Would you be happier if you spent more time discussing the state of the world and the meaning of life — and less time talking about the weather?

A new study published in Psychological Science finds that people who have a greater number of substantive conversations are more likely to rate themselves as happy. In fact, the researchers found that the happiest participants spent about 70 percent more time talking and had twice as many substantive conversations as the unhappiest participants. And, the happiest students had roughly one-third less small talk.

(READ MORE of the story at the New York Times )