Social Connection indicator of Adult Well-Being

I subscribe to a podcast/video/blog called Greater Good Science Center.  The topic is on parenting and encouraging your child and family to be happy.   They share a lot of current research and the content is great. 

However, to be honest, this blog stresses me out (how ironic!).  The postings come in fast and furiously and there is something within me that thinks that if I miss a single one, my child will somehow be miserable.   As a result, my inbox is clogged with content from the Greater Good Science Center that I hope to read someday.

Today I had a little pocket of time and actually read one that was very applicable to my work with pre-teens.   A major study http://www.springerlink.com/content/jt5w288378555871/?MUD=MP&utm_source=RH+August+2012++eNews&utm_campaign=Raising+Happiness&utm_medium=email
found that the biggest indicator of adult well being was social connection.  

The Greater Good people go on to explain how important it is to focus on skills like breathing and courage. They also talk about a program called Dovetail Learning which is a social skills program for K-6th grade.   Having a lot of experience with social skills programs, both good and bad, this one strikes me as fantastic.  They talk about different skills as tools--so you have a breathing tool and a garbage tool etc.   The program seems very user friendly and something that kids could really grasp.  If it so happens that your child's school isn't using this program, I think you could take some of the concepts and easily use them with your pre-teen.  Beware, the little videos are tear-inducing.
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/raising_happiness/post/back_to_school_supplies?utm_source=RH+August+2012++eNews&utm_campaign=Raising+Happiness&utm_medium=email

http://dovetaillearning.org/dovetail/