The University of Michigan’s World Values Survey has been keeping track of happiness in different countries across the globe for over 20 years.  No surprise, the United States didn’t make the top of the list.  In fact, their research has shown that at any point in time, one-fourth of American’s are mildly depressed.  Yet there is some very interesting research (se Lichter, Haye & Kammann, 1980, New Zealand Psychologist article “Increasing happiness through cognitive retraining”) that shows that we may be able to increase our happiness in only ten minutes per day!  Two groups were compared: one was asked to discuss happiness-relevant issues and the other was asked to recite happiness-increasing affirmations for ten minutes each day.  Both groups reported an increase in happiness by 25%.  I think this is another amazing and fascinating example of how significant our thoughts are toward our mental health.  Are you ready to give ten minutes of your day to feel more happy?