HUMANS ARE OPTIMISTS FOR MOST OF LIFE _ Researchers did a big study to determine how optimistic people are in life and when — as well as how — major life events affect how optimistic they are about the future. Researchers from Michigan State University found that optimism continues to increase throughout young adulthood and seems to steadily plateau. The research found that even people with fairly bad circumstances, who have had tough things happen in their lives, look to their futures and life ahead and felt optimistic. The optimism decline into older adulthood. Researchers found that really hard things like deaths and divorce really didn’t change a person’s outlook to the future. They said this shows that a lot of people “likely subscribe to the ‘life is short’ mantra and realize they should focus on things that make them happy and maintain emotional balance.”
IF YOU WANT TO FEEL HAPPIER, DON’T BOTHER FAKING A SMILE _ For some reason, certain people feel it is their obligation to tell others to smile. The exchange usually goes something like this:
• Random person: Hey, you should smile!
• You: No, thank you.
• Random person: If you don’t feel like smiling that’s even more of a reason to do it! Did you know that just by smiling — even if you’re faking it — it’ll make you feel happier?
The aggressive smile-pushers are usually referring — whether they know it or not — to a 1988 study which found that people who were forced to smile thought that cartoons were funnier than those who did not smile. A more recent study found that forcing a smile doesn’t make most people happier. In fact, only about 7 percent of people who force a smile feel happier.
TAKE ‘MUGSHOTS’ OF YOUR PETS IN CASE THEY GET LOST _ Law enforcement experts suggest you have a number of good quality photos of your kids on your phone — the kind you can quickly share with police and on social media should the little ones become lost. In fact, photos of your kids in their different favorite outfits is really smart, so if your kid becomes lost — or worse — you can share a pretty accurate pic of how they look at the moment.… But don’t forget about your pets. You probably have more than a few funny photos and videos of the family pet on your phone, but do you have one that’s clear and straight-on? What about one from the side? When you get a minute, be sure to take some mugshots of your pets in case they get lost.
