What Makes People Happy?

• Fido beats out Facebook.

A relationship with a pet was found to be a strong indicator of happiness, particularly among older women and singles. At the bottom of the list: our virtual relationships. Connecting with friends or family on a social media site like Facebook came in 37th out of 38 activities important to happiness.

• Money is no guarantee of happiness.

Feeling happy increases with income, and conversely, lack of resources is tied to unhappiness. Still, overall, less than a third of people said that money made them happy.

• Happiness is in your own hands.

Most people feel they have control over their own personal happiness — and that sense of control increases with age. What’s more, people who feel in control are clearly happier — reporting that they are more than twice as happy as those who think that happiness is out of their control.

You may also like: The full report on the happiness study. »