Exercise Officially Makes You Happier Than Money, According to Yale and Oxford Research

Five takeaways:

  1. This article concerns a recent study of the physical behavior and mental mood of over 1.2 million Americans that showed conclusively that exercise makes a person happier and mentally at peace.
  2. They asked Americans of different exercise frequencies, activities, and income levels, “How many times have you felt mentally unwell in the past 30 days, due to stress, depression, or emotional problems?”
  3. The scientists found that, while those who exercised regularly tended to feel bad for around 35 days a year, non-active participants felt bad for 18 days more on average.
  4. Scientists also found that physically active people feel just as good as those who don’t do sports, but who earn around $25,000 more a year.
  5. The scientists also found, however, that too much exercise can be detrimental to your health. More than 3-5 sessions of 30-60 minutes per week was determined to be ideal.

From Ruqayyah Moynihan at Entrepreneur:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

What Kind of Happiness Do People Value Most?

Five takeaways:

  1. This article asks us to ask ourselves: What kind of happiness do we want? “Experienced Happiness,” or “Remembered Happiness”?
  2. Happiness has different versions. Experienced happiness (where you experience happiness on a moment-to-moment basis) is far different from “remembered happiness” (where afterwards you will reflect back and feel happy)
  3. A recent survey of 1,145 Americans in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that 79% of respondents chose experienced happiness over remembered happiness for the rest of their lives.
  4. When asked about what type of happiness they would desire to experience the following day, most respondents chose remembered happiness, indicating a desire for an immediate feeling of pride and purpose.
  5. We are all busy, the article concludes, but spending too much time on pursuits associated with success and work-based pride might result in a person turning down far too many opportunities to feel happy in the moment.

From Cassie Mogilner Holmes at Harvard Business Review:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Enjoying a Cup of Coffee? You should Thank the Birds and the Bees, Study Finds

Five takeaways:

  1. A University of Vermont study shows that coffee beans are much larger and more plentiful when birds and bees collaborate to protect and pollinate coffee plants.
  2. Study authors estimate that without nature’s helpers, coffee farmers would see a 25 percent decline in crop yields. That represents a loss of about $1,066 per hectare of coffee.
  3. These findings hold major implications for everyone involved in the $26 billion global coffee industry– from farmers to major corporations to latte drinkers across the world.
  4. This is the first research project ever to show, via real-world experiments conducted at 30 coffee farms, that birds and bees are much more beneficial for coffee yields when they work in unison; birds simultaneously perform pest control duty while bees pollinate.
  5. The research showed that in harvesting situations in which birds and bees’ were present, there were greater results in fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity. All of these factors are major indicators of both coffee quality and price.

From John Anderer at Study Finds:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Gratitude in Abundance

Five takeaways:

  1. The author of this piece argues that the more abundance we live in, the harder it is to be grateful. That abundance makes us passive in our appreciation.
  2. The author reminisces about how much a gift of $200 meant to him when he was struggling financially, and rues the fact that today, when he is more financially secure, an unexpected $200 gift would not elicit the same level of gratitude.
  3. Deprivation can enhance appreciation: He notes that he has recently taken to doing 90 seconds of ice cold water in the shower, and how it has made him directly appreciative of the warmth and steam of a normal shower even more.
  4. Being more appreciative and grateful has positive effects on your mental health and overall happiness– and we can be intentional about our level of gratitude. We can remind ourselves to take a moment to be grateful for all we have.
  5. The article finishes with a stunning appeal: “Maybe we can purposefully build not just more gratitude within our abundance, but even build an abundance of gratitude.”

From Jeremy at Calibrating Capital:
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This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.