Monday, December 08, 2008
An infectious laugh!
The Washington Post reports that scientists have found that happiness is contagious and can spread like a virus. The study was conducted over 20 years on more than 4,700 people and demonstrates that people who are happy or become happy boost the chances that someone they know will be happy.
In HOW HAPPY CAN YOU BE?, filmmaker Line Hatland, who admits to not being as happy as she'd like to be, seeks answers to this question by interviewing and showing the work of some of the world's leading researchers on happiness, or "objective well being," including psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and neuroscientists.Labels: happiness, medecine, science, sociology, study
Shopping for DNA testing in SoHo
The company Navigenics has opened a temporary store in the trendy and luxury brand-friendly SoHo neighborhood hoping to create awareness for their DNA analysis services, reports The New York Times. After parting with $2,500 and a bit of your saliva, you will get a full report on your risks of contracting one of 18 conditions such as cancer, heart attack or Alzheimer's. Navigenics is the latest company to jump into the new lucrative market of genetic testing for consumers.
This new business model is at the heart of TRACKED DOWN BY OUR GENES. The film shows how the scientific breakthrough of DNA mapping is allowing us to trace our ancestors? footprints, and in a new age of genetic awareness, is generating hundreds of companies offering tests to determine ancestry, paternity, and hereditary diseases.
Labels: biology, ethics, health, science
And the Pursuit of Happiness...
In its April issue, The New York Review of Books examines the latest (and numerous) books on happiness as well as articles and essays on the subject.
In HOW HAPPY CAN YOU BE?, filmmaker Line Hatland, who admits to not being as happy as she'd like to be, seeks answers to this question by interviewing and showing the work of some of the world's leading researchers on happiness, or "objective well being," including psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and neuroscientists. Labels: anthropology, happiness, health, philosophy, psychology, science