Babies, not money, bring smiles to Aussie faces

Money can’t buy you love, The Beatles sang, and a new Australian study confirms that it can’t buy happiness either.

Ninety-four percent of people in a recent online survey of almost 1,500 Australians didn’t rate wealth or money as top on their list of things that make them smile the most.

Instead, children and babies were found most likely to bring a smile to their faces, with 33 percent of the vote, followed by family and friends at 28 percent, and then pets and animals with 22 percent.

Based on the idea that a smile is the universal symbol for happiness, the study found that people gain more happiness from their experiences than their purchases.

“We know that money doesn’t make people happy — it doesn’t make them unhappy, but the benefits of buying something or getting cash out can only be short lived, it doesn’t last that long,” said Timothy Sharp from the Sydney-based Happiness Institute.

The study, conducted by marketing research body AC Nielsen over three days, asked respondents to choose the factor that made them smile most from a list of five different categories, including money and wealth, and beautiful scenery or nature.

“The findings support my theory that happy people have more and better quality relationships than those who don’t smile, because it is an important non-verbal sign we give to others as a way of sharing and eliciting positive emotions,” Sharp said.

But the simple act of smiling could make you feel happier too, because it increases the level of serotonin, a hormone that plays an important role in regulating moods in the brain, Sharp told Reuters on Tuesday.

“One of the myths about happiness is that its this spontaneous thing that falls on your lap if you’re lucky,” he said. “If people engage in happy behavior, you increase your chances of being happy.”

Cramping Serena limps into quarters

A timely rain break allowed a cramping and tearful Serena Williams to hobble into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on Monday after completing a dramatic comeback.

The American’s Wimbledon dreams looked all over when she collapsed in agony behind the baseline at 5-5 in the second set against Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova but a two-hour downpour gave her a reprieve and she stormed back to win 6-2 6-7 6-2.

“I was going to die trying. I figured my heart wouldn’t give out so I had a good chance of making it,” said Williams.

On frustrating day when only 13 of the 21 scheduled singles matches were finished because of the wet weather, Williams revived memories of a cramping Michael Chang’s remarkable victory over Ivan Lendl at the French Open in 1989.

Williams writhed and screamed in pain and buried her face in the grass while a trainer massaged her calf muscle for more than five minutes.

The seventh seed was eventually helped back on to her feet and struggling to gather her wits, she appeared to have handed the initiative to Hantuchova.

Wiping away tears, she initially stood stationary on the baseline to plop the ball back into play and went 6-5 down but incredibly held serve to stretch it into a tiebreak.

With storm clouds gathering over Centre Court, she kept glancing up to the sky and her prayers were answered when the rain came down while she was trailing 4-2 in the tiebreak.

It gave her a chance to get some intensive treatment.

“I was definitely saved by the rain,” she said.

On resumption, Williams chose to wear cropped leggings and appeared to have both legs strapped underneath.

She lost the tiebreak 7-2 but it was not long before she showed the qualities that have earned her eight grand slam titles.

Not one to give up without a fight, she smashed a racket after missing a forehand and clashed with the umpire when he refused to let her go on a toilet break.

All the drama seemed to blur Hantuchova’s focus and the 10th seed surrendered by slapping a backhand into the net, leaving a relieved Williams to celebrate by blowing a kiss skywards.

The American now faces a battle to regain her fitness in time for her quarter-final with world number one Justine Henin.

PRIZE MONEY

While Williams’s two-hour seven-minute tussle with Hantuchova justified Wimbledon’s decision to award women equal prize money for the first time this year, Henin has done little to silence the critics.

The top seed made the most of a short dry spell earlier in the day to complete a 6-2 6-2 destruction of Patty Schnyder.

The Belgian, who completed a hat-trick of French Open titles last month, has dropped only 15 games during her stroll into the last eight.

“I was a bit surprised the match was so quick,” Henin told reporters. “I’ve done my job perfectly so far.”

Venus Williams also looked as though she was hurtling towards defeat against a Japanese skiing fan before she clawed back to set up a fourth-round tie against Maria Sharapova.

The American was one game away from tumbling out but she outsmarted Akiko Morigami 6-2 3-6 7-5.

“I’m a tough competitor and a huge fighter,” said Venus, who ended the Asian challenge in the women’s draw despite producing 14 double faults and 42 unforced errors.

Fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, number six Ana Ivanovic, Nicole Vaidisova and Nadia Petrova needed to win only a handful of games on Monday to finish their third round matches.

Russian 12th seed Elena Dementieva, however, was upstaged 3-6 6-2 6-3 by 16-year-old Austrian Tamira Paszek.

French Open champion Rafael Nadal was among those still left stranded in the third round. He was leading 2-0 in the fifth set against Sweden’s Robin Soderling.

David Nalbandian was critical of tournament’s policy in having a rest day on the middle Sunday as some competitors now face the prospect of playing several days in succession.

The Argentine, however, will not be among them as he lost 6-2 7-5 6-0 to 10th seed Marcos Baghdatis.

Only four-times champion Roger Federer, it seems, is having an easy time of it. He is likely to have at least four days off after his fourth-round opponent Tommy Haas pulled out injured.

Japan defense minister resigns in fresh blow to PM

Japan’s defense minister resigned on Tuesday over remarks that appeared to accept the 1945 atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dealing a fresh blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling camp ahead of a national election this month.

Abe’s support rates have already been slashed by outrage over government mishandling of pension records, and defense Minister Fumio Kyuma’s perceived gaffe has only added to his headaches before the July 29 upper house election.

“I regret that my comments have caused trouble. I am very sorry,” Kyuma told reporters, adding that Abe had accepted his offer to resign.

Kyuma’s decision to quit came after a prominent lawmaker in the ruling coalition’s junior partner had said he should “decide his own course”, a phrase that is often code for urging a politician to quit.

Abe had attempted to quell the furor by reprimanding Kyuma, who said on Saturday that he thought the atomic bombings “could not be helped”.

But opposition parties, keen to press their advantage ahead of the election, had refused to let up pressure for him to resign.

Abe can ill afford another furor ahead of the upper house election.

A weekend survey by the Asahi newspaper showed the prime minister’s support rate had slipped 3 points in the previous week to 28 percent, the weakest showing for the once-popular leader since he took office last September.

Kyuma had already gained a reputation for verbal gaffes since taking office last year, angering Washington in January by calling the invasion of Iraq a mistake.

More than 360,000 people ultimately died from the atomic blasts that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, days before Japan surrendered to put an end to World War Two.

The attacks hold a central role in Japan’s collective memory, and the country has been criticized for stressing its status as victim while failing to acknowledge its own war atrocities.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue had met Kyuma on Tuesday and was to visit Abe’s office later to protest over the minister’s remarks.

Abe will not automatically have to step down if his coalition loses its upper house majority.

But a big loss would mean the ruling bloc could not enact legislation, which must win approval in both chambers, threatening political paralysis and sparking calls for Abe to quit or even call a snap lower house election.