresSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0700

I don't know about you, but ending my week by watching a shirtless magician in shiny red pants and a mullet take down Osama bin Laden (around 1:40) makes all my hard work seem worthwhile. Perhaps you'll agree! Or not.

Friday Feel Good: Dance Like No One's Watching!

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Tengobaila cannot dance like no one's watching anymore, because she's become an Internet sensation thanks to Dlisted's Michael K who was mesmerized by her enthusiasm and her dancing skills in equal measure. Who among us has not danced in front of the mirror, making goofy faces while feelin' fine? Hopefully, my weekend will look a little more exciting than this, but hats off to Tengobaila for letting her freak flag fly! Happy Friday!

Friday Feel Good: Amma the Hugging Saint Goes to NYC

TresSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Would you wait in line for a hug? Jaded New Yorkers did from Tuesday through yesterday - just to get an embrace from an Indian woman dubbed the Hugging Saint. (She probably hugged 20,000 New Yorkers by the end of it all.) Amma Amritanandamayi, 54, has been dispensing hugs for about 30 years in her travels around the world, and it's estimated that the "Hugging Saint" has given around 27 million hugs.

What's so special about her hugs? One person says it's not an ordinary hug. Another says it helps clear her mind. "Everyone comes to her," says a 38-year-old acupuncturist, "because they're in some kind of pain - cancer, love, family, kids. They want something from her. Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't."

Although Amma says she's not a faith healer, one couple says it was only after Amma hugged them that they were finally able to conceive. Amma, who began spontaneously hugging people around the age of 8 or 9, told the Daily News through a translator, "The purest form of love can change people and that's what I'm trying to do." (The video above shows Amma embracing New Yorkers last year during her visit.)

Friday Feel Good: Giving a Baby Squirrel a Hand

TresSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

What better way to say TGIF than to watch this heartwarming and epic video about a mom squirrel and her baby trying to jump a wall on the UCLA campus.

At first, it looks like no matter how many times the mom squirrel tries to show her baby how it's done, it will never happen because the baby is too little. (Everyone let out a collective, "Awwww!") Well, I'm not here to harsh your mellow, so of course it gets better. Some students find a creative way to lend the baby a hand. I guarantee that even those with the blackest, most cynical hearts will feel a beam of sunshine breaking up the clouds. (And the soundtrack isn't half bad, either.) TGIF!

Friday Feel Good: Make My Mood

TresSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:30:00 -0700

Feel less guilty the next time you say "I need a drink" or about that trip to Berlin you just charged on two credit cards with Make My Mood. The site features sayings - done up all artsy - that make you feel better. Better about who you are instead of killing you with inspiration. What the site lacks in aesthetics, it makes up for with Audrey Hepburn.

Savvy Links: Could You Go a Year Without Buying Clothes?

SavvySugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:00:39 -0800

Could you go a full year without buying new clothes? - Glamour
Black Friday: The ads are in and here's where to find them. - Walletpop
Unclutter your workdays to free up your weekends. - Lifehacker
10 quirky economic indicators. - Kiplinger
Perfect is the enemy of good. - Get Rich Slowly
Ben Stein offers four lessons from the recession. - Consumerism Commentary