Oregon's Happiness Index

Where is the happiest place on Earth? If you thought Disneyland, think again. It’s actually Denmark. And there’s data to back that up.

The idea of measuring happiness has gained traction in the 21st century, and many organizations are collecting data to identify what makes people happy and where the happiest people are.

Although the United States may be on the top of many other lists, happiness, according to the data, is not one of them.

This year’s results have the same top three as the year before, except their order was rearranged. Denmark won with the happiest citizens averaging 7.526 on the happiness scale, followed by Switzerland at 7.509, and Iceland at 7.501. The United States ranked thirteenth at 7.104. The bottom three included Togo, Syria, and Burundi.

According to the authors, social cohesiveness was of much importance for the results of the World Happiness Report. Iceland's high level of trust helped its ranking despite a serious financial crisis, while Spain, Italy, and Greece fell in the happiness rankings in part because they lacked the cohesiveness to pull through their financial troubles.

The report also shows that people are happier living in a society where there is less inequality of happiness. To be noted, the happiness inequality has increased since the first report in almost all countries and regions of the world. Happiness, the authors argue, can provide a better indicator of human welfare than income, poverty, education, health, and good government measured separately.

The Happiness Index is based off a project from the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas. Their prime minister, Jigmi Y. Thinley, was determined to measure the gross national happiness. He then got the United Nations to invite other nations to measure their happiness as a guide to improve public policies. In 2012 the worldwide report was born.

In the 2016 World Happiness Index—the third of its kind—researchers ranked 156 countries based off surveys given to up to 3,000 people in each country. Each person was asked to rank their answers based on the Cantril Ladder—an imaginary ladder of ten steps, with the best possible life for them being the tenth step and the worst possible life being zero steps.

Participants were asked six questions for respondents to rank that were weighed with the GDP per capita: social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perception of corruption, and everything else. The answers are then averaged per country, giving insight to the country with the happiest people by their own accord.

On a smaller scale, we asked ourselves how Oregonians can increase their equality of happiness. Based on the questions from the World Happiness Index, here are some sites and activities that we hope will enhance your mind and body, your values and virtues, and fulfill social and cultural enrichment while enjoying what Oregon has to offer.

Activities for Oregon’s Happiness Index

Experience Zen

The Zen Community of Oregon is a Soto Zen Buddhist monastery in Clatskanie. They offer meditation through authentic Zen practice to the public several times a week, as well as meditation walks in their Zen gardens. A 2013 study by Carlos III Health Institute found that meditation provokes a different expression of brain metabolites, specifically those metabolites linked to anxiety and depression. Meditation shows a strong link with well-being because it calms the body, reduces stress and anxiety, and supports positive thinking.

Visit botanical gardens

The Oregon Garden in Silverton is an 80-acre botanical garden with more than 20 themed gardens, from tropical to wetlands to rose or conifer. They offer tram tours and self-guided walking tours to enjoy the outdoor oasis. Group nature walks are linked with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress, and enhanced mental health and well-being, according to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Michigan.

Enjoy waterfalls and hiking trails

Silver Creek Falls is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and includes 9,200 acres of hiking, biking and horse trails. The Trail of Ten Falls weaves through a dense forested area, with a series of breathtaking waterfalls in a 7.2 mile loop. Research has shown that a 50-minute walk in nature can improve your mood, decrease your anxiety, and improve your memory. A 2016 study also showed that a 90-minute walk in a natural environment can lead to measurable changes in the brain, and help combat depression.

Observe exotic wildlife

The Wildlife Safari in Winston is a one-of-a-kind experience. The park has over 76 species, most of which roam free as you drive a 600-acre safari loop. You can see exotic creatures from around the world including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, bison, ostrich, and bears. A Hiroshima University study focused on animal-people interaction concluded that “cuteness” not only makes us happier, it also improves our performance on tasks that require behavioral carefulness.

Walk below the canopy

Valley of the Giants is a 51-acre forest preserve in a remote portion of the Oregon Coast Range. Getting more than 180 inches of rain each year, douglas firs and western hemlocks date back hundreds of years and can stand at a regal 200 feet. Numerous studies have shown trees help people live longer, healthier, happier lives—to the tune of $6.8 billion in averted health costs annually in the U.S., according to research published in the 2014 journal Environmental Pollution.

Discover the mystery

The House of Mystery in Gold Hill is considered a vortex in which strange phenomena on the landscape create optical illusions. Objects seem to roll uphill, relative height can change next to another person depending on where you stand, and structures appear to be sideways. Research by psychologist Rich Walker of Winston-Salem State University showed people who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones than people who have fewer experiences.

Leafcutter and mason bees: Home gardener helpers

When talking about pollinators, often times the honey bee is the first we think of. While there is no doubt of their importance to pollination, their lesser known cousins—the leafcutter and mason bee—are much more effective pollinators. In fact, they are of more use to a home gardener than a honey bee.

Honey bee vs. leafcutter and mason bees

Honey bees are indeed great pollen gatherers, but leafcutter and mason bees are great pollinators. They carry pollen on their hairy abdomen and scrape the pollen off within their nest. Because the pollen is carried dry on their hair, it falls off easily as they move among blossoms. As a result, they pollinate more flowers than the honey bee, who wets the pollen so it sticks to its legs during transport.

While honey bees may visit your yard as they pass through, leafcutter and mason bees are permanent residents. The honey bee travels up to five miles from its hive to forage, but leafcutter and mason bees stay within 300 feet of their home. For this reason, housing these species in your yard will increase your flower and fruit productivity.

Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutters have the ability to handle extreme temperatures, and are most active in late summer, thriving in 80 to 110 degree weather. They are ideal for pollinating melons, blueberries, peas, and other late summer vegetables.

The leafcutter gets its name because it cuts leaves and uses them in their nest. They are particular about the kind of leaf they use; it can’t be too tough to cut with their mandibles, it can’t be too thick to roll for transport, and it can’t be too veiny to cut easily. In the Northwest, prefered leaves come from hostas, lilacs, roses, or bougainvillea. Having leaves they like within 100 feet of their home is essential or they will move on.

Mason Bees

The mason bee is a productive pollinator for early spring flowers, fruits, and nuts. They emerge when daytime temperatures reach a consistent 55 degrees. Generally, this is about the same time as cherry trees blossom.

What is unique about the mason bee is they gather nectar with their tongue at the same time they collect pollen on their underside. Because they gather pollen and nectar on the same visit, they are excellent cross-pollinators as they move between trees and flowers.

The mason bee gets its name because of its craftsmanship when building its home. An essential element to keep mason bees in your yard is to have available mud within 150 feet of their home. The mason bee packs its nesting hole with the mud, separating each egg chamber from the other, just as the leafcutter uses leaves. If they cannot find mud in your yard, they will vacate.

Mud for mason bees

You will need to keep a small amount of mud, about 9 inches wide and deep. Ideally, the mud should be in a hole in the ground and not exposed dirt or in a container. When in the ground, the moisture is higher and less dried from the sun.

When you dig your hole in a shady place, ensure there is clay-like mud on a sidewall. Mason bees prefer more compact mud because it is easy to carry in their mandibles. If it is too dry it will be difficult to carry and harder to pack into their “hole.”

Placing a bee home

Both leafcutter and mason bees are cavity dwellers and do not create holes or damage structures to make holes. They are opportunists that like a hole slightly larger than their bodies, about the width of a pencil, with a depth of about 6 inches. The same home can be used for both species because they are active during opposite seasons.

Homes often have the appearance of a bird house, with an open face and straw-like tubes piled on top of each other. The tubes are the “holes” the female will pack with her eggs. Each hole will have up to 15 egg chambers, each packed with pollen, one egg, and a leaf cutting or mud, depending on the species, to close the chamber.

Homes should face a southern or southeastern wall so morning sun will wake your bees to begin pollinating. If your climate has hot summer weather, consider a location with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Prolonged direct sunlight will overheat the home and kill cocoons.

Do not place the home near a bird watering station. Your bees may become a tasty treat to visiting birds. If birds take interest in the bee home as a potential nesting site for themselves, placing chicken wire on the front will keep them out.

It’s important to not move the nest once bees have arrived. They know exactly which hole is theirs and may get confused and leave if the hole they remember is moved.

Getting started

Shonnard’s Nursery has a full-service bee department if you are in the Willamette Valley. There you can find everything from the bees to homes to accessories. Crown Bees is a good place for online orders. They too offer all you need to get started and maintain bee homes.

Crown Bees offers a program to trade excess bees for nesting material to use in the next season, as each year your bee population should double. Shonnard’s offers services to help maintain homes. Both companies offer items to help harvest and incubate cocoons if you should choose to winter them under protection of a garage or shed for maximum survival of the brood.

The power of your brain: 6 things you may not know

Learning how we learn can be fascinating. It takes the right environment and the right internal balance to truly absorb information. Besides the usual suspects; food, sleep and repetition, a lot of how we learn happens in our brain, without us even knowing it. It can be said that “cells that fire together, wire together.”

Growing your brain

For your brain, going to school is comparable to going to the gym. We grow our biceps at the gym and we grow our brain at school. A neural synapse is the space between brain cells, which are called neurons. Neurons allow chemical signals to pass from one neuron to another. Chemicals called neurotransmitters leave one cell, travel across the synapse, and are taken in by the next neuron through a receptor. The connection between the two neurons is called a neural pathway. When we learn new things, new pathways are made between neurons. Thus, learning causes growth of brain cells by creating new dendrites, which look like fingers coming off the arm, or axon, of the neuron. The more dendrites created and continually used, the more brain activity you will have.

Context-dependent memory vs. state-dependent memory

Have you ever walked to the next room to do something and forgotten what it was you were going to do? Did you retrace your steps and find that when you returned to where you came from you remembered what the task was? That is because of context-dependent memory, and as you may guess from the name, the context in which you remember things matters. Research shows that a person who takes an exam in the same seat or room as they learned the material will test better in that place than in a new area. State-dependent memory refers to internal conditions under which someone learns. If you always study while consuming caffeine, for example, your brain creates neural pathways that make a connection between the learned material and caffeine. In this example, you would likely perform better on a test while consuming caffeine.

Short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory

As we learn we create a path of remembrance similar to a trail that is often walked by hikers, leaving a well-worn path. Short-term memory is the process in which we gather information in our neural pathways that we want to use in the near future. When we don’t use it anymore we will forget it, as the brain prunes its unused neural connections to strengthen more used paths. Our working memory is what we store along neural pathways, which can be interrupted by distractions from music, the tv or text messages, limiting the amount of working memory we will have. Working memory can be enhanced by focusing and connecting information you already know that is relevant to what you are learning, then storing that information with the previous learned information. The retrieval of well-learned information from long-term memory and the connection of new information is a good way to move information from working to long-term memory.

20 minute pick-me-ups

It happens to the best of us. We study for what seems like an eternity and eventually find ourselves staring at a page or screen, no longer processing information. Your brain is telling you it’s had enough. Our brain doesn’t like to be forced to learn too much, too fast. Psychologists have discovered that our pupils dilate when we push our brain to learn. This means, for more reasons than one, that learning takes energy. To rejuvenate yourself, consider working out for 20 minutes. Psychologists have proven that exercise can boost memory and brain power. Not only does aerobic exercise make more oxygen pump to the brain and release hormones, research from UCLAshowed that exercise also increases growth factors in the brain—making it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal pathways. In fact, Dr. Chuck Hillman of the University of Illinois showed evidence that about 20 minutes of exercise before an exam can improve performance.

The debate: writing vs. typing

In the digital age we live, finding laptops in the classroom is the norm. Many students have moved from note-taking with pen and paper to typing their lecture notes. This could be a bad choice if your goal is to effectively retain information. Writing stimulates cells at the base of our brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS acts as a filter for what your brain needs to process, giving importance to what you are focusing on at the moment, such as writing. When the RAS is triggered through writing it sends a message to your brain to pay particular attention to information you are feeding it. The same can not be proven for typing. A University of California study found that of two groups of students asked to listen to the same lecture, the group that had to write their notes not only tested better on their ability to remember the ideas in the lecture, but they retained the information far better a week later. The study suggests that movements involved with handwriting require a motor memory and more neural pathways in the brain to recognize and connect letters, which is absent when typing.

Laughter and smiles aren’t just for fun

Gamma is the highest brain frequency and the only frequency found in every part of the brain. A Loma Linda University study found that humor associated with laughter creates gamma-band oscillations. Since gamma frequency reaches all parts of the brain, this means that humor actually engages the entire brain. As well, laughter involves the part of the brain that associates with pleasure, so mixing laughter with learning creates a more enjoyable experience. Laughter also reduces mental tension and increases energy, which increases your ability to focus. And even if you aren’t laughing, the facial-feedback theory says that a smile can also increase your performance. Your brain is constantly monitoring your posture and movements, including your facial expressions. Faking a smile can trick your brain into thinking you are happy, which then stimulates your body to respond as such. Try it. Stick a pencil between your teeth and make yourself grin. It forces your face to mimic a genuine smile, recruiting the muscles of the mouth, cheeks, and eyes that respond when you are happy.

The truth about why the apple stands for teacher

Most people in the United States associate teachers with apples. So, what exactly is it about the fruit that connects it to the nation’s educators? As it turns out, there are several speculations.

Most signs point to the American association of teachers and apples as coming to the country with Scandinavian settlers. Before education became a public institution, families had to pay for their child’s education. For wealthier families, that meant money or favor. For lower class families, it meant paying with goods, such as produce from the family farm. In what appears to be isolated to Denmark and Sweden, it was common practice for students to bring potatoes and apples to their teachers as payment for their education.

Both potatoes and apples were easily grown in surplus numbers and could store for long periods of time. The apple, for example, could stay fresh in a cellar for up to six months. This made them a good offering to a teacher that may want to store their “payments” until a season when fresh produce was less plentiful.

Back then, apples were not the same as those we find at the store today. They were much more bitter than the sweet treat we are accustomed to. Taking a bite out of the fruit was most likely not part of someone’s preferred palate. In fact, most people did not eat them but drank them in form of juice or hard cider. When gifted to teachers, potatoes were intended for eating.

In the early 1900s, as more schools began to receive government funding, many children no longer had to give payment to their teachers. Smaller frontier schools, however, were still left to fend for themselves. Teachers often lived in a schoolhouse that was maintained by the students. During that time, many frontier teachers still relied on community support in exchange for their teaching duties. Bringing food to them continued until it was replaced by way of a cash salary.

So why, then, did we stop giving teachers potatoes? As the story goes, the Bible may have been involved.

Aquila Ponticus, a translator for the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, chose to translate the “tree of knowledge” in the story of  Adam and Eve to be called an apple tree. In the original text the tree was not named as to what fruit it bore. There is a high probability that Ponticus chose the apple tree to represent the “tree of knowledge” because he was translating in Greek for the Greeks. Greek mythology has long referred to apples as a symbol of desire and destruction, a similar correlation to the tree of knowledge considered good and evil. After his translation, people began to associate the apple with knowledge, which was associated with teachers.

But alcohol may have been involved in the reason why apple gifting won over the potato.

Shortly after colonizers arrived to Jamestown in the early 1600s apples made their debut in America. At the time, water was considered more dangerous than alcohol. While many people got sick from drinking tainted water, most people believed that alcohol could cure sickness. Because of this, apples were commonly used to make hard cider that flowed in large volumes, and several of our Forefathers are directly linked to its popularity.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, citizens began to raise concerns about the consumption of alcohol. Around the same time, most schools were becoming funded by the government and less families were gifting apples. The industry needed a facelift, and clever advertisers saw an opportunity to turn the fruit into a healthy snack. In 1913, Elizabeth Mary Wright wrote “Rustic Speech and Folk-lore,” a book of common kitchen cures. “Ait a happle avore gwain to bed, An’ you’ll make the doctor beg his bread,” she wrote. The more popular version is “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Because the fruit was naturally bitter, the apple industry knew they had to modify it so people would eat it. Despite early efforts of the famed John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed, who was against modifying the fruit by grafting, growers began to cultivate it for sweetness. As more people began to taste the sweeter versions, and as its claim to fame of “keeping the doctor away” became popular, the apple transitioned into a new role.

Now considered healthy, easily grown, cheap, and ripe in September – when kids start a new school year – the apple held onto its former association with teachers. It was considered a well-wish for health and longevity, and a token of appreciation for the livelihood of the teacher. The term “apple-polisher” was first recorded in the late 1920s, referring to a student who would shine their apple in an attempt to be favored by the teacher. The rest, as they say, is history.

10 ways to create a work-at-home nook

Finding an area to work at home that gives you some peace and quiet can be a challenge. Often times an office nook is found in odd corners of the house and can be problematic when trying to create a functional design. Here are some ideas to better help you plan out a nook that will give you the feel of space, even if you don’t have much of it.

1. A writable wall using blackboard or dry-erase paint will not only allow fun when brainstorming, but can turn the smallest places into functional work areas. Target has a line of blackboard paints, and Staples has a line of dry-erase paints.

2. In small spaces, light colors will give the illusion of space. Avoid stark white, as it can make a space feel cold. Instead use shades off-white or pastels. Choose colors that are different shades of the same color—whether trim, draperies or decor—giving unity and openness to the space. Remember your ceiling is also part of your “wall” space. Painting or wallpapering it will enhance the area, making it flow as a continuous space.

3. If you choose to use curtains to divide your space from the main house, hang them from the ceiling to give a feeling of height. If total privacy is not your top priority, consider sheer curtains to allow natural light in, making your space feel more open.

4. For a rustic appeal, make a DIY freestanding wood plank wall. Build your wall, put it on wheels, and slide it into place as needed. This is a good solution for a space too cramped for a traditional door, but adds more flare than a pocket door. If you would rather a secured door, add a sliding track. Lowe’s offers a good selection to choose from.

5. Creating a nook with an interior barrier of glass or French doors can give the sense of your own space while still being able to look into the house. For the feel of additional space, consider a glass desk to allow light to flow freely.

6. No windows in your work space? Try putting an old window on the wall for decoration, adding a shanty chic outdoor appeal. For added fun, you can even place pictures in each window panel, creating a DIY picture frame.

7. If you have a small area that is longer than it is wide, consider translucent sliding doors that run the length of the skinny space. The doors will allow light in from the main house, but are frosted enough to give you privacy.

8. If you have a nook with no windows, consider making a photo wall (you can even print them yourself). Space them evenly from side to side and top to bottom, making a simple wood frame around each. Choose pictures of inspiring scenes that you can switch out to refresh the space. Don’t want to nail wood to the wall? That’s okay, try it without the frame and it will resemble DIY wallpaper.

9. If you want a simple, quick and low cost fix to a windowless nook, consider hanging a curtain at ceiling height as an accent wall. It will bring softness, length, and comfort to a space that could otherwise feel boxy.

10. No space inside your house to work? Make your own she-shed! Remodel an old shed or outdoor storage space that has gone forgotten to create a comfortable working space without building permits. You can even establish ground rules for the kids to not enter while you are working.

Tips for decorating your nook

Lighting: Avoid shadows and dark corners by strategically placing lights to give the illusion of space. Project lights upwards making column-like streaks that will draw the eye upwards, creating height and space.

Shelving: Shelves near ceiling height will make a room feel bigger. When decorating with nick-knacks, leave open spaces on purpose to enhance the openness of your nook. For bookshelves, consider floor-to-ceiling. When arranging books, try color coordinating them with the most colorful at the top. Not only with it streamline your space, but the pop of color will attract the eye and give the illusion of height and space.

Furniture: When adding furniture in your nook, choose pieces that have exposed legs for a more spacious appeal. Fabric that hangs to the ground stops the line of sight and closes in your space. To further enhance your space, try angling your furniture or placing it away from walls.

Walls: Mirrors in small spaces help reflect light, making a nook feel bigger. Try a trio of accent mirrors for a subtle enhancement or an oversized mirror to give a wall a continuous feel. When choosing art, opt for dramatic, large art that will automatically make your space feel bigger.

Decor: In small spaces, less is more. For decorative pieces, follow the “cantaloupe rule.” If it’s smaller than a cantaloupe it can make a space look cluttered, larger than a cantaloupe will enhance it. If adding accent rugs or upholstered furniture, choose small or plain prints to make the nook feel bigger. If you have windows in your space, consider matching colors inside the room with the colors outdoors to create a larger, continuous feel.