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happiness

You're never too old for a little hopscotch.

From what's happening in the world at large to the details of our individual lives, there's a whole lot to worry about on a daily basis. Life can be difficult and people can be complicated, but sometimes the simplest things can remind us that joy is only a step or two away.

For instance, take this woman in Trinidad, Louann Kristy, who transformed people's day with just a piece of chalk and a desire to see people dance. A video shows a woman drawing a classic hopscotch grid on a sidewalk in front of her house, but with a little twist. In the final half-circle, she wrote "DANCE" and just before the first square she wrote "Have fun!" Then she waited for a camera to capture people passing by it.

Sure enough, random pedestrians got to the hopscotch and skipped across it like they probably remember doing as children. And then, when they got to the end, some of them launched into a brief dance, dutifully shimmying and wiggling their hips. Watch:

@louannkristy

Stay tuned! Carnival is coming and that can only mean one thing !! Carnival hopscotch is back 2025 edition! #hopscotch #pavementhopscotch #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #fyp

It's almost a social experiment of sorts. Who will do the hopscotch and who will walk right over or past it? Who will dance at the end and who will feel too self-conscious? Are people more likely to dance if they're by themselves or with other people? Are the people who dance enjoying themselves more? Would more people or fewer people dance if they knew a camera was on them? Who knows.

What this video does demonstrate is how easy it is to do something that brings childlike joy to people's day, even just for a moment, and the comments show how much other people love seeing it.

"I loved when there were three guys in a row and the guy at the back kind of got stopped and came out the side instead. But then he saw that the end said dance so he did the butt wiggle anyway."

"Humans love a lil butt wiggle."

"It makes me wonder…are we all predestined to wiggle? I need some scientific articles."

"Born to wiggle, forced to walk."


@louannkristy

The last clip is pure energy, so stick around to catch that! And if you’re in Trini, jump in and show us your moves! Hopscotch will be up on Friday until Carnival Tuesday if it survives! 😂 #HopscotchChallenge #TriniVibes #wholesome ##pavementhopscotch #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #hopscotch

"I loved how the runners seamlessly did it without losing any momentum."

"(Jogger) "Runrunrunrun...OH! HOPSCOTCH! (Bounce bounce bounce) runrunrunrun..."

"Like sleeper agents being woken up to perform their duty."

"I can imagine most of those adults running have a million thoughts going through them either from stress or life in general. Even if it was for a few seconds, seeing this hopscotch made them forget everything there was about being an adult. No stress, just play. Have fun. It's always the little things that bring us the biggest joys in life."


@louannkristy

Who’s ready to jump in and try this? If you spot my hopscotch in Trini, you know what to do! #HopscotchChallenge #GetCreative #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #fyp #pavementhopscotch #hopscotch #wholesome #LiveOutlandish

It's true, little things like this can literally turn someone's day around and it's not that hard to do. If it's not a hopscotch, maybe it's a sticky note left in a library book or a compliment you pay a stranger. Playfulness can look like a lot of different things, too, from inviting the person sitting next to you on the train to a rock-paper-scissors contest to dancing to the 80s music in the grocery store aisle to leaving a bucket of chalk in front of your house for other people to draw with. It doesn't take much, just a little creativity and willingness to set aside your own self-consciousness. Giving yourself permission to be playful gives other people permission to play also, which is good for everyone's well-being.

As one person wrote, "We need more things like this in the world. Get out there, put the phone away, touch grass, and just enjoy the experience of being alive type things." Indeed, playfulness is a great way to tap into childlike joy and wonder, and all it takes is someone willing to make it happen.

Weight gain and weight loss don't really factor into a person's overall happiness

A new study from Germany shows that gaining weight doesn’t make people less happy. While obesity is still a public health issue in many Western countries, including the United States and Germany, and the impacts on a person’s physical health are well-known, there hasn’t been many studies regarding the psychological impact of weight gain or whether it hinders a person’s overall satisfaction in life.

Using a decade’s worth of data, Felix Bittmann at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories looked to see if there was any cause-and-effect relationship between gaining weight and losing happiness. Bittman’s survey sample included 8,815 participants aged 25 through 60, with the data collected from 2011 to 2021. This sample disregarded individuals with body mass indexes (BMI) that were underweight or extremely obese to eliminate any outliers from the results.

A close-up of a man holding up his belly fat.Adding on a few pounds doesn't impact your life satisfaction, according to a new study.Photo credit: Canva

Happiness was determined through a single-item question regarding life satisfaction on a 1 to 10 scale (one being completely dissatisfied, ten being completely satisfied). Using two statistical models to remove unchanging variables such as genetics and personality from influencing the data, it was shown that BMI had very little effect on a person’s happiness compared to other factors that impact a person’s life such as age, relationship status, employment, income, and geographic location.

Woman lying her head on a couch, frowning.If you are unhappy, losing weight might not be the answer to that problem.Photo credit: Canva

“Surprisingly, there is no evidence of a negative effect of obesity on life satisfaction,” said Bittmann in an interview with PsyPost. “In this respect, the study seems to me to be particularly relevant in demonstrating why so many people are overweight: it hardly burdens them psychologically, which is why they have little incentive to lose the excess weight.”

At one point or another in our lives, no matter if we are overweight, underweight, or at our physical prime, we have been fed the idea that weight loss can make people happier. It’s riddled in advertisements for weight loss supplements, health food, and exercise equipment among several other products. They may not always promise verbally that losing weight will make you happier, but it’s not unusual to think that when you see a “before” photo of a person looking down and lonely then an “after” photo of a person smiling, sometimes with friends and family after they lost weight.

This isn’t to say that a person shouldn’t be mindful of their physical health. Being overweight can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many other health complications.

A group of women jogging outsideWhen exercising or dieting, it's best to know the true intent behind it.Photo credit: Canva

However, this study shows that there are two separate, different goals here rather than one. It’s “lose weight” and/or “become happier” not “lose weight to become happier.” There are written pieces in Slate, Glamour, and theU.S. News and World Report among hundreds of others that share the same truth: you can lose weight but still not be happy.

If you’re in the midst of a weight loss journey, ask yourself, “What am I doing this for?” If it’s to improve your physical health at the advice and monitoring of a trusted physician, that’s a worthy enough cause on its own. However, if you are unhappy or think that losing weight will improve your happiness, you may not be addressing that issue effectively. If you are depressed or wish to become more satisfied with your life, consider looking into methods to directly address those issues such as a therapist or counselor.

Close up of a therapy sessionMuch like consulting a nutritionist for dieting, it's best to consult a specialist for your happiness and mental health.Photo credit: Canva

Much like how a dietician can help direct you in your weight loss journey, they could help direct you in your happiness journey, too. When it comes to your overall health, mind and body, it’s best to look into all potential possibilities and consult with professionals.

A study ranked all 50 U.S. states by living wage for a family of four. Over half of them exceeded six figures.

Let’s face it—it’s expensive to live anywhere in the U.S., and only those at the very top are cruising by. But it’s interesting to look at the data and see which areas of the country may offer the most financial breathing room.

A recent study by GOBankingRates crunched some numbers, breaking down the living wage in each state for a family of four. Per their methodology, they analyzed "annual living expenses" by using the 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey data "for a married couple with children (oldest child 6-17) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics." The factored costs of living were "housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, and transportation" (or "necessities"), and they defined "living wage" as "the income required to be able to cover 50% necessities, 30% discretionary/luxury spending, and 20% for savings."

Bugs Bunny counts his money Bugs Bunny Money GIF by Looney TunesGiphy

Some of the results are probably what you’d expect—others less so. The 10 cheapest and 10 most expensive are below, and the full list (with additional metrics) is available at the GoBankingRates site.

1. West Virginia (living wage for a family of four: $82,338)
2. Mississippi ($87,564)
3. Alabama ($87,607)
4. Kansas ($87,944)
5. Arkansas ($88,312)
6. Oklahoma ($90,659)
7. Iowa ($91,667)
8. Missouri ($91,669)
9. Tennessee ($92,179)
10. Kentucky ($93,349)

41. Arizona ($131,102)
42. Oregon ($131,824)
43. Vermont ($131,996)
44. New Jersey ($134,990)
45. Maine ($135,943)
46. Alaska ($136,990)
47. New York ($155,738)
48. California ($188,269)
49. Massachusetts ($199,671)
50. Hawaii ($258,918)

Twenty-six states exceed a six-figure wage. (The others not listed above are South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, North Carolina, Delaware, Wisconsin, Idaho, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Utah, and Washington.)


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Of course, it’s one thing to analyze some numbers, but it’s also worth considering real-life experience. And if we consult Reddit, where opinions are never in short supply, a lot of people don’t agree with these findings. If you scan the r/coolguides subreddit, for example, you’ll find responses like this:

  • "Yeah, I call BS on this. I’m in CA with a family of 3 (me, wife, 4yo daughter), roughly making a combined $250k, and we’re still living with a tight budget"
  • "Maine more expensive than Connecticut? That doesn't seem right."
  • "This list is just very wrong. I live in the Midwest, and families due just fine making 40-50k. They live within their means."
  • "Need to see 'living wage' for NY State with data from NYC completely omitted... My family of four lives pretty comfortably on literally half that amount."

It’s a nuanced subject, not a one-size-fits-all situation. And even if you accept that, say, Hawaii requires the highest living wage for a family of four, there are plenty of other reasons you might want to live there. (I can think of about 15 off the top of my head.)

For example, let’s consult some of WalletHub’s recent reports. In September 2024, they published a breakdown of the "happiest states," analyzing "economic, emotional, physical, and social health" across 30 key metrics, from depression rate to productivity levels. Hawaii hit number one on that list, with residents citing "the highest levels of life satisfaction in the nation and the lowest depression rate." Massachusetts, meanwhile, came in at number 10.

Morgan Freeman applauds at the OscarsMorgan Freeman Applause GIF by The Academy AwardsGiphy

In August 2024, they assessed the "best states to live in" using 51 indicators of livability, ranging from housing costs to education rate to quality of hospitals. These are further broken down into broader categories of ""affordability," "economy," "education and health," "quality of life," and "safety." Massachusetts was number one, followed by Florida, New Jersey, Utah, and New Hampshire.

Massachusetts also took the top spot in two of the company’s other recent lists: one measuring the quality of school systems (factoring in "performance, funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials") and another based on family-friendliness (factoring in "median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate, and school quality"). The state also topped Consumer Affairs’ September 2024 list measuring quality of public education.

Teens having a good time volunteering.

In 1938, Harvard researchers embarked on a decades-long study to discover what makes people happy. They followed 724 people from around the globe and had them fill out detailed questions about their lives every two years. The study yielded many incredible insights into how people can live lives filled with joy and happiness.

Recently, the study’s director, Robert Waldinger, MD, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, shared some of the big lessons from the study on the “A Bit of Optimism” podcast hosted by Simon Sinek. At the show's beginning, Sinek asked Waldinger what happy people know at a very young age.

“A lot of them care about making a difference in the world, and they care about the world,” Waldinger said. “And the people who stay with that, who they may not be the same purpose through their lives, but the people who stay with that aspiration, I think staying engaged in life and I think that's what they get right.”

happiness, harvard happiness, robert waldingerSome young people joining a cause.via Canva/Photos

Waldinger added that people can find this happiness as they age by adopting a “generativity” mindset. Generativity was a concept created by groundbreaking psychologist Erik Erikson. In 1950, Erikson postulated that in middle age, people should develop "a concern for establishing and guiding the next generation." If not, they are in a stage of stagnation that involves being self-involved and disinterested in productivity or improving the self.

“One of his stages he called generativity versus stagnation, and the generativity was wanting to be part of something bigger than yourself realizing, ‘Oh, I want to help raise kids, or I want to mentor people.’ Or, ‘I want to do something that's not just me.’ He said that [those people] become the people who are going to look back on their lives with less regret with more of a sense that ‘my life was good enough,’” Waldinger continued.

However, Waldinger stresses that it has become harder for people to be involved in things greater than themselves. This stems from societal changes that have de-emphasized the importance of long-term employment with the same company, organized religion, and community organizations. He claims that the digital revolution has accelerated the increase in social isolation.

happiness, harvard happiness, robert waldingerA middle-aged man mentoring people. via Canva/Photos

“And what he's found is that it's gotten worse since the digital revolution,” Waldinger says. “The digital revolution has accelerated the trends that were already there, and so, the path of least resistance now is social isolation, greater and greater isolation, and we’re all kinda desperate for what do about it and how to feel like we belong.”

The big takeaway from Waldinger’s interview is that when people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves in their youth, they tend to feel that way throughout the rest of their lives. This helps foster a life of meaning that is also filled with one of the most essential contributors to happiness: close relationships. Wouldn’t it be great if people took this valuable insight and made it a big part of how we nurture children? If the key to happiness is to be a part of something greater than yourself, let’s teach our kids to find that passion so it can carry them through their lives.