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Old 04-19-2008, 10:57 PM   #21
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CBS News - Happiest Americans are the oldest
New research also debunks the stereotype of the lonely senior

Happiest Americans are the oldest - Aging - MSNBC.com

Excerpts from the article

That's according to eye-opening research that found the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.

The two go hand-in-hand — being social can help keep away the blues.

The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

Learning to be content
A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said.

This is partly because older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, said Duke University aging expert Linda George. An older person may realize "it's fine that I was a schoolteacher and not a Nobel prize winner."

End of excerpts

It appears that the key to happiness for some is being CONTENT.

GOD BLESS US ALL
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Old 04-20-2008, 12:53 PM   #22
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Maybe it makes people happy to give money away.

Study: Spending Money on Others Makes Us Happy : NPR

And in praise of melancholy:

In Defense of Sadness: Happiness Is Overrated : NPR
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Old 04-20-2008, 01:00 PM   #23
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Maybe it makes people happy to give money away.

Study: Spending Money on Others Makes Us Happy : NPR

And in praise of melancholy:

In Defense of Sadness: Happiness Is Overrated : NPR
I'm happy you posted this but a little sad you felt it necessary to do so...
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Old 04-20-2008, 01:46 PM   #24
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I think that having money in the bank definitely contributes to my happiness. But many other factors also contribute to my happiness... A happy marriage, good health, supportive family and friends... Money is just one of them and having money is not IMO an absolute indicator of happiness.


As far as Ms. Melissa Theuriau goes, she is the anchor on the TV channel I watch (online) to get my European news. So not only can I enjoy watching her, but I can also understand what she says (sorry Leonidas...). Plus when my wife asks what I'm doing, I can always say "I'm watching the news!" and be totally truthful about it ... My wife knows I have crushes on a few French TV anchors...
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Old 04-20-2008, 03:28 PM   #25
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I think that having money in the bank definitely contributes to my happiness. But many other factors also contribute to my happiness... A happy marriage, good health, supportive family and friends... Money is just one of them and having money is not IMO an absolute indicator of happiness.


As far as Ms. Melissa Theuriau goes, she is the anchor on the TV channel I watch (online) to get my European news. So not only can I enjoy watching her, but I can also understand what she says (sorry Leonidas...). Plus when my wife asks what I'm doing, I can always say "I'm watching the news!" and be totally truthful about it ... My wife knows I have crushes on a few French TV anchors...
Firedreamer, you are one LUCKY devil with getting to watch Ms. Melissa Theauriau. She is one FINE LADY. That's the wolf in me speaking.



As for the rest of us poor devils in the U.S.A. we are stuck with Katie, Wolf, Dobbs and O'Reilly.
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Old 04-20-2008, 09:26 PM   #26
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As for the rest of us poor devils in the U.S.A. we are stuck with Katie, Wolf, Dobbs and O'Reilly.
Who?
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Old 04-21-2008, 09:12 AM   #27
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Happiness is a song by the GREAT Merle Haggard - That's The Way Love Goes



GOD BLESS US ALL
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Old 04-21-2008, 04:03 PM   #28
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A moronic co-worker insisted that I fell asleep in a meeting at 10 AM. Yeah, OK, I think I would know when I'm tired, and if I am, I'm not asking for your permission to close my eyes. I emailed him and told him that baseless accusations are counter productive, unprofessional, and unethical and CCed the boss. God, it's good to have money in the bank so that you don't have to care about a j0b. I wouldn't have said sh*t 5 years ago.
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Old 04-22-2008, 07:29 AM   #29
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With the price for a barrel of oil hitting $118 I guess happiness for today would be filling up one's tank without going over $72.

GOD BLESS US ALL
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Old 04-22-2008, 09:48 AM   #30
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As noted, having money means money is one less thing to be concerned about. But this is a guy who once lost 10 lbs. in 5 days because I didn't have enough money to buy food. After that, more is gravy. Well, almost - my expectations have risen a tad since then.

And Wags has a point: "Happiness is a full tank of gas".
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Old 04-22-2008, 11:12 AM   #31
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A moronic co-worker insisted that I fell asleep in a meeting at 10 AM. Yeah, OK, I think I would know when I'm tired, and if I am, I'm not asking for your permission to close my eyes. I emailed him and told him that baseless accusations are counter productive, unprofessional, and unethical and CCed the boss. God, it's good to have money in the bank so that you don't have to care about a j0b. I wouldn't have said sh*t 5 years ago.
Huh? Meeting are when I used to catch up on my sleep. Some were better for it than others.

Now I have to actually set aside some nap time for myself.

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Old 04-22-2008, 12:42 PM   #32
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Huh? Meeting are when I used to catch up on my sleep. Some were better for it than others.

Now I have to actually set aside some nap time for myself.

-ERD50
OK, I have to admit that ER is better than working despite what I said about 4 months after I got my MBA. It's amazing how fast working for someone else can remind you why it sucks ass. It's as if just because you work at a place that everyone thinks he has the right to butt in on your business.
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Old 04-22-2008, 07:56 PM   #33
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But this is a guy who once lost 10 lbs. in 5 days because I didn't have enough money to buy food.
You could write a diet book based on nothing more than this. In only a month I could be down to 100 pounds.

BTW, I heard the woman at U. Of Pennsylvania who did this research intereviewed on the radio today. She spun it as a justification for re-distributionist tax policies. She said that if the governemnt took only 1% from "wealthy people", who according to her would hardly miss it, and give it to some low earners, we might be able to make them deliriously happy. So we would massively increase the happiness of the society at large by this tiny little intervention.

I say why stop at American shores? Think how happy some guy in Upper Volta might be if he got 1% of my my money! The only problem is that I would not as mellow about this program as she suggests that I should be.

Interesting that this is actually just a "researched" restatement of Bentham's theory of utility.

A pox on her.

Ha
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Old 04-22-2008, 09:43 PM   #34
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Money is NOT the root of all evil

See linked article:

A Talk With Jesus - Money is the Root… | Political Kool-Aid
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Old 04-23-2008, 03:15 AM   #35
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Money and happiness connection is an s curve shape. When one is barely getting by more money relieves basic problems... so there is a large increase in relief (being content) as your money increases. however... at a certain point, more money does not buy relief... It can buy comfort. But once one passes comfort into status... the effect of money increasing one's satisfaction flattens out.

I made it up... but it sounds good.
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Old 04-23-2008, 05:55 AM   #36
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Money and happiness connection is an s curve shape. When one is barely getting by more money relieves basic problems... so there is a large increase in relief (being content) as your money increases. however... at a certain point, more money does not buy relief... It can buy comfort. But once one passes comfort into status... the effect of money increasing one's satisfaction flattens out.

I made it up... but it sounds good.
You are right it does sound good.

Being content with what one has gives one comfort but most of all peace of mind.

In the memory of Mr. Al Wilson who passed away here we go



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Old 04-23-2008, 06:35 PM   #37
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I guess money can not buy you HAPPINESS look at the poor OLD devil who tried to buy himself a trophy wife and then she ends up on youtube presenting her divorce case.



If the poor OLD devil was going to get him a younger trophy wife he should have looked at this tall drink of water.



The french accent is enough to make old goat like me think about moving to France.

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betcha he had 'seconds' of happiness
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:54 PM   #38
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betcha he had 'seconds' of happiness
There is nothing wrong with having a few seconds of happiness as long as one does not have a heart attack and at the end of the expedition one can put his dentures back on for a photo-op smile.

Hey dirty old goats need loving too.

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Old 04-23-2008, 10:31 PM   #39
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Ah, when I first viewed that video of that French reporter, I thought what pathetic fool would go to all the trouble of putting together such a video? After watching it, a few, more like 5 times, I see why. It's strange, but she's so beautiful that I don't even want to have sex with her. Justin watching her is enough.
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Old 04-23-2008, 11:23 PM   #40
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Ah, when I first viewed that video of that French reporter, I thought what pathetic fool would go to all the trouble of putting together such a video? After watching it, a few, more like 5 times, I see why. It's strange, but she's so beautiful that I don't even want to have sex with her. Justin watching her is enough.
Ok, so who wants a new avatar? She might even give Want2retire's pic a run for the money!
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