Six More Odd Ways People Sabotage Their Own Health and Happiness

5. Religion.

Religion gives us hope in time of overwhelming sorrow. But at least one study has found that religion gives us sorry in times of hope. A study of conversions from religious to atheist and atheist to religious found that religious people tended to be more depressed, although the study was done in the European Union and Chile and may not apply to other countries.

6. Playing sports after childhood.

Kids like to play games. But by the time a young athlete is playing on an elite high school or college team, sports are all business. Student athletes have to study, do their very best on the playing field, and not let the team down. There is very seldom a break, and when there is positive attention, it's usually from a teammate or a "fan," keeping the athlete isolated from other social opportunities. Some athletes thrive on the challenge and attention, but many do not.

7. Shopping.

A recent study of 2,500 people in the Netherlands found that shopping creates a "loop of loneliness" in which the more people shopped, the lonelier they became, and the lonelier they became, the more they shopped. American studies have even found that families with incomes of over $159,000 per year are less happy than those who make less than $100,000 per year.

8. Listening to music, at least for teens.

A study at the University of Pittsburgh found that when teens read more, they are happier, and when they listen to more music, they are more depressed. For every hour a day that teens were plugged into their iPods listening to music, they were 80% more likely to suffer a major depressive disorder. One hour of music a day may be OK, but four or five are too much.

9. Socializing on the Internet.

Healthy people don't need to check their email, their Twitter feed, or their Facebook page every hour, or even every day. Sure, social media help us connect, but they also help us connect to angry idiots we wind up having to unfriend or block. Beyond two hours a day, socializing on the Internet should be replaced by socializing face to face.

Read More: 4 Myths About Happiness

10. (In the US) voting for Democrats.

Followers of the Democratic Party in the USA have to deal with lots of frustrations. Even when their candidates win their elections, the other side is absolutely devoted to thwarting their will. Democrats can get the feeling that they are victims, and they can let that feeling carry over into the rest of their lives. The Pew Polling Group has been reporting a "happiness gap" since the 1980's, and even Democratic politicians are in power, Democratic party members tend to be disgruntled. And when Democrats spend a large part of their lives following social media, they tend to antagonized most of the time.

What's the solution to all of these unfortunate choices for your emotional health, from winning the lottery to voting for the party of unhappy people? Don't let any choice you make in your life become the last word in your happiness. Go ahead and socialize on the net, vote for the candidate of your choice, and buy that Lotto ticket--but cultivate aspects of your life other than these ten to stay happy.