This just in!

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/101111/health/health_us_brain_internet

Studies show that people are happier while having sex or talking to friends than they are while sitting at home alone or working.

Well, thank you Dr. Obvious! Fun stuff makes people happier than boring stuff!

But apparently it's more complicated than that. According to scientists, we are unhappy while doing boring stuff not because it's boring, but because our minds are wandering to the future or the past, rather than being present in the “moment.”

My weird neighbour gave me a similar lecture the other day. My problem, according to him, is that I don't exist purely in the moment. For instance, when I'm washing the dishes, I should just “be” washing the dishes. When I'm waiting for the bus, I should just enjoy waiting for the bus.

Now, I'm all for living for the moment. So many people say to themselves, “I'll travel after I'm rich; I'll have fun once I've bought a house,” and they probably shouldn't do that. Just as they shouldn't text constantly while on a date, etc.

But honestly, life was a hell of a lot simpler when we didn't have to be ecstatically happy ALL THE DAMN TIME! When we could admit that hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro is actually a more enjoyable experience than riding a packed B-Line or working on a spreadsheet.

I just don't understand ultra-wellnessy people. When I'm doing something boring, I try to find something LESS boring to do. But according to them, this is not the route to happiness. True happiness comes from embracing the boring activity and learning to love it.

Whatever.

Often, wellness gurus will blame Ipods and other electronic devices for taking our attention away from the “wonders” of the present. But really, I don't think that's the issue here. In the olden days, while waiting on a drab street corner for the horse-drawn stagecoach (late AGAIN), one passenger would likely have turned to another and exclaimed, “I say Bartholomew, waiting for this horse-drawn conveyance is indeed tiresome; I wish I was at a merry country dance instead!”

And he was not suffering from a deep psychological complex brought on by modernity. He was simply saying that some things are boring and other things are fun. And that's fine!

And really, I dare you to go find an actual enlightened guru who enjoys waiting for the #25 bus as much as he enjoys having sex. Well, actually, don't. That would be one creepy dude.