Live Happy Now

Singer BJ Thomas has enjoyed nearly half a century in the music business, selling more than 70 million records and winning multiple Dove and Grammy awards. When Hurricane Harvey devastated his hometown of Houston, he knew he wanted to help, and that his music was the best way to do that. Here’s how he turned a song into a cause, and what it means to him to be able to give back.

Stephen Cope is a Senior Scholar-in-Residence and a Kripalu Ambassador. He is a Western-trained psychotherapist who writes and teaches about the relationship between Western psychological paradigms and the Eastern contemplative traditions. In its 25th anniversary edition, Yoga Journal named him one of the most important innovators in the developing field of American yoga.

Niki Brantmark is the founder and creator of the award-winning daily interior design blog My Scandinavian Home, which was inspired by her move to Sweden from London. Niki has an MA in psychology from the University of Edinburgh and she talks about Lagom (Law-gom) the swedish art of living a balanced, happy life.

Ken Druck, Ph.D., is an award-winning mental health expert specializing in parenting, aging, and resilience training. After some of the nation's worst tragedies. Dr. Druck's many books, including The Real Rules of Life and The Secrets Men Keep, have been featured on Oprah, The New York Times, NPR, CNN, and in countless other media.

Dive into these fun facts on this week's episode of #HappyFacts.

• Smiling baseball players tend to live longer

Take a peek into the newest issue of Live Happy magazine and learn more about these fun facts:

• Research shows that spirituality is the leading character strength associated with a meaningful life.

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author. He is an explorer, educator, author, producer, storyteller and public speaker.

Patty Van Cappellen is the director of the Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research center at Duke University. She studies the affective and motivational determinants and consequences of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices.

This week's facts include:

• Being in a good mood while getting a flu shot can boost its effectiveness. A study from the University of Notthingham found that of all the factors researchers looked at, a positive mood is the only factor that was associated with a higher level of antibody with an 8 to 14% variance.

Sometimes it's not about bad things happening...it's about the good things that are not happening. Like finding a soul-mate, being able to afford a nice vacation, or finally moving into that dream home.

Louisa Jewell holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and is the Founder and President of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association. After learning how to permanently overcome depression, she's now focused on what she loves most: helping other people take control of their own happiness and lead a positive, fulfilling life.