Religion & Law

From the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (para. 149):

Human nature . . . is based on a relational subjectivity, that is, in the manner of a free and responsible being who recognizes the necessity of integrating himself in cooperation with his fellow human beings, and who is capable of communion with them on the level of knowledge and love.

From today's New York Times:

It may sound counterintuitive, but people who spend more of their day having deep discussions and less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier, said Matthias Mehl, a psychologist at the University of Arizona who published a study on the subject.

?We found this so interesting, because it could have gone the other way ? it could have been, ?Don?t worry, be happy? ? as long as you surf on the shallow level of life you?re happy, and if you go into the existential depths you?ll be unhappy,? Dr. Mehl said.

But, he proposed, substantive conversation seemed to hold the key to happiness for two main reasons: both because human beings are driven to find and create meaning in their lives, and because we are social animals who want and need to connect with other people.