What do your purchases say about how happy you are?
- Sat Apr 07 2012
- Sarah Treleaven
According to a recent study reported by Tim Murphy in The New York Times - I Buy, Therefore I Am (Unless I Return It) - how you spend your money says a lot about how happy you are with your life. The study, by San Francisco State University, found that people who spend their money on experiences, including pricey meals and trips to Mexico City, are more extroverted, more adventurous and happier than those who spend their money on material things, like an expensive pair of red-soled shoes or a new couch for the living room. The study even found that experiential buyers are more likable and have less anxiety than people who spend their money on pretty things. Experiential buyers were also perceived as more charismatic than materialistic...
What do your purchases say about how happy you are?
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Happiness and the benefit of an emergency tea party
- Mon Mar 26 2012
- Sarah Treleaven
Like me, it's possible that you have never heard of Indian bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe, Manohar Aich - at least, I had never heard of him until earlier this week, when he turned 100 and offered some wise words about life and happiness.
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My happiest moment of 2011: Travelling in Istanbul
- Fri Jan 13 2012
- Sarah Treleaven
I'm spending a little time dwelling on my loveliest moments of 2011, so the whole thing doesn't just pass by in a messy blur. In part one, I talked about the wonderful rustic farm I visited with my family in the south of France. And for the remaining installments, I'm looking back at my other favourite travel moments of the year. This time, it's schvitzing in Istanbul.
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Do you need an adventure?
- Fri Aug 26 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
I'm leaving in two weeks for a three-month adventure. My plan is to visit the Surrealist Miro exhibit at the Tate Modern and then drink in pubs that serve savoury pies with friends in London.
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How to stop worrying before your next vacation
- Mon Aug 01 2011
- Astrid Van Den Broek
Ever had worries dampen a holiday? I know, for instance, that whenever I head overseas, my nagging concerns seem to chip away at my vacation sometimes. What if we lose our passports? What if we get lost? What if one of my kids gets really sick? What if someone steals our money?
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Happy to be home
- Mon May 30 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
I've spent the last year and a half traveling pretty consistently for work, and it's been thrilling. I've been to Greece, Hong Kong, Jamaica, India, Turks & Caicos, Mexico, Spain and a whole bunch of other amazing places. I have had my favourite leather boots stained by milk fresh from a goat on a mountaintop in Crete. I have received a deep tissue massage from a former Mr. Jamaica. I have written about a seemingly endless array of beauty treatments — from thalassotherapy to chocolate body wraps. And I have expanded my eating repetoire to include snake, turtle, crickets, ant eggs, gizzard and pretty much anything else that has been waved under my nose.
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Forget giving. Do you take enough?
- Mon May 02 2011
- Sarah Treleaven
Recently, I was in a small mountaintop village in Crete, watching an elderly woman work on a loom. (I know, I know. I didn't expect it, either.)
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