Pick up the phone, stroll over to your neighbor’s house or visit a pal and talk about life, the kids, your goals and other issues that are important to you. When a research team from the University of Arizona and Washington University in St. Louis monitored the conversations of study volunteers, they found that the happiest folks spent a whopping 70% more time talking with others and had twice as many conversations about topics that were meaningful to them than the unhappiest participants. Why it works? Feeling connected to others appears to be an important part of being happy, and having meaningful conversations helps foster a feeling of connection to others, says study co-author Simine Vazire, Ph.D.

[photo: Dano]

Struggle to find fun activities to do during the summer that don’t break the bank? Not anymore! Here are dozens of fun summer freebies (or close to it) to keep your whole family entertained:

Enjoy fun activities!

* Go bowling: Over 600 bowling centers across the country are offering kids two free games a day all summer long. Want to join in on the fun? You can get a family pass for a one-time charge of $24.95, which covers two games per person per day for up to four adults for the whole summer. Find participating bowling centers near you, plus their age, time, date and other restrictions at kidsbowlfree.com.

* Attend museum exhibits: If you call or check the website of your favorite children, art, history and museums, you’ll find that most set aside one weekday to offer free admission to visitors. But, what if your schedule only allows for a weekend visit? You’re in luck! Target has partnered with 120 museums to provide free and reduced admission on certain Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (find dates and locations at target.com/arts) and Bank of America cardholders get free entry to over 100 museums during the first weekend of every month (find locations at promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums).

* Laugh at puppet shows: Or enjoy live animal demonstrations, join a sing-along, enter photo contests, learn to dance or participate in any of the other dozens of free activities offered by public libraries this June, July and August. Find a schedule of events on your library’s website at publiclibraries.com. But, don’t limit yourself by heading only to your nearest branch—check out what other libraries within driving distance are also offering. Each one hosts different events—and you don’t need a library card to attend. Bonus: Many libraries also let you “borrow” complimentary one-time passes to zoos, museums, sporting events and/or art performances.

* Find more free happenings: Type in your zip code and the word “free” at zvents.com and you’ll instantly get a list of no-cost activities—like concerts, fairs and guided nature hikes—going on in your area.

* Snag amusement park coupons: Get discounts for 10% to 30% off ticket prices at retailmenot.com/coupons/amusementpark.

Go on a trip!

* Get a behind-the-scenes peek: At factorytoursusa.com, you can choose from over 500 tours of factories—which show you how to make everything from ice cream and hand-blown glass to teddy bears and robots—as well as sports stadiums and television and movie studios. Most tours are free; some may charge a nominal fee.

* Pick peaches: Or see how Alpaca fiber is turned into yarn or learn the secrets to growing award-winning tomatoes by visiting local farms that host free tours, which you can find at localharvest.org.

* Take a scenic drive: Get photos and directions for driving routes near you that boast beautiful nature scenery or take you by fun roadside attractions at byways.org and weather.com/activities/driving/scenicdrives.

* Feed the kids for free: All that traveling can make kids hungry! Luckily, where ever you go, you’re probably near one of the over 5,300 restaurants offer kid’s meals on the house. Find out the dates, times and locations where you can get complimentary food at mykidseatfree.com.

Learn something new!

* Master the outdoors: Participating Bass Pro Shops across the country are offering basic instruction for burgeoning outdoor enthusiasts through July 11 on weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Workshops include instruction in hiking, camping, fishing, bird watching, archery, outdoor-themed children’s crafts and—most important of all—s’mores-making! Store activities and times will vary; check your local Bass Pro Shops’ schedule at  basspro.com/summercamp.

* Make a movie: Apple computer stores give kids 8-12 valuable hands-on experience as they learn how to use Mac computers to make a movie, compose a song, assemble a photobook and create presentations. Registration is free; class times and dates at your local Apple store can be found at apple.com/retail/youth.

* Channel your inner artist: Michael’s craft stores workshops teach kids all sorts of useful crafts projects—such as how to make corsages, decorate T-shirts and create hand-made greeting cards. Instruction is free; you may have to purchase supplies for some classes. Get schedules, times, locations and supply requirements at theknackkids.com/EventView.aspx.

* Build a planter: Kids ages 5-12 get free instruction and materials to make wooden projects—such as planters, games and bird feeders—at Lowes every Saturday between 10 am and 11 am and at Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month between 9 am and noon. For a schedule of projects planned for the summer at Lowes, head to lowesbuildandgrow.com and for Home Depot, head to homedepot.com/kidsworkshop.

* Find the Big Dipper: At skymaps.com, you can print out clear, easy-to-read maps of constellations that you can pinpoint in the night sky this summer.

Get lost in a story!

* Earn free books for reading: Kids 12 and under who read eight books this summer will receive a free book from Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com/summerreading) and those who read 10 books get a free book from Borders (borders.com). Simply pick up a worksheet at your local Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, write in the books your kids have read, then bring it in to your local store when the kids finish their last book.

* Listen to stories read aloud: Pottery Barn Kids (potterybarnkids.com) hosts a live story-time every Tuesday 11 am to 11:30 am. Kids who attend five story-times receive a free gift. You can also find live book reading at your local bookstores—simply ask them for their story-time schedule.

* Watch animated books online: Younger children can read along on the screen while enjoying fun stories and poems brought to life through colorful animation. Choose from four of the most popular Aesop’s Fables—including The Tortoise and the Hare and The Fox and His Shadow—at us.penguingroup.com and original stories and poems from mightybook.com.

Cool off at a movie!

* Attend free morning matinees: Do your kids clamor for Kung Fu Panda, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Karate Kid and other children’s film favorites? Regal Cinemas offer free seating on a first-come, first-serve basis during its weekly morning matinee series (find theatres and showtimes at regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestival.aspx). And, for just $1 per person, the Summer Movie Camp at participating AMC Theatres offers a different kids’ movie at 10 a.m. every Tuesday from June 15 through August 10 (find theatres at amcentertainment.com/smc) and Cinemark offers 10 weekly children’s movies for $5 at participating theatres when purchased in advance and $1 per movie when purchased on the day of the show (find theatres and showtimes at cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse).

* Get discounts on blockbusters: The price of tickets to see new releases has been going up, but you can score major discounts that bring the price back down. Simply purchase tickets through AAA, Costco and other large associations who buy them in bulk and then pass the savings on to you. Get tickets through Entertainment (entertainment.com), which charges $15 to $45 for books of half-price coupons for movies. Or join a free movie club, which is offered by many theatres as an incentive to customers and rewards you with points toward complimentary tickets and other discounts every time you see a movie.

* Check your membership benefits: Certain groups—like alumni groups and trade organizations—credit card companies, credit unions and other companies and associations offer free and discounted movie tickets just for being a member.

Have a blast indoors on rainy days!

* Watch live butterflies: The butterfly webcam at National Museum of History (amnh.org) shows live images of colorful Monarchs, Swallowtails and Malachites all day long.

* Find out where your food comes from: For milk, log onto whereismymilkfrom.com. For fruits and vegetables, log onto harvestmark.com and leopold.iastate.edu.

* Color and draw online: At crayola.com, your kids can play games, color any of the over 1,000 printable coloring pages and choose from the hundreds of craft projects, including making certificates and holiday cards.

* Take virtual tours: Explore the White House (whitehousemuseum.org), see how Jelly Belly jelly beans are made (jellybelly.com) or take a virtual walk on the moon’s surface (moon.arounder.com).

[photo: Lin Pernille Photography]

Want to wow family and friends even more with your homemade lemonade, smoothies and milkshakes? Serve these drinks in a glass or mug rather than a plastic or paper cup. Sounds strange, but in a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, participants were convinced that beverages served to them in sturdy cups tasted better than those served in a flimsy cups—even though the beverages were the same. Why the difference? Our perception of how good or bad drinks taste is affected by how sturdy the container is—the firmer it is, the more we like what we’re drinking.

[photo: Bryan Davidson]

Do you have gold jewelry that you no longer wear or that’s broken? Now may be the time to sell it since the price of gold has hit a record high, over $1,200 an ounce! But don’t cash it in just anywhere or you could be getting less than it’s worth, warns Suzanne Martinez, co-owner of Lang Antiques in San Francisco. Here are her tips for getting the most money from your gold:
* Have just a few pieces to sell? Take it to a jeweler. But before you agree on a price, ask these questions: “How much does my gold weigh?”, “What’s the karat?” and “How much do you pay per gram or penny weight?” Expect to be offered anywhere from 80% to 85% of what the gold is worth. Then shop around for the best offer.
* Have a lot to sell? If you’ve got 10 or more pieces, take them to a jewelry refiner—that’s where jewelers go to melt down gold, so you’ll be getting a better price by cutting out the middleman. However, refiners charge a fee for processing the gold, so you have to have enough to make it worth your while. To find one in your area, simply look in the yellow pages for “jewelry refiner”.
* Have vintage gold jewelry? Take them to an estate jeweler. You’ll get even more than what the gold is worth because the workmanship makes the jewelry more valuable.

Tip: The higher the karat of gold—10K, 14K, 18K, 24K—the more your jewelry is worth. But, keep in mind that gold jewelry is made from a mix of gold and other metals, so the weight of your pieces won’t reflect the price you’re offered.

Tip: Check the current price of gold at kitco.com/market.

[photo: Mykl Roventine]

Next time you’re anxious about a job interview, exam or other stressor, try calling your mom. A new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that simply hearing your mother’s voice triggers a profound soothing effect that zaps the stress hormone cortisol and raises your body’s level of the calming hormone oxytocin, making you feel instantly relaxed. In fact, in the study, girls who were stressed out by having to give a speech and answer math questions in front of a panel of strangers—a major stress-inducer for most people—experienced the same hormone changes whether their mother was physically comforting them in person or doing it remotely over the phone. Best of all, the stress-busting effect was long-lasting, sticking around hours after the task was over, the researchers found.

[photo: kevindooley]

Think lucky people are born that way? Not according to psychologist Richard Wiseman, Ph.D., author of The Luck Factor. His research shows that people who generate good fortune tend to follow three easy habits. And, when volunteers tried them in a recent study, 80% turned their luck around after just one month. To up your luck, start by…
* Trying something new. People who attract good luck are more open to meeting people, trying new activities and even driving a new route to work. Getting out of a rut increases your chances of learning about a new job opening, business opportunity, eligible bachelor, great shopping deal, school scholarship or other lucky find.
* Listening to your intuition. Numerous studies have shown that the nagging feeling you get in your gut when making a decision is actually your subconscious putting together information from past experiences, helping you make the right choice.
* Looking for a silver lining. A resilient attitude can transform bad luck into good—for instance, if the grocery store is all out of the ingredients for your family’s favorite dinner, a different recipe you try could end up being your family’s new favorite.

[photo: cygnus921]

Next time your sweetie forgets to pick up the milk, plays Wii instead of cleans up the garage or does anything else that irritates you, instead of stewing, try saying a prayer for your mate’s good health and happiness. In a new study out of Florida State University, folks who prayed for their partner’s well-being felt closer to him or her and were more willing to overlook their honey’s flaws than those who didn’t pray. The reason? Regardless of your religious or non-religious beliefs, praying makes us feel instantly more compassionate and loving, which helps us let go of resentments more easily.

[photo: Katie Tegtmeyer]

To start off on the right foot at a new place of employment, think positive! In a new study of over 500 recently hired workers from a wide range of fields, researchers found that those who expected to be successful at jumping right in and getting the hang of things were, in fact, more successful than their less positive peers. The reason? Their upbeat attitude made them more willing to seek out information about their workgroup, tasks and organization that helped get them up and running faster, explains study author Sarah Burke, Ph.D., a researcher at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

[photo: alancleaver_2000]

Next time you twist your ankle, have menstrual cramps or are suffering another type of discomfort, try breathing slowly. Study volunteers who took in 50% fewer breaths per minute experienced significantly less pain when heat was applied to their palms than when they breathed normally, reports the journal PAIN. Research shows that breathing slow relaxes tense muscles and relieves anxiety—two factors that make pain sensations more intense.

[photo: slip]

Whether you’re flying off to your dream vacation or visiting your aunt just a car ride away, finding a drugstore, restaurant, wi-fi connection and other necessities within seconds is easy. For…
* Drugstores, restaurants, hair salons, banks and other businesses… Try mashspots.com, which lists all nearby options on a Google map, pinpointing exactly where they are and how to get there.
* Free wi-fi… Log onto we-fi.com or jiwire.com to find the closest cafes, libraries, hotels and other businesses that offer a complimentary connection.
* Fun events… At eventful.com and zvents.com, you can learn about music, arts and crafts, plays, festivals and other free and low-cost activities that are taking place during your visit.

[photo: Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL]