When leading researchers were asked to compile the Top 10 Ways to Improve Happiness, they only explicitly mentioned work once. Yet *every single point* on their list has major implications for our work choices.
10 ways to improve happiness:
Here's the list, as summarized by Albert Brooks in The Atlantic today:

1. Invest in family and friends.

2. Join a club.

3. Be active both mentally and physically.

4. Practice your religion.

5. Get physical exercise.

6. Act nicely.

7. Be generous.

8. Check your health.

9. Experience nature.

10. Socialize with colleagues outside of work.

If we were to shift this Top Ten to "work-relevancy," here's what we might glean:

Top ten factors related to works that improve happiness:
1. Choose a workplace that has flexible hours, where performance is based on specific outcomes, not on time present. (Enables numbers 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10)

2. Seek out a workplace full of warm, centered co-workers who have enriching lives outside of work for which they're eager to make space. (Enables numbers 6, 7, 10 - and everything that requires your time, i.e., numbers 1, 3, 5, 8, 9)

3. Demand a workplace that *actively* supports individual workers' priorities and values, including by making genuine room for all religious holidays (no big meetings or deadlines the next day!). (Enables numbers 1, 2, 5 and 4, at the very least)

What would you add to the "work-relevancy" list?