The One Common Habit of Unhappy People

Sleeping in on Saturday, finding a twenty in your pocket, biting into a perfectly ripe peach: Tons of things can bring you happiness.

And while you think you know what makes you grumpy, dealing with bad cell phone reception, facing a snippy spouse, and finding your newspaper in the flowers have little to do with it. The big thing that unhappy people share is a habit of spending too much time with the tube.

When researchers analyzed more than 30 years' worth of data, they saw not only that grumpy people were often merged with the remote, but that higher-spirited folks spent more time on other types of activities, including mingling with friends and family, attending religious services, and reading newspapers (and the study wasn't even funded by newspaper companies).

Detaching yourself from the remote affects more than your mood: For women, more time in front of the TV (except The Dr. Oz Show, debuting this fall; record it to play while you're on your exercise bike) is likely to mean higher blood glucose levels and a higher risk of diabetes.

Watching a little TV here and there isn't a huge threat to your quality of life (especially when the Cavs or Dr. Oz is on). But what you need to do is balance TV time with known happiness boosters, including connecting with other people, helping others, and developing your spirituality.