“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” — Plato

Loads of research shows that music can uplift and restore the spirit — so much so, in fact, that I have a “go-to” playlist of music that makes me feel happy. At the top of my list? Ray Charles’s “I Can See Clearly Now”; Luce’s “Good Day,” Martin Sexton’s “Happy,” Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” and Van Morrison’s “Full Force Gale.”

Take Action: With so many online services offering free music (I like Pandora and Spotify) it is easy to make a go-to happiness playlist. Make yours today. What’s on it? Music preference is highly individual, but knowing what’s on other people’s lists can help us get started. If you need a big of help with this part, we created a Spotify Playlist for you to listen to with some of the suggestions from your comments below.

Join the Discussion: Help others by listing the songs that uplift your spirit and bring you joy in the comment box below.

My parents recently adopted a dog, which has given me a new perspective on how animals bring happiness to humans. My parents were happy people before they met Cody (pictured below), but rarely have I seen a sentient bring so much sheer joy into a family.

I’m not surprised that research shows that greater health and happiness can come from caring for a pet. One study tracked “hypertensive stockbrokers” who adopted a cat or dog; caring for their new animals lowered their blood pressure more than prescribed medicine! And you may have heard about the study that found that dog-owners tend to get more exercise than folks without a dog. Exercise is, of course, a sure way to boost health and happiness.

All that said, I never recommend getting a puppy to families with young children. We parents are usually so tapped-out that the last thing we need to worry about is another mammal. But our families can still benefit from a little animal love by taking on lower-stress pets (research points to the benefits of a fish tank for some people; I’m also a big advocate of pet rats) or by helping out with other people’s animals. My kids beg constantly for more animals, but our diabetic dog is enough for me to care for right now. So, to fulfill their pet cravings, they spend 2 hours after school caring for a friend’s chickens, duck, and quail.

Take Action: This week, find a cat to pet, a dog to walk, or a fish to feed. If you feel noticeably calmer after the experience, consider adopting!

Join the Discussion: Do your pets — or the idea of pets, if you don’t have them — bring more or less joy into your life? What about stress? Please comment below.

One of the things that can detract from our happiness is a lingering to-do item.

I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every time I’ve woken up at 5:00 am worrying about an unfinished project, an email I forgot to send, an appointment I didn’t have a chance to make, or something I meant to do, but didn’t.

Researchers used to think that this low-level worrying about unfinished tasks was our unconscious mind trying to help us get things done by reminding us of what we still needed to do, and that the reminders — or distracting thoughts and worries — would persist until the task was complete. This in itself is a worrying theory for those of us who have never-ending task lists.

But now research shows that simply making a plan to deal with an unfinished task makes a huge difference in our ability to focus on other things — without being constantly reminded by our unconscious mind about what else we need to do. When we don’t have a plan, in contrast, our thoughts will typically wander from whatever it is we are doing to our undone tasks. As it turns out, our unconscious isn’t nagging us to do the task at hand, but rather to make a plan to get it done.

Take Action: Before you leave work or hit the hay this evening, take a look at your task list and make a plan for completing unfinished tasks. Knowing what the next step is for undone items, and when you will do them, can make you a whole lot happier.

Join the Discussion: What task do you often worry about when you haven’t completed it? Does it help you to make a plan? Comment below.

As I write this, I’m stranded by the side of the road in a car that won’t start, with two hungry and irritable children.

It is well past dinnertime, on a school night, and it will be another 10 minutes before help arrives.

Thank goodness help is about to arrive! My mother, who lives 35 minutes away during rush hour, jumped in the car the moment she got my distress call. She will take the kids to dinner nearby while I continue to the wait for the tow truck. And my father, who wouldn’t miss dinner with his granddaughters given the unexpected opportunity (though we ate with him last night) will wait for the tow truck with me and then drive me to the restaurant.

I say this all of the time, but if we’ve learned anything in the last 100 years about the science of happiness, it is that happiness is best predicted by the breadth and the depth of our connections to other people. Never is that more true than when things go awry, it seems to me now.

Things go wrong. Life is full of difficulty. Cars break down, and we need help. Although part of me would really like to not have to call my parents for help so frequently — dependence doesn’t always feel good in our independence oriented culture — I know that I’m so, so lucky to have such a strong support network.

I also know that it is not entirely chance that my support network is strong: it is something that I work to nurture. For my happiness, and the happiness of my children.

Take Action: Today, do something to nurture the people in your support network. What can you do to strengthen your ties to the people around you? Invite someone to dinner (or drop off a needed meal), jump start your neighbor’s car, call someone who needs a shoulder to cry on.

Join the Discussion: What will you do to strengthen your connections with others? Leave a comment below to inspire others.