by Michele Krauss

High Ticket Items Bring Short-Term Happiness
It turns out that money may actually buy happiness, even if it’s just for a little while. That’s what a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says. Study participants were hooked up to brain scan machines, and then took part in a wine tasting. The five wine samples came from bottles ranging in price from $5-$90. When told they were sipping from the $90 bottle, the area in the brain that controls pleasure showed increased activity. Study leaders said this means the more we believe an item is worth, the happier we are with our purchase.

Say ‘No’ to Sweets
It may finally be time to curb that sweet tooth. Research has shown that a lifetime of eating too much sugar may cause skin to prematurely wrinkle and sag. This happens when the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins which turn into harmful molecules that destroy collagen. The more sugar you have in your diet, the more harmful this effect will likely be. According to a study in the British Journal of Dermatology, these sugar-powered aging effects start showing up at age 35 and increase rapidly after that.

Small Steps, Big Gains
Think you need a major lifestyle overhaul to live a longer life? Not so. Making even small changes in your daily life can mean big gains in longevity. Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that people with four healthy lifestyle behaviors: not smoking, daily exercise, alcohol in moderation, and eating five servings of fruits or veggies a day — lived an average of 14 years longer than people with none of those healthy behaviors. One extra apple or a daily morning walk may not sound like much, but even these small healthy steps can have big payoffs.