Are you miserable?

Well, in my ongoing quest to figure out more about what makes people happy, I stumbled upon this article. So apparently, 25% of Australians are miserable and lonely. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. With the cold dark gloomy weather during winter, especially in Melbourne, it CAN get rather depressing at times, and as one who is easily influenced by the weather, I can vouch for that! In fact, statistics and science have irrefutably proven that depression/suicide incidences in countries with cold climes far exceed those with hot climes, and such incidences spike typically during the winter months.

A fortuneteller (if you buy that stuff) once said that I'd flourish in a place with lots of sunshine.

At any rate, volunteering and doing charity work might not necessarily make one happier. That is something I have always maintained – people who do the above 2 activities to make themselves feel better at the end of the day aren’t doing real charity, and they aren’t doing it with charity in mind, but are doing it for self interests anyway.

Here’s a secret: socializing with extended family, friends and neighbours is a good and happiness inducing thing, apparently. What I didn’t realize was that taking an active interest in current affairs actually makes us not just more knowledgeable, but it also makes us happier. Time to get out from your silos, people.