Coca-Cola recently sponsored a study of happiness, looking at the sources of happiness for people in 16 countries.
According to their press release from earlier this month:

People in all 16 countries agree real world contact with family and partners is a greater source of joy (77%) than virtual world alternatives.
Supporting this notion that human, rather than virtual interaction, is a greater source of pleasure; the biggest highlights of the day include catching up with loved ones in the evening (39%), eating with the family (22%) and chatting to friends or colleagues (17%). Modern alternatives such as watching TV (14%), connecting with others online (5%) and receiving the day’s first text message (2%) paled in comparison.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVlEVhWQvww]

To help interpret the results, Coca-Cola invited Dr. Richard Stevens, M.A., Ph. D., a social psychologist and author of Personal Worlds and Understanding the Self, who specializes in happiness and wellbeing, to provide his perspective on the findings. In his analysis, he noted, “While it is important to have enough money to live, income is a fairly irrelevant contributor to happiness. Without relationships, love, family or friendship, most people will not be content and no amount of money can fill this void.”

Coke has more information on its global happiness study here.
What makes you happiest? Does a long holiday weekend help make you happy?
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