What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0048

2351.  The Washington Monument is the tallest stone structure in the world;

2352.  The tacos at Taqueria Nacional (TaqueriaNational.com) in D.C. are tasty;

2353.  The 9:30 Club’s “Friends With Benefits” program (Friends.930.com) has some nice perks . . . like access to the VIP deck at Merriweather Post Pavilion;

2354.  Tiffany nicked “I Think We’re Alone Now” from Tommy James & the Shondells;

2355.  Another name for the Norton (variety of) grape is Cynthiana;

2356.  It’s crucial to establish good habits.  Positive momentum breeds positive momentum.  Negative momentum just creates more;

2357.  You must stop saying negative things to yourself.  Every time you do, you’ll believe it a little bit more – and you will act more that way;

2358.  You can’t stop your mind from coming up with things, but you can tell your mind what is unwelcome.  As soon as you hear negative self-talk, change the conversation;

2359.  Managers at the Honi-Honi Bar (Honi-Honi.com) in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, don’t like it when you bring your own booze onto the premises;

2360.  Deep Creek Lake is manmade;

2361.  There are no natural lakes in Maryland;

2362.  Cake slowly burns in a campfire;

2363.  It’s pretty fun peeing on a campfire. . . . It’s a lot more fun than I thought. . . . It’s like playing firefighter;

2364.  The only thing you need is a driver’s license to get a temporary boating license (at least in Maryland);

2365.  I can say I’ve piloted a motorboat;

2366.  When (you’re) piloting a boat under a bridge, go under the green light;

2367.  The “up/down” switch (i.e., trim switch) on a boat’s throttle raises and lowers the prop;

2368.  (Leftover) bacon grease burns great in a campfire;

2369.  (Raw) bacon burns pretty well in a campfire;

2370.  It takes a long time to cook bacon over a campfire . . . and it isn’t very good;

2371.  Sticks of butter burn pretty well in a campfire too;

2372.  (Greasy) pepperoni burns great in a campfire too;

2373.  You’d think that popcorn thrown into a fire would pop, it doesn’t;

2374.  A slightly damp (bath) towel works great for cleaning your laptop;

2375.  Physical activity can boost mood and enhance our work performance in a number of ways by improving motivation and feelings of mastery, reducing stress and anxiety, and helping us get into flow – that “locked in” feeling of total engagement that we usually get when we’re at our most productive;

2376.  One study proved just how powerful exercise can be: Three groups of depressed patients were assigned to different coping strategies – one group took antidepressant medication, one group exercised for 45 minutes three times a week, and one group did a combination of both.  After four months, all three groups experienced similar improvements in happiness.  The very fact that exercise proved just as helpful as antidepressants is remarkable, but the story doesn’t end there.  The groups were then tested six months later to assess their relapse rate.  Of those who had taken the medication alone, 38 percent had slipped back into depression.  Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better, with a 31 percent relapse rate.  The biggest shock, though, came from the exercise group: Their relapse rate was only 9 percent!

2377.  Contrary to the popular saying, money can buy happiness, but only if used to do things as opposed to simply have things;

2378.  In his book Luxury Fever, Robert Frank explains that while the positive feelings we get from material objects are frustratingly fleeting, spending money on experiences, especially ones with other people, produces positive emotions that are both more meaningful and more lasting;

2379.  When researchers interviewed more than 150 people about their recent purchases, they found that money spent on activities – such as concerts and group dinners out – brought far more pleasure than material purchases like shoes, televisions, or expensive watches;

2380.  Spending money on other people, called “prosocial spending,” also boosts happiness.  In one experiment, 46 students were given $20 to spend.  The ones who were told to spend the money on others (for instance, by treating a friend to lunch, buying a toy for a younger sister, or donating to charity) were happier at the end of the day than the ones who had been instructed to spend the money on themselves;

2381.  Everyone is good at something – perhaps you give excellent advice, or you’re great with little kids, or you whip up a mean batch of blueberry pancakes.  Each time we use a skill, whatever it is, we experience a burst of positivity.  If you find yourself in need of a happiness boost, revisit a talent you haven’t used in a while;

2382.  When 577 volunteers were encouraged to pick one of their signature strengths and use it in a new way each day for a week, they became significantly happier and less depressed than control groups.  And these benefits lasted: Even after the experiment was over, their levels of happiness remained heightened a full six months later;

2383.  Studies have shown that the more you use your signature strengths in daily life, the happier you become;

2384.  Even the smallest moments of positivity in the workplace can enhance efficiency, motivation, creativity, and productivity;

2385.  One study found that project teams with encouraging managers performed 31 percent better than teams whose managers were less positive and less open with praise;

2386.  When recognition is specific and deliberately delivered, it is even more motivating than money;

2387.  Just as important as what you say to employees is how you say it – the best leaders know that delivering instructions in an angry, negative tone handicaps their employees before the task is even underway;

2388.  The more you make a genuine effort to avoid slipping into an apathetic or irritable tone, the more your team’s performance will benefit;

2389.  In the U.S. Navy, researchers found, annual prizes for efficiency and preparedness are far more frequently awarded to squadrons whose commanding officers are openly encouraging.  On the other hand, the squadrons receiving the lowest marks in performance are generally led by commanders with a negative, controlling, and aloof demeanor;

2390.  Gravlax is pretty much lox;

2391.  Based on Marcial Losada’s extensive mathematical modeling, 2.9013 is the ratio of positive to negative interactions necessary to make a corporate team successful.  This means that it takes about three positive comments, experiences, or expressions to fend off the languishing effects of one negative.  Dip below this tipping point, now known as the Losada Line, and workplace performance quickly suffers.  Rise above it – ideally, the research shows, to a ratio of 6 to 1 – and teams produce their very best work;

2392.  Our brains are like single processors capable of devoting only a finite amount of resources to experiencing the world.  Because our brain’s resources are limited, we are left with a choice: to use those finite resources to see only pain, negativity, stress, and uncertainty, or to use those resources to look at things through a lens of gratitude, hope, resilience, optimism, and meaning.  In other words, while we of course can’t change reality through sheer force of will alone, we can use our brain to change how we process the world, and that in turn changes how we react to it;

2393.  Happiness is not about lying to ourselves, or turning a blind eye to the negative, but about adjusting our brain so that we see the ways to rise above our circumstances;

2394.  “Reality” is merely our brain’s relative understanding of the world based on where and how we are observing it.  Most important, we can change this perspective at any moment, and by doing so change our experience of the world around us;

2395.  Sometimes you can mistake comfort for actual compatibility with another person;

2396.  Similarities strengthen relationships – the more a couple has in common, the less they have to fight about.  And this is particularly true when it comes to shared values, since they are at the root of most of our thought patterns and decisions;

2397.  It’s funny how lightning can be so destructive, yet so beautiful;

2398.  Luisa isn’t a vegetarian during Restaurant Week;

2399.  Nicklas Backstrom (of the Washington Capitals) may’ve grown a couple of inches (since 2009);

2400.  Luisa’s no longer a “Free For All” virgin;