1. You Are Happier If…
The Happiness Almanac
Science-based Facts and Figures On
Your Subjective Well Being
(excerpts)
1
2. You Are Happier If
You Have
2
http://positivepsychologyprogram.com/perma-model/#seligman-perma-model
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The Happiness Almanac
3. You Are Happier If
You Have the Right Mix of
Genetics, Circumstances and
Self-Determination
3https://s3.amazonaws.com/happify-marty-prod-user-uploads/SciHappiness_Happify-01.png
The Happiness Almanac
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4. You Are Happier If
You Live in the Blue
Countries
4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_with_Life_Index
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The Happiness Almanac
5. You Are Happier If
You Live in
these Countries
5
http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/world-happiness-report-2013/
The Happiness Almanac
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6. You Are Happier If
You Live in
the Blue Cities
6
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146645/Boulder-Colo-Leads-Metro-Areas-Wellbeing.aspx
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The Happiness Almanac
7. You Are Happier If
You Live in a
Smaller Town
7
http://www.citylab.com/design/2011/10/urban-rural-happiness-debate/290/
The Happiness Almanac
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8. You Are Happier If
You Are Healthy
8
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333817/Marriage-secret-happiness-Tying-knot-
makes-content-money-children-having-degree.html
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The Happiness Almanac
9. You Are Happier If
You Eat Good Food
9
http://skincarestudiosd.com/foods-that-make-you-happy/
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The Happiness Almanac
10. You Are Happier If
You Don’t Eat Bad Food
10http://goodnewsplanet.com/foods-will-make-happy/
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The Happiness Almanac
11. You Are Happier If
You Aren’t an Addict
11http://http://www.journalofhappiness.net/articles/pdf/v02i02/1.pdf
/
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The Happiness Almanac
12. You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Taking a Walk)
12
The Happiness Almanac
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13. You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Meditation)
13
The Happiness Almanac
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http://www.pennmedicine.org/mindfulness/programs/foundation-courses/class-effectiveness.html
14. You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Have Good Posture, Walk Tall and Stretch)
14
The Happiness Almanac
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http://www.fastcompany.com/3041688/body-week/the-surprising-and-powerful-links-between-posture-and-mood
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
15. You Are Happier If
You Exercise
(Yoga)
15
The Happiness Almanac
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http://www.ijoy.org.in/viewimage.asp?img=IntJYoga_2013_6_1_11_105937_f9.jpg
16. You Are Happier If
You Get Enough Sleep
16
The Happiness Almanac
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On-call Physician’s Moods After Sleep Deprivation
http://www.thoracicmedicine.org/article.asp?issn=1817-1737;year=2013;volume=8;issue=1;spage=22;epage=27;aulast=Wali
17. You Are Happier If
You Take a Walk Through
Nature (better than city)
17
http://personal.lse.ac.uk/mackerro/happy_natural_envs.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
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18. You Are Happier If
You Smile (Unless You Fake It)
Making people smile to fix a bad mood
can backfire and reminds them of how
unhappy they are
18
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103114000286
The Happiness Almanac
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19. You Are Happier If
You Are Female
19
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The Happiness Almanac
20. You Are Happier If
You Are White
(in the US)
20
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The Happiness Almanac
21. You Are Happier If
You Go To Church
21
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The Happiness Almanac
/socialcapital.wordpress.com/tag/life-satisfaction/
www.gallup.com/poll/153374/Churchgoers-Boast-Better-Mood-Especially-Sundays.aspx
22. You Are Happier If
You Go To Church
(maybe even if you don’t believe)
22
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The Happiness Almanac
/socialcapital.wordpress.com/tag/life-satisfaction/
www.gallup.com/poll/153374/Churchgoers-Boast-Better-Mood-Especially-Sundays.aspx
23. You Are Happier If
You Are An Extrovert
23
I = Introversion
E= Extroversion
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324144304578621951399427408
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The Happiness Almanac
24. You Are Happier If
It is Noon
24
http://hl7standards.com/blog/2014/03/20/quantifying-happiness/
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The Happiness Almanac
25. You Are Happier If
It is the Weekend
25
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107692/social-time-crucial-daily-emotional-wellbeing.aspx
The Happiness Almanac
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26. You Are Happier If
You are In a Social
Environment 6+ Hours a Day
26
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107692/social-time-crucial-daily-emotional-wellbeing.aspx
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The Happiness Almanac
27. You Are Happier If
You are Under 21 or Over
69 Years Old (In The U.S.)
27
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/22/9985.figures-only
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The Happiness Almanac
Happiness At Different Ages
28. You Are Happier If
You are Under 25
in Poorer Countries
28
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/where-age-equals-happiness/382434/
The Happiness Almanac
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29. You Are Happier If
You Graduate from
College
29
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/28-3/
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The Happiness Almanac
30. You Are Happier If
You Are Employed or
Retired (not unemployed)
30http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/28-3/
Differences in Happiness by Employment Status
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The Happiness Almanac
31. You Are Happier If
Your Work Is This
31
https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/
Rank Occupation Happiness Index
1 Clergyman 2.66
2 Actor 2.51
3 Architect 2.47
4 Firefighter 2.44
5 Police officer 2.40
6 Physician 2.39
7 Teacher 2.38
7 Economist 2.38
7 Real estate agent 2.38
10 Electrical engineer 2.37
10 College professor 2.37
12 Accountant 2.36
13 Sales representative 2.35
14 Dental hygienist 2.33
15 Civil engineer 2.31
15 Bricklayer 2.31
17 Computer systems analyst 2.30
The Happiness Almanac
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32. You Are Happier If
Your Work Is NOT This
32
https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/
Rank Occupation Happiness Index
49 Welder 2.16
51 Telephone operator 2.15
51 Waiter 2.15
51 Security guard 2.15
51 Painter 2.15
55 Licensed practical nurse 2.14
56 Aircraft mechanic 2.12
57 Forklift operator 2.09
58 Cashier 2.08
58 Automobile mechanic 2.08
60 Data entry clerk 2.07
61 Construction worker 1.98
62 Janitor 1.93
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The Happiness Almanac
33. You Are Happier If
You Commute to Work Less
33
http://ftp.iza.org/dp1278.pdf
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16078055.2014.903723#aHR0cDovL3d3dy50YW5kZm9ubGluZS5jb20v
ZG9pL3BkZi8xMC4xMDgwLzE2MDc4MDU1LjIwMTQuOTAzNzIzQEBAMA==
http://bikeportland.org/2013/01/30/bike-commuters-are-happiest-and-other-psu-research-tidbits-82448
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The Happiness Almanac
34. You Are Happier If
You Make More Money
(Up to a Point)
34http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_economics_of_happiness/
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The Happiness Almanac
35. You Are Happier If
You Make More Money
(Up to a Point: Life Satisfaction Remains
Constant as Country Income Increases)
35
http://www.thetexaseconomy.org/people-places/profiles/media/12-2149-GDPandHappiness_46
0W.png
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The Happiness Almanac
36. You Are Happier If
You Spend Money on
Experiences, Not Things
36
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3043858/world-changing-ideas/the-science-of-why-you-should-sp
end-your-money-on-experiences-not-thing
The Happiness Almanac
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37. You Are Happier If
You Spend Money on
Others
37
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/application_uploads/norton-spendingmoney.pdf
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38. You Are Happier If
You Are Concerned Less with
Money and More with Love
38
http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/publication.html
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The Happiness Almanac
39. You Are Happier If
You Have Intrinsic (not
Extrinsic) Goals
39
The Path Taken: Consequences of Attaining Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations in Post-College
Life http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736104/
The Happiness Almanac
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Attainment of the intrinsic aspirations related positively to happiness.
Attainment of the extrinsic aspirations for money, fame, and image was unrelated to
happiness and related slightly negatively to psychological health.
40. You Are Happier If
You Focus
(Don’t Let Your Mind Wander)
40
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_mind_wandering_make_you_unhappy
H
a
p
p
i
n
e
s
s
Mind Wandering State
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The Happiness Almanac
41. You Are Happier If
Focus (47% of the time
your mind wanders)
41
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_mind_wandering_make_you_unhappy
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The Happiness Almanac
42. You Are Happier If
You are Curious
42
http://psychfaculty.gmu.edu/kashdan/publications/MOEM_curiosity_wb_and_meaning.pdf
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The Happiness Almanac
43. You Are Happier If
You Listen to Upbeat Music
43
http://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/01/can-you-will-yourself-happier.html
People that Try to Feel Better Did; While People Who Just
Listen to Music Feel The Same
The Happiness Almanac
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44. You Are Happier If
You Are Busy but Not
Rushed
44
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/happiness-means-being-just-rushed-enough/
The Happiness Almanac
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45. You Are Happier If
You Work On One or More
“Signature Strengths” Every
day
45
http://digest.bps.org.uk/2013/01/can-you-will-yourself-happier.html
The Happiness Almanac
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46. You Are Happier If
You Focus On Your “Signature
Strengths” (List)
46
http://www.viacharacter.org/www/
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The Happiness Almanac
47. You Are Happier If
Perform an Act of Kindness (once a week;
no extra benefit for more)
Variety, frequency and motivation also play a role
47
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/01/24/acts-of-kindness-can-make-you-happier
The Happiness Almanac
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48. You Are Happier If
You Generate Incremental,
‘Small Wins’
48
https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
The Happiness Almanac
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49. You Are Happier If
You Are Around People with
Similar Incomes
49
http://www.lisdatacenter.org/wps/liswps/614.pdf
http://inequality.org/happiness-and-inequality-study/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2011/02/happiness_work_sleep_and_bicyc.html
The Happiness Almanac
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Inequality
WellBeing
50. You Are Happier If
You Write a Thank You Letter
Once Every Three Months
50
http://www.synapticscoop.com/?p=438
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The Happiness Almanac
51. You Are Happier If
You Keep a Gratitude Journal
(3 Good Things about your day)
51
http://www.synapticscoop.com/?p=438
http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/practicing-gratitude-can-increase.php
25% Boost
In 10 Weeks
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The Happiness Almanac
52. You Are Happier If
You Have High Respect /
Prestige Among Your Peers
(Not Socioeconomic Status)
52
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/225088354_The_Local-Ladder_Effect_Social_Status_and_Subjective_Well-Being
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The Happiness Almanac
53. You Are Happier If
You Have High Community
Standing
53
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/who_is_happiest
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The Happiness Almanac
54. You Are Happier If
You Receive Recognition
54
https://www.tinypulse.com/resources/the-effects-of-employee-recognition-and-appreciation
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The Happiness Almanac
55. You Are Happier If
You Have 5 or More Close
Friends
55
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465024114/?tag=viglink20618-20
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
5 or More Friends
How Much More Likely to be 'VERY'
Happy
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The Happiness Almanac
56. You Are Happier If
You Know Other Happy
People Nearby
56
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/health/05happy.html?_r=3&
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The Happiness Almanac
57. You Are Happier If
You Don’t Think About
Trying to Be Happy’
57
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21517168
-35%
-50%
75%
Feel Positive Emotions Life Satisfaction Depressive Symptoms
People Putting Greatest Emphasis on
Happiness (Compared to Others)
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The Happiness Almanac
58. You Are Happier If
You Multi-task Over Long Periods;
Do One Thing Over Shorter Periods
58
https://hbr.org/2015/02/when-multitasking-makes-you-happy-and-when-it-doesnt
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The Happiness Almanac
59. You Are Happier If
You Don’t Procrastinate
59
http://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Equation-Putting-Things-Getting/dp/0061703613
http://www.chatelaine.com/health/is-procrastination-making-you-unhappy/
70% of Procrastinators
Are Less Happy than the
average person
A survey of 10,000
found that
procrastination had
some negative effect
on the happiness of
94% of respondents
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The Happiness Almanac
60. You Are Happier If
You Are In Control of
Your Life
60
http://www1.eur.nl/fsw/happiness/hap_cor/desc_cor.php?sssid=11279
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The Happiness Almanac
61. You Are Happier If
You Are Tall
At Least 5’9” For Men
61
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/taller-people-are-happier-especially-if-theyre-male/?_r=0
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The Happiness Almanac
62. You Are Happier If
You Are At Least 5’2” and
Less Than 6’0”
For Women
62
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/taller-people-are-happier-especially-if-theyre-male/?_r=0
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The Happiness Almanac
63. You Are Happier If
You Are Very Beautiful
(The Most Have a 10% Advantage Over the Least)
63
http://ftp.iza.org/dp5600.pdf
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The Happiness Almanac
64. You Are Happier If
You Are Born First
64
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232537191_Birth_order_and_happiness_A_preliminary_study
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The Happiness Almanac
65. You Are Happier If
You Embrace Your Roots
In studies of immigrant students, greater ethnic
identity is associated with 10% greater life
satisfaction
65
http://cretscmhd.psych.ucla.edu/events/PhinneyPaper.pdf
+10%
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The Happiness Almanac
66. You Are Happier If
Your Priorities are on Family or
Altruism
66
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-007-9138-y#/page-1
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The Happiness Almanac
67. You Are Happier If
You Are Married
67
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The Happiness Almanac
68. You Are Happier If
You are Healthy, Married & Retired
68
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1112/1112.5802.pdf
The Happiness Almanac
mike@affluentadvisors.com
Bad
Health
Fair Health
(Baseline)
Excellent
Health
Married
Never
Married
(Baseline)
Divorced,
Widowed,
Separated
Unemploy
ed
Retired
(Baseline)
Working
Health Married Employment
Series1 -8.25% 0.00% 20% 10% 0% -5% -9% 0% -3%
-15.00%
-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
Impact
69. You Are Happier If
You Don’t Have Kids Or
They Have Moved Out
69
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59967/stumbling-on-happiness-by-daniel-gilbert/9781400077427
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The Happiness Almanac
70. You Are Happier If
You Have Not Had a
Newborn Child This Year
70
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-014-0321-x
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The Happiness Almanac
71. You Are Happier If
You are a Parent, Then
You are an Excellent Parent
71
http://www.pewresearch.org/files/2014/02/FT_parenting-happiness-link.png
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The Happiness Almanac
72. You Are Happier If
You Have Two Children
or Less
72
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-014-0321-x
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/story/2012-05-03/parents-happiness-population-survey/54767508/1
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The Happiness Almanac
73. You Are Happier If
You Get in the “Flow”
(Immersive Activity that is consistent with but challenging
to your skills)
73
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Business-Leadership-Making-Meaning/dp/014200409X
1. Set goals that have clear and
immediate feedback
2. Become immersed and
focused on a particular
activity.
3. Pay attention to what is
happening in the moment
4. Learn to enjoy immediate
experience
5. Proportion your skills to the
challenge at hand
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The Happiness Almanac
74. You Are Happier If
You Have The Right Amount
of Neuro-chemicals
74
Note: While some
Healthcare professionals
focus on this aspect
first in treating
depression, it is the most
difficult to quantify.
The correct level for
each individual varies, and
often takes several
months..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurochemistry
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The Happiness Almanac
75. You Are Happier If
You …
75
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/2013_HappinessMatrix_1.png
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The Happiness Almanac
76. You Are Happier If
You …
76
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/2013_HappinessMatrix_1.png
The Happiness Almanac
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77. You Are Happier If
You Are Republican
77
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/39-3/
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The Happiness Almanac
78. You Are Happier If
You Move on to the Next
“Level”
78
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446563048
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The Happiness Almanac
79. You Are Happier If
All Components of Your
Being are Met
79
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Satir
The Happiness Almanac
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