My wife, Wendy, and I recently returned from a vacation in Switzerland. In the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, grazie is the word used to say thank you. This word comes from the Latin gratia. Gratia is also the source of the word gratitude and of the word grace. In Greek and Roman mythology, The Three…

Psychological research reveals that our happiness level is remarkably stable over the course of our lives. Some of us are generally more cheerful and others more melancholy. Situations, however, can temporarily change our set happiness levels. For example, falling in love increases our happiness and the ending of a relationship lowers it. But within three…