Q. Happiness - who's got it, who's going to get it, who had it but lost it? A. Of 16 nations surveyed, including 170,000 interviewees, the Danes, Swedes, Australians and Swiss rated themselves highest on happiness and life-satisfaction scales. The Greeks and Portuguese gave themselves the lowest marks; Canadians and Americans were somewhere in the middle. (The Pursuit of Happiness by David G. Myers, and other sources).
The old are just as happy as the young. Within a given nation, the rich are only slightly happier than the poor. Some nations with lower per capita incomes such as Ireland rank higher on happiness scales than more affluent ones such as the US or Japan. Those with college degrees are generally no happier than high-school dropouts.
Based on studies of nearly 190,000 college students and adults in at least 39 countries, men and women are equally happy. For all the jokes about the 'state of holy matrimony', 39 per cent of married adults report being 'very happy' compared to 24 per cent of never-marrieds and 12 per cent of those divorced.
Life changes - positive or negative - may breed great happiness or unhappiness; more stable conditions lead to an emotional status quo. Thus recent lottery winners feel elated, but a year later are generally no happier than before. Accident victims who become paraplegics usually recover to nearly the same level of life satisfaction within a year or two. In times of general economic upward mobility, the change feels good. But let the economy go into a slide and even if most people have more than they did 10 or 15 years before, they're apt to feel unhappy.
Q. Flipping a coin usually yields around 50-50 heads or tails. But what if you spin the coin instead? A. Many spun coins also show 50-50, but others go strongly one way or the other, 65-35 or more, due to weight imbalances. If you secretly pre-test a few coins, then bet judiciously, you should have little trouble pinching a few pennies.
Q. What larger lesson is there in a trick used by a San Francisco restaurant to boost sagging clam sales? A. As reported by Robert Ornstein and Paul Erlich in New World, New Mind, when the head waiter pointed out to patrons a special on clams, he found few takers - until he modified his approach: 'The clams are very popular tonight, so if you want to start with them, I suggest you tell me now.' Bingo! A run on clams! Creating an artificial sense of scarcity is the essence not only of 'get them while they last' sales pitches but of auctions and bidding wars. And don't forget romance: a study of a Virginia singles bar showed patrons' looks ratings of the opposite sex soared as closing time neared, when the opportunity for meeting someone and striking up a conversation were was growing scarcer.
