By Christy Barritt

Does Divorce Make People Happier?

The National Survey of Families and Households recently issued a report that focused on marriage, divorce, and happiness. The results surprised many.

For the study, 5,232 married adults were interviewed and 1,315 said they were “unhappy.” Five years later, the same adults who said they were unhappy in their marriages were interviewed again.

Nearly 80 percent of the couples who decided to stick with their marriage despite feeling unhappy considered themselves now “happily married” or “much happier.” Of the couples who ended up divorcing, only 19 percent reported happiness.

According to the study, even the unhappy spouses who divorced and remarried were still no happier. Also, divorce did not reduce symptoms of depression for unhappily married adults.

Google Joins Mayo Clinic to Combat Hypochondria

Armed with the realization that many people first go to the Internet in order to diagnose medical ailments, Google and the Mayo Clinic decided to team up. Now when people search Google for certain maladies, they’ll be provided with information that has been checked and approved by the doctors at the Mayo Clinic. 

Some results will also feature high-quality medical illustrations, so users can see what something like tonsillitis looks like, as well as the area of the mouth and throat that are affected.

However, the companies still encourage users to meet with flesh-and-blood doctors for real advice and warn that web results should not be taken as a substitute for personalized medical care.

Detroit Man Walked 21 Miles Daily for Work

For more than a decade, a factory worker living in Detroit walked almost 21 miles during his daily commute to and from work. When a story about James Roberton’s plight was published in a local newspaper, an outpouring of donations began to flood in, and the story began to spread through social media, even hitting the national news.

Robertson told the Detroit Free Press that his car broke down more than 10 years ago and, with the $10.55 he makes per hour, he’s been unable to buy a new one. Instead, Robertson took buses to work, but he had to walk more than 20 miles round trip because the buses did not cover the entire route. He would start his commute at 8 a.m. in order to make it in time for his 2-10 p.m. shift, and he wouldn’t get home until 4 a.m.

Thanks to a generous car dealership, Robertson is now the proud owner of a new 2015 red Ford Taurus. Also over $350,000 has been donated from those who heard Robertson’s story.

One in Three Americans Worry About Sharia Law

A new survey by LifeWay Research found that Americans are uneasy over the place of Islam in the United States and in the world. Of those interviewed, 37 percent said they are worried about Sharia law being applied in America. Sharia law is an Islamic legal and moral code.

Around 27 percent believe the terrorist group ISIS reflects the true nature of Islam, while 43 percent believe Islam can create a peaceful society. Also from the survey: 76 percent of protestant senior ministers say they support military action against ISIS.

“In a nation that has long espoused religious freedom, Americans are thinking long and hard about the kind of society Islam fosters—especially the more radical groups that say they are Islamic—and whether Sharia law would ever be adopted here,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author in Chesapeake, Virginia (christybarritt.com). She and her husband, Scott, have two sons.