happiness

We often think of gossip as a toxic habit, but new research indicates that it can actually be good for you - if you do it right.

1. A really good cup of coffee. Preferably it’s a hefty size—none of this “tall” stuff for me.

For Rachel Shukert, author of Everything is Going to Be Great: An Underfunded and Overexposed European Grand Tour, spending years traveling and working her way through Europe helped make her the happier, more self-assured woman she is today.

Making new friends can get tougher and tougher as you get older, but it's definitely a pursuit that can bring you a lot of happiness.

I live alone and, most of the time, I really like it. I like being able to shut the door on a apartment of my own - and more often than not, a mess that's all mine - and have the privacy and peace that comes with complete ownership of a space.