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Life

How to be happy: The digital frontier

By Kat Austen

13 April 2011

Read more:How to be happy: Putting well-being on the agenda

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Digital bliss?

(Image: Jonathan Hordle/Rex Features)

Can we tell how happy people are from their online activity – and can living digitally actually make you happier?

HAPPINESS is hard enough to pin down in the real world, but in the digital realm, the stumbling blocks are more fundamental.

Data is mostly created by a self-selecting group of bloggers, tweeters or social network fiends – and people may alter the extent of their online interactions depending on mood. “Are they more likely to distance themselves from Facebook when they are unhappy?”…

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