Right after World War II, Ruth Crawford recalls, big weddings were a rarity for Americans. That's when she married the love of her life, but never got to wear a gorgeous dress. The 70-year-old widow still wished she had gotten to try on wedding dresses, when an organization called Second Wind Dreams came to her rescue.
In our day-to-day lives it is easy to overlook some of the smaller, simpler things that can disproportionally boost our happiness levels. Seven actionable steps have been shown by research to produce a happier life.
Having just performed at the Academy Awards, where he sang his Oscar-nominated hit "Happy" and danced with A-list actresses in the front row, Pharrell Williams is partnering with the United Nations Foundation to promote the annual International Day of Happiness, Thursday, March 20.
Economists testing the idea that happy employees work harder found that doses of chocolate or laughter made people 12% more productive at their jobs. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Warwick, included four different experiments with more than 700 participants.
Henry Engelhardt is proving you don't need a strict, no-nonsense management style to lead a successful multinational company. He does need a Ministry of Fun team dedicated to organizing keeping the staff happy.
Commuters in a Chicago area train station were asked to participate in an experiment. Instead of remaining isolated, like most commuters do, they agreed to talk to the stranger next to them. Cy the end of the train ride, commuters who talked to a person nearby reported having a more positive experience than those who had sat in solitude.
If you're happy and you know it, you probably live in Louisiana. At least that's what "Unhappy Cities," a paper recently released by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, indicates.
A Kent seaside town is today alive with color after volunteers painted its drab gray steps with hues of pink, yellow, lime and violet. A local community group, Ramsgate Town Team, was inspired by a story in the Good News Network about a Turkish man painting dozens of steps in his hometown.
In a recent Argentinian publication, Pope Francis revealed his Top 10 guidelines for achieving happiness. He advocated for playing more, especially with others and children, and toning down one's negativity. He advises us to care for the environment and work for peace. Most surprising to some will be #9.
The bright yellow smiley face is one of the most recognizable, iconic symbols across the globe. What many people don't know is that the original smiley face - which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - was actually created, not in the way depicted in the humorous 1994 Forest Gump scene, but in Massachusetts by local artist, Harvey Ball.
The civil engineers behind some of London's most iconic infrastructure projects have put on their dancing shoes to show the public how happy they are to be engineers.
At age 105, Pauline Page is still working on her bucket list, but she can now cross off a visit to see wild polar bears, reports the CBC.
These people chosen at random on the street didn't know how a big, clean plexiglass room would solve their stress but decided to step inside the "therapy office", close their eyes and give it a try. What happened next was an absolute delight.
An employee at McMaster University coffee shop displays exuberant happiness for every customer. Her dancing paid off when students bought her a surprise vacation.
By a vote of 71 to 26, the U.S. Senate Wednesday ratified the New START arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that will reduce each nation's nuclear arsenals to their lowest levels in more than a half century.
A California woman says her pet shih-tzu, missing for the past five years, amazingly reappeared on her doorstep last week -- even after the family had moved several times.
This week, a new rule went into effect for hospitals across the nation to ease the longtime burden on unmarried or gay partners who, until now, could be prohibited from visiting loved ones who may lie sick and dying without a hand to hold. The rule ensures that hospitals choosing to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs must respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.
Good news for California's water supply: Blessed with a brilliant blanket of early winter snow, California's snowpack is double its average for this time of year -- and the deepest it's been in 17 years.
It is a popular adage that good news doesn't sell when the mainstream media's motto seems to be, if it bleeds, it leads. Why then, are we seeing some of their most popular stories trumpeting triumphs of the heart? In the cases of the Chilean miners and the man with the golden voice, happy feelings of success have trumped every other news story around.
Anthony Robles, born without a right leg, won the US national collegiate wrestling title at 125 pounds on Saturday, completing an unbeaten senior season and an amazing career, earning him the Outstanding Wrestler award at the NCAA wrestling tournament.