Archive for February, 2012

What Gives Happiness to People

February 28th, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

One night last week, both my two children were home. If you are in the 60’s with children in their 30’s who are never at home for love or word reasons, you will know how rare an opportunity it is. It’s like seeing the extinct dodo walking into your living room.

While both hummed to the tunes of the Grammy Award songs, which I found alien, I was surfing for advertising credits for my online business. I turned the tables on them when Glenn Campbell, invited to receive a Life Achievement award, belted out his famous Rhinestone Cowboy, which I gleefully sang along with. .

Was I happy? You bet. I was so happy that evening I had a smile on my face when I went to bed.

I am sure you, too, will, unless your children have the ethnic cleansing mindset prevalent in the Balkans a few years back.

What makes people happy?

While it is total drudgery to define happiness, it is easier to know what triggers our happy hormones to buzz like an agitated bee hive.

Family is one. Studies upon studies have shown that family and relationships make most people very happy. If things are not doing so well for you, the world is about to cave in, you are drowning, self-pity and doubt, no safety net is more assuring and life-giving than the embrace of family and friends.

But there are other triggers that make people so happy they can light up a city block. Here are some of them:

Meaningful work:

Have you ever engaged in something you liked so much you lost track of time and physical comfort? Forgot to eat and forego sleep?

Psychologists call this the “flow” experience. You “flow:” with activities that captures your soul, your entire being, like those passionately engaged in music, gardening, cooking, doing one’s sport, writing or anything that gives you a high level of self-satisfaction. Nothing else matters but what you are passionately pursuing for.

It makes you ecstatic, right?

Forgiving:

People who cannot forgive will always have feelings of anger lurking beneath

their façade of civility. Over time, this negative emotion will have an unwholesome effect on their health; makes them sick physically, psychologically or both.

If you want to be really happy, learn to forgive. Forgiving is an ingredient of love. With love in your heart, infectious happiness, like a spring, shall gush forth from within.

Being grateful:

When was the last time you said “Thank you” and really meaning it? Didn’t it make you feel ten feet taller? It’s like walking in the clouds.

To be grateful is to rid yourself of the nagging feeling that you are not appreciative of others for what they did for you. Being grateful is to be thoughtful and considerate.

Sharing:

I once was a part of a medical mission for indigents. And were there plenty of them. I was in crowd control but I ended controlling my temper from the seemingly endless stream of people pushing and shoving to get free medical attention.

For an entire day, I was put on the “edge” in trying to put order into an almost riotous crowd. But at the end of the day, when those who came were attended to, and given a day’s supply of drugs, the happiness I felt far outweighed all the discomforts I had to endure.

Sharing need not be financial which, I am sure, a lot of people would not mind. It can be your time, skills, talents, or any form of giving that will make a difference in the lives of those desperately needing them.

Faith:

It is often said that those who are strong in faith lead the happiest lives. They may not be jumping with joy, but they have blissful inner peace.

Faith gives people a sense of direction, a purpose which leads to a high sense of well-being and happiness.

Which would you rather be in, a boat with a rudder or one without?

The above are the most common triggers that make people happy, according to psychologists and behavioral scientists. There are others like personal freedom, positive thinking, good health, etc.

People are complex creatures and what is true for one is not necessarily true for others. Besides, happiness is a choice. You can be in a vacuum but still feel happy about it if you choose to be.

Donate $ 1.00 and make an orphan happy!


Comments Off

, ,

What was Your Valentine’s Day Kiss Like

February 14th, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.
Today is Valentine’s Day. Together with cards, flowers, gifts, dinners and getting lost somewhere to be consumed with passion with a loved one, is the most essential kiss. Valentine’s Day is not complete without it – lots of it. Otherwise it would be like offering a toast without the wine.

Why do people love to kiss? A search in google showed millions of searches for a good answer to this question. Isn’t it so far out? I mean, after having existed for more than 4.7 million years (when man parted ways with the apes) we are still searching for good answers to the question.

The plain answer to this, without being too clinical or be involved with philematologists, is that we love to kiss because it feels good.

By the way, a philematologist is a guy who studies the anatomy and the evolution of kissing. No sense in discussing it today. What is important is to savor the wonder and excitement of a Valentine’s Day kiss.

I would not ask you what it was like. That would be like asking how your ice cream was after consuming a large serving of it. Besides, there is no measure how much you should kiss and how good it should make you feel.

But here some kissing facts you should know:

1.  Kissing and micro-organisms:

A wet kiss passes a few million micro-organisms between kissing partners. These are a small part of the billions of bacteria that live happily on our teeth, and on the soft fleshy surfaces of our mouths like the tongue

But don’t let this scare you from experiencing a most enjoyable and fulfilling expression of love and affection. These are generally harmless.

Have you ever heard of people dying from infection due to kissing? I mean the lips?

2.  A kiss relieves stress:

A good, torrid and passionate kiss, as one lady friend describes it, increases the amount of the hormone, oxytocin, in the brain. This hormone is thought to reduce stress and elevate feelings of happiness.

3.  A kiss is a natural pain killer:

Aside from oxytocin, kissing also releases other feel-good stuff in our bodies like dopamine, phenylethylamine, and endorphins.

Dopamine is responsible for creating feelings of pleasure and motivation to engage in pleasurable activities. Endorphins relieve body pains leading to feelings of euphoria while phenylethylamine, an alkaloid, influences mood and attention.

These neurotransmitters, when released in the body, give you sensations of giddiness and euphoria.

Simply speaking, they make you horny.

4.  It increases your emotional connection:

A good, passionate kiss connects you and your partner. It can be the most intimate exchange between two people.

Gifts and flowers are good. But without a kiss, they are just empty symbols of thoughtfulness. Kissing is connectivity. It is not a symbol but an expression. .

5.  It burns calories:

Surprised? So am I! A good kiss is said to burn two calories per minute Think of how many more calories you burn from the collateral activities a kiss can lead to.

Yes, jogging is great. But kissing is more enjoyable and it can potentially make you burn more calories. You know what I mean?

6.   Kissing turns you on:

Between the nose and the mouth is an organ called the vomeronasal organ. This detects the pheromones, which are chemical messages sent between members of the same species.

Its role is still not known specifically except that researchers think they signal sexual arousal and increase attraction towards appropriate partners.

So how was your Valentine’s Day kiss?

Donate $ 1.00 and give an orphan a life.


Comments Off

, ,

Valentine’s Day and Engelbert Humperdinck

February 10th, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

Next week, on February 14, will be Valentine’s Day. Across the U.S. and other Christian countries candies, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones. Millions of wallets across the world will be a little lighter on that day.

Approximately 150 million Valentine’s Day cards will be exchanged, making it the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

But who is St. Valentine and how did he become the patron saint of love and lovers?

I tried to find good answers to these questions but his origins and how he rose to significance are a little bit murky and spending time on these will just, I am afraid,   dampen the spirit of the occasion.

As luck would have it, as it normally does, I came across an interview on Engelbert Humperdinck concerning his views on Valentine’s Day in particular and love in general.

Rather than dwell on the origins of Valentine’s Day, I thought it best to share it with you. I find his answers so peculiar, yet endearing.

Here are the excerpts to that interview:

Is Valentine’s Day overrated or does it deserve its special observance?

I know that there are those who say that every day should be Valentine’s Day, but the reality is that it is only that way for a very few. Life and all its hurrying get in the way, and sometimes the heart is left unattended…… We supercharge our hearts and souls when we set aside a special day to celebrate the love we have for one another.

I have decades worth of cards tucked away for a rainy or lonely day….. The bottom line is that if there is honesty behind the words, “I love you,” “Goodnight,” and “Good morning, my love,” everyday, then I will have to concur…. that “Each day is Valentine’s Day.”

How do you keep your love life interesting and exciting?

The main ingredient to my love life is music. Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” I believe music has fed my life and my love…..

Bu the fact that I am gone from home a great deal is a big factor in keeping things fresh and exciting. We make a big deal out of farewells, and homecomings. I guess, in that way, we don’t take each other for granted, because the road is always calling and we make the most of the time we share together.

What’s your unique and most unforgettable romantic relationship?

I’ve had two – one with my wife, Patricia, and the other with my mistress, “music.” Both are the keepers of my heart.

What’s the worst thing you did after a breakup?

I can’t discuss the worst thing I ever did….only the hardest thing.

Since I am still obviously married, the worst heartache of my life was over the woman who loved me first and probably love me the most – my mother.

When I lost her, I followed her wishes and carried on with my shows. It was the hardest thing I ever did. Under the spotlight, there is no hiding from raw emotions.

Not all of us can sing as well and Engelbert Humperdinck and, definitely, most of us will never be as famous as he is. But we can love the way he loves, we can bleed the way he bled, we can cherish each moment we have with our loved ones. We can share a part of ourselves with those we love.

Donate $ 1.00 and give an orphan a life.


Comments Off

, , ,

Are You Happy

February 7th, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

Are you happy?

Before you reach into the deepest parts of your soul to see if you are, let me share with you the best answer to this question from Yahoo Answers.

A guy answered,

“When I read letters written 100 years ago, I realize that we are certainly not more  literate than 100 years ago. I once thought that fame and fortune would get me happiness. When I got close to fame and fortune, I realized that I didn’t have the wisdom to use them to create happiness. I acquired wisdom and have been trying to recapture fame and fortune.”

I am sure you can get the idea what this guy is talking about but cannot, with certainty, say that he is happy.

I can’t blame you. Happiness is an elusive thing, not because it is difficult to have or experience but because it can mean different to different people.

So let’s get down to basics and see what others say about happiness.

What is happiness?

By definition it is, “A state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.”

If you take it at its face value, it seems to be a good definition of the word. But if you exercise a bit of rational thinking, you will be disconcerted with word “emotion” as the bedrock of happiness because sadness is an emotion; so is anger, envy, depression, guilt and more.

Then Ayn Rand wrote, “Happiness is a state of non-contradictory joy – a joy without penalty or guilt. Happiness is possible only to a rational man…..”

I see a big disconnect between this statement and a mentally deranged guy near my place who sits on a road railing the entire day, wishing nothing, feeling nothing but never failing to give a smile to anyone who passes by.

For all I care, he could be a lot happier than any of us.

Ruling out rationality:

Ruling out rationality as an ingredient to happiness, I find solace in what Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, says of happiness. He says:

“People want to be happy. To achieve this they must do two things. First, they must predict how they will feel in a variety of possible futures, and, second, they must act to bring about the best of these and avoid the worst. Although it seems that knowing what will make us happy is easier than getting it, research in psychology and behavioral economics tells a different story. People not only have trouble predicting the future, they have trouble in predicting how much they will like it when they get there….

Is it a little too academic for you? Don’t worry. He is essentially saying that knowing what makes us happy is easier than actually getting it, not because it is difficult to get it but because a lot of us will not be happy what we get.

Right now, the prize money of lotto in my place is in one of its all-time highs. Naturally people are lining up to buy tickets. Their reasons are too varied to fill a good-size book. Bottom line is that they want to have money to be happy. Some have defied the odds and actually won millions. Did that make them happy?

Statistics would show that they, after the initial euphoria of having won the jackpot died down and they indulged in the spending spree of their lives, ultimately ended up where they were before winning.

Are you happy?

I hope to hear your thoughts on this by commenting on this post. That would make me very happy.

Donate $ 1.00 and give an orphan a life.


Comments Off

, , ,

Eat Well, Live Longer

February 5th, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

Do you want to live longer?

Hypothetical the question may be, surveys show that most people do want to live long, but not longer. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

Not for 75% of those surveyed who want to live long but not to a very old age of 100. Gosh, that’s quite a dream when the people I know consider living up to 70 a bonus.

I hope to live as long as I can, but not to a specific number of years.

I find some disconnect in the words live and long. If your life is bereft of happiness and ridden with illnesses, living long may just prolong your misery a little longer.

At any rate, to live longer is a not a matter of choice but a function of genetics, life style, environment and the food you eat.

You cannot do much about genetics and the other two are usually self-created. But these foods, health experts suggest, can give you a few mores years of life:

These are:

Chocolate:

A 2011 study of Harvard School of Public Health showed that the flavonoids in cacao are associated with reduced blood pressure, improve blood vessel health, control cholesterol levels and general blood flow – all are protection against heart disease.

Before jumping with joy and splurge on chocolate, however, be informed that  80% of the chocolate bars you pick off grocery racks are pure sugar and have no flavonoids at all.

If you hope to get the most out of chocolate, munch on something that contains 70 to 75% cocao. Or you can take food supplements that contain no less than 400 to 450 mg of cacao flavonoids.

Coffee:

Not a coffee drinker? Better start doing drinking now – decaf or caffeinated.

No, you don’t have to drink a tank-full of coffee each day, either. One to three cups a day are sufficient to protect you from prostate problems.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health are not sure if there are other active substances in coffee, aside from caffeine, that are responsible for their surprising findings. But they did observe that men who regularly drink coffee have 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer and 60% lower risk of getting lethal prostate cancer compared to those who don’t.

Watercress:

This is a fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, green leafy plant native to Europe and Asia. It holds the distinction of being one of the earliest vegetables consumed by man.

Another distinction is that a compound in watercress can “turn off” the signal that sends the flow of blood to a tumor, stopping it in its tracks.

Through a limited study done by England’s University of Southampton, watercress was observed to inhibit the growth of breast cancer tumors. Although the study was limited and needs more research, they suggested that it can do no harm to add watercress into your diet.

Walnuts:

Most nuts are considered superfoods because of their high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, like omeg-3a, which help lower bad cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.

However, in a 2011 study in Scranton University in Philadelphia, scientists were able to show that walnuts contain twice the amount of antioxidants per ounce than peanuts and almonds – the most popular nuts consumed in the U.S.

This means that walnuts are not only good to help lower cholesterol levels, they  also help manage your weight by providing satisfying heart-healthy fats and protein.

Olive oil:

Olive oil has long been associated with the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.

Recent studies among the elderly show that those who regularly consume olive oil were 41% less likely to suffer stroke compared to those who do not.

Researchers cannot exactly pin the reason for this except to infer that the oleic acid in olive oil decreases the body’s absorption of saturated fats.

Apples:

A study done by the Florida State University among postmenopausal women showed that those who ate 75 grams of dried apples a day had a 23% drop in LDL or bad cholesterol and a 4$ increase in HDL, the good cholesterol, compared to those who did not.

What’s more, they also found out that the 240 calories from the apple slices did not cause the participants to gain weight. In fact,, they lost 3.3 lbs over the course of the study.

Whole grains:

Whole grains are food types that contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.

If the grain was processed (cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded and/or cooked), the food product must, approximately, have the same rich balance of nutrients of the original grain seed.

A new study found that whole grains, i.e., stone-ground whole-grain bran, brown rice, and oatmeal, can help protect against coronary heart disease and improves digestive health.

They improve insulin sensitivity, making you control your sugar levels and slows down the body’s absorption of cholesterol, resulting to a lower risk of heart disease.

Red wine:

In moderation, red wind consumption has been found to give you positive health benefits.

According to the researchers from the University of Florida, its concentration of reservatrol, polyphenol compound, has anti-aging properties, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and is also an anti-oxidant

It also increases HDL and lowers LDL, has a modest effect on blood pressure, dilates blood vessels to improve blood flow to the brain and heart and lowers insulin resistance.

Researchers, however, caution against over-consumption, to the point of becoming an alcoholic.

The above have been studied to give you a few more years of life if consumption is within healthy limits. They are easy to reach, inexpensive and requires no special diet plans to ingest.

Donate $ 1.00 and give an orphan a life.


Comments Off

, , ,

Things You Should Know about Aromatherapy

February 2nd, 2012

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.

Have you tried aromatherapy? A what? You might ask with much incredulity.

Well, long before we had doctors, or the precursors of one, there were people who gathered herbs and flowers, extracted oil from them, and used these to treat various illnesses in that period.

But with the advent of modern and traditional medicine, it faded into obscurity, except for some hardy followers who kept in the shadows for fear of being laughed at.

Now, with more and more people wanting to find miracle cures for a myriad of health issues never known before, it is given a new and fresh look.

What is aromatherapy?

It is one of those non-traditional medicine types uses essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds to improve a person’s health or mood.

The theory behind aromatherapy is that the inhalation and absorption of these essential oils stimulate the part of the brain connected to smell – the olfactory system. The olfactory system them sends signals to the limbic system – the part of the brain which controls emotions, giving people a relaxed feeling, calm or even stimulated.

What are these essential oils made of?

An essential oil is, well, an “oil” taken from the distillation of the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other parts of a plant.

The term “oil”: is a misnomer because these distillates do not have an oily-felling at all. Maybe it was coined for lack of a better term then.

Most oils are clear, but those from patchouli, orange and lemongrass are amber or yellow.

They contain the true essence of the plant it was derived from and are highly concentrated that a little amount can go a long way.

Aromatherapy and happiness:

What comes into your mind at the mention of the word “aromatherapy?”

For most people, aromatherapy and its essential oils are always connected with emotional well-being.

Although they admit that it should not be considered a miracle cure for serious emotional issues, but it can assist, sometimes greatly, cure some of these. They are vague, however, what these emotional issues are.

They claim that the proper use of these oils “may enhance your emotional outlook and provide support and help balance your emotions during the day.

Aromatherapy and the elderly:

Aromatherapy works by the absorption and inhalation of the essentials oils by the body through massage or bath treatments.

In the past several years, a number of clinical studies were done to see its effects on the elderly. These studies showed a significant impact on behavioral problems among patients with dementia.

They also showed these positive results, among others:

-   Increased alertness, raised motivation, reduced levels of agitation, wandering and withdrawal;

-   Some essential oils affect the nervous system and reduced blood pressure;

-  The relaxing and calming effects through massage, bath and inhalation therapies relieve stress, tensions and anxieties;

-  Some essential oil blends have been found to be good for dry, cracked skin and bed sores;

-  Lavender essential oil is an anti-depressant, antibacterial, astringent, analgesic, antispasmodic, anticonvulsive, deodorant, diuretic, etc.

What do the critics say?

Of course, it has its critics, too.

Unbelievers consider aromatherapy unscientific and wishful thinking; that, though it makes you feel good, it cannot make you well.

Well, I guess this is again a case of “Food to one is poison to another.”

I used to go to a Thai massage parlor that uses a lot of these oils. Though I am not against aromatherapy, but I can’t stand the smell of these oils.

Donate $ 1.00 and give an orphan a life.


Comments Off

, ,

     
     

HFO (Happiness and Fitness Online)

Rock-kitty.net