Happiness

The Scoop on Happiness: Ice Cream is Science

Ice Cream Happiness is not just a feeling—it’s science. Researchers—real ones—put people in an MRI machine and fed them vanilla ice cream. The results? Their brains lit up like Deepavali lamps. A study conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that eating ice cream activated the orbitofrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with pleasure and reward.

Our ancestors weren’t spoiled for choice. Before supermarkets and food delivery apps, food was hard to find. Fat and sugar meant survival. So, the brain rewarded every bite with a dose of joy. Thousands of years later, we don’t need to hoard calories, but the brain still thinks we do. Which is why ice cream makes us happy.

Some say joy can be found in other things. These people are wrong. The MRI scans don’t lie. The next time someone judges my double scoop, I am going to point them to science.

Interestingly, the research also found that different flavours trigger different responses. Vanilla, the classic choice, brings a sense of comfort and nostalgia. Chocolate lights up more intense pleasure centers. But whatever your preference, the effect is undeniable—ice cream is a shortcut to happiness.

This might explain why ice cream parlours have been cultural landmarks for generations. From old-school softy vendors to artisanal gelato shops, they’ve always been places of joy. Whether celebrating a victory or nursing heartbreak, the cure is often found in a cone or a cup.

Speaking of nostalgia, there was an Arun Ice Cream shop at Simmakkal, Madurai. An odd place for an ice cream shop. In the middle of a busy road with no parking. But that never mattered. Arun Ice Cream was the first big name in mass retail ice cream in my life! Before Arun, ice cream was a fleeting treat, not a destination. Arun changed that. It gave ice cream a home. A shop. A menu.

The pushcart was replaced by the thrill of stepping into a store, choosing from a board full of flavours, and watching the shopkeeper handover happiness in a cup.

Or better still, a slice of Cassatta. A rainbow of flavours with a soft cake surprise at one end. The ultimate jackpot. The store in Simmakkal is long gone, but I look at the place fondly. Arun Ice Cream remains special. Their playful ads, delightful products, and bold entrepreneurship have kept them a favourite.

But back then? Well, those were the days. Sparse traffic. Slow afternoons. Ice cream melting slightly before the first bite.

Me, my brother, and dad would drive there on his good old Hero Honda. The wind in our faces, the thrill of the ride, and the promise of ice cream at the end of it—it was an adventure of its own. I can’t imagine how that would be possible now, with the traffic and chaos. But back then, it was simple. And sweet. Ice cream happiness was worth living for!

And by the way, this is not the first time I write about ice creams here.

Check out my ‘paal’ ice post here from 2008.

Or from 2014. Looks like I have been accessing ice cream happiness for a long time.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have important research to do. With a tub of filter coffee ice cream. Science, you see.

Music for the Joy of It

You make music for the sake of music. Not for applause, not for approval, but for the joy of creating something beautiful. The artist who plays for the joy of performing brings a different spirit to the craft.

This music is free. It flows without restraint, carrying its tune far beyond the boundaries of an audience. It isn’t weighed down by expectations or shaped by what others want to hear. Instead, it’s a pure expression—spontaneous and full of life.

When applause comes, it’s welcome. But it doesn’t define the performance. It isn’t the point. The artist’s joy lies in the act of creation, the connection with the moment, and the resonance of every note.

Music made this way doesn’t just touch the ears; it touches the soul. It’s a reminder that the most authentic creations are born not from the need to please but from the desire to express. And that is what makes it linger, long after the last note has been played.

The Irony of Comfort and Happiness

Bill Bryson often says it like none else.

And isn’t that true? We rush to make life easier, happier, more fulfilled. Yet, in the hustle, we forget to pause and ask if it’s all meaningful.

What if we shifted focus?

What if we sought less, simplified more, and made space for what truly counts? Comfort and happiness are fleeting; meaning endures. Perhaps it’s time to pause and ponder.

Are You Really Living in the Real World?

“Of all the things I am not very good at, living in the real world is perhaps the most outstanding.“

– Bill Bryson

Reality is overrated. Bills, deadlines, queues, and the baffling expectation to remember passwords—it’s all a bit much. Some of us, prefer to drift slightly outside the real world. Not entirely disconnected, just… loosely affiliated.

The real world insists on practical things—like reading terms and conditions before clicking ‘Accept’ or knowing the actual price of milk. Meanwhile, the rest of us are busy contemplating why ‘quaint’ is both a compliment and an insult.

Living in reality is a skill. Some master it. Others, well, we wander through life slightly bewildered but always entertained.

Which side do you fall on?

The Awesome Takes Time: What the Golden Gate Bridge Teaches Us

It’s practically illegal to visit San Francisco and not post a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. Or so it seems, judging by the questions when you don’t! 😄

But beyond its stunning presence, this bridge is a lesson in persistence. Built in 1937, it didn’t just appear overnight. It took over a decade of battling opposition—financial worries, engineering doubts, even fears that it would ruin the bay’s beauty.

Today, those objections feel almost absurd, drowned out by its practical and symbolic value.

Because here’s the thing—the awesome doesn’t get built overnight. And most importantly, it doesn’t look awesome when it’s still in the mind.

So, what are you building? Keep going. The world may not see it yet, but one day, they’ll wonder how it ever wasn’t there.

The Lincoln Memorial Steps and a Speech That Changed the World

On August 28, 1963, standing on these very steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. A speech that didn’t just move America—it shook the world.

These steps have heard many voices, but this one stands out. King spoke not just to commemorate Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which freed millions of slaves, but to remind the world that freedom and justice are always unfinished work.

Some steps are just steps. Others lift humanity higher.

This is one such place.

Skyline Illusions: San Francisco’s Double Act

A city’s skyline can feel like a carbon copy of ambition—jagged concrete dreams reaching upward, standing in silent competition. From afar, they all seem the same.

But look closer. No two skylines are alike. The details whisper—the polished glass facades, the murmurs in the air, the street music shaping the mood. These are the signatures of a city, the pulse beneath the architecture.

San Francisco’s skyline plays a game. Business-like. No-nonsense. A stiff upper lip. But let the Pacific breeze brush past you, step beyond the steel towers, and descend into the valleys of the city—that’s when the façade fades. The real San Francisco isn’t just in its skyline. It’s in the hills, the streets, the unexpected turns.

Some cities invite you in. San Francisco? It teases, then surprises.

Before You Sail, Build the Boat and the Vision

Boats at shore always seem out of place. They aren’t built to sit still—they belong to the waves, the winds, the unknown.

Watching them, ready and restless, just beside the sea, you can almost feel it—the pull of adventure, the promise of distance.

But every long voyage is actually two voyages. The first happens in the mind—where dreams set sail long before the hull touches water. The second, on land—where boats are built strong, crafted well, ready to endure what lies ahead.

Because when the mind doesn’t imagine wide enough, or the boat isn’t built strong enough, voyages don’t happen the way they should.

So, what voyages are you on?
How far have you traveled in your mind?
And most importantly—how strong is your boat?

Borrowed Wheels, Big Dreams: A Reflection from Delhi’s Roads

Where you stand depends on where you sit. And where you sit? That depends on how much of a foothold you have in the world.

In many places, life isn’t about luxury or choice—it’s about making the most of what’s available. It’s about hanging on, navigating bridges with borrowed wheels, hoping for the best, and moving forward anyway.

But let’s be clear—this does not mean fewer aspirations.
This does not mean fewer dreams of change.
This does not mean fewer smiles, joys, or moments of triumph.

For many, life is neither happiness nor sadness—it simply is. And there’s a quiet resilience in that truth.

The Weight, The Why, and The Joy in Between

It’s never about the weight—it’s about how we carry it.
It’s never about the work—it’s about why we do it.
It’s never about the grand sights—it’s about the stories they hold.
It’s never about big things—it’s about finding big meaning in small moments.

Happiness isn’t loud. It doesn’t need a grand stage. It lives in quiet corners, in the way we see, in the way we let things be.

To find joy is to notice it. And to let it stay.

(at Pattaya, Thailand)