If the Number of Books Read Correlated with General Happiness . . .

A recent study by sociologists at the University of Maryland provides yet another reason why we should be giving books as presents this holiday season: unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as happy tend to read more books.

According to the study’s findings, unhappy people watch an estimated 20 percent more television than very happy people, after taking into account their education, income, age and marital status—as well as other demographic predictors of both viewing and happiness.

Sure, I know this isn’t causal, but whatever—I think we should start prescribing books in addition to Welbutrin . . .

The unfortunate part of this study is the belief that as the economy worsens, TV viewing will increase. Which definitely won’t help our overall mood . . .