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Showing posts from 2012

Stumbling on Happiness

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We overestimate how happy we will be on our birthdays, we underestimate how happy we will be on Monday mornings, and we make these mundane but erroneous predictions again and again, despite their regular disconfirmation. Do you dread going to work, going to the gym or to that family gathering? How do you really feel when you finally get there or after? It’s often very different from your prediction. Some things that look like an enormous chore to do in the future are actually very fulfilling in the moment and afterward… like, oh, blogging. So how do we fix this? Easy. Look at other people, what they do, and how they react in the moment: This trio of studies suggests that when people are deprived of the information that imagination requires and are thus forced to use others as surrogates, they make remarkably accurate predictions about their future feelings, which suggests that the best way to predict our feelings tomorrow is to see how others are feeling today. “But I’m differe

Most Lucky / unlucky Countries on this Planet

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Most Lucky Countries on this Planet (Happy Planet Index score): 1. Costa Rica (64,0) 2. Vietnam(60,4) 3. Colombia (59,8) 4. Belize (59,3) 5. El Salvador (58,9) 6. Jamaica (58,5) 7. Panama(57,8) 8. Nicaragua (57,1) 9. Venezuela (56,9) 9. Guatemala (56,9) 11. Bangladesh (56,3) 12. Cuba(56.2) 13. Honduras (56,0) 14. Indonesia (55,5) 15. Israël (55,2) 16. Pakistan (54,1) 16. Argentinië (54,1) 16. Albanië (54,1) 19. Chili (53,9) 20. Thailand (53,5) Most Unlucky Countries on this Planet: 132. Benin (31,1) 133. Tanzania (30,7) 134. Democratic Republic Congo (30,5) 134. Burundi (30,5) 136. Trinidad en Tobago (30,3) 137. Guinee (30,0) 138. Luxemburg (29,0) 139. Sierra Leone (28,8) 140. Macedonië (28,3) 141. Togo (28,2) 141. South Africa (28.2) 143. Koeweit (27,1) 144. Niger (26,8) 144. Mongolië (26,8) 146. Bahrein (26,6) 147. Mali (26,0) 148. Central-Afrikan Republic (25,3) 149. Qatar (25,2) 150. Tsjaad (24,7) 151

How to get Happy

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Thirteen pillars of happiness that, with practice, will help you build a happier life.       1. MEALS: be peaceful, show gratitude, avoid overeating and overdrinking, eat with friends 2. SLEEP: sleep in a comfortable bed, let in fresh air, cultivate a quiet mind, recover from sleep deprivation 3. WORK: make your commute more pleasant, improve your relationships with coworkers, become more engaged with your work 4. RELATIONSHIPS: nurture your relationships with your family and friends, avoid toxic interactions 5. RECREATION: engage in regular exercise, learn some fun skills such as music or painting 6. CRESCENDO: be frugal, postpone expenses, save the best for last 7. SOCIAL COMPARISON: avoid envy, be modest, celebrate others' successes, praise and give credit 8. GLASS HALF FULL: reframe, accept imperfections, emphasize positives 9. SMALL SIPS: space out your consumption, build craving, cultivate varied interests 10. CUMULATION: c

Lucky Money !

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    Cash made money for charity as interest from banknote collectors in East Asia helped push up the bidding at a Bank of England auction. One £50 note was sold for £820 in the auction because it had the serial number AA01 000888. Early serial numbers on new notes are popular among collectors and the number eight is considered lucky in many countries of East Asia. The auction raised more than £50,000 for charity, the Bank said. The amount raised was much higher than the pre-sale estimate of £33,000. The proceeds will go to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, and the Kids Company. 'Flourishing' The auction was run by specialists Spink, which waived commission for the auction. (read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19755936 ) Creative Commons Your 12 Lucky Lottery Number Calculators are here: Lucky Numbers 4U .

Being lucky isn't completely beyond our control

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" being lucky isn't completely beyond our control . Fundamentally, your brain doesn't like or want to believe in randomness. It always believes you have some control, even when you don't. For instance, craps players throw dice less forcefully when they want low numbers, as if that will make a difference: -------------------------- Nonetheless, many studies have shown that gamblers will bet more and continue gambling longer if they do have a personal role in these fundamentally random events. In some cases, this even affects the style of the particular actions involved in the game. For example, craps players tend to throw the dice with less force when trying to roll low numbers."   -------------------------- "One of the primary ways good luck operates is by increasing self-confidence. It's the placebo effect. And that's why wishing someone luck works: Activating a positive superstitious belief can boost people's confidence, which in t

Happy people ?

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"Researchers... found that happy people are ten times more likely to be other-oriented than self-centered. This suggests that happiness is a by-product of helping others rather than the result of its pursuit." Most life goals can be placed in one of two opposing camps: personal happiness or service to others. In other words, goals are typically self-oriented or other-oriented. The problem is that pursuing one type of goal comes at the expense of goals in the other camp. So who is the happiest— a person who devotes his time to the pursuit of personal happiness or the person who devotes his life to helping others? The following brief exercise may help you fashion an answer to that question, which is one of life’s most fundamental. First, list ten people whom you know well. Next, rate each person as either happy or unhappy. Finally, rate each person as either self-centered or other-oriented. Do you see a pattern? Researchers have: they’ve found that happy people are t

What is your lucky number ?

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Do you have a lucky number? If you are a perfectly rational person, yet you continue to buck statistics and gravitate toward certain digits, you aren't alone. "People have been doing this for centuries," said B. Sidney Smith, a mathematician and founder of the website PlatonicRealms.com. "Numbers underlying reality is an ancient tradition that pops up in all civilizations historically." He cited Pythagoras, the Greek philospher and mathematician whose theories are still used today "Once Western civilization became a faith-based society, numbers had this mystical tinge and it became a dangerous thing, like it was secret and naughty," he said. "My degree is in mathematical logic, so I'm a doctor of rationality. (Believing in lucky numbers) has nothing to do with mathematics, which is all logic and reasoning — but that doesn't make it any less beautiful or interesting." ( More  !) Creative Commons Your eleven Lucky Lottery Num

The secret to winning !

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Of course, it may not be which numbers you choose, but where you choose them that makes the difference. Greystanes in NSW topped the list of Australia's top 20 lotto-winning suburbs for 2009, now being home to $9.4 million in new Lotto winnings. But that amount was shared between only two winners. If you're looking for the spot that struck it lucky the most often, you'd need to travel to Perth in WA or Campbelltown in NSW, with four winners each. So you have to ask, are they winning more often because they're buying more tickets in these places? "That's not necessarily true," Croucher says. "You could buy one and I could buy 50 and you could still win. Of course, it does increase your chances if you buy more tickets, but it doesn't guarantee a win. Basically, the luckiest suburbs are random, and it all comes back to that statistical variation." Which means that hightailing it to Greystanes to buy your next ticket won't necessarily impr

Lucky or Unlucky Numbers in China

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In Chinese, numbers has a far richer meaning than being a tool for counting. Superstitions are popular among Chinese people. For example, do you ever wonder why the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games was held at 8:08pm on August 8th of 2008? That’s because the number 8 is regarded as a very lucky number in China. Unlucky numbers in China In western culture, the number 13 and Friday are unlucky. Similarly, Chinese also has a unlucky number, that is 4. Since its pronunciation is like that of the word “die”, it is considered as unlucky. So while choosing phone number, car number and other numbers, people are likely to avoid 4. Lucky numbers in China On the contrary, 6, 8, and 9 are lucky numbers since their pronunciation are similar to that of “smoothly” “gain fortune” and “long and forever” respectively. The dates with these three numbers are most likely to be chosen as the day of inauguration, founding of a company and wedding. Generally, numbers are associated with speci

Lucky Numbers - the mathematics of chance.

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Lucky numbers: Marcus du Sautoy explains the mathematics of chance - video The Oxford mathematician introduces the everyday maths of probability, including why the casino always wins at roulette and how to maximise your chances of scooping a fortune in a lottery. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2012/apr/05/patterns-nature-lucky-numbers-video Creative Commons Your eleven Lucky Lottery Number Generators are here: LuckyNumbers 4U .

BirthDate and Lucky Lottery Numbers !

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Use Your Lucky Numbers Using your lucky number can be one of the best strategies in choosing the winning lottery numbers. Find out your lucky number using astrology or just by adding the digits in your birth date. For example, if your birth date is 26th January 1987 then your lucky number will be, 2+6+1+1+9+8+7=34, 3+4=7. Else you can go for your lucky number as per your horoscope given in newspaper. Use numerology to find out your lucky number. With the help of some websites you can research further and find out your lucky number and use it for lottery. You can even choose a number that has been lucky for you in your life. Use Birth Dates Picking winning lottery numbers with the help of birth dates of the family members, can be one more such method. You can even use important dates in your life like, your wedding anniversary, or any special date that has a special importance in your relationship. You may also use the birth dates of your close friends to pick the lottery number.

how to get a positive expected rate of return on a lottery ticket

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So goes popular opinion: the lottery’s an egregious societal evil implemented and overseen by shape-shifting, blood-drinking reptilian aliens. And that may be largely true – designed to slowly and quietly bleed dry your pockets – that is, unless you learn to drive it. Assuming drawings actually are random, all the science in the world can’t help you pick the winning numbers. But some fiendishly simple stats can make the dollar you put down likely to win back that dollar and more. Don’t pick the number one. It’s on about 15 percent of all tickets. Similarly, avoid lucky numbers 7, 13, 23, 32, 42, and 48. Better are 26, 34, 44, 45, and especially overlooked number 46. Avoid any recognizable pattern, but give slight preference to numbers at the edge of the ticket, which are underused. In mathematical terms, picking a unique ticket makes the jackpot look bigger and thus your lottery dollar look smarter. More... Creative Commons Your eleven Lucky Lottery Number Generators are her