Hold me closer: Touch is vital to human happiness, and researchers just found a way to recreate it from far away. The wearable, a small silicon fingertip connector, uses vibrations to stimulate nerve cells. That, in turn, makes it feel like you’re holding hands with a loved one on the other side of the world. Incredible.
20 happiest places to travel … based on selfies
We all get a limited number of vacation days each year, so when we travel, we’re all trying to get the most joy for our buck.
Researchers used AI analysis of facial expressions in 63,000 Instagram photos taken at tourist destinations worldwide, showing that not all vacations are created equal — and some places are more grin-inducing than others.
Fun-filled selfies
Researchers took the top 10 most popular tourist attractions via Tripadvisor for 100 countries and retrieved a sample of geotagged pictures at that location.
Then, they used Amazon’s Rekognition API (yep, even Amazon has facial recognition software now) to analyze the facial expressions in each picture and score them on a “happiness scale” from zero to 100.
Finally, they grouped the scores by the tourist attraction to determine the percentage of happy faces in each place.
Ok, so, where’s the real happiest place on Earth?
Step aside, Disneyland — natural attractions in Brazil scooped up four of the top 20 happiest tourist destinations, and parks in Honduras captured two of the top five spots.
- Manawakie Eco Nature Park, Honduras (smiles featured in 76% of selfies).
- Tobago Forest Reserve, Trinidad & Tobago (70.6% smiles).
- Gumbalina Park, Honduras (68.5% smiles).
- Botanical Gardens, Brazil (66.7% smiles).
- Inca Trail, Peru (66.7%).
Who else made the list?
What if you’re not much of a tropical traveler?
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All the best FREE Harvard classes you can take online
Wouldn’t it be fun to tell people that you went to Harvard? Take a class online, and you can.
Score. Dozens of classes are available through edX at no cost. Just make an account and you’re good to go. Note: A verified certificate of completion will cost you. Be prepared to pony up at least $99. Totally not necessary if you’re doing it to learn something new.
Oh, happy day! These are the happiest states in the U.S. (and the least happy)
Sometimes, a change of scenery is all you need to boost your mood. That’s why we’re sharing the happiest states in America. Of course, we’ll also tell you the important stuff, like how to be happy no matter where you live.