The U-curve of happiness: Why old age is a time of psychological bliss

Here's why many 80 year olds are probably happier than you.

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  • The U-curve of happiness shows that we humans are most content at the beginnings and ends of our lives.
  • The famous midlife crisis is the trough of our happiness because it's a time when we have responsibility for people older and younger than us, and we grow aware that we may not fulfill the dreams of our youth.
  • Children and people in their 80s are uniquely able to live in the moment and be happy because they live at a neurological and psychological sweet spot, respectively.
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Videos

7 best board games to help children think big

Like sneaking veggies into dessert, these board games teach STEM, strategy, and executive functions through the joys of play.

(Photo: Shutterstock)
  • Many popular board games offer little more than colorful distractions, lacking both thoughtful design or quality learning principles.
  • However, the recent board game renaissance has resulted in a host of new games that teach children a range of hard and soft skills through play.
  • We look at some of the best new board games and offer tips to find even more.
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Personal Growth

Do participation trophies hinder child development?

The fierce debate over participation trophies ignores a crucial fact: Children aren't idiots.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Coaches, parents, and pro athletes malign participation trophies for teaching children the wrong life lessons.
  • Psychologists argue it is more beneficial to praise a child's efforts over their achievements.
  • But proponents who use participation trophies as emotional Band-Aids will find they do their children no favors either.
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Culture & Religion

Is cursive writing important to child development?

Legislators push to keep cursive in their schools' curricula, but experts seem split as to whether it's necessary.

Tracy Burns checks her third grade student Nikolai Wilkins' cursive writing during class. (Photo: Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
  • Ohio has joined many other states in reestablishing cursive in their schools' curricula.
  • Research shows the value handwriting has for developing children's fine motor skills and a connection between words and memory.
  • But experts seem split on whether it's a question of print vs. cursive, or cognitive fluency vs. disconnect.
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Personal Growth

Child abuse cases quadruple when report cards are sent home on Fridays

Florida researchers offer schools a simple message: Send home report cards earlier in the week.

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  • Researchers discovered a four-fold increase in verified cases of child abuse when report cards were sent home on Friday as compared to other days.
  • Corporal punishment is legal throughout America, including in many public and most private schools.
  • A child is hit, on average, every 30 seconds in American public schools.
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Culture & Religion