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Smile mantra Speak to your father to strike the chord of happiness London, June 18, PTI Do you want to know the secret to happiness? Well, just talk to your dad, says a study. Researchers at the University of York have found that children who regularly talk to their fathers are happier than those who do not — the findings are based on an analysis of the British Household Panel survey into 1,200 young people all aged between 11 and 15 years. Young people who said they talked seriously to their dads “most days” gave themselves an 87 per cent score on a happiness scale compared with 79 per cent for those who said they hardly ever spoke to their fathers in this way. Nearly half of young people — 46 per cent — said that they “hardly ever” spoke to their fathers about important topics compared with 28 per cent who hardly ever spoke to their mothers about the things that matter most. Only 13 per cent confided in their father “most days”. The study, commissi...

I was happy to read this article in Deccan Herald today. Quest for happiness By Khushwant Singh Having lived a reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for readers’ appraisal. First and foremost is good health. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct something from your happiness. Second, a healthy bank balance. It need not run into crores but should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for recreations eg: eating out, going to the pictures, travel and holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralising. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one’s own eyes. Third, a home of your own. Rented premises can never give you the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: If it has garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, cul...