Happiness peaks at ages 23 and 69

Mick Jagger, aged 69, should be experiencing one of the happiest years of his life, according to a new study ( …

We enjoy life the most during our young adult lives and again when we are on the cusp of becoming septuagenarians.

However, the long years in between appear to present many emotional peaks and valleys. That’s according to a new study, which finds that the two happiest years of a person’s life are 23 and 69.

The results of the study are being published this week by the Center for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.

“One theory is that the U-shape is driven by unmet aspirations which are painfully felt in midlife but beneficially abandoned later in life,” Princeton researcher Hannes Schwandt, who led the London School of Economics study, told the Daily Mail.

Other recent studies have attempted to track happiness to economic security. For example, a 2010 Princeton study found that personal wealth does affect one’s respective happiness but only up to about $75,000. Beyond that, other studies have found that personal relationships and physical health are more intricately tied to happiness.

Another article published today looks at the “10 Habits of Happiness,” which include gratitude lists, getting enough sleep and spending time outdoors.

For the study, Schwandt and his team compared happiness levels for 23,161 Germans between the ages of 17 and 85.

Schwandt said individuals enter a lowered state of happiness at around age 55, when they begin to negatively analyze the various unrealized accomplishments in their lives. However, at around age 60, the happiness level begins a steady uptick as those same people move beyond their past regrets and enter a level of acceptance.

“People in their fifties could learn from the elderly, who generally feel less regret,” he said. “They should try not to be frustrated by their unmet expectations because they are probably not feeling much worse than their peers.”

However, the study found that happiness again begins to decline as individuals move into their 70s.

And if you want to take part in your own happiness survey, there’s a new app that lets users track their personal happiness and upload data that will be analyzed as part of a larger happiness study by the Harvard University Committee for the Use of Human Subjects.

View the original article here

Comic Con: 16 hours in line and thousands of dollars spent

Thousands of fans wait in line to attend a presentation in Comic Con's
Ballroom 20 (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo! Ne …Want to be first in line for a coveted seat inside Comic Con's Ballroom 20 or Hall H? You might want to get used to sleeping outdoors.

And just waiting for the opportunity to spend hours in line will set you back a pretty penny.

"For panels you'll spend most time in line," attendee Andrew Dinglasan told Yahoo! News. "We've been here since 4pm yesterday."

Dinglasan and his friends had already waited more than 16 hours in line to attend a panel on anime inside Ballroom 20. The ballroom is Comic Con's second biggest venue, only trailing behind the infamous Hall H, home to the biggest panel presentations put on by the major television and movie studios.

"Being in front of the line is a big deal," added Max Gamble, an attendee not in costume but whose actual name puts him in good company with the thousands waiting in line. "You realize most at the convention is spent in line. So, you have to pick and choose what you really want to see."

Andrew Dinglasan and Max Gamble celebrate their front of line
victory at Comic Con (Eric Pfeiffer/Yahoo! Ne …

And then there's the cost. Technically, a ticket to Comic Con is only $175. But for most attendees there are travel expenses, hotel accommodations, meals, and the oh so precious fan merchandise and memorabilia on sale.

For example, attendee Jeff DeLeeuw told Yahoo! News he spent about $400 for his round trip flight to San Diego from Seattle. He's crammed into a two bedroom hotel with seven other friends still spent about $200 a night for the cramped accommodations. Other individuals spend upwards of $1,000 per night for a room within walking distance of the San Diego Convention Center. Even a hotel several miles away can cost upwards of $500 per night, if you're lucky enough to even book one.

DeLeeuw said he's budgeted around $200 to spend on toys, even though he said they aren't a priority for him.

And let's not forget about food. "We by about $100 in groceries each day and split those," DeLeeuw said.

"You basically start saving throughout the year," Gamble added. "But yeah, it's definitely worth it."

View the original article here

Would-be mermaid banned from Fla. pool

LITHIA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman has been banned from swimming in her community's pool because she wants to wear a mermaid tail.

Jenna Conti, who lives in the FishHawk Ranch subdivision, had been in the Aquatic Club pool with her custom-made tail once before with the staff's approval. But last week, employees told her it violated a policy against swim fins. On Monday night, the FishHawk Community Development board voted to keep her out of the pool because of the swim fin policy.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/1aTxMPm) reports that Conti's dream is to swim at the Florida Aquarium, which features mermaid performers.

The full-time hair stylist hasn't been a mermaid for very long. She and her 10-year-old son saw the mermaids at the Tampa Bay Renaissance Fair earlier this year, and she says she was "enthralled."

View the original article here