5 Reasons to Be Happy Today

Marie Claire
Rene Mansi/iStock
Rene Mansi/iStock

Your world is actually improving! We dug deep for the good news about chocolate, sex, your paycheck, and more!

1. SEX MAKES YOU HAPPIER THAN SNAGGING $49,999.
Thought you couldn't put a price on a good sex life? Two economists did it. They calculated that, in terms of happiness, having sex more often is equal to getting a $50,000 raise. Now, if only we could charge our men overtime . . .

2. YOUR ODDS OF BEATING BREAST CANCER ARE BETTER THAN EVER.
Early detection and treatment has dramatically increased survival rates of breast-cancer patients since the 1990s. More than 90 percent of cases are now caught in the first and second stages, which yield 98- and 80-percent survival rates for five years, respectively.

3. LESS MONEY EQUALS MORE HAPPINESS.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, take note: Happiness researchers (yes, they exist) have found that as long as your basic needs are met, more wealth does not make you happier. In fact, it can actually trigger anxiety.

4. BOTOX CURES WRINKLES - AND INCONTINENCE!
Smooth skin? Check. Sweat-free armpits? Check. Now, researchers have discovered even more uses for Botox: soothing migraines, improving speech, and taming an overactive bladder. Our one concern: Just where exactly do they stick that needle?

5. IF YOU LAUGH A LOT, YOU CAN SKIP THE GYM.
After having subjects watch a 15-minute segment of the Woody Harrelson comedy Kingpin, cardiologists concluded that laughter creates the same increase in blood flow as aerobic exercise. Proof that our DVD collection was a better investment than our treadmill. Also proof that cardiologists need to see funnier movies.

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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.