Blue Zones: Guide to Happiness

[StarBright]

Couldn't find if someone had already posted this.
The Blue Zone guy has a new book about happiness and an interview in the Atlantic and it is pretty darn mustachian. The take away:

In terms of choosing a place to live, people who live near water—whether it’s a lake or river or an ocean—are about 10 percent more likely to be happy than people who don’t. And people who live in medium-sized cities are more likely to be happy than the anonymity of a big city or perhaps the too in-your-face, limited-possibility environment of a tiny town. You’re more likely to be happy if your house has a sidewalk, and if you live in a bikeable place.

Financial security is also, obviously, huge. It really does deliver more happiness over time than most anything that money can be spent on—after your needs are taken care of and you maybe treat yourself occasionally. If you have money left over, you’re much better paying down your mortgage or buying insurance or signing up for an automatic savings plan than you are buying a new gadget or new pair of shoes.

But the whole thing is worth a read.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/10/get-rid-of-everything/543384/

[EmFrugal]

The hell-bent pursuit of purpose kind of loses the point a little bit, because there is value in the sum of positive emotions we experience every day. So if all you’re doing is pursuing your purpose, or if all you’re doing is very goal-oriented, you forgo joy today for a perceived better future. We now know that humans reliably mis-predict what will make them happy in the future. You could work your butt off, pursue your purpose, become financially independent, and get there and realize “Oh, my life sucks.”

This part of the article reminds me of some posts I've seen recently on this forum from those who are burning out from their early retirement goal. They have been so head-down, focused on that end goal that they are forgetting to find value and meaning in their daily lives.