happy

It wasn't until after I had eagerly hopped into the kayak, shoved my life jacket into the boat's cavity and grabbed my paddle that I realized what an odd moment this was.

There are many things I am happy to be in denial about. That my weekly indulgences in pork belly, terrines, and ripe cheeses can't possibly hurt as long as I periodically eat a seaweed salad and unroll my yoga mat.

I think I'm doing pretty well at being a woman. But if I'm honest with myself, I've been a lousy girl. So I'm trying some new, not entirely successful stuff...

How do couples most commonly make each other happy and unhappy? We asked Kate Figes, author of Couples: The Truth, to share some of her exhaustive research on the topic.

Music’s a natural mood-booster (or mood-downer, depending on what you’re playing), wouldn’t you agree? And if you hit shuffle on my iPod, here’s a happy list of tunes that might come up.