Photo by Huan Minh on Unsplash

We’re midway through August and I’m getting ready to go visit friends and family on the West Coast! I’ll be taking a break from Catching Happiness for the next couple of weeks, and there will be no Happy LittleThoughts newsletter this month. Here are some interesting links for your edification and entertainment until I return. 

The first sentence of “The 26 Keys to Thriving” stopped me in my tracks: “People underestimate their freedom to act, even when no one is stopping them.” The author continues, “The need for permission is nothing but an illusion, and it’s one we enforce ourselves…. Seeking permission is optional, while the path to flourishing is open, always.”  The last key, “Life is fast. Love is slow,” is another one that resonated. 

Your brain isn’t wired for happiness. Yale scientist Laurie Santos explains why, and what you can do about it.  

If this doesn’t sound like a perfect occupation for me, I don’t know what does. 

This is an older Substack post that I finally got around to reading (sorry, Janelle!), and I love the idea of a year of beauty. She writes, “…we underestimate the effect of beauty, and how it lifts us up when our feet are caught in the metal grates of life.” Maybe I’ll start my own year of beauty in September, my birth month. 

Have you heard of “bed rotting”? Despite it’s unattractive name, I can see the attraction. 

“We no longer read or reflect. We just consume. It doesn’t matter what—videos, notes, podcast excerpts—it’s all just content, there for us to gorge ourselves on,” writes Jeff Goins in “AI Is Making Everyone Stupid.” While the headline references AI, Goins is really talking about how we are entertaining (distracting) ourselves to death. I’ve been wrestling with a social media scrolling habit this year and this piece reinforces my desire to put down the phone/close the internet.    

Replace a habit of constant consumption with a (mostly) analog “dopamine menu.” 

I am so sad that Jackie the Big Bear eagle has died. I loved watching her and her mate, Shadow, on nest cam raising their young. This little window into nature has brought both happiness and sorrow, as well as piquing my curiosity about eagles and their behavior. 

Dr. Mark Williamson is co-founder of Action for Happiness and author of Make Life Happier: 23 Practical Ways to Feel Better, Find Meaning,and Make a Difference.This is his talk from the 2026 World Happiness Summit and it’s worth a watch:

Until next time, may your drinks be cold and your simple pleasures be many!