Study into happiness & media

Did you know that newspapers are the media of choice for social, happy people? This US study looks into how mood affects what media we consume.

Analysing 30 years worth of national research, the University of Maryland reports that TV consumption contributes to viewers’ unhappiness in the long run, unlike newspapers, which in the long haul, tend to promote satisfaction.

This sociological study, based on data gathered from nearly 30,000 adults between 1975-2006, looks into:

* Activities which promote happiness in people’s lives
* Daily activities of unhapy people
* The effect the financial crisis has has on TV viewing

For more information, go to Study: Channeling Unhappiness, In Good and Bad Economic Times.

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

Luxury resorts used to sell status and spectacle. Now they sell something quieter: relief. Guests arrive overloaded, and the best resorts are redesigning around sensory calm, reduced friction, and emotional steadiness. Modern luxury is less about what you add, and more about what you remove.

When a town becomes the Shock Absorber

When a town becomes the Shock Absorber

The closure of AKD’s Yarram mill is more than a job loss. It’s a systemic emergency that exposes how vulnerable small towns become when economic shocks arrive without a formal response system. Yarram’s community is already mobilising, but goodwill alone can’t carry what should be a structured, predictable framework for regional crises.