Starflower
A Happy Life Thanks to Oprah
There is no idiot- proof formula for a happy life, even if some self-help books would have you believe such a thing exists. Neither can you plan every detail of a happy life – after all, happiness is often found in the most unexpected places. Nevertheless, an American blogger has been trying just that: to live a happy life by minutely following the advice of US Queen of Talk Oprah.
Due to the reach of Oprah’s empire, that advice encompasses diet, fashion, design, literature and film tips, as well as relationship advice and wellness-psychobabble. Imagine someone who knows the right diet, the inspiring novel, the perfect outfit and the correct relationship advice for every situation and serves it all up (with a generous helping of inspirational platitudes) on her website, her TV show, her radio show and in her magazine.
The blogger reads the Oprah Magazine and website and watches the Oprah Show. Whenever Oprah says “do this”, “buy that” or “read that”, she does. Her experiences are detailed at Living Oprah. 
It becomes clear that Oprah gives some good advice, but also lots of unnecessary tips and even more that are unrealistic or even contradictory. Oprah preaches „love your self the way you are“, while constantly advocating unattainable perfectionism and doling out diet tips. Oprah is torn between pure materialism and esoteric spirituality (“de-clutter your life!” vs. “buy new clothes, furniture, books, DVDs, keyrings with an Oprah-Logo!”). A lot of advice is time-consuming and expensive to follow. Hence, the cost of Living Oprah is also documented.
As clicheed and trite as Oprah’s advice may often be, the Living Oprah project puts it to the test, questions it, thus giving it meaning. The blog doesn’t just shine a critical light on Oprah’s advice for a happy life, but manages to question the claim that women’s magazines, self help books and lifestyle gurus can help you live a happy life simply by following their advice.
The Living Oprah project was planned as a one-year challenge and the year is coming to an end. We’re looking forward to the conclusions drawn. Will the Living Oprah blogger decide that she’s living a happy life thanks to Oprah? Somehow, we get the feeling she’s already looking forward to living by her own rules again.
Update: there’s now a book out about the Living Oprah experience (see right).
(Young) Women’s Happiness Comes Before (Old) Men’s
(Young) women are the happier sex. In younger years, women are happier than their male counterparts. Later in life, old men get ahead in the happiness stakes. These findings are based on the evaluation of 30 years worth of research.
Young women are more likely than young men to be happy, because they are more likely to reach their goals at a young age. Young men, whose goals are linked to financial achievements, can’t achieve what they long for until later in life. Old men, however, become more content once they get that car, that house and whatever else is on their wishlist.
there is one thing that men and women both want: a happy relationship. Young women are, again, at an advantage, because they actually enjoy being in a relationship, while young men feel the pressure of constantly having to prove themselves. Presumably, this changes again for older men, who gain confidence, while older women live in fear of losing their husbands to a younger woman.
“I Love You” – Do those Three Words Prove Your Love?
Proving your love by saying I love you is, to many people, the best way of showing your feelings. Many people want to be told I love you as often as possible, some less often, but it’s still regarded as a way of voicing true feelings in a relationship. The frequency of I love yous is often equated with the strength of a relationship.
One factor, however, is often overlooked. I love you means different things to different people. To some it comes easy, especially if they grew up in families where I love you is said a lot. Like: Have a nice day – I love you!, Good Night – I love you!, Drive safely – I love you etc. If you’re used to that, it’s relatively easy to prove your love in a relationship by saying I love you, because it just comes naturally.
Others use I love you sparingly, and find it difficult to prove their love that way. This can spell trouble for a relationship where one partner feels like the other isn’t able to show their feelings. On the other hand, you could say that a rare I love you is more valuable because of its rarity.
If you think you don’t hear I love you often enough in your relationship, remember you can’t prove your love in a quantifiable way and there is no way of determining the correct amount of I love yous.
Unique Online-Matchmaking Profile?
Identity theft is usually associated with material losses. Credit card, bank or insurance details can be used to do serious financial damage. We know these risks and we protect ourselves against them. Now, there’s a new type: online-matchmaking profile theft.
Apparently, some singles looking for a partner are so lazy (unoriginal, uninventive, insecure…?) that they can’t describe themselves the way they really are in their online-matchmaking profile. Instead, they copy other singles’ profiles, probably in the hope of improving their chances with those looking for a partner. Read more
Men Love Pretty Women Shocker!
Okay, so here’s the thing: men can be pretty superficial. They love women who are pretty, wear revealing clothing and don’t talk too much. You know this, we know this, but what we need is science to prove it! And here it is: a study on the importance of intelligence vs. looks in the mating choices of men and women.
It found that men valued the looks of the women they wanted to date a lot more highly than their intelligence. Read more
