Some Happy Scribbles...

about weather, weeknight chicken, white pants, and puberty

“It’s amazing how much happier this good weather makes me feel,” Jim said while getting ready to leave for work yesterday morning.

I smiled and agreed. We have had a stretch of glorious spring weather: the grass is emerald green, and the trees and flowers have burst into bloom. Everyone is talking about how easy it is to feel good now that winter is over.

Maybe nice weather is the key to happiness; I’ve been thinking. But then I remember those famous studies that show that Scandinavians are consistently the happiest people in the world. Their weather is mostly terrible, so how can that be?

On top of that, I grew up in Brisbane, a place that never gets cold and is famous for its proximity to stunning beaches; but I hated those sticky humid summers and vastly preferred the mild, blue-sky winters.

And then again, the 10 million Americans who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder definitely feel blue in the winter.

I decided to find out how much impact weather has on our happiness. I wanted to know: is a certain temperature the key to feeling good, or is it spring specifically and the relief that another long, cold, dark winter is over?

After several hours spent very scientifically researching (= Googling) these questions, I turned up some answers that surprised me!

The first surprise: we mistakenly think the weather has a more significant effect on our mood than it does. Arthur Brooks, in this piece in The Atlantic, explained:

“In a now-classic study from the 1990s, the Nobel-laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his co-author, David Schkade, asked midwesterners and Californians to rate their own life satisfaction as well as the happiness of people living in the other region. The self-ratings were the same, but both groups thought that Californians were happier than midwesterners, specifically because of the climate. The researchers concluded that this mismatch was evidence of a “focusing illusion”: An obvious difference like sunny weather is thought to matter more than it does for happiness, compared with other, less visible influences such as friendships and homey familiarity.”

The next surprise: research consistently shows that hotter weather results more often in negative moods! Controlled lab studies have demonstrated repeatedly that hot temperatures increase hostile thoughts and feelings that trigger aggressive actions. In a classic study examining crime data in Houston, the number of violent crimes (e.g., murder, rape) went up as the temperature rose.

On the other hand, mild weather – precisely temperatures of 13.9° C or 57° F - does have a cheering effect, as confirmed by this study which also found that “…other meteorological variables, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and sunshine do not significantly affect happiness.”

Scandinavians are happy for a variety of reasons unrelated to the weather. Still, one theory about their good moods is based on the amount of time they spend outdoors in nature – in foul and fair weather. Research backs this up: when urban residents spent 90 minutes walking through a park, it resulted in less ruminative thinking and more healthy brain activity. In another study, hikers show 50% boosts in creativity after a few days of hiking while being disconnected from technology.

This makes sense to me: when I trudged the streets of New York City in the winter, surrounded by trucks, cars, and other people, I did not find it happiness-inducing; but sitting outside by a fire pit watching the sunset on a chilly evening, or spending time surrounded by the peaceful quiet of evergreens on a ski mountain, feels quite different.

My conclusion? Mild weather, like spring or fall weather, is mood-boosting, but maybe even more so is the fact that this kind of weather gently encourages us outside to appreciate the beauty of nature. And that’s something we can do (dressed correctly, as my friend Jennifer always says…) all year round!

Here are some more of the things that made me happy this week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Amelia

Yes, Another Chicken Recipe

I want to assure you that my family does not exist on chicken alone – I eat fish most days for lunch and at least once a week for dinner - but because my children refuse to eat fish, it’s the chicken recipes that are my crowd-pleasing go-to’s.

I “created” this non-recipe a few years ago when I decided the production of separate adult and children’s dinners had to stop. This satisfies all ages because it’s essentially homemade chicken fingers on top of assorted raw vegetables.

The secret to success here is mayonnaise, which I use instead of raw egg to bind the panko to the chicken. Try it and let me know what you think!

Easy Weeknight Chicken “Milanese”

• Take some boneless skinless chicken cutlets, liberally salt and pepper them, then dredge them first in mayonnaise (trust me!), then in some good quality panko breadcrumbs. Wait a few minutes before cooking so that the breading sticks.

• Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan and gently fry the chicken (approx. 4-5 mins per side depending on thickness).

• While the chicken is cooking, place salad greens on dinner plates. Add any other raw veggies that take your fancy (or that your children will eat): grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, scallions, or shallots are all regulars for me. You could add carrots! Or asparagus! Or pine nuts! The beauty of making the “salad” this way is that each serving can be different – no one needs to get upset about finding an offensive vegetable on their plate.

• If you don’t have any ready-made dressing at hand, drizzle the salad with olive oil, then either lemon juice or a vinegar of your choice (I love white wine vinegar), a few turns of fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of flaky Maldon sea salt.

• Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, place it on top of the salad, and sprinkle the chicken with flaky salt – and maybe a few drops of lemon juice. A shaving of parmesan might be nice too!

The Staircase

The Staircase on HBO has me glued to the TV. Handsome, charming, Colin Firth plays an oafish, middle-aged writer / aspiring politician accused of murdering his perky, oblivious, wife played perfectly by Toni Collette. Based on a true story, it’s incredibly well done. I’ve looked up the case and already know the outcome, but am addicted anyway.

Coastal Grandmother Pants

A friend texted me an image of these white jeans by Spanx this week and suggested they were very Coastal Grandmother – we agreed they need to be purchased and tested ASAP!

The blurb promises to deliver something white jeans are notoriously bad at:

“…100% opacity so that you can finally stop worrying if someone can see your underwear.”

I’m intrigued, mainly because I wore a pair of these Spanx “jeggings” almost every day during the decade when skinny jeans were the fashion. I’m now wearing these AYR jeans that I think (and Sadie, 15, confirmed) are much more age-appropriate for a lady in her late 40’s.

Mastering the Art of Stress Eating

Who me? I’m not a stress eater! I would never eat Nutella out of the jar!

This parody of Mastering the Art of French Cooking is genius!

Puberty Blues & The Joy of Teen Parenting

This week, during my weekly sushi dinner with Teddy (11), where we play cards while waiting for our food and are finished in 45 minutes, he leaned toward me across the table, popped an edamame bean into his mouth, and said, “So, I really don’t want to get acne. It looks bad.” He grimaced.

I knew why this was on his mind: at school, his class is learning about puberty and the changes it brings. I told him about face wash, which he was not aware of (!!!), and that he could start using it every night in his shower to keep his face clean.

After listening carefully to my skincare lecture, Teddy said thoughtfully, “I do want my voice to get deeper. That sounds cool. I am looking forward to that.”

“Oh yes, that will be cool.” I smiled as my mind raced forward several years to imagine the larger, baritone, hopefully clear-skinned, teenaged Teddy.

Moving on to teen parenting, I loved everything about this skit from last weekend’s SNL, but especially its use of Chumbawamba - Tubthumping, my official 90’s and early 2000’s theme song!