A new study suggests that as we get older, we increasingly think of the world as generally good, and those of us who do are happier.

The study, published earlier this year in the journal Psychology and Aging, examined roughly 2,000 people over a two-year period. Researchers Michael Poulin at the University of Michigan and Roxane Silver at UC Irvine gave participants several surveys that asked them about their well-being, how religious they were, and whether they thought the world and human nature were basically good.

People are usually quick to blame TV, complaining that kids are playing less because they’re watching TV more. A new study suggests the truth may be even worse. The study, published in the July/August issue of Child Development, found that kids play significantly less if they’re simply in a room in which a TV is turned on, even if they’re not trying to watch it and even if it’s turned to adult programming. Under these conditions, the kids observed in the study, who were all three years old or younger, played for about five percent less time than when a TV wasn’t turned on. For more on contremporary threats to play–and suggestions for how to revive play–you can check out Greater Good's recent play issue.