There are many signs that spring has sprung: buds on the leaves, robins start to appear, and so on. What do you look for?
Share why if you wish.
Month: March 2026
Can You Change Your Default Happiness?
If you rank your normal level of happiness on a scale of 1 to 10, can you increase that number? Can you change your default happiness?
If you think about the people you know, you can probably divide them into the camp of “happy people” or “unhappy people”. That is, people who naturally tend to be happy, regardless of what is going on around them. Or those who seem grumpy as a default setting.
Sure, everybody goes through roller-coasters of emotion, when good things or bad things happen. And of course, the mood someone has on any particular day is subject to events in their life. However, there are some people that seem to naturally have a smile, while others naturally have a scowl.
And you might even feel this way about yourself. You might think that life is good, or you might feel like you can never catch a break. And, of course, how you feel about yourself may or may not match up with how others see you.
So then the question becomes: can this aspect of your personality change? If life always gets you down, can you exercise some sort of emotional muscle to improve the amount of happiness you experience? If one bad thing after another happens, can a naturally cheerful person become a grump?
If change is possible, then what can we do to make that change happen for the better? What can we do in our everyday life to increase how happy we tend to be?
Related questions: Is happiness the most important purpose in life? Why do we put up with unhappiness? How does technology influence your emotions? What is the right amount of emotion?
Plans Or Couch?
Do you like to make plans to go out with your family or friends? Or do you prefer a quiet night in, watching TV or a movie?
Share why if you wish.
Is There Something You Could Do As A Child That You Miss?
As we age, there comes a point when things we could do as children we can no longer do as adults. What falls into that category for you?
Share why if you wish.
Does Social Media Isolate People?
Social media is designed to be, well, social. But does it actually have the opposite effect, isolating users?
People who use a social media platform do it to keep in touch with people.
You might use Facebook to keep tabs on your family, or maybe LinkedIn to see what your co-workers or others in your field are up to. You might find people who share your interests on Meetup, or perhaps you follow your favorite celebrities on Instagram. Or, alternately, you may just like watching funny videos from random strangers on Tik Tok.
Whichever platform you use, one of the frameworks commonly used is to track and display your connections. They literally display the size of your social network.
That doesn’t sound isolating at all. Just the opposite, in fact. You are plugged in to everything that is happening with the people that interest you.
The end result, though, can be quite different. While you are socially connected to people, that connection is most often just online. There is no body language, no touch, no physical interaction at all. For animals that evolved in a tribe, that lack of in-person communication can be isolating.
In addition, seeing pictures from your friends and family of their highlights might only remind you of your own shortcomings. Look at the delicious meal that you are not eating! On the vacation you are not taking! With the beautiful family that you don’t have!
On top of that, there is the possibility of doom scrolling, and being bombarded with dis- and mis-information.
How do you see this? Is social media a new way to connect with others? Or is it instead a way to make you feel more alone than ever?
Related questions: What do you get out of social media? How has social media changed your social life? Why does social media often bring out the worst in us? Can an Internet friend be a true companion?