God

Bless her, but the old thing seems really to make people happier.

She may or may not exist, but study after study show religious people happier than other people who are similar apart from their religious belief.

There might be many reasons for this aside from the grace of God, but if it works, don't knock it.

A big benefit, especially as more people in big cities find it harder to make friends, is the real community and belonging that you get from your church, mosque, synagogue or temple.

The sense of something bigger and beyond their daily experience also gives people the chance to put their problems in a wider perspective.

Religion is so powerful it even makes atheists feel happier as they glance down their noses at the believers around them.