SAN DIEGO – The pursuit of happiness is sometimes easier said than done.

Some scientists have argued that happiness is largely determined by genetics, health and other factors mostly outside of our control. But recent research suggests people actually can take charge of their own happiness and boost it through certain practices.

"The billion-dollar question is, is it possible to become happier?" said psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside. "Despite the finding that happiness is partially genetically determined, and despite the finding that life situations have a smaller influence on our happiness than we think they do, we argue that still a large portion of happiness is in our power to change."

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In Olympic bobsledding, hundredths of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing.

For the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the U.S. team might be just that much faster thanks to new sled designs based on complex models of airflow and turbulence.

The team has been working with the Exa Corporation, based in Burlington, Mass., which designed computer simulations to study how air travels around bobsleds, and how that airflow could be improved to speed up their races. Based on these models, the scientists came up with a new aerodynamic bobsled design to give the team an edge on the ice in Vancouver.

The Common European Toad
(Bufo bufo), a species that
has a large distribution range
in Europe. Credit: Bert Willaert

They're everywhere! Toads have been able to populate most of the world's continents in the relative blink of an eye. Now scientists have figured out seven factors responsible for the toads' success.

Toads (officially, Bufonidae) originated in the tropics of South America, but fanned out across most of the world over just about 10 million years — a relatively short period of time, evolutionarily speaking. The roughly 500 known toad species are incredibly diverse, both in characteristics and in habitat type and range.

We're happiest when looking forward to vacations, though once back in the office that level of glee is comparable to our non-vacationing cubicle mates, a new study finds. Essentially, vacations may not be the restorative respites they are chocked up to be.
The researchers surveyed 1,530 Dutch adults, 974 of whom took a vacation during the 40-plus week study period. At certain time points both before and after trips, participants answered questions related to their happiness levels.